Stainless Steel - Vs - Non Stick Pans?

Question

Which is better and why?

Answer 1

I use non-stick because nothing sticks and it is easy to clean. I have stainless steel and I never use them they always burn your food and hard to clean. Just my opinion. I hate to do dishes and if something is burnt on the pan then that takes longer to clean.

Answer 2

I have both, but they both have advantages and drawbacks.

I've never been completely comfortable with non-stick pans. Over a period of years, I can see that the coating wears away and I wonder how much of it I'm feeding to my family.

Stainless steel pans don't have nearly the same kind of problem.

However, what I really LOVE Is my grandmother's ancient cast-iron skillet. It's been perfectly seasoned for the past thirty years, and nothing—absolutely nothing—will stick to it. I love the way it browns food, and it even works great on my glasstop range.

Answer 3

Non stick pans are a lot better for me.  It's too easy to burn food in the stainless steel pans.  We also have hard water where I live, and the stainless steel pans get ugly faster than the nonstick ones.  The best ones are the ones with the little ridges inside.  If you buy good pans, they'll last for years.  I used to buy a set of pans every other year, but I bought some circulon ones six years ago and they're as good now as the day I bought them.

I do agree with the guy who said cast iron is a good non-stick surface.  I have a cast-iron comal for tortillas and it's great.

Answer 4

I would say stainless steel.  You can always spray with PAM.  You could always have just one non-stick for making scrambled eggs if you need it.

Answer 5

Stainless is more durable. If you can afford it, get stainless with copper inside or, aluminum is good, too. Copper is highly durable, too. They are made with two layers of stainless steel and the copper is in the middle of the two. Sometimes the outer layer is actually I think teflon, or iron, or they are also made with the same bottoms that the non stick pans are.

If you want longer lasting cookware use the stainless steel. I think that non-stick pans are excellent because you can use them with minimum amount of heat, little to no oil, or a spray of nonstick oil. They are super easy to clean, and light-weight. They go good camping, too. The dutch ovens, that is. Don't use any pan with a handle in a open campfire unless they are made for it, lol.