A friend of mine recommend Solidtechnics (?sp) which is a lighter than cast iron thing… wrought iron I believe. I can’t lift a cast iron pot or pan, I don’t think I’d manage wrought iron any better, my wrists give out. So I’m pretty much stuck with SS, alu, and nonstick. I never spend much on nonstick stuff, I know its going to give out after a while. I try to be careful but eventually the surfaces all fail. So there doesnt seem to be much point spending bazillions on something you’re going to have to send to landfill in the future. My stainless steel cookware is still going strong after 25 years, but I’ve been through at least 5 nonstick pans in that time. Interestingly the cheapo Crofton brand from Aldi is outlasting anything else I have bought.
I grabbed a comment from our Head kitchen tester Fiona Mair about thermal cycles and the effect on some non-stick coating. She had this to say:
Not a hype, less quality non-stick frypans with cheaper non-stick coatings that are heated on high and cooled can take a toll on the non-stick surface causing it to weaken and possibly chip or peel and warp.
It is so important that only medium heat is used when cooking and the pan is cooled slowly, not thrown into a sink of water.
If you want to heat a frypan on high heat for searing then it is best to purchase a cast iron or stainless steel frypan not a non-stick.
Hope that helps 
Are we suggesting that the promotion of non stick cooking products is exaggerating the benefits and suitability of the products? Is the marketing Puffery, or misleading and deceptive?
Reading the fine print in the user instructions for more than one such product has led us to question what the nice lady in the kitchen shop was saying.
It’s great to hear useful and unbiased feedback.
Thanks for that. I finally found the relevant Choice comments in
but that aspect is not highlighted in the testing. I know you know where my point is going vis a vis the durability test description; is a $16 pan more susceptible than a $330 pan? Maybe or maybe not.
This cheap frypan from Kmart scored well in our review:
I have never used “non stick imported pans” because of health concerns and poor cooking performance because of temperature constraints followed by cleaning constraints and short lifespan. I used stainless steel, seasoned my omelette pans.They don’t get hot either. No good for meat so used BBQ.
Last year I bought wrought iron Solidteknics pans. These are high conduction, use lower flame to get hot fast. Slippery. The Aus ion caramelises steaks beautifully. it’s australian wrought iron as used for thousands of years prior to industrial revolution when replaced by cheap heavy cast iron and all that followed.
They are high conduction iron pans with black seasoned bases, can re finish any time for non stick and have a multi century warranty to pass onto grandchildren. Use on gas, electric, induction, campfire, BBQ. I use in oven, using small pans for pies, other for cakes or roasting. I am not associated with the company. It’s in Sydney.
And Solidteknics makes a no nickel cookware in pans and saucepans etc. Again really fast heat conduction, used for acid and wet foods too and go in dishwasher. The designs are 21stC with flat lids suitable as crepe pans or in oven. Alternative to nickel steel. No joints one piece so last centuries.
An interesting alternative for anyone who prefers to use pans that are not coated with non stick materials.
It would be great to see several of the range tested against the other pans in the Choice review. They do require regular seasoning to provide a non stick surface, and maintain a bright clean finish.
It may be worth pointing out that the pressed low carbon steel pans etc are not as light weight as aluminium and some ranges of SS cookware.
The 12” fry pan (31cm x6cm) with 3.5l capacity weighs a hearty 2.65kg. That’s around the same weight as a clay house brick.
Too much for me and my wrists and fingers. I’ll continue to go cheap and nasty, and send to landfill when the coating goes to god. Not ideal, but the best I can do.
We’ve had various sizes and shapes of pans from a variety of brands. All had visually different coating systems. The performance of the coatings have improved dramatically compared with the 80’s and 90’s. They now all seem to stay stuck on. Unfortunately they are not very tolerant of misadventure. A bare metal SS or CI or alloy finish is recoverable with some elbow grease and time. Nonstick synthetic products or stone/enamel once damaged become more difficult to clean and use.
Our worst performer was a Breville electric wok. The non stick coating began to lift after five or so years. It was only used every other week, then less often for the obvious reason. Why a wok would need a non stick coating is not so obvious to me.
I once wondered also. The answer I was given was that Asian (wok) cooking was new to ‘western cooks’ and ‘western cooks’ liked non stick products, so the market responded for those markets.
My fav part of it is that non stick is to be used at ‘low to medium’ heat, whereas the high powered wok burners are not there for decoration! I often wonder about the longevity of a non-stick wok’s non stick surface when used as a wok rather than as a large dished simmer pan.
Our saucepan reviews are now updated for 2020 (member content):
Actually there are various sizes of Solidteknics pans, the 31cm is huge, has high sides too. Has two handles,
The comment re seasoning and shiny silver is unusual
I have black Aus ion pans which I seasoned once, by seasoning bar, heating and cooling, Since the past year once rubbed some rice bran oil, heated, cooled and repeated. It gets slippery and slipperier with eggs, caramelises steak cooked in butter and is far better than the BBQ or grill for steaks. The pan is dark. Heats very fast, Wipe with paper, maybe run under hot water to rub off anything left on. That it.
The silver pan Is ferritic steel from germany which does not contain nickel, some are allergic to nickel. It performs just like the black Aus ion pans, Goes in the dishwasher, last hundreds of years…the warranty is for that.
I am an old lady lol and the pans I use are not a weight problem. Anyone using a 31cm pan with cool handle one side and a heart shaped helper handle on the other would be strong enough not to notice.
There are people who use cast iron, not me, who are jolly grateful for how much lighter ST is.
Bottom line, does not matter to me what people buy or use.
Commenting so others don’t get put off when they might have enjoyed them.
Changed my cooking life, although never used non stick ever, the steel or copper clad not good enough.
The ST lids can be used for crepes or as skillets or baked on in the oven. People are making cakes in the high walled pans…no stick.
It’s so interesting to have something different, designed aesthetically.and with no compromises. And Aus made. Please be accurate in criticising.
I have a good set and hope they last so I don’t need any others. On the reviewed group I was struck by the range in price and the fact that (by Choice criteria) there seems little relationship between price and quality. So what are people buying when they spend $200 (more in some cases) instead of $50?
I thought the same thing. Quite often the well manufactured cheap ones will last as long, if not longer, than the expensive branded models.
Never confuse functionality with sensory perceptions (look and feel). Each has its own value. Some individuals value one over the other. If that was not the case nobody would be buying luxury cars or jewellery made with real gems.
I bought my cheap ones from Woolworths for $75 in 1998, and they are still going strong. Its just that the frypan is an annoyance because everything sticks. It was easier to use on electric… on my current gas stove its a nightmare. Thats why I started getting non-sticks. However the saucepans are great and I can’t see them getting replaced for any reason.
I intended nothing personal. Your feedback on how you use and benefit from having SolidTeknics cookware is valuable.
The need to properly season and maintain the seasoning of the pressed low carbon steel (Aus-Ion) products is fundamental to the non stick and corrosion free performance of the cookware. The product guide
is something I’d suggest anyone considering purchasing these products should read first before investing in the product. It’s an important consideration. Many everyday home cooks have zero experience or understanding of seasoning cookware. As you point out it can provide a great outcome, and an excellent non-stick surface.
The weight of the cookware which is principally a range of skillets and pans is important to some. SolidTeknics compared their products to the weight of similar traditional cast iron products. Apologies if my selection of a common house brick is not relatable. I can manage our heavier CI cookware. My partner struggles with all but the light weight spun alloy pans. The relatively light copper based SS pots are two hands for her. The extended handle on some of the SolidTeknics pans as you note is useful.
If we had an induction cooktop, most of our current cookware would be useless. Yes, we would look at the option of SolidTeknics range for pans and skillets.
They do not unfortunately offer a range of saucepans or other deep and lidded cookware to consider.
It was interesting to see the test results for a ceramic (stoneware) finished saucepan.
An alternative to the more common food grade bright stainless pots and those with polymer based coatings. And at affordable prices?
An article regarding Teflon coated cookware.
