Lifespan of a pan- Boring thread alert!

[jimjamjoo]

How long do your pans last? I need to buy some new ones and got some tefal ones last time and they lasted about 7 years. Is this a long time for a pan? Should I look elsewhere?

I got a 3 pan set from matalan for a tenner in 2002. They're still in perfect condition. So, 19 years plus?

Depends on the type of pan.
I have some stainless steel pans that are really solid and will last forever (silver inside and out)
I have non stick pans that last a couple of years, tops.
"Regular" brands like Tefal don't last well, ime. Handles come loose, coating comes off etc.

Cuisinex pans from JL about 20 years old still as good as new.
Pan from Lakeland, about 10, still perfect.

But - stainless steel, unlined, not non stick.

Same here, my stainless steel pans are from JL about 20 years ago, still in perfect condition. I've just bought a stainless steel coated frying pan, it cost about £100 but it's very solid.

Go for stainless steel with riveted handles. Should last you a lifetime.

Still using my mother's cast iron pans daily. They are perfect in every way and at least 60 years old, probably more.

Agree with others it depends on the pans. 7 years for a non-stick frying pan isn't too bad but I'd be disappointed with that for a saucepan.

I recently replaced my stainless steel sauce pans having had them for 18 years. They weren't in too bad condition though and a friend who had to start from scratch setting up a house was grateful to have them. I've had Le Creuset pans for a similar time and would expect them to still be going strong in another 18!

I think DM has a couple of heavy frying pans since they got married 40+ years ago!!

Stainless steel pans here, about thirty years old and not planning on replacing them.

We bought Stellar pans when we were engaged/married, and that was 23 years ago and they are perfect. My mums Stellar must be 30 years old, and when she died I retrieved them and though they needed some heavy duty cleaning and had been much abused, they are now immaculate again

The majority of our plans were wedding presents 10.5yeats ago. John Lewis, own brand.

tefal pans are a it pants imo
the coating never lasts long.
plus they can't go in the dishwasher.
we are slowly replacing anything with plain stainless steel.

Out stainless Steel ones are 21 years old and doing fine. The non-stick ones last about 5 years on average before the coating is too far gone to be any use.

There's a place for both.

I bought stainless steel pans in Woolworths 18 years ago, they have 20year guaranteed stamped into the bottom and are still as good as new except one is a bit warped where I boiled it dry. They were not very expensive, maybe £40 for a set of three.
Don't get me started on Tefal nonstick. "Lifetime guaranteed" hah! I think I bought a new one every pancake day for about 12 years. Now I've stopped making pancakes and struggle on with the old one.

I have three sizes of Stellar stainless steel pans, plus 2 Stellar small milk pans. I've used them literally every day for around 14 years and they're good as new. Dishwash well.

I have to regularly replace frying pans and woks- I think non-stick anything just doesn't last.

I got a cheap set of three pans from Argos 21 years ago which I’ve recently passed on to my daughters. I also got a set of three ceramic cooking dishes and one flan dish from them at the same time, of which one has broken but the other three are still going strong. Again, they’ve been passed on to my daughters and will probably be in use for a few years yet.

They aren’t non-stick, though.

We’ve got one Le creuset cast iron pan which we’ve had for about 4 years, so it’s still a baby, and I’ll be looking to hopefully add some casserole dishes as well, when I can afford it! I’d be looking to keep those until I’m too old to use them!

My stainless steel ones I would fully expect to still be using up until my death, they look as good now as they did a million years ago when I got them. Anything non-stick only lasts for a few years at a push, even shorter if some idiot (looking at you, DH) insists on using a metal scourer to clean it.

This is really useful. Thanks. All those recommending against buying a non stick pan, how do you cook without the non sticky ness?!

I’ve had some 25 years and the others 20 years. Stainless steel. Nonstick pans have been replaced several times in the same time span.

If anything sticks, a wee bit of vanish powder dissolved in the pan will have it sparkling again. 😉

I have some Meyer stainless ones that I bought in 2003, still look like new despite being in daily use.

We have some not non stick Jamie Oliver branded Tefal stainless steel pans that are at least15 years old that have all been used several times a week and dishwashered clean and are still in excellent condition.

For non stick, I get Ikea mid range or Scoville, which are very cheap from Asda, Matalan or Argos. They don't last forever, but my oldest one is about 5 years old and plenty of life in it and that's with going in the dishwasher some of the time.

@jimjamjoo

This is really useful. Thanks. All those recommending against buying a non stick pan, how do you cook without the non sticky ness?!

With stainless steel pans you can attack them with a scourer, but most things don't really stick that much anyway. For a real disaster area of something burning on I boil up some water with washing up liquid in the pan for a while and leave to soak. I have a non-stick frying pan, otherwise everything is plain stainless.

@jimjamjoo

This is really useful. Thanks. All those recommending against buying a non stick pan, how do you cook without the non sticky ness?!

oil/fat is the answer. and no - not all of the fat will end up on your plate, if you are worried about that.

Main saucepans 10-20 years in my experience, good quality non stick, frying pans however rarely last past their second birthday in my house even when I bought a really expensive one so I stick to the £15 ish tefal ones now

@jimjamjoo

I've only had non stick, Sainsbury's expensive ones mostly

Buy pans with a lifetime guarantee and look after them, don't bung non stick in the dishwasher. Don't use low calorie sprays on non stick, wipe with a smear of oil instead. Wash inside pan by hand with hot water only, it's non stick so should just wipe out. Re-season with oil occasionally. Especially after cooking with acid foods like tomato. I had a 20 ish year old non stick omelette pan replaced by Le Creuset. It had a small area where non stick had gone, but the assistant pointed out a green tinge in the pan, which he said was caused by overheating or heating up when empty. So my fault. But pan was replaced anyway. 3 years or so later, replacement pan looks like new still and I can "fry" eggs in it with no oil or fat.