High end frying pan recommendation

Advertise with us
Kitchen Knife Forums

Help Support Kitchen Knife Forums:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
I recently went through a similar weighing of the pros and cons of cookware and wound up buying the Demeyere Industry 5 set from Sur La Table. It heats evenly. It cleans easily as long as you let it head up first. No rivets to clean around. I use Bar Keeper's Friend and the pan looks brand new every time. It's thick enough that it won't warp. Thick enough to keep higher heat when you put meat on. No need to season. The only downside for me was cost. Cutlery and More has the 5-plus line (which is just a different styling of the Industry-5) on sale.

https://www.cutleryandmore.com/demeyere-5-plus/stainless-steel-fry-pan-lid-p138685
 
Striker78 said:
I recently went through a similar weighing of the pros and cons of cookware and wound up buying the Demeyere Industry 5 set from Sur La Table. It heats evenly. It cleans easily as long as you let it head up first. No rivets to clean around. I use Bar Keeper's Friend and the pan looks brand new every time. It's thick enough that it won't warp. Thick enough to keep higher heat when you put meat on. No need to season. The only downside for me was cost. Cutlery and More has the 5-plus line (which is just a different styling of the Industry-5) on sale.

https://www.cutleryandmore.com/demeyere-5-plus/stainless-steel-fry-pan-lid-p138685
Click to expand...

I also love my demeyere pans, especially for searing. Do you use gas, electric, or induction?

How fast does the industry 5 heat up compared to other pans? In particular, if you have a tri-ply from all clad, a carbon steel from de buyer or matfer, or a cast iron (I would say my demeyere 7 ply takes longer to heat than my cast iron).

I wouldn't rely on the pan to not warp under abuse as I was able to warp my demeyere pro. I might have gotten a dud, but it worth knowing what not to do. To warp the pan, heat it very hot for searing meat, then pour a cup of cold liquid into the pan. It will warp enough that it is detectable on a granite countertop or a glass top stove. I've deglazed since then using 1/4 cup of liquid and waiting for the pan to cool a little.
 
Gas.

Honestly, I don't have other good pans to compare too. Everything else I've used has been fairly cheap. For me, more important that how quickly it heats up, is how evenly and how much energy it has to transfer into the meat to produce browning/fond.

Thanks for the tip on warping.
 
rickbern said:
My nephew had one of those. I think they’re a one trick pony, more suitable for a restaurant than a home cook. But if you relish that pattern on your proteins, give it a go.
Click to expand...
is that all then? the grooves don't look very deep - i have no intention to use it for searing similar to my cast-iron grill pan (~1/2" deep grooves). The only reason i'm considering this over the smooth one is the price + availability
 
Geigs said:
My favourite pans are all from Solid teknics. Seamless wrought iron, behaves like cast but half the weight. I got rid of all my other pans- these are indestructible, I've used mine camping ion an open fire and came home and fried eggs.

https://www.solidteknics.com/shop?g...TdmyQfcDhSA19PkaCGijuj_oD4T_tB5QaAqgIEALw_wcB
Click to expand...
I was always a bit skeptical about them. I read that the brains behind them also inflicted Furi knives on us. Worst ever HT of a Japanese Molybdenum Steel.

Maybe I should give the solid Technics a go... ???
 
Nemo said:
I was always a bit skeptical about them. I read that the brains behind them also inflicted Furi knives on us. Worst ever HT of a Japanese Molybdenum Steel.
Click to expand...
I have both the pans and (some of) the knives. The pans are as good as the knives are bad.
 
To touch on the cast iron skillets for a moment I will add this. I have used skillets from Smithey, Finex and a few others, but favor my 12" Lodge. I bought my 12" Lodge 7 or 8 years ago with the factory applied seasoning for something like $40. I took it home and went to work on the inside with a wire disc, flapper wheel and sanding disc. When I was finished, I had the rough surface on the exterior with the factory coating (it is a very durable coating) and a smooth inside. After cleaning the inside thoroughly, I stuck it in the oven and set it to 450F. After it was up to temp, I wiped a very thin layer of vegetable oil on it and baked it for another hour. I repeated this 3 more times and allowed the pan to cool in the oven. This left a dark, golden finish on the inside. I have been adding to the seasoning through cooking ever since. It is super black now and still very smooth. I have $40, 30mins sanding and whatever time the whole oven seasoning start took. I can't see spending the money for a "higher end" model. I think the little bit of time I put into made it more "mine".
 
Twigg said:
I took it home and went to work on the inside with a wire disc, flapper wheel and sanding disc. When I was finished, I had the rough surface on the exterior with the factory coating (it is a very durable coating) and a smooth inside. ... This left a dark, golden finish on the inside. I have been adding to the seasoning through cooking ever since. It is super black now and still very smooth.
Click to expand...

Do you find the sanding makes a big difference in performance or is it an aesthetics thing? I'm not particularly happy with the performance of my cast iron or carbon steel pans compared to stainless steel given the hype around cast iron / carbon steel. I always wonder if its just because I didn't season them right from the beginning.
 
Lodge comes with a rough finish from casting. By sanding the metal smooth, it aides in the non-stick qualities when combined with seasoning. If you use a Lodge pan with factory seasoning rough finish, food will stick to it much more, until the crevices fill with carbon.

Your carbon pans should be smooth from factory, so maybe it is the seasoning. My carbon skillet can fry eggs with no sticking easily.
20201117_164454.jpg
20201117_164510.jpg
 
I have long suspected that a lot of the "bumpy surfaces are stickier" theory is grounded in intuition rather than experience. My Lodge is just as non-stick as my smooth vintage cast iron and contemporary carbon steel. If you can't fry eggs in a Lodge without it sticking, you're doing something wrong.
 
rmrf said:
Do you find the sanding makes a big difference in performance or is it an aesthetics thing? I'm not particularly happy with the performance of my cast iron or carbon steel pans compared to stainless steel given the hype around cast iron / carbon steel. I always wonder if its just because I didn't season them right from the beginning.
Click to expand...

Maybe you just prefer cooking on stainless?

I definitely do. It's my favorite pan material, whether it's all-clad or demeyere
 
I have used rough finish and the smooth finish. I can make the rough finish work, heat and liberal applications of fat/oil. I have found that the smooth finish I did and have used for several years works better and is more non-stick. I know there are a lot of debates and articles comparing the surfaces, but I have found that smoothing, then at-home seasoning worked better for me. It produced a surface similar to a seasoned carbon skillet in regard to being non-stick.
 
That was a good read. I think I seasoned my carbon steel during the flaxseed oil craze. Its a lot more splotchy and uneven than everyone else's. Maybe I'll sand it down and try again.
 
tcmx3 said:
Maybe you just prefer cooking on stainless?

I definitely do. It's my favorite pan material, whether it's all-clad or demeyere
Click to expand...
I suspect that about myself. I do want to make sure I'm not comparing the best stainless with the worst carbon/cast iron.
 
rmrf said:
That was a good read. I think I seasoned my carbon steel during the flaxseed oil craze. Its a lot more splotchy and uneven than everyone else's. Maybe I'll sand it down and try again.
Click to expand...

no need to sand.

either cook tomatos in it for 15 minutes or nuke it in the self cleaning cycle of your onion.

I like grapeseed oil, and I make sure my pan _looks_ dry before applying heat.
 
tcmx3 said:
no need to sand.

either cook tomatos in it for 15 minutes or nuke it in the self cleaning cycle of your onion.

I like grapeseed oil, and I make sure my pan _looks_ dry before applying heat.
Click to expand...
That will definately eat off the factory seasoning, but won't effect the rough cast metal.
 
Try to run the heat up a bit and keep the oil amount ridiculously small. Drops.

If it’s smooth just keep going. The only reason to knock the seasoning off is if it’s rough. In the first post I talk about giving my pan a facial. Try that first
 
Twigg said:
That will definately eat off the factory seasoning, but won't effect the rough cast metal.
Click to expand...

I think he's talking about carbon. Do any of the major carbon pans come with a rough surface? I know matfer, de buyer, mauviel etc are all pretty smooth from the factory.
 
tcmx3 said:
I think he's talking about carbon. Do any of the major carbon pans come with a rough surface? I know matfer, de buyer, mauviel etc are all pretty smooth from the factory.
Click to expand...
Oh okay. I didn't realize he was referring to carbon. I have never seen a rough finished carbon pan.
 
I replied earlier recommending Field Cast Iron for the weight, finish and compatibility with my All-Clad Lids. I see a lot of recommendation for Carbon Steel Skillets and I was pretty interested until I noticed the length of the handles. We have a small home kitchen and store our cook ware in the bottom pull out cabinet and those long handles just won't fit for us. I have no wall space to hang them since our kitchen is pretty small. I hear the comments about the Field skillets losing their seasoning with acidy foods but it really hasn't been a problem restoring the finish by just using them a few times. Good luck with your selection.
 
Michi said:
A few minutes with a hacksaw and some sandpaper will fix that.
Click to expand...
Yeah you're right and I could do that easily but, one other thing I haven't mentioned before is that I have a glass flat top electric stove and I would have to find a flat bottom skillet that won't warp. Still looking I guess.
 
btbyrd said:
I have long suspected that a lot of the "bumpy surfaces are stickier" theory is grounded in intuition rather than experience. My Lodge is just as non-stick as my smooth vintage cast iron and contemporary carbon steel. If you can't fry eggs in a Lodge without it sticking, you're doing something wrong.
Click to expand...

That has been my experience as well. I've got cast iron from the 1930s, 1950s, 1990s, and current day. The couple of vintage pieces I have are smoother, but they don't seem to be any more non-stick. Mostly, how non-stick they are depends on how much I use them. I've got a couple of modern Lodge 12" skillets that I use all the time, and they're quite non-stick. I used my sister's All-Clad skillet to cook some scrambled eggs a while back. They stuck like a mofo, even with my preferred "low heat, stir a lot, cook until just set" technique. Scrambled eggs stick a bit on my cast iron. Fried eggs don't stick at all. My preferences might be different with a different stove, but I love my cast iron in combination with a high-output gas stove.
 
Colorado_cutter said:
That has been my experience as well. I've got cast iron from the 1930s, 1950s, 1990s, and current day. The couple of vintage pieces I have are smoother, but they don't seem to be any more non-stick. Mostly, how non-stick they are depends on how much I use them. I've got a couple of modern Lodge 12" skillets that I use all the time, and they're quite non-stick. I used my sister's All-Clad skillet to cook some scrambled eggs a while back. They stuck like a mofo, even with my preferred "low heat, stir a lot, cook until just set" technique. Scrambled eggs stick a bit on my cast iron. Fried eggs don't stick at all. My preferences might be different with a different stove, but I love my cast iron in combination with a high-output gas stove.
Click to expand...

foods with a tendency to stick and need low heat, like scrambled eggs, do do better on materials other than stainless. I would definitely agree with that. although fwiw I can do a french omelette in one if Im careful.

unfortunately there is no one pan that does it all.

for me it's worth having cast iron just to fry, stainless for most other stuff, and carbon for crepes/pancakes/tortillas. though again if I had to pick one and one only it would be stainless. fwiw Im also using gas.
 
Striker78 said:
I recently went through a similar weighing of the pros and cons of cookware and wound up buying the Demeyere Industry 5 set from Sur La Table. It heats evenly. It cleans easily as long as you let it head up first. No rivets to clean around. I use Bar Keeper's Friend and the pan looks brand new every time. It's thick enough that it won't warp. Thick enough to keep higher heat when you put meat on. No need to season. The only downside for me was cost. Cutlery and More has the 5-plus line (which is just a different styling of the Industry-5) on sale.

https://www.cutleryandmore.com/demeyere-5-plus/stainless-steel-fry-pan-lid-p138685
Click to expand...
+1 to the Industry5. I have the 11” and a couple other pieces and have been happy with them. They clean well without rivets and while not a responsive to heat changes as copper, I haven’t had an issue with this (on gas). When I get a 12” I will likely go Proline because I am intrigued by it and keep thinking about it as the “ultimate” pan... but not anytime soon.
 
rstl87 said:
+1 to the Industry5. I have the 11” and a couple other pieces and have been happy with them. They clean well without rivets and while not a responsive to heat changes as copper, I haven’t had an issue with this (on gas). When I get a 12” I will likely go Proline because I am intrigued by it and keep thinking about it as the “ultimate” pan... but not anytime soon.
Click to expand...

The demeyere 7 ply skillets are thick, heavy, and sexy. Ultimate SS pans IMO. I liked the Zwilling Sensation pans when zwilling bought demeyere but unfortunately they are discontinued.
 
orangehero said:
The demeyere 7 ply skillets are thick, heavy, and sexy. Ultimate SS pans IMO. I liked the Zwilling Sensation pans when zwilling bought demeyere but unfortunately they are discontinued.
Click to expand...
Just ordered one :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Back
Top