Best frying pan/skillet for our situation...

[Nonova]

My wife has bad wrists and has trouble lifting heavy cookware. We have a le creuset sauté pan that is just too heavy for everyday use. I'm looking for a quality frying pan/ skillet for everyday use that is on the light side. I've saw the de buyer mineral and wondered if the 10 in. Is too heavy for her everyday use?

any suggestions for this situation?

It's either a new everyday pan or another le creuset classic piece ( probably the smaller saucier ) to add to her growing collection. Thanks.

[msmofet]

I have this pan and love it. I use it for everything. I like to pan sear meats then put the pan in the oven to finish. And make the gravy all in the same pan.

Cuisinart MultiClad Pro Triple Ply Stainless Saute Pan with Lid

Pasted from http://www.amazon.com/Cuisinart-Multiclad-Stainless-2-Quart-Helper/dp/B0009W38OY/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1324295714&sr=8-2>

[jim262]

My most frequently used pan is an All-Clad 4 quart saute with a lid and a helper handle that is very similar to the Multi-Clad Pro Cuisinart pan. With pan weight being an issue, helper handles can be a huge benefit.

It might be beneficial to get a slightly bigger pan to get the helper handle rather than smaller to reduce the weight since any high quality pan made of steel or clad aluminum in the 10"-12" size will weigh in over three pounds and can get heavy with ingredients in them.

[GLC]

Here's a suggestion. The problem is that most good pans are heavy. They are heavy in order to facilitate heat diffusion across the bottom of the pan. So, if the heat were already properly diffused, you could use a light pan.

You can get her a copper heat diffuser.
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You can then use a light, stainless steel pan. The classic copper bottom Revereware would be ideal.

While the copper diffuser is not cheap, it can be used with multiple pans (you'll want at least two sizes of diffuser), and the pans are relatively cheap.

For that matter, the diffuser is something of a nicety. The copper bottom steel pans are perfectly good, especially on an electric range where the heat is pretty much already distributed well.

[Andy M.]

If a stainless steel tri-ply pas is too heavy, look into a hard anodized aluminum pan.

[Nonova]

I like the copper idea. Are aluminum ok? Do they make an aluminum with a non stick surface that is high quality? The helper handle doesn't get superhot from stovetop use, does it?

[GLC]

Perhaps look into titanium cookware. Titanium can be made very thin and still be strong. Naturally non-stick as stainless. No coating needed, as it's non-reactive. Very popular among serious backpackers because of the light weight with strength, and it's also made for the home. Kind of expensive. I'd find a local dealer that stocks it and give it a feel. It is also made with aluminum cores to distribute heat, a very good thing in a thin pan.

[Bigjim68]

I would try the diffuser and Revere skillet idea as one of the best solutions to a lightweight pan with few or no hot spots. All you are doing is leaving the heavy part of the skillet on the stove and moving the lightweight part.