I'm after a pan.

[Simon Bags]

Morning. I'm after a pan, a general go to pan. Something that will quite happily do a bit of batch cooking so will need some depth, can handle a bolognese, curry, the odd stir fry, fried eggs, steak, an all purpose. I've read reviews, seen videos, but some say go all stainless, some say non-stick (ceramic?). Preferably with a lid. Anyone have one that they always reach for? Budget, about £70. Oh, and it's be on a gas hob.

Cheers, Simon.

[CrgT16]

Any high sided stainless steel one will do the job.

I personally stay away from non stick coatings as they tend to come off overtime and are not needed anyway.

I also use cast iron for some types of food I make. As a 1 pan a stainless steel with lid would do. Mauviel do very good ones but cheaper ones probably just as good.

[Simon Bags]

CrgT16 said:

Any high sided stainless steel one will do the job.

I personally stay away from non stick coatings as they tend to come off overtime and are not needed anyway.

I also use cast iron for some types of food I make. As a 1 pan a stainless steel with lid would do. Mauviel do very good ones but cheaper ones probably just as good.

I did hear about coatings coming off after a while. And although many say everything sticks to a stainless pan, but if you do it right you should be fine? I have a ProCook store near me, I'll have a wander.

Thanks.

[RedWhiteMonkey]

If you can fry an egg on a non non-stick pan without it sticking to the pan then good for you. If not, then buy Ikea 365+ non-stick pans and treat them as a replacable item every few years.

[Arnold Cunningham]

I've given up on all the non stick coatings, they're not necessary in my view - if you think you need non stick, you're doing it wrong.

My current favourites are solidteknics stuff. I have 2 of their frying pans and a wok.
https://www.solidteknics.co.uk/collections/shop
https://www.buymeonce.co.uk/collections/solidtekni...

[Sporky]

Simon Bags said:

I did hear about coatings coming off after a while. And although many say everything sticks to a stainless pan, but if you do it right you should be fine? I have a ProCook store near me, I'll have a wander.

I have one of their Blue Steel frying pans for when I want nom-stickiness. Plain stainless when a bit of stickiness doesn't matter.

[21TonyK]

OP, the cooking you describe needs different-shaped pans made of different materials.

But.... if you want one pan and you are near a procook shop try one of these:

https://www.procook.co.uk/product/procook-elite-fo...

They sent me one as a free replacement and so far (couple of months in) its still ok.

Ideally though you want three pans, if not four for what you describe.

[Simon Bags]

21TonyK said:

OP, the cooking you describe needs different-shaped pans made of different materials.

But.... if you want one pan and you are near a procook shop try one of these:

https://www.procook.co.uk/product/procook-elite-fo...

They sent me one as a free replacement and so far (couple of months in) its still ok.

Ideally though you want three pans, if not four for what you describe.

That's exactly what I'm going to look at, although maybe the non non-stick version.

[bunchofkeys]

Slightly off topic, but how do you store your pans? Do you just pile them up in a cupboard or stack them side ways, if the latter, what do you use?

[21TonyK]

Simon Bags said:

21TonyK said:

OP, the cooking you describe needs different-shaped pans made of different materials.

But.... if you want one pan and you are near a procook shop try one of these:

https://www.procook.co.uk/product/procook-elite-fo...

They sent me one as a free replacement and so far (couple of months in) its still ok.

Ideally though you want three pans, if not four for what you describe.

That's exactly what I'm going to look at, although maybe the non non-stick version.

The linked pan is rated to 260C which is better than some cheaper/older ones (which I returned after the coating failed).

But... if you want searing then coated pans are not really what you want. As I said originally, you are describing several pans in your OP, think about the mechanics of getting a fried egg out of a deep pan plus the amount of oil needed to coat the bottom of a large pan for small items.

[soad]

bunchofkeys said:

Slightly off topic, but how do you store your pans? Do you just pile them up in a cupboard or stack them side ways, if the latter, what do you use?

Cupboard. Griddle pan mainly stays inside the oven…

[DorsetSparky]

Circulon.

[Riley Blue]

DorsetSparky said:

Circulon.

Ditto, had my two 10+ years.

BTW, pan storage: stacked in cupboard with a few sheets of kitchen towel between each one.

[Crumpet]

I’m a big fan of buying British, so if you’re feeling a bit spendy have a look at Samuel Groves. I’ve got a couple of their stainless pans and they’re outstanding. They also have non-stick but not sure if they’re made in England or, indeed, any good.

Edit: Oh and I ditched all my non-stick and started using Crisbee to season and non-stickify all my cast iron Le Creuset stuff. So any decent cast iron is also another great shout if you’re willing to put time and effort into the pans.

Edited by Crumpet on Wednesday 28th January 10:05

[bigdom]

bunchofkeys said:

Slightly off topic, but how do you store your pans? Do you just pile them up in a cupboard or stack them side ways, if the latter, what do you use?

I use pan protectors. Plenty of types and brands.

https://www.procook.co.uk/product/procook-pan-prot...

[thebraketester]

Crumpet said:

I m a big fan of buying British, so if you re feeling a bit spendy have a look at Samuel Groves. I ve got a couple of their stainless pans and they re outstanding. They also have non-stick but not sure if they re made in England or, indeed, any good.

Edit: Oh and I ditched all my non-stick and started using Crisbee to season and non-stickify all my cast iron Le Creuset stuff. So any decent cast iron is also another great shout if you re willing to put time and effort into the pans.

Edited by Crumpet on Wednesday 28th January 10:05

The SG stainless pans are brilliant. There non stick stuff is horse st in my experience. I ended up throwing a £180 non stick frying pan because the coating failed.

[ben5575]

Another vote for Samuel Groves, but for boiling water to cook pasta/rice/veg or sauces etc pretty much any ss pan will do.

The answer for the one pan that does it all is a 24cm Le Creuset casserole. You can get them for double your budget (sorry), but they really are for life and a pleasure to use. You'll use it every day so it might be worth the investment?

[JKRolling]

I’ve had my eye on one of these since Christmas. Comes in a range of sizes depending on what you are looking for.

https://www.netherton-foundry.co.uk/Chef's-pan/Ove...

[Gville]

I recently bought a made in stainless steel saucier. It’s a lovely multi purpose pan. Quite pricey but got in sale. Frying an egg takes some practice but it’s satisfying. I’ve got cast iron, carbon steel et al but for day to day no junk in your food and cannot be wrecked easily stainless is the way to go for me. Enjoy!

[AndyTR]

JKRolling said:

I ve had my eye on one of these since Christmas. Comes in a range of sizes depending on what you are looking for.

https://www.netherton-foundry.co.uk/Chef's-pan/Ove...

I can highly recommend their stuff, I have a bread cloche and a large frying pan. They do need to be seasoned, never put them in the dishwasher and dry immediately after washing with warm water and lightly coat in oil. They are a bit of a faff, but they are brilliant to cook with.

Get a bottle of the flax oil when you buy the pan, you can't buy it separately but will last for years.