Customer Reviews

All-Clad Stainless 12-Inch Nonstick Fry Pan

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

suspicious of non-stick surfaces since the first pans appeared on the market, my only experience was with $20 pans with screw-on handles. you know the type. i converted all my pots and pans to all-clad and viking when i moved in 2000 and left non-stick pans in the trash. but. but last year i got an all-clad non-stick pan and i am now a convert. it is a joy to cook with and is as easy to clean as the dinner plates (i do it all by hand).

after reading these reviews i felt compelled to respond. reading about pans and surface coatings i learned that non-stick surfaces are designed to get hot as 500 degrees before they degrade. in fact, the surface material actually "off gasses" before you see the material degradation.

to enjoy the pan the way it was intended do not use it in high temperature situations. if you are going to sear, then oven broil chicken, for instance, use a traditional pan. if you are sauteing onions and vegetables, reducing a stock, or doing a stirfry, use the non-stick.

these are pricy, i know, so if you can afford only one, get the regular surface (which cooks have been using forever) and you will have a pan you can give to your grandkids.

**update**
this pan lasted me 5 years before i gave it away. it is definitely no longer non-stick and requires gobs of butter or oil to do its task. since i already have a traditional surface with the All-Clad 51125 All Clad Stainless-Steel 12-Inch Fry Pan with Lid and a non-stick equivalent with Lodge Logic L8SK3 10-1/4-Inch Pre-Seasoned Skillet, i don't need this non-stick pan cluttering up the kitchen.

reduced from 5 stars to 3 stars. i still love all-clad, but i will not buy expensive non-stick pans again.

we purchased this pan less than a year ago and it has now totally lost its nonstick ability. I spoke to a rep at a kitchen supply store and basically I was told that to keep the non stick going for a long time (usually max of about 10 years), you need to basically cook only omelets. It can't be used for other things at really high heat. I never heard of this before so now my pan is the same as a regular all clad and the non stick does not work. very disappointing.

Pan is well made and transfers heat uniformly. This was my favorite (non cast iron) fry pan until I let it overheat once. Now the teflon is dull and no longer "non-stick". My recommendation is to buy cheap teflon skillets and throw them away when they go bad. I really like my other All-Clad pots and pans, none of which are teflon coated. In order to save this hi end skillet I sanded off the teflon and polished the stainless steel underlayer. (This was a labor intensive and time consuming process)
My recommendation...Buy the All-Clad but skip the teflon.

I received my All-Clad set when I got married in 2001. In general I have been very happy with this pan. It cooks great and has been through a lot of use over the past six years.

On the down side the pan is a bit heavy and the handle can get hot toward the base. As a result whenever I am cooking a 1.5lb of ground beef I need to use a pot holder to grab near the bottom of the handle so I can drain it.

The other draw back that I have recently noticed is the non-stick seal is not what it once was. I am very careful with the cleaning, high-heat, and utensils. However, food has been sticking on the pan for the past year and is getting worse.

Since All-Clad is all about durability I expect better.

On Sundays, I cook my lunches and dinners for the entire week. This is my new Sunday fish and seafood pan! Soon, it will become my new breakfast pan when I have to feed the six people staying with me for my family reunion.

The nonstick finish is great. I haven't had any problems with it. I like the fact that I can get the All-Clad even heat technology with a non-stick surface. Because of the non-stick surface, the pan is not dishwasher safe. However, it's so easy to clean that you don't even think about it.

Caring for nonstick

To avoid damaging the coating, you should always heat the pan with oil. The oil will smoke before the pan gets too hot to do any damage. Do not use nonstick spay with nonstick cookware. The droplets are so fine that they can form a brown film on the finish over time.

When a plan losses its nonstick properties, All-Clad suggests cleaning with a paste of baking soda and water. If the baking soda doesn't turn brown, switch to Bar Keeper's Friend and water. Always scrub with something made for nonstick cookeware.

Enjoy! This pan is big enough to feed a crowd!

We received this pan as a wedding gift 18-months ago. Athough it was great initially, it started to lose it's non-stick abilities about 6 months ago, and now is completely useless. I would have expected to get more than 18 months of service out of such an expensive piece of cookware.

People! If you're going to buy expensive non-stick pans learn the basics on how to maintain them! Read the user directions!! You should not use high heat on ANY non-stick! Using high heat voids the All-Clad warranty! High heat also eventually compromises non-stick surfaces. You should not use aerosol spray oils in non-stick as it ruins the non-stick coating. Use only utensils made to use with non-stick pots and pans. Never put very cold food in a hot pot or pan. You should not clean non-stick in dishwashers - hand wash with Bon Ami and a plastic mesh scrubber. Bon Ami (or similar) also works best on All-Clad stainless. Hard-anodized pots and pans are not dishwasher safe, no matter what the brand. I can boil water in my All-Clad pots on Medium! It IS possible to brown foods in non-stick pans. I have an All-Clad non-stick grill pan (has ridges in the bottom) and I can brown sliced potatoes in it AND bacon doesn't curl when fried in it! If you want to cook as you want and abuse the pans, buy the cheap stuff and quit complaining!! I work for one of the three major top brands (not All-Clad!), so you can take all this info for what you think it's worth. All-Clad, Anolon and Calphalon cookware are investment-type purchases. Treat them as such!

I have owned this pan for a few years and it has gradually lost its non-stick coating. It is now totally useless and I am off to replace it with the Cuisinart pan that America's Test Kitchen preferred over the other non-sticks out there. I love all of my other All Clad products, but from now on I am not spending more than $50 on a non-stick pan.

I have the stainless steel All Clad and I bought it because it was rated #1 in Consumer Reports and a couple of other independent evaluations. I also see many... if not most of the TV chefs using All-Clad (except when they have a brand of their own they are pushing).

The Stainless can be washed in a dishwasher and it comes out looking brand new. My wife's only complaint was not having a non-stick omlette pan so I got her this teflon coated fry pan.

She is very harsh on pans... left the stainless pan on the gas stove flame with only butter in it and carmalized the whole pan (hard to get off). Teflon cannot stand temperatures that the pan will reach if left heating on the stove top with nothing it it (so be careful of that). Also you don't want to use metal utensils against teflon. Good pan... got it for my wife for Christmas as a joke (we needed one though). She loved it. Not sure how she feels about me though.

All-Clad kicks butt! A couple weeks ago I sent in my 12" nonstick fry pan due to a defect in the coating, and yesterday I got a 10" nonstick replacement, but no explanation why they sent a 10". I called today and they told me the 12" is on backorder, but they'd be happy to send me out a not nonstick 12" and to go ahead and keep the 10" too. Free all-clad? Yes, please! Love that lifetime warranty.
Lesson is: the nonstick coating deteriorates over time, but if you take proper care of your pans, All-Clad will replace it. Buy it for the warranty; you'll save money in the long-run.