Anybody have any Scanpan?

Hi- I have a Scanpan 8 " nonstick frying pan that I purchased at Cook's Catalog when they used to have their Highland Park store, which I just discovered closed in 2007, and so I have had the pan for at least 6 years. I only paid $29 for it when I got it, and I got it because consumer reports liked it. I use the pan all the time, and I just made scrambled eggs with it today. I still love the pan, but it has lost some of its nonstick properties. It has a lifetime warranty, but I have heard it is next to impossible to get them to give you a new pan. You have to mail the pan back to them, and then they tell you that you mistreated the pan, and thus the warranty is invalid.

I have considered getting one of those tfal nonstick pans that CI recommends. I can get one really cheap at Kohl's if I use a coupon there. Somebody on another site said that Scanpans should be salvageable though, if you use some barkeepers friend on it. I use the pan to make pancakes frequently, and since it's nonstick properties have diminished, I have been spraying it with pam. This person claims that the pam gums up the surface, and if I clean it with barkeepers friends, I will get all the gunk off, and it will be nonstick again. I don't use any sharp utensils on it, and I never use high heat. It is not all scratched up. Would the barkeepers friend work on it to restore the nonstick surface? I noticed that CI does not have scan pan on their list of recommended pans, but I am not sure if they ever tested it, and Consumer Reports thinks there are better pans out there now. Thanks, Nancy

Nancy,

This article on nonstick skillets is open until later today, but likely locked behind curtain #3 by tomorrow morning.
http://www.cooksillustrated.com/equipme ... =L3JN3AA00

If you read this article, there are detailed information on how these pans work. It is specialized coatings that wear out over time and sometimes rather quickly. I will venture to guess all the information you were given on refinishing your pan will not work. It is not related to the substrate, it is related to the coatings. If those coatings are gone, there is nothing you can do to retrieve them.

Regards,

Hi- Thanks for the link. I might end up trying the Bar Keepers Friend, since I have another use for it, and then if it does not work, I'll just buy the tfal pan, since they really liked it, and I believe Consumer Reports likes it too. I have heard it is sometimes hard to find, and I noticed that Kohl's has a purchase limit of five pans per online customer, although I don't know why anybody would need more than five,

In my experience, non-sticks wear out. Nothing you can do to stop that. I have bought pans with 'lifetime warranties'. Doesn't change that the non-stick wears out. I really like the T-fal. I get them from Amazon. The non-stick wears out.

In my opinion, you need to resign yourself to replacing non-stick pans on a regular basis.

Hi,

I was in Target this evening. They had a 12.5 T-Fal for $23. You may need to double check it is the product you want, because sometimes a manufacturer will make a custom spec for a client.

Regards,

All y'all's mileage might vary, but

1. I don't think that non-stick spray, or any vegetable oil for that matter, will gum up any surface if it's cleaned carefully enough the first time -- very warm bubbly water and lots of force with a good dishcloth for as long as it takes to remove all the incipient stickiness.

2. In my experience Bon Ami is even gentler than Bar Keepers' Friend and might be just abrasive enough to remove any polymerized oil films that might be starting to form.

I have the T-Fal 12.5" pro nonstick pan and I'm very unhappy with it. The bottom of the pan is bowed up in the center so that all the oil runs off the center to the outside edge. My attempt to make thin Swedish pancakes was a total failure. The pancake batter just ran down the hump to the edge of the pan. Eggs and crepes would have the same problem. There are a number of reviews on Amazon that complain about the same problem, with some saying that it got worse every time the used it. Some got replacements and those were warped too. Those with electric cooktops can't use them because only the edges rest on the surface of the cooktop leaving the middle of the pan cold. One person wrote to the company and T-FAL admitted that the pan bottoms were convex so that they wouldn't warp in the other direction (concave) when cooled. This answer makes no sense; why would anyone care if the pan bottom were bowed down when it was cool? You want it flat when you're cooking.

Also, the red dot to indicate when the pan is hot enough is an unnecessary gimmick. The hot pan / cold oil theory has been debunked and it is safer to heat the oil in the pan and judge when it is ready by the shimmering of the oil, rather than add oil to a pan that may be too hot.

Cook's Illustrated really blew it on this one.

lougord99 wrote:In my experience, non-sticks wear out. Nothing you can do to stop that. I have bought pans with 'lifetime warranties'. Doesn't change that the non-stick wears out. I really like the T-fal. I get them from Amazon. The non-stick wears out.

In my opinion, you need to resign yourself to replacing non-stick pans on a regular basis.

Thanks to this thread, I took a close look at my All-Clad nonstick pan, and it appears good as new. I think that's because I have "rules" about using it, just like the good sewing shears my mother had. Basically, no one touches the pan except me!

sdbond wrote:Thanks to this thread, I took a close look at my All-Clad nonstick pan, and it appears good as new.

I have a couple of pieces of All-Clad that were great for 15+ years, but eventually started to lose their non-stick properties. Once they started to go, they went really fast. I have considered taking All-Clad up on the "lifetime" warranty, but I am a little jaded by experiences with other companies. I don't want to pay to ship the pan, only to be told that I abused it.

I have never found a non-stick coating that is permanent. I think companies give lifetime warranties on the supposition that most people will not take advantage of them if the pans last 15 years or more. All-clad, however, charges enough for their pans that they can afford to replace them under warranty. Has anybody ever tried to get an All-Clad pan replaced? Any suggestions for a (more) reasonably priced replacement?

By the way, the TFal excuse that they purposely bend the pans to prevent convex warpping makes sense to me. If a pan is bowed outward, it will wobble on a flat surface, whereas concave warping is not as obvious (though it will render the pan just as useless).

d4v3 wrote:

sdbond wrote:Thanks to this thread, I took a close look at my All-Clad nonstick pan, and it appears good as new.

I have a couple of pieces of All-Clad that were great for 15+ years, but eventually started to lose their non-stick properties. Once they started to go, they went really fast. I have considered taking All-Clad up on the "lifetime" warranty, but I am a little jaded by experiences with other companies. I don't want to pay to ship the pan, only to be told that I abused it.

I have never found a non-stick coating that is permanent. I think companies give lifetime warranties on the supposition that most people will not take advantage of them if the pans last 15 years or more. All-clad, however, charges enough for their pans that they can afford to replace them under warranty. Has anybody ever tried to get an All-Clad pan replaced? Any suggestions for a (more) reasonably priced replacement?

By the way, the TFal excuse that they purposely bend the pans to prevent convex warpping makes sense to me. If a pan is bowed outward, it will wobble on a flat surface, whereas concave warping is not as obvious (though it will render the pan just as useless).

I have paid what I thought were fair prices for All-Clad on eBay (fair, not cheap, mind you). There is also a site that sells deeply discounted high-end cookware, but I am blanking out on the name. I think the pieces they get are overstocks and items of that nature.

I am sure my nonstick All-Clad will eventually give up its special properties, but so far so good!

When it comes to non-stick cookware, I'm now a complete convert from All-Clad, Calphalon, etc. to Scanpan. It didn't take long, either. One cook and one clean-up with a Scanpan I bought for myself and I was sold. I love these pans and retired all my All-Clad non-stick sautee/fry pans just after the holidays, when my wife gifted me with a couple other Scanpans (Professional line) in several sizes. Not only is the non-stick surface phenomenally effective but the pans are well balanced for me weight-wise, and the large, tubular, stay-cool handles are a perfect fit for my hand and provide a ton of control. Add in the extra element that they're dishwasher safe, and the Scanpans are in a league of their own. It's an added bonus that they look great, too. I like them so much, I'm considering purchasing a stock pot and a dutch oven, too. They'll never replace my LeCreuset cookware but I think they could be extremely useful -- and very convenient -- in several cooking applications.

=R=

I love the Good Cook non-stick pans you can but at Jewel.
They're inexpensive, very well constructed, and damn near indestructible.

I got a Scanpan based on others' recommendations, and I do not like it nearly as much as my trusty old Cuisinart nonstick skillet. To each their own!

ETA: Argh, I do not own a Scanpan; it's a T-fal cheapo. See comment below for further apology...

mamagotcha wrote:I got a Scanpan based on others' recommendations, and I do not like it nearly as much as my trusty old Cuisinart nonstick skillet. To each their own!

I've never owned any Cuisinart cookware. Why do you like it more than the Scanpan?

=R=

I have a full line of Scanpan 2000. I made the mistake of using too much heat when I first bought them. My original pieces are from the mid to late 80s. I bought subsequent pieces which gave held up better. I've been very happy with my cookware, especially how easy it is to clean. I'll need to try the Bar Keeper's Friend on my older pieces. I also have a nonstick Cuisanart pan which I love.

I am chagrined to admit that I misremembered my purchase of a T-fal Thermo-Spot pan as a Scanpan. Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa! I apologize for maligning the Scanpan... the T-fal has, as someone above mentioned, an uneven bottom with a bump in the center. It's cheap and it feels like it... not recommended.

However, I stand by my assessment of the Cuisinart pan as a good (also inexpensive) non-stick skillet... ours has lasted for the better part of five years, and if that one houseguest hadn't practically smelted it by deep-frying taquitos in it, it might still be in good shape.

I have several All-Clad non stick skillets. After about ten years of use, the non stick coating failed on a 10" skillet. All-Clad replaced it for free. One thing that will void the warranty is using a cooking spray. Don't do that.

I have had several T fal pans for years and they are fine. The coating does not wear off. I've had more trouble with the outside of the pans getting a bit banged or or with hard on grease. I've never had to use bon ami or bar keepers friend on mine. Everything just washes out with a scrubby sponge and dish soap. I use the kind of scrubbies that can be used on non stick, not the harsh kind. You do have to be careful with the kind of scrubbie you use. I also buy scrubbies from ebay or etsy that people make out of netting and I like them quite a bit.