Worth the care you have to take
It's been just over a week and I have been using this pan every morning for breakfast. So far, it's pretty impressive. I do have some general ideas about non-stick pans in this price range: I don't expect them to last for years and years (even with the best care); I know I have to baby them a bit; I know that I cannot cook with them at very high heat.PROS:-- Right out of the packaging, the pan looks nice and sturdy.-- It seems to be a bit tougher than other nonstick pans when it comes to using and cleaning.-- It does heat up quickly.-- I was able to make good pancakes in it & my scrambled eggs just slid right out! (By the way, I noticed that the only pancakes that stuck a bit were made with batter higher in sugar content or when I hadn't cleaned the pan well.)-- I don't have the "hot handle" problem I see mentioned in other reviews. I do use the pan on a burner a tiny bit smaller than the bottom of the pan & I think that helps.-- Cleaning it is easy. All I have to do is let the pan cool first. When I am cooking something like pancakes, I can remove stray batter with a silicone spatula. I use a little soap and hot water to get all the residue out.CONS:I was immediately confused by the instructions. The front of the cardboard covers says this is safe for ovens & is "high heat resistant", but elsewhere, it's advised to use low-to-medium heat. This is why I hate the packaging. All the info is on the cardboard that the pan in tucked into. I like to save product info so this is inconvenient.-- Like with most non-stick pans, there are restrictions - ex: no EVOO; and don't heat when empty, etc. Some of these are worse than others. For instance, when fixing anything with a batter (ex: pancakes), I like to heat a pan fairly well before pouring in the batter. However, this pan heats up fast so I can pour in batter without much pre-heating.-- I don't think I will be using this to do any oil-frying because I don't want to use high heat. Also, I won't be large amounts of liquids (water) since it would be easy to let it boil to dry & damage the coating.-- Some of the things hyped about this are not really good for the pans. Says you can use metal utensils but that really isn't advised. The same thing goes for being dishwasher safe. To make the pan last as long as possible, I handwash/dry & keep a soft cloth in the pan when it's stored. Anything to keep from damaging the non-stick surface!-- Although I have a regular gas stove, the instructions for induction cooktops are pretty extensive & I don't know that I would want the extra work.-- For the best info on using, cleaning, and storing this pan, I had to go online. I wish they'd included a paper printout of info instead of my having to try to read that cardboard packaging.Overall, I don't mind the negatives too much because I know to be careful of ALL my nonstick pans. The one negative that bugs me the most is the "don't heat when empty" rule. I do like the pan a lot right now. If it lasts me a few years, I will be happy with it. I do have cheaper pans that are just as good. This one is a really good value though.Basically, the things that make a non-stick pan so good also mean there are drawbacks. This pan proves you don't have to spend a fortune on a decent piece of non-stick cookware.