As my pro-level-home-cook pal Shannon says, “I can’t imagine doing serious stuff in ceramic.”

It was time to interrupt some eggs. On and off for a number of months, I cooked with the $50 Oxo Ceramic Professional Non-Stick 8-Inch Frypan, folding it into my each day kitchen testing and residential cooking. (I additionally had a bigger 10-inch version however barely used it so I might put as a lot as attainable put on and tear on only one pan.) Scrambled, omelets, sunny-side up, or over straightforward, my spouse Elisabeth and I had been as much as the problem, and that small pan measurement labored very effectively for eggs for one or two. I even put it in my checked bag on a household go to to New Hampshire.

During these months of use, I’d say there have been two huge takeaways.

First, I used to be anticipating this ceramic pan to be a dud, nevertheless it wasn’t. In reality, I can simply think about swapping out my T-fal nonstick for it with no regrets. At a bit over a pound and a half, it is stable with out being too heavy for many and is snug to grip and maneuver. It’s significantly lighter than carbon metal and forged iron, pleasingly heftier and extra snug than most inexpensive pans. The inside rivets are coated and flush with the sidewall of the pan. Very importantly, I did not have points with sticking. As a bonus, it’s induction appropriate, and whereas it’s a lot slower to warmth up than most different pans on my induction range, I now recognize that “feature” as a solution to shield the coating. After all these eggs and all that coast-to-coast touring, I observed solely the slightest bits of wear and tear proper on the sides, and provided that I appeared rigorously.

Second, and it is a excessive horse I will not dismount, if you are going to use a pan like this—one thing with a floor that can finally degrade, inflicting you to throw away the entire pan—deal with it with child gloves always. This is particularly vital since, by swapping to ceramic, we’re seemingly shifting towards one thing much less sturdy.

This means no excessive warmth on the range, no steel utensils on the pan floor, no dishwasher, and no scratchy scrubbers. When it isn’t in use, cowl it with one thing—a plastic bag, a dish towel, a scorching pad, no matter, particularly if you are going to stack it to retailer it. You might additionally take the additional step of turning it into an egg-only pan, utilizing it simply on your scrambles and sunny-side-up specials along with your sweetheart.

If you are apprehensive concerning the setting and waste and aren’t able to decide to “walk on eggshells” ranges of take care of pans like these, perhaps do not use them.

Fortunately, I’ve one other different to counsel, as Oxo has additionally put out a new line of carbon-steel pans that may take a beating and final a long time. Before you say, “Hey, what’s with all the Oxo,” I’ll remind you that it’s a giant, revered model with a whole lot of sway, and it’s utilizing its weight to popularize two varieties of pans that might use a nudge.