Can a chef pan beat the traditional non-stick pan?
I am accustomed to the look of a chef pan due to my time spent in professional kitchens. These heavy-duty pans have a large volume capacity, open sides that are sloped (this is for easy tossing and flipping), and excellent heat retention. In a pro kitchen, you need to have all of these elements in place for fast, even cooking over searing hot flames. Chefs do not ever use non-stick. The cooking surface most used is stainless steel. At home, we tend to be attracted to non-stick because we assume it can make cooking easier. However, this is not necessarily the case.
Non-stick pans are usually made with traditional cookware materials through the base and are also infused with non-stick materials to make a coating on the cooking surface. This of course helps food brown and release easily without getting stuck. There are excellent industry regulations these days, so non-stick tends to be safe and has greatly improved with durability. However, non-stick notoriously require a little more care and caution to use.
In this article, I will focus on the low-tox Essteele Per Vita Chef Pan to demonstrate why a pan like this can be an excellent choice in your repertoire: even better than non-stick! The Essteele Per Vita is a joy to cook with – giving you the type of results you might expect in a restaurant. And making you feel like a pro!
Stainless Steel Elegance and Durability
The pan looks so elegant with its mirrored stainless steel finish and long, easy-grip handle. Stainless steel cookware is fantastic to cook with for a few reasons: importantly, the durability of the material allows this pan to be used with a heavy hand. There is no risk of damaging any surface or bending or warping. This is a reliable, heavy-duty piece of cookware that is suitable for all stovetops including induction. Metal utensils will not damage the surface, and the pan is totally dishwasher safe. Chefs love pans like these because most non-stick frypans simply cannot take the wear and tear from constant use in busy services.
Cooking Performance of a Chef Pan
The copper base of the Essteele Per Vita Chef Pan spreads to the corners of the pan and works to heat the pan fast and evenly. This stops any hot spots from forming and gives even results over the whole induction base. Copper is an excellent conductor of heat, which is why many major cookware brands choose copper cookware.
The rim is optimised for pouring, allowing sauces, soups and braises to be easily poured off from the pan. While the pan is on the heavy side due to the high-quality materials, it is very easy to flip and toss from the curved side.
The pan can be used on the stovetop and then placed into a hot oven without damaging or warping in the way non-stick pans sometimes can.
Top Tips for Cooking WITHOUT a Non-Stick Pan
There really isn’t a need for non-stick when you use the pan properly overheat. Here are our top 4 tips:
- Heat pan before adding food
- Add a good amount of oil to the pan
- Season food thoroughly (this acts as a natural barrier)
- Allow food to sear or cook thoroughly on each side before turning
Low Tox
Even with the recent improvements to non-stick coatings, many people are choosing to cook with all-natural materials. Stainless steel is the most hygienic material available in cookware. This is why all professional kitchen benches are made of stainless steel. Essteele Per Vita range is made to uphold the standards expected from professional-level cookware, with the highest quality, environmentally friendly and low tox materials.
Cleaning
Perhaps another reason why people buy non-stick is that it does tend to clean up easier. I have found the chef pan to require a little more scrubbing action for stubborn baked on food, however, a simple run over with a scour pan does the trick. It’s so nice to be able to throw the pan in the dishwasher with no worries, unlike non-stick. There is also a great stainless steel cleaner you can buy from Essteele, that helps the stainless steel maintain that beautiful polished mirror finish every time.
Next Read: Why Every Kitchen Should Have a Non-Stick Roasting Trayow to Roast Meats with Essteele
