I Tried The Le Creuset Essential Stainless Steel Frying Pan and Found It to Be Just That − It's Now an Everyday Essential I Can't Live Without

After spending a few months cooking with the Le Creuset Essential Stainless Steel Frying Pan, I have fallen in love with stainless steel cooking. Having previously avoided the material, fearing burnt dinners and hours spent scrubbing at the sink, the heritage cookware has proven that with patience, even pans that are not naturally non-stick can produce simple yet delicious results.

In terms of the best non-toxic cookware, the heirloom quality offerings from Le Creuset are the perfect investment, promising long-term health benefits in a move away from 'forever chemicals' in a pan that you can safely use for decades without replacement.

Here is exactly how I got on with the Le Creuset Essential Stainless Steel Frying Pan during my testing, the tiny snags and how I worked around them, and why I think this is one of the best stainless steel pans you can invest in for your home.

Product Specifications: Le Creuset Essential Stainless Steel Frying Pan

Design and First Impressions

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As with other Le Creuset products I have unboxed, the Essential Stainless Steel Frying Pan came in recyclable packaging, with a sturdy cardboard box and tissue paper wrapping. There was one sticker inside the pan, which did prove difficult to get off, however after cleaning with olive oil to break down the adhesive naturally, this came away easily, allowing me to rinse the pan with warm soapy water before first use.

The pan is ready to use straight out of the box, and looks wonderful on the stove. I tested the 11-inch pan, which comes with a helper handle, helping to balance out the weight. I am able to support this pan in one hand with relative ease, but the helper handle is nice to have for moving the pan when it is particularly full, or it has been in the oven.

Cooking Performance

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Cooking with stainless steel is not as simple as using non-stick, but with the right technique, you can achieve superior crispy results without the risk of 'forever chemical' contamination. The secret, I learned, is to use the Leidenfrost effect, allowing the pan to heat up enough that when you sprinkle water onto the surface, it beads and rolls away, rather than boils and steams off immediately. This indicates that you have enough of a heat barrier that food will not instantly adhere to the surface.

This does take some practise and getting used to, and is the same story with every stainless steel pan at any price point. I noticed that the three-ply Le Creuset pan, however, made it marginally easier as (when heated slowly) it heated evenly across the whole surface, preventing hot and cold spots.

To test the pan, I ran my usual delicate tests:

• Gyoza: Dumplings are one of my favorite foods, and gyoza are at the top of my list. When cooking in the Essential Stainless Steel Frying pan with a splash of oil, the dumplings browned and crisped evenly, and released without the delicate bottoms tearing.
• Tofu: Tofu is another great, delicate test, as it can tear easily and can be tricky to brown. Every time I cooked tofu in the Essential pan it did stick; however, it stuck and tore less with practice. The secret is to press as much water out as possible before adding to your oiled pan, and searing until it releases naturally. Any sticking was easily scraped away with a firmer touch, and it did not burn. Otherwise, the tofu crisped wonderfully.
• Onions: Onions are an essential test for any pan. In the Essential Frying Pan, they sauteed evenly, cooking down without scorching or sticking.
• Fried Eggs: Frying eggs took some trial and error, with one egg sticking slightly and the other releasing with ease. I think this came down to user error and not using an even coating of oil in the pan. It wasn't the easiest process, but the pan still delivered, giving crispy bases, and the stuck-on residue was easy to remove with my spatula once cooled.
• Sauces: In my liquid tests, simmering bolognaise, the liquid bubbled evenly across the surface, demonstrating wonderful heat retention and even heating, even on a stove ring smaller than the diameter of the pan.
• Pancakes: Pancakes were surprisingly easy in the pan. The batter bubbled quickly, and the pancake lifted and flipped easily without tearing or sticking, as you can see in the video below.

Cleaning, Storage and Maintenance

Despite food occasionally sticking, cleaning and caring for the cookware was straightforward. After letting the pan cool, I would clean it with warm soapy water and a soft dish sponge. Nine times out of ten, this delicate approach was more than enough to remove residue. When a more thorough approach was required, soaking the pan in warm soapy water often loosened the debris enough to be wiped away later.

There were two occasions where user error (i.e., heating the pan on too high a heat for too long) resulted in oil burning onto the surface. This was more difficult to remove, even after cleaning with lemon juice. Because stainless steel is so tough, however, a small amount of Barkeeper's Friend from Amazon on a soft cloth helped to buff away residue and restore the pan to new.

Storing the pan was also simple. Although it is large, and the long handle and protruding helper handle on the 11-inch model give this pan a large footprint, you can stack stainless steel pans easily without the fear of damaging delicate coatings. If you wish to prevent cosmetic scratches, you can use a standing cookware organizer like my Umbra Peggy Organizer from Walmart, or felt pan stackers from Amazon to help save space.

How Does the Le Creuset Essential Stainless Steel Frying Pan Compare?

The Le Creuset Essential Stainless Steel Frying Pan fares well against similar competition. While it is on the more expensive side, given the nature of the brand heritage, it promises heirloom quality.

In comparison to cookware such as the recently reviewed All-Clad D3 Everyday Stainless Steel Cookware Set, another on-par brand for quality, the Le Creuset pan performed just as well in every test, except for frying an egg, where the All-Clad just had the upper hand on easy release. That said, the All-Clad pan is more expensive at the recommended retail price, costing $139.99 compared to the Le Creuset at $125 (at the time of writing). When you consider the tiny difference, I think it makes the Le Creuset pick worth it.

My Verdict: Should You Buy The Le Creuset Essential Stainless Steel Frying Pan?

After using this pan religiously for several months, I can strongly recommend the Le Creuset Essential Stainless Steel Frying Pan to anyone looking for a durable, heirloom-quality stainless steel pan to upgrade their kitchen.

So long as you select stainless steel with the knowledge that it takes more work and practise than non-stick, you are sure to see promising rewards across a range of dishes. That said, for very delicate tasks such as fried eggs, I would still suggest a ceramic non-stick pan, especially for those new to stainless steel cooking or who want a quick, fuss-free breakfast routine. Otherwise, I cannot fault the performance, nor the quality.

How We Test Cookware at Homes & Gardens

The best cookware has to tick all the boxes: Versatility, manageable weight, safe materials, brilliant cooking performance, and, crucially, ease of cleaning.

You can read more details about how we test cookware at Homes & Gardens, including how long we vet each piece for and specifically which recipes we trial.

I test all cookware in my own home under real-world conditions – usually mid-week meals cooked after work, putting the pans through regular use over a range of recipes to get a good understanding of how these pans perform and fit into the everyday, hard-working home.

What Else to Shop

If you are considering stainless steel for the first time when choosing the best cookware, I’ve rounded up a few of my favorite accessories to help you make the most of your new pans, with fewer of the learning curves I had to work through.

All prices were correct at the time of publishing.

If you are looking to detoxify the rest of your kitchen setup, next consider the best non-toxic kitchen appliances.

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