best non stick pans/pots

[sagalsmith]

Hope this is the right thread...
I cook a lot, mainly Chinese stir fries, but pretty much all cuisines and find that I keep having to change my pots within a year or less.
I'd prefer to buy one set, spend a bit more and hopefully have a much nicer and longer lasting set. So far I mainly use Tefal- decent enough but doesn't last long, usually as a last minute Argos buy.
I've invested in WMF pressure cookers and stainless pots and love their quality- well worth the extra spend.
Don't mind something weightier for pots but for wok- need flat base and light so that I can flip food.
Any suggestions?

Looking at WMF, Berndes,Mauviel etc from headcook (I got my pressure cooker from them). How to know and choose though?

Why not just buy a wok from a Chinese supermarket? If they're oiled and used regularly they won't rust. Plus, they're light and heat through very quickly, which is what you need for stir-frying.

Otoh, for people that have more money than they know what to do with, Aga do a wok - God knows what it costs.

Just had a look - flat bottomed wok from Wing Yip £6.40, Aga cookshop wok £79.99. Easy. Go for the cheapie one.

tb is right. Buy a wok from a Chinese shop so you don't pay for novelty value. I would never buy a non-stick wok. If you heat the wok up first before adding oil and then wait till the oil is hot before adding food then it won't stick. I have a cast iron wok from a Chinese shop and it works a treat.

But I want a non-stick saucepan for doing omelettes and pancakes. Any recommendation?

Was just thinking of something that uses less oil, which is why the regular ones didn't appeal although that's what my mum's used throughout my childhood.
Uptoapoint, why would you never use a non-stick wok?
I just cook as I go along and need to learn more (are there books to read?)

Non-stick stuff can't take the heat. Certainly not the way I cook anyway - heating up dry non-stick pan a big no-no, apparently.

Also have to be so bloody careful about scratching etc. Too fussy.

The normal cast iron ones don't need that much oil. For stirfry, heat wok, add a bit of oil, heat oil, stirfry, add water/stock/rice wine when it starts to stick. Done. I once even bought one of those oil spray cans things to do "a thin film of oil" but these days I just pour from a oil can thing and swirl it about a bit.

The French stuff is the best IME. I have my mum's old Le Creuset omelette pan, its about 30 years old and is still non stick.

Also, about 10 years ago picked up a very cheap set of unbranded pans in Carrefour in France, and these are still non stick.

Having said that, UptoaPoint is right about the heat, my Le Creuset frying pan is no longer non stick and I've only had it 3 years. I haven't taken care of it well heatwise.

Thanks upto. That's all news for me. Didn't know that. I usually cook with very high heat (usually coz I want to do it fast) and its simply not working.
I'll look into it a bit more...