Frying pan flatness

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#3457277 30-Jan-2026 15:16

TwoSeven:

Seems to me to be a mix of cheap pan,

OP's one range from about $200 - $500. https://www.lecreuset.co.nz/en_NZ/c/cooking-and-baking/cooking/frying-pans-and-woks

I'd hate to see what you consider an expensive one!

Tinkerisk

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#3457300 30-Jan-2026 16:42

Everything is pretty much mixed up here, whether it's cast iron, carbon steel, stainless steel or Teflon-coated (aluminium/stainless steel) pans. I fry non-stick fried eggs just as well in an uncoated cheap stainless steel pan from Ikea as in a cast iron pan from Staub or LeCreuset – if you know how to use it properly. I won't say any more about it.

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#3457381 31-Jan-2026 09:33

RunningMan:

TwoSeven:

Seems to me to be a mix of cheap pan,

OP's one range from about $200 - $500. https://www.lecreuset.co.nz/en_NZ/c/cooking-and-baking/cooking/frying-pans-and-woks

I'd hate to see what you consider an expensive one!

As noted earlier, never pay full price for any Le Crueset from NZ site. Everything eventually cycles into sale prices, typically 30% off, sometimes 40%. Just bookmark the product you want, and be patient.

For frypan, we have two Le Crueset enamelled cast irons and a Scanpan stainless steel. Although I use the Scanpan for searing meat and most quick frying, the Le Crueset pans are brilliant, especially if need to simmer or oven bake. They are super heavy and take a bit of care with cleaning, but we wouldn’t be without them. If you do buy enamel cast iron, the Le Cruset cleaning cream is essential. It costs a bomb, but you use it sparingly and it lasts for ever. Nothing else comes close to cleaning as well as it.

tweake

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#3457456 31-Jan-2026 11:55

ajbw: We have two Essteele and one Le Creuset frying pans.

I have noticed that on all of them the centre is raised slightly - only by about 0.5mm,
but that's enough to make a thin layer of cooking oil go to the outer edge, so the centre
doesn't get enough.

They are used on an induction hob. The Essteele ones are a couple of years old and the Le Creuset is much older.

I've not been round the shops checking new ones with a straight edge...

Anyone else noticed this phenomenon?

Are we mistreating them somehow?

i would guess 0.5mm is in the manufacturing. i don't know the setup they use but if it gets to hot while machining or there is stresses induced during casting, that can cause the steel to bend when machining or when it gets heated up later on. like machining hot rolled steel. recently i had some steel that warped when you cut it, and it warped even more when welding. faulty steel, probably got to hot when rolled and induced stress.

timmmay

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#3457502 31-Jan-2026 16:57

I had a conversation with ChatGPT about cooking eggs in a Le Crueset ceramic frypan. I'll try this out in the next few days and report back, but thought it may be of interest.

Don't use extra virgin olive oil in ceramic pans as the polyphenols in the EVOO burn and stick. Avocado oil is best, grape seed is good, light olive oil is good. EVOO is fine for non-stick pans, even though the smoke point is a bit lower it's still good to cook with even if it smokes a little. I read a research study on this a few years back.
Season the pan: clean it if needed, put on 1/4 tsp of oil, heat to 180 - 190C, which was 5/10 on my induction stove then 4/10 when it reached temperature, then leave it on heat for 5 mins. Let it cool then wipe gently with paper towel. This fills the micro pores. Do it every couple of months.
Cooking eggs: preheat pan before adding oil to 150C. Add half as much butter as oil, again light olive / avocado / etc as it helps things not stick. Once eggs are in the pan stir for 5 - 10 seconds as this prevents sticking. Don't let the pan go over 160C.
Halloumi: pat dry the halloumi, oil the halloumi well. Heat the pan to 200C, once it's up to heat put a tiny, tiny bit of light olive oil in the pan, like three drops. Turn the pan down one notch to stop it getting too hot. Put the halloumi in and don't touch it for 2.5 - 3 mins, it will release when it's cooked. Flip, second side doesn't take long.

Alternately use a non-stick pan for eggs.

Update: the process above made the pan a little better, but it was still pretty poor. I think I'll stick with my non-stick pans for eggs, even though they only last a year or so.

Tinkerisk

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#3457644 1-Feb-2026 13:12

Well, here's another concrete example (at least for me) of why you should forgo ChatGPT and a Teflon pan subscription. 🤣

The solution is the „Leidenfrost effect“, not ChatGPT.

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timmmay

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#3457713 1-Feb-2026 14:40

Well, it did improve, just not enough to replace a tefal pan.

Technofreak

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#3457741 1-Feb-2026 16:46

RunningMan:

Prompted me to try flattening mine using this method:

A temporary fix at best I'd say.

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Tinkerisk

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#3457751 1-Feb-2026 17:40

timmmay:

Well, it did improve, just not enough to replace a tefal pan.

Try harder. It worked for me as it should for you. I have 8 pans (uncoated stainless, carbon steel and cast iron, different sizes/depth for different purposes). None of them is teflon coated.

When a pro chef recommends teflon coated pans, he always has a marketing contract. You won‘t find it his/her restaurant kitchen. 😉

timmmay

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#3457788 1-Feb-2026 20:12

Tinkerisk:

Try harder. It worked for me as it should for you. I have 8 pans (uncoated stainless, carbon steel and cast iron, different sizes/depth for different purposes). None of them is teflon coated.

When a pro chef recommends teflon coated pans, he always has a marketing contract. You won‘t find it his/her restaurant kitchen. 😉

True, it's probably user error, but I'm getting the feeling it takes a bit of knowledge and technique to cook omelettes in a ceramic pan. I'd like to learn, so I can get away from non-stick pans. I've looked around a few times to learn how, but never quite cracked it. Any tips? Where can people learn this?

Tinkerisk

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#3457805 1-Feb-2026 22:19

timmmay:

True, it's probably user error, but I'm getting the feeling it takes a bit of knowledge and technique to cook omelettes in a ceramic pan. I'd like to learn, so I can get away from non-stick pans. I've looked around a few times to learn how, but never quite cracked it. Any tips? Where can people learn this?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mm6i5ydVFeI

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timmmay

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#3458170 3-Feb-2026 08:06

That video, in short, says to use avocado oil and butter together on a cast iron pan - quite a lot when it's combined. That's similar advice to what ChatGPT gave for ceramic, but I can't use avocado oil so I'll go with the second option which is light olive oil. The method in the video is pretty much what I used. I might try again, maybe I need more oil, or to tweak the temperatures.

cddt

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#3458171 3-Feb-2026 08:09

I have become an expert in using the cast iron for eggs (fried, scrambled, omelette). Just a bit of canola oil, nothing fancy. Would never go back now.

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timmmay

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#3458226 3-Feb-2026 09:01

cddt:

I have become an expert in using the cast iron for eggs (fried, scrambled, omelette). Just a bit of canola oil, nothing fancy. Would never go back now.

What have you learned? Have you tried ceramic?

Tinkerisk

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#3458249 3-Feb-2026 10:13

timmmay:

That video, in short, says to use avocado oil and butter together on a cast iron pan - quite a lot when it's combined. That's similar advice to what ChatGPT gave for ceramic, but I can't use avocado oil so I'll go with the second option which is light olive oil. The method in the video is pretty much what I used. I might try again, maybe I need more oil, or to tweak the temperatures.

He uses avocado oil because it has the highest smoke point when combined with butter, but it's not essential. Olive oil has a rather dominant flavor. I usually use rapeseed oil (refined!) or peanut oil. Don't scrape the fried egg; it will (almost) release itself if it's cooked long enough at higher temperature on the bottom and enough oil.

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