Equipment Reviews: The Best Ceramic Nonstick Skillet



Ceramic nonstick skillets promise to be as slick and reliable as the best regular nonstick skillet, which we like to use when cooking delicate foods such as fish and eggs.

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45 Comments

  1. I started using cast iron and carbon steel, and will never go back to non-stick pans. For the price of a little bit of learning, it's a WAY better experience all the way around.

    And who TF cooks eggs without oil? blech!

  2. I found a 10" Valencia Pro Green Pan on clearance at TJ Maxx for $10 just after Christmas. ($94.99 list on their website!) It's become my go-to pan for scrambling eggs. Needless to say, I couldn't be happier with it.

  3. The "only reason" to purchase a ceramic pan is that it affords browning capabilities much closer to stainless steel – far superior to nonstick – while being much easier than stainless to clean. I find this review dishonest in deliberately ignoring the apt comparison.

  4. Generally even with a Non-Stick Pan, people still add a little oil. Like any Non-Stick Pans are significantly more better than say an uncoated Stainless Steel, but all coatings are not magic.

    Recently got a Cast-Iron Skillet that have a Heritage Rock Coating. And got me thinking, a reason why cheaper Non-Stick Pans don't last long is because they are usually made with metals that have a low melting point like Aluminum, and long time use can lead to the metal warping, and that in turn can lead to the coating chipping off. However in theory if we put these coating on a pan made with material that can withstand higher heats like Cast Iron or Carbon Steel, both the pan and the coating may last longer. And with Cast Iron, when the coating wares down, I could just season it

  5. I noticed my aunt cleaning a ceramic nonstick pan with some stuck-on sauce. I tried it myself and it seems to work better than soaking in hot soapy water: fill the pan about half-full (by depth) and add a handful (I use about a quarter cup) of baking soda, heat the pan to a rolling boil and remove from heat, allow the pan to cool. Rinse the pan and wipe it out, and it will be good as new, even with maple-sausage fond.

  6. I have the cheap Target ceramic pans and I love them. I've never had longterm luck with Teflon, it's always degraded on me. Even if the Target pans stop working (I've had them almost 2 years) they're inexpensive to replace, plus when the hooligans in my house use knives and other metal utensils in them, they are more durable than Teflon.

  7. I am a fan of my Green pans! Get on their email list and they periodically have huge sales! Unfortunately I bought the regular non induction green pans and will have to rebuy the inductive friendly pans when I move into my new house being built.

  8. Being able to use lower heat while cooking with ceramic pans is actually a big plus today, especially when considering going "Green"/Greener and the increased costs of all stove top fuel sources. Additionally, the fewer additives, such as oils used, the healthier/the cleaner the foods we eat. After that, I have to agree that easy clean up takes the "drudge" out of cooking.

  9. You used recipes that were based on using the traditional non-stick pan and followed the instructions exactly. OF COURSE the food cooked quicker. If you started with recipes that were based on ceramic not-stick, and tested the traditional pans, you would be telling us things weren't cooking enough. It would have been a more reasonable comparison to start by figuring out the degree of difference and using each type as it should be used.

  10. Just came across this review. We have three of the GP Valencia Pro pans and can vouch for their non-stick abilities. Have only had them one year and they have been great up to this point. One question is do these pans benefit from a seasoning of oil occasionally similar to cast iron pans? I have been reading a couple articles about seasoning non-stick but would like to hear if ATK has an opinion. Thx for sharing.

  11. Ceramic is not a conductor of heat-it’s an insulator. The shuttle had ceramic bricks that withstood the re-entry heat. Ceramic is glass-just like Pyrex pans that deliver slow even heat and insulate as ATK has pointed out before

  12. Glad Greenspan held up well in this test bc it’s the single ceramic , non stick I have as I’m replacing my cookware.

    Cast Iron a will be my go to other than this one ceramic. I don’t want to replace the majority of my cookware again. Looking for life long use.

  13. Though this was a useful video overall, @6:27+ is not a very good explanation of the observed phenomena or the differences in thermal conductivity. To say that ceramic conducts heat while PTFE insulates is to evince a lack of understanding of conductivity. If, in fact, both pans have the same specific heat and density, as stated, and the PTFE-coated pan has lower thermal conductivity, then it should also be hotter than the pan with ceramic coating, but that is the opposite of what they showed with the thermometers. (If they're dumping the same amount of heat into both pans, but one is transmitting more to the food, then the other must be storing it instead and therefore be hotter. Of course, alternatively, maybe the shape of the ceramic pan just does a better job of catching the heat from the burner.)

    Their observations are probably useful for cooks, but the explanation seems wrong.

  14. Lisa is the best of the best of the best. Essentially, a perfect reviewer. Unbiased, practical real-world testing and clear recommendations. That's it. Over and out. I've used her recommendations for 10 years at home and even in my restaurant.

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