One-liner
The $17 Granite Stone Diamond Pro non-stick frying pan outperforms other models, including those significantly more expensive, in even heating, non-stick properties, and durability, offering exceptional value for money.
Key insights
Performance Assessment
- Blue Diamond ($16): Exhibits significant temperature variation and minor stickiness with pancakes; struggles with even heating and non-stick properties.
- Granite Stone Diamond Pro ($17): Achieves superior even heating and non-stick performance across tests, barely any temperature delta, and excels in the cheese meow and egg frying tests.
- Tramontina ($25): Offers good performance with a slight temperature difference and impressive non-stick capabilities but less so compared to Granite Stone.
- Sart ($26) and Carrot ($30): Perform well in non-stick tests but exhibit some uneven cooking areas and temperature variation.
- Oxo ($30): Stands out with strong non-stick properties and good even heating, closely competing with Granite Stone for top performance.
- Caraway ($86) and HexClad ($185): Despite their high prices, face challenges in even heating and temperature consistency, with Caraway performing slightly better in distribution.
- Made In ($90): Shows poor temperature control and significant sticking issues with the pancake test, indicating that high price doesn’t guarantee superior performance.
- Imark ($120) and Analon ($50): Offer decent non-stick capabilities but struggle with even heat distribution and temperature spread.
- Green Pan ($35): Exhibits toughness in coating durability but faces similar challenges in even heating and stickiness in more demanding tests.
Durability and Coating
- Scratch tests reveal that Green Pan has the most durable coating, withstanding up to a number 6 Mohs pick, followed by Granite Stone and Oxo, both showing good resistance to damage.
- The lighter, more affordable pans (Blue Diamond, Tramontina, Sart, and Carrot) tended to have softer coatings that were more susceptible to scratching.
Cooking Efficiency
- Heating efficiency tests with water boil times show varying degrees of thermal conductivity across brands, with some pans like Made In and HexClad heating up more quickly despite their other challenges.
- Evenly distributing heat remains a crucial factor for cooking performance, with Caraway showing the best even temperature spread during pancake cooking.
Non-Stick Properties
- Most pans received high ratings for non-stick performance when frying eggs, with notable standout performances by Granite Stone, Oxo, and Caraway, making them appealing for everyday cooking ease.
Key quotes
- "Blue Diamond claims it's 5 times harder and 10 times more durable, but struggles with even heating."
- "Granite Stone is about 20° cooler compared to Blue Diamond, winning in durability."
- "Despite its high price, the HexClad struggled with almost 167° temperature spread."
- "Caraway leads with only a 44° spread, showing exceptional heat distribution."
- "Oxo, closely competing with Granite Stone, defines utility and durability."
Make it stick
- The Value Champion: Granite Stone outperforms competitors, including those at higher price points, in durability, even heating, and non-stick tests.
- Durability Test Telling: The Green Pan survives the Mohs test up to a pick of 6, showcasing the resilience of its coating.
- Even Heating is Key: Caraway's minimal temperature spread emphasizes the importance of even heating for cooking performance.
- Not All That Glitters Is Gold: High-priced pans like HexClad and Made In don’t always equate to superior performance, highlighting that price is not always a proxy for quality in non-stick pans.
This summary contains AI-generated information and may have important inaccuracies or omissions.