$8.88 T-Fal 10" Viva Maple Leaf Red Frying Pan / $11.99 T-Fal 12" Grey

I picked up the Oxo Good Grips pan that was the darling of America's Test Kitchen. Cost quite a bit more than these cheapo pans but I think they're nicer to cook with and should hopefully last longer too. My mom gave me one of these T-Fal pans and I never liked cooking with it, the middle bowls up when heated so the oil and food slide toward the edges. I had another one that the coating started peeling off in flakes so I tossed it.

With non stick I think the goal is to buy good quality but not crazy expensive. Non stick pans aren't "buy it for life" because the coatings eventually do wear out.

I happen to buy these frying pans on regular basis and they don't last more than a year or so with my light use. I mostly just use them to warm up already cooked stuff (like fries, Pierogies, etc.) and toss them after a year or so. Two years would be a stretch with pans being in bad shape. I personally like to buy new stuff that is functional and not too expensive and these work for me.

By the way I don't think it is fair to be biased just because they are made in China because even branded expensive almost new made in France stuff have failed in my home before. And may be because there is not too much choice available in the market for a buyer with an average or low budget.

hagbard wrote: ↑ True, but as a general rule, if you don't want to be poisoned, don't buy stuff from China if you can avoid it.

I'm just curious how much toxic stuff you have taken while you were typing on your keyboard/phone and looking at the screen which are most likely made in China.
Poisonous products are toxic because of the material and process they are made with, not where they are made.

Sometimes biased minds are more toxic...

jeffgao wrote: ↑ I'm just curious how much toxic stuff you have taken while you were typing on your keyboard/phone and looking at the screen which are most likely made in China.
Poisonous products are toxic because of the material and process they are made with, not where they are made.

Sometimes biased minds are more toxic...

I agree with you. Though, the process is a partial derivative of where (with or without regulatory constraints...)

In my particular case, the pan we got is from France, and since it seems to be doing well over the past 9 months, we thought about getting the same thing.

(Toxicity is less of my concern at this point...I just assume it's not toxic enough as it's being sold here...but I, of course, do care about it) Personally, I don't think all MIC products are bad... It really comes down to one's preferences. For example, China has been making some really decent low-cost VG10 knives...they're sharp as well, right out of the box.

Back to the pan... Now that I've checked out all the series from the Tefal website, it seems like the Character series is the only one that's made in France, and seems to last well (for us, so far). Guess I'll be waiting for a sale on it. $20 would be nice.

hagbard wrote: ↑ True, but as a general rule, if you don't want to be poisoned, don't buy stuff from China if you can avoid it.

Toxic ppl with toxic mind..

jeffgao wrote: ↑ I'm just curious how much toxic stuff you have taken while you were typing on your keyboard/phone and looking at the screen which are most likely made in China.
Poisonous products are toxic because of the material and process they are made with, not where they are made.

Sometimes biased minds are more toxic...

Well said..