Doing some research about nine months ago, we came to realize how detrimental nonstick pans are for our health. So we decided to come up with an alternative. Especially when I began to see how the teflon was coming off and ending up in our food!
I looked around – notice I did not say “shopped around” since we are 1 1/2 hours away from major retail outlets – and we found some tri-ply pans on Amazon. These have three layers like this: stainless steel, aluminum, stainless steel. I know stainless steel is not the ultimate healthy option, but it beats the nonstick stuff any day.
I love these pans!
It took a bit of time to learn how to use these, as well as clean them. My pans are the 8 and 12-inch by Emeril and I found them on Amazon. However, I recently realized they are no longer available on Amazon. (See bottom of post for alternatives)
I have learned to use these pans for so much, including frying steaks, eggs, and vegetables. We use these almost every school morning for either scrambled eggs, sausages or fried eggs. I also love to use these for Pioneer Woman’s Chicken Quesadillas! When you fry them in butter, they turn out so crispy and buttery. Delicious.
Probably my favorite way to use these is to saute vegetables! Turn the heat up high, add in your butter or coconut oil and throw in the sliced veggies. Plus,they smell scrumptious while they’re cooking!
I’ve had to learn to use more fat to fry food with. You can’t just spray it with your cooking spray and throw in your food. Especially when cooking scrambled eggs.
Scrambled eggs took me quite a few tries before getting them done without sticking so badly to the pan. The key is to get your butter or fat melted and coat the bottom of the pan before adding in your eggs. Even then, with all the stirring of scrambled eggs, I still have some that stick to the bottom.
But that is where my little rubber scraper thingy from Pampered Chef comes in handy! If you have ever purchased any stoneware from Pampered Chef, you will have also received the scraper that comes with it. I received some stoneware for one of my bridal showers almost 16 years ago. While I personally did not like the stoneware and eventually traded it with someone, I kept one of the scrapers. And am I ever glad I did!
They work awesome at scraping off cooked-on eggs! Once breakfast is done and all the rest of the dishes are in the dishwasher, I run some hot tap water into my saute pan and let it sit in the sink while I run the kids to school.
By the time I get home from school, my eggs have softened somewhat and I can then scrape them off easily. Once they are scraped off, sometimes I will squirt some soap in with hot water and use the scrubby to scrub off the rest of the eggs. Some days it only needs hot water and a scrubby. Only takes a minute or two and they are clean!
I wish the Emeril saute pans were still available on Amazon, but I’ve found a couple that are similar to the ones I have (although they cost a little more). Mine have a flared rim for easy pouring – which I LOVE! It’s a snap to pour the sauteed vegetables straight from the saute pan into their serving dish at suppertime.
Two similar pans:
One more great feature:
With a pretty apron on, these pans
make you feel like you are hosting your own cooking show!
*This post contains affiliate links to Amazon. Thank you.*
- The Adventum CD Collection – Sale Now - March 27, 2021
- Alternative To Facebook Option - January 30, 2021
- The Beauty of the Hoary Head - January 2, 2021
Denise Martin-Stauffer says
I love reading about cooks favorite things in their kitchens! I love working in the kitchen:) (my family had a restaurant for 3yrs) I also am a fan of The Pioneer Woman – Ree Drummond!
Amanda says
Longtime reader, first time to comment. I really enjoy your blog!
On the skillet topic, glad to know you switched from those no-stick ones. I made the switch many years ago. I use cast iron now. Like you mentioned, it is a learning curve and you do have to use more fat. But great flavor, and I love how once the skillet is heated up, it retains the heat so nicely.
And boy do those sauteed veggies look yummy!!
Kendra says
Glad to have you here! I didn’t consider cast iron very long, although I know it’s better for you than even stainless steel. Glad those are working out for you!!
Mrs L says
I was curious to know why you didn’t keep your stoneware. And you don’t need to share that either, but it made me think of how nearly I got rid of mine. I didn’t like its performance, then discovered I hadn’t seasoned it. That made all the difference and now I love my stoneware. I too, am making a slow switch to some healthier cookware, cast iron. I found a site that explains how to refurbish cast iron, which was helpful since the pan I picked up second hand didn’t look as good once I inspected it more closely at home.
Kendra says
My reason was very personal – I simply couldn’t get used to the grating sound and feel they would make when transferring them from the oven, etc. 🙂 I wonder if mine had been seasoned well if they would have gotten rid of that. I found myself not using them because of that reason, so decided to trade with someone else!
Laura G says
Kendra, if you heat your stainless steel skillet until water droplets “dance” in it before adding ANYTHING else, you can make an omelet or scrambled eggs that slide out of your pan! Try it-an elderly lady gave me this tip.
Kendra says
Awesome!! I will try it tomorrow!