Hey team, long time Tefal fan but I've been trying a stone/marble frypan for the last few months ($20 special from Woolies "StoneChef" I beleive) and it is fantastic.
Is there anything to be aware of before I invest in a full set? Do they stop working after a while?
Do the different brands make a difference? They all look literally exactly the same??
I had a Stonewell frying pan from BigW. It worked fine, for a while. The non stick coating was pretty good, but it only takes a dozen or so uses before eggs start to stick. The biggest problem was that the under side of the pan started to corrode badly. It was maybe coated with a thin layer of stainless steel, but the base was steel.
I use some oil on my non stick frying pans anyway. It helps to transfer heat from the pan (no air gap).
I use the FlavorStone ones and they're very good. Also have a BlueStone pan as well and I really like that one too. Haven't tried some of the other brands so not too sure, but I did receive a really really cheap stone pan in the past as a gift and it was horrible. The material was so thin that the pan heats up like crazy and just burns my food within minutes. :)
I have two stoneware frypans, used very frequently.
They have both lasted much longer than the prior Tefal non-stick alternatives, but they aren't as silky smooth as they were when new.
One was bought from Danoz Direct (of all places!) in May 2013 after a recommendation here.
Another was bought from an Asian supermarket in Cabramatta.
I will likely buy replacements in a year or two, but have been very impressed with the price/performance.
I found the Tefal non-stick were good for 12 months or so, then bad for a couple of years until I finally replaced them. The stone ones are lasting better.