The Best Ceramic Frying Pan You Can Buy
In the world of non-stick, Teflon reigns king. Teflon frying pans have had their fair share of problems, though, leading consumers in trying to find a new alternative that is healthier and more economical. We will be going through several ceramic frying pan options for you to choose from. We will be judging the various ceramic pans for quality, brand, and longevity. As always, we do our best to sort through the products and present you the reader with a short list of the best products.
Ceramic is gaining popularity in the home kitchen as of late due to its even heat distribution and superior non-stick abilities. We at the Culinary Cook originate from professional backgrounds, and we feel it is important to emphasize that ceramic is not widely used at the professional level for a number of reasons.
1. Non-stick is counter-intuitive in the formation of the ever-important caramelization of food that a proper saute pan imparts.
2. Non-stick is achievable to the skilled cook in stainless steel cookware with the proper amount of fat and heat. Although this does not apply to egg cookery.
3. Ceramic is slightly more expensive than Teflon for non-stick applications and because most professional restaurants are businesses first, the benefits that ceramic provides do not outweigh the costs. Most kitchens will employ traditional non-stick for this reason.
That being said, we acknowledge the importance of ceramic frying pans in the home kitchen and due to its popularity, we feel it is a great addition to any home chef’s kitchen.
The Benefits of Ceramic
Ceramic frying pans provide many benefits that are important to the conscious consumer.
1. No scraping or flaking.
While most home chefs will have migrated from stainless steel utensils to the more cookware-friendly plastic or silicone, ceramic frying pans and cookware are not at risk for the flaking or scratching or scraping like the soft Teflon non-sticks are.
2. No Flavor Contamination
Teflon non-stick have a tendency to pick up and impart flavors over extended periods of use. You might have noticed this when you smell your pan as it heats or that your food seems to taste better when cast iron or stainless is used instead. Ceramic frying pans do not have this problem.
3. Longer Life
Teflon and other non-stick use softer materials that break down after extended usage. Especially those at the cheaper price points from places like Wal-Mart (T-Fal is terrible for this). A ceramic frying pan is not at risk of having the surface deteriorate.
The Cons of Ceramic
1. It Doesn’t Replace Stainless Steel
Ceramic is probably as close as it’s going to get when reproducing the benefits of stainless while maintaining the non-stick performance. But it still doesn’t replace stainless steel cookware.
2. Ceramic is Brittle
One of the main reasons glass and ceramic are not widely used in the professional restaurant industry, besides cost, is the fact that when they are ridden hard, glass and ceramic tend to crack and break. While ceramic pans are not as at risk as ceramic knives would be, they are still a risk and are therefore not used.
Top 5 Recommended Ceramic Frying Pans
There are a few factors we take into consideration when it comes to our process of a recommendation of ceramic products. Because they aren’t used in the professional kitchen, we have to choose a selection process that holds up to the rigorous trials of the professional kitchen as well as being cost-effective and of course super high quality. Therefore, we’ve ranked our products base on
Craftsmanship and quality.
Price
Performance
Here are our Top 5 recommended ceramic frying pans:
1.
Tramontina 80110/020DS Gourmet Ceramica Deluxe Aluminum Fry Pan
2.
Cuisinart 5922-81012R Elements Skillet
3.
4.
Trisha Yearwood Precious Metals 5 Quart Saute Pan with Stainless Steel Handle, Copper
5.
Berndes 697628 SignoCast Pearl Ceramic Coated Cast Aluminum 11-1/2-Inch Open Fry Pan/Skillet
Final Thoughts
Like with any tool, ceramic has its place in a kitchen. It is a superior choice if you have to go non-stick to eliminate the need to use Teflon or other non-stick coatings. If I had to make the choice, I’d choose ceramic ten times out of ten because it is healthier, smarter, and last longer than traditional non-stick. From a purely culinary perspective, avoiding any flavor contamination from non-stick is a huge bonus. We hope that this has helped you make an informed purchasing decision on what type of ceramic frying pan to get for yourself or as a gift. As always, please be sure to check out The Culinary Cook for more how-tos, product recommendations, and culinary discussion!
