Made-in brand frying pans

iveofione · Mar 24, 2023

Recently my old T-fal induction ready 12 1/2'' frying pan was starting to show a few signs of wear. I thought it would be a good opportunity to up my frying pan game and tried to find something really good to replace it. My search led me to the Made-in brand praised by many to be the best American made pan on the market. I ordered a 12'' model at $149-over $160 with tax-and looked forward to having a quality pan that would last a long time. Then I did even more research and paid particular attention to those that had owned one awhile and didn't necessarily agree that it was the best made. It seemed like after 2-3 years the nonstick coating started to fail just like with the cheaper pans. I did some quick math and realized that I could buy 5 of my old induction ready T-fals for the price of one Made-in. With the cheaper pan I could buy a new one every 3 years for the next 15 years and be money ahead. I won't live that long.

I cancelled the order, bought a new T-fal induction model and like how it cooks on gas but it is too big to cook well on induction. The sloping sides make it easy to flip food as it is really non-stick. I still use cast iron for corn bread and pizza but the non-stick lightweight gets my vote for daily use. I'm sure that the ferrous bottom helps it cook better than just a plain aluminum pan.

O' Clarkii Stomias · Mar 24, 2023

I own a few pieces of Made In cookware, and I'm a big fan. Probably a little shy in quality of the Al Clad stuff, but significantly cheaper. Full disclosure here, I very seldomly cook on non-stick, but when I do, it's on generic pans procured from restaurant supply houses. I'm gonna toss it in the dishwasher when I'm done, and I haven't found a non-stick pan that holds up to frequent cycles in the dishwasher.

Fourbtgait · Mar 24, 2023

Plain carbon steel frying pan for my daily use. Got tired of al clad nonstick not lasting. The steel cooks on very low heat

SpeyrodGB · Mar 25, 2023

Fourbtgait said:
Plain carbon steel frying pan for my daily use. Got tired of al clad nonstick not lasting. The steel cooks on very low heat

I use 2 different size carbon steel pans for just about everything nowadays. Absolutely love them.

Jerry Daschofsky · Mar 25, 2023

I seriously got tired of using current pans of any kind. I finally have up and just stick with my cast iron. Everything from different sized and styles of skillets, baking pans, pots, etc. One pan I use is 60 years old and another is 100+ years old. Still non stick and handles whatever I throw at it.

Fourbtgait · Mar 25, 2023

I gave up on my cast iron because of hand injury and the weight of pan. Almost smashed stove top because of loss of grip

Wareagle · Mar 25, 2023

I'm on year 3 with my Made-in 12" non stick and it is still looking and performing great.

iveofione · Mar 25, 2023

Fourbtgait said:
I gave up on my cast iron because of hand injury and the weight of pan. Almost smashed stove top because of loss of grip

There is little doubt that cast iron just cooks better. But now in my mid 80's, the 7# 13 oz weight feels more like 10#. At some point even the most rabid cast iron fan may have to bow to father time. And I did. The new non-stick pan weighs 2# 8 oz.

Jerry Daschofsky · Mar 25, 2023

iveofione said:
There is little doubt that cast iron just cooks better. But now in my mid 80's, the 7# 13 oz weight feels more like 10#. At some point even the most rabid cast iron fan may have to bow to father time. And I did. The new non-stick pan weighs 2# 8 oz.

I think it depends on your family history. My grandfather used the old Wagner #10, that I currently use, until he was 98 years old. My Great Aunt Bessie used a similar pan until she was 106. I visited her when she was 103 and she insisted on making us dinner. She was slinging around her pans like they were nothing.