Hard Anodized Nonstick vs. Infused Anodized

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blutch

Assistant Cook
Joined
Oct 24, 2005
Messages
7
Hi all,

I'm trying to decide on what kind of frying pans, sautee pans and stir fry pans to buy...

The Calphalon One infused anodized pans are VERY costly, so I bought a couple of Calphalon hard anodized pans. I THOUGHT they were hard anondized on the inside of the pan because they said "hard anodized" on them. But, when I got them home and opened them up and looked at the literature that came with them, I think they are a teflon-like nonstock interior and hard anodized on the outside.

According to their own literature, hard anodized cooking surfaces sear, release and deglaze considerably better than the nonstick surfaces do and you can use metal utensils on them. I have nonstick pans that won't sear or deglaze worth crap, so I don't need more.

I feel the labeling on these things is misleading.. you buy hard anodized and you should get it as a cooking surface. They don't make it clear on the box or labels that the pan is hard anodized outside but not inside.

So, I think I'm going to take them back unless someone here tells me they will sear and deglaze well. But.. what should I get? I can't pay $180 for a sautee pan which is what the infused anodized pans cost.

Is there a less costly alternative to the Calphalon One infused anodized that won't be nonstick interior surface but will sear and deglaze?

I'm very confused.. help!

blutch
 
You should check out some stainless steel options. There are some expensive choices like All Clad, but you can also get some inexpensive ones that are just as good. They are not coated with any non stick coating and you can sear and deglaze with them. They are also pretty hard to damage. You do not need to baby them like you do non stick.
 
Thanks for the quick reply. Am i correct in assuming that I won't be able to sear and deglaze on these Calphalon hard anodized - nonstick pans? They werne't cheap either.. 70 for the sautee pan and 40 for the stir fry pan.

Thanks again

B
 
You can sear, but you won't get the same sort of color on meat. As for deglazing, there won't be much to deglaze as very little (if any) bits will be on the bottom of the pan. Non stick pans have their place, but for what it sounds like you want, I think you would be best to return them. Like you said, they are not cheap and if you are not totally happy with them then there is no reason to keep them. Get something that works better for you.
 
Personally, if all you want a pan for is to stir fry in, why not just get a wok?

That way, you don't end up ruining an expensive frying pan, since stir frying requires extremely high heat, almost to the point where the oil in the pan begins to smoke before you can stir fry.

Or use a large cast iron skillet. They are made to take the heat and more. After all, they are partly made in a blast furnace.


~Corey123.
 
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A good carbon-steel wok requires seasoning, just like cast iron. But once it's done, the cooking surface is as non-stick as is teflon. But you can heat it until the metal glows cherry-red if you want. And the wok is great for searing diced meat and veggies, or strips of meat.

Cast-iron is still my pan of choice for searing large pieces of meat, and creates a wonderful batch of brown bits (fond) useful for making gravies and suaces.

Remember, Hard anodised and infused are both processes used to treat soft aluminum. And though it's a strong metal, and lightweight, with great heat trasfer properties, it is still soft. The anodising is used to protect against damage to the base metal.

I like stainless and cast-iron.

Seeeeeya; Goodweed of the North
 
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