I have to be honest, this is my first product review on Amazon in years. Usually, if the product is good, I stay mum, but with this skillet I just have to protest. I have been on the prowl for non-teflon PFOA PF cookware for some time now, constantly researching and trying new products. I love to cook and have cooked on regular non-stick pans, zepter, stainless steel, etc, without ever ruining any of them. Basically, I would consider my self an exprienced residential user but enough about me.After anxiously waiting for weeks to get the Xtrema skillet (back-order), I carefully followed instructions for wash and use. In many ways it's similar to cast iron (wait for it to get hot, then turn the fire down and off you go). I have to admit, the first few times that I cooked on it, I was in awe. I thought that I finally found the 'magic bullet' against standard non-stick carcinogenous cookware. Boy was I wrong. After a few uses, the skillet began to have a film, a black lining of sorts, a 'dried on'-looking somthing, in patches, primarily around the middle of the skillet.
At first, I was able to scrub/soak it off. After a couple more uses I was forced to use a metalic scrubber, which seemed to work. After a couple more uses, the black spots grew in diameter, but did not come off the pan. Needless the say, all non-stick qualities of this skillet were gone in under ten uses.
Also, please don't believe a word about the pan being inderstructible. May be it can survive a fall from a three-story building, but it can't survive a metal spatula or the scrubber.
To continue with this saga, I contacted Chef's Source to return the item, and they have directed me to the manufacturer. I will have to continue this review once the mafucaturer actions pan out. Contacting the manufacturer in order to salvage the $99+shipping I paid to get this item. Of course, no doubt, I will have to spend $20 to send the skillet to them, as it's exceptionally heavy.
Wish me luck.
Overall, this is definately a product I would not recommend.
So far I purchased the 5.5 quart covered saucepan, the 12 in. covered skillet and the 10 in. skillet.The 10 in. skillet doesn't come with a cover, but the 5.5 qt saucepan cover fits it perfectly.This cookware only took me a couple of meals to get the hang of.My husband and I absolutely love it!When stovetop cooking, we learned fast that it heats up real quick and only needs the medium heat setting or lower... especially if you cook without the cover.When your food is done cooking you want to remove the cookware from the burner because your food will continue to cook as the heat is retained for a long time, which is perfect for setting it on the dinner table if you want to keep your food hot.My first experience was not good.Being used to cooking with high heat (for only a few minutes) before lowering the temp, I over-cooked my meal and it stuck pretty badly to the pan.I soaked it overnight with warm water and dish liquid and it cleaned up just like a teflon pan, no kidding!Needless to say, they clean up like a breeze when you're "not" burning anything, lol!It has a non-scratch, non-toxic ceramic glaze surface.You can use brillo pads on these and they won't scratch, but so far I've only needed a regular kitchen scrub sponge.This cookware can be used in the oven, stovetop, broiler, freezer, grill, microwave and dishwasher... very versatile!What I love best about this cookware is using the cover when cooking on the stovetop.Because the cover is the same material as the pan, your food cooks like a covered casserole in the oven.
This is a long review (sorry!), but just a quick mention... tonight (on the stovetop) we cooked chicken breasts with peppers, onions and garlic with the cover onat the last few minutes of cooking time I tossed in 3 large, sliced, sweet potatoes (with cover back on) and they cooked super fast, were tender and absorbed all the flavors... no need to cook your potatoes separately!Next time, along with the potatoes, I'll toss in some greens, too, saving me the hassle of cooking with so many pots and pans.
This cookware is expensive, but other than being durable and long-lasting, if you read all the health benefits at the website I mentioned above, you'll agree that it's a healthy investment.I'll never go back to aluminum (which is known to cause alzheimer disease) or toxic teflon... which, btw, if you have pet birds please do not cook with teflon.The fumes are so toxic and are known (and statistics are well documented) to kill birds within a matter of minutes.Their little livers shut down after working overtime trying to detoxify the fumes, this causes fluid to fill their lungs... in turn suffocating them to death :o(Sorry, I didn't mean to end this review on such a sad note, but I think it's very important for everyone to know this.
Update as of 8/16/12:
Unfortunately, a few months ago my large 12 inch skillet broke (at the handle) as I was washing it.I don't believe this would've happened had my sink been stainless steel.Just a warning for those with hard sinks to be especially careful of the handle, that it doesn't lose your grip as you're washing it, or that you let it rest on the side of the sink.I've added a picture of my broken skillet to show the break in the handle.
Buy 10" Skillet - Ceramcor Xtrema Now
My husband saw this advertised in Reader's Digest and convinced me to give it a try.It sounded pretty good, but I did note a review saying the handle on the skillet broke.Therefore, we were very careful not to lift the skillet without holding the handle and tab on the opposite side.I didn't like having to heat the skillet slowly, and I only used it a couple of times.My husband decided to use it and, despite not having more than 16 oz. in the skillet, when he lifted it, the handle broke off.Over the short time I used the skillet, it cost us at least $25 per use.Definitely a terrible purchase!
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I didn't buy this off Amazon but want to review it.I sent the pan back after only a few uses.It was a 12" pan and was big and very heavy.Even after letting it heat up on the burner for a long time, it still heated unevenly.It had cold spots and things stuck.I used oil but they still stuck.I would not recommend this pan.Want 10" Skillet - Ceramcor Xtrema Discount?
I like the fact that my new Xtrema skillet is a safe, healthy choice.I dislike the fact that it heats and cooks so unevenly.A pancake, for example, will have nearly burned and somewhat raw parts, even after pre-heating the skillet.Disappointing!
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