Le Creuset 3-Ply Stainless-Steel 11-Inch Nonstick Fry Pan

I had always loved my cast iron cookware from this company:however they can not make non-stick cookware;I suggest you look elsewhere.6 months after I purchased my pan it began to delaminate.The coating started seperating from the cooking surface.Who wants pieces of non-stick coating in their scrambled eggs?

I called their warranty line.They don't staff it with enough people because you have to wait forever to get through and they throw you to voice mail if it's busy.When you get through to them,they will politely explain to you that they don't pay for you to ship the pan back,despite what it says on their web site.That's right!now I'm out an additional 20 bucks!

THANK YOU LE CRUESET for showing me the best side of corporate indifference.I could get better warranty service if I'd bought from WilliamsSonoma who stand by their products:however I wanted to buy local.Now I understand why my local kitchen store stopped stocking their stuff.Next time,I will buy a cheap pan at Target and if it last a year then I'm still ahead of the game.

Meanwhile,I will ask my gypsy friends to curse the Le Cruset executives who are apparently making tons of money by ripping off their customers.

I was skeptical of the value of this frying pan, but being a fan of the brand, I decided to plunk down my hard earned dollars and take a chance.Boy am I glad that I did!This is a thick pan that heats evenly and doesn't warp like so many of the thinner nonstick products.The handle is hollow and the overall weight of the pan is much lighter than Le Creuset's typical cast iron pans.I have cooked hashbrowns, eggs, pork, burgers, chicken, fried rice, etc. in this pan and it works well for everything.Clean-up is a breeze.Le Crueset says it is dishwasher safe (although it might discolor) but recommends hand washing.The instructions recommend seasoning the pan with vegetable oil before its first use.I did this and haven't had to use any non-stick spray for anything.Cooking meat in this pan surprised me.With the pan on a medium setting, I am able to brown the meat and seal in the flavor much like a cast iron pan. They also make a slightly deeper version of the pan which is great if you like to cook all-in-one stove top meals.The deeper version has a fitted lid that costs twenty dollars extra.

Buy Le Creuset 3-Ply Stainless-Steel 11-Inch Nonstick Fry Pan Now

I've only had this pan for a little over a month, so this is not a review of the product's durability. I'll come back at six months and a year from now with updates to this. But so far this is a very nice pan. It heats evenly, has a great nonstick finish, and has helped improve my omelettes quite a bit. Prior to this, I was using a Cuisinart nonstick pan the hard-anodized version...not the Multiclad, which is better and more expensive than their more budget-friendly line. My original plan was to upgrade to the Multiclad, but I have a few pieces of Le Creuset enameled cast iron and have found them to be excellent pieces of cookware, so it seemed like a good idea to try out their stainless/nonstick pans. Up to this point, I'm impressed with the performance.

A quick note on durability. I've read reviews where folks complain about delamination on nonstick pans. I've also had this happen to me on a couple of pans a few years back. I'm not going to assume anything about how other people are using their pans, but my own personal experience tells me that nonstick pans require a bit more babying than regular stainless and cast iron:

1) Do not use with high heat.

2) Do not use metal utensils in the pan for stirring, cutting, etc...

3) Be careful about bumping, scraping, etc... especially on the edges, where the nonstick surface joins the base.

4) Washing by hand is generally preferred over the dishwasher.

5) Probably not a good idea to cook in the oven with these.

Again, I don't know how others are using their pans. But I can tell you that both times my nonsticks died on me, it was because of one or more of the reasons listed above. Just an observation. I'll try babying this Le Creuset just a bit and see how it holds up over time.

If my understanding is correct, this stainless line is made in China. However, I don't recall seeing the country of origin anywhere on the box or in the manual. It may be something that the company is not eager to advertise. I'm generally not a fan of products made in China. And no...this is not because I'm some nationalistic fearmonger waging a crusade against globalization. Rather, it's simply because my personal experience with Chinese products has often shown them to be poorly manufactured and riddled with quality control issues in many cases. That said, if this pan is indeed made there, then in my opinion it is a good example of a well-made Chinese product. The build, fit, and finish is high quality from what I can see.

Bottom line: a really nice stainless nonstick pan from the makers of some of the best cast iron cookware. I'll be back with durability reports as this pan ages.

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