Frying pans, how long does your non-stick pan last?

[ellisbell]

Recommendations please for a non-stick surface that will actually last longer than a year. We don't have a dishwasher so it's washed by hand.

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MNHQ

Not a frying pan but we got a Jamie Oliver by Tefal wok as a wedding present. It is non-stick and we've had it 2.5 years and it still looks brand new despite being used about 3-4 times a week. There is a frying pan in the range: www.amazon.co.uk/Tefal-Jamie-Oliver-Hard-Anodized/dp/B001BYJ30W

Not cheap, but our wok is so good and genuinely non-stick (everything just slides straight off it, never needs scrubbing) we would like eventually to replace all our other pans from the range.

I mean, replace all our other pans with pans from this range.

it helps, after washing them, to rub a litle cooking oil into the non-stick surface of pans with a bit of kitchen roll before you put them away. It really does help to restore and maintain their non-stick qualkity. This is especially important if you put them in a dishwasher.

I was disappointed to learn that stainless frying pans will always stick, no matter what you do.

For the barbie I use an iron pan that is never washed, just scrubbed off with newspaper and has built up a good layer of burned-on grease. There is a view that washing frying pans is bad for them, and dishwashers are especially bad as they remove all the surface film. Bit sad, because I generally like to see pans bright and clean.

Mine is analon. I have had it for 10 years and it has had much use.

We just went away for the weekend and there was a terrible frying pan. I set the smoke alarm off and I was thinking when I got home that bad pans were a false economy. And that I should get out more...

I agree on not washing non-stick in the dishwasher - we have one (OP has said she does not) but I never wash the Tefal wok in there. It's so quick to wash by hand that it isn't a chore anyway - it is properly non-stick and everything slides straight off no problem.

I got a Circulon one for Christmas last but one - so it's been used for less than 2 years. Dh burned a curry in it, didn't clean it particularly well and then used it again. Now the silly ridges look caked with burnt on stuff all the time, unless I use my fingernails to scrape them out. not a nice way to spend half an hour. It also works only with some meals, others stick quickly and I certainly can't use it to sear steak at a high temperature for example. I'm pretty cross about it still as I'd been so sure this was THE frying pan. I contacted them to see if they'd refund me under the guarantee but they wanted me to send the pan off and I've not got round to all that yet.

I've also had this small frying pan for 1.5 yrs and it is excellent - I love it and love it to a ridiculous extent. Nothing has ever stuck to it, despite me burning various sauces, stirfry stuff and even meat in my post-baby fug. No scratches, super-easy to clean and not too expensive. I keep meaning to buy another in a bigger size and then persuading myself I can manage without ...

"Now the silly ridges look caked with burnt on stuff all the time, unless I use my fingernails to scrape them out"

have you tried a nylon washing-up brush?

once clean, rubbing with a bit of cooking oil to gloss up the surface again does help. Usually you can rub it on with a bit of kitchen roll, but if there are ridges on the cooking side, you might need to use a brush. Tip it over afterwards so any excess runs out.

Yep - I've tried every type of scrubbing brush in the house, including an old toothbrush which worked the best, but still left the worst parts looking yucky. And tried bicarb, dry and simmered in the pan, and about a million other remedies! Nothing works quite like the fingernails though and then it is fine till something else catches. It's so frustrating as my whole life-philosophy is to surround myself with low-effort tools, and I really should just call it a day and get another one instead of being stingy. Maybe I'll just try using the cooking oil first though. Oh the emotions a frying pan can raise...

time for a new one with a smooth surface perhaps

but if they will let you send the old one back, perhaps they'll replace it?

Ordered! Fabulous deal here - only £11 - can't believe my luck! That's dh's Christmas presents for me sorted out then (and some left over for chocolates).

a frying pan for a Christmas present?

I wouldn't dare.

Really? It is getting on for being an ideal present for me. I like useful and I don't need any more clutter, books, toiletries or weight gain. And given the strength of feeling on this thread about frying pans, finding the perfect one seems a great gift!

Ah, a low-maintenance woman! I should have got one of those!

John Lewis The Pan - cheap and continues to work well.