This video reviews three "forever nonstick" pans: Misen Carbon Nonstick, Strata, and Anolon EverLast N2, which claim to offer nonstick performance without traditional coatings. The reviewer conducts a series of tests to compare their durability, warp resistance, rust resistance, heat performance, nonstick properties, and design.
Misen's comparison chart highlighting benefits of Carbon Nonstick™ over regular carbon steel.
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Construction: Misen and Anolon use nitrided carbon steel for rust resistance and inherent nonstick properties, while Strata uses regular carbon steel requiring seasoning.
Durability: All three pans resisted deep scratches from metal utensils, though they developed light scuff marks.
Warp Resistance: All pans maintained their shape after intense heating, showing good warp resistance.
Seasoning and Rust: Misen and Anolon proved low-maintenance, resisting rust and acidic foods without seasoning. Strata, being regular carbon steel, rusted after tomato sauce stripped its seasoning.
Liquid Interaction: Boiling water in Strata showed seasoning leaching, unlike the clear water from Misen and Anolon.
Heat Performance: Anolon heated fastest but was prone to overheating, Strata provided the most even heat, and Strata also retained heat best.
Nonstick Performance: All pans performed well with adequate fat, but Misen and Strata struggled with fat-free cooking, while Anolon performed slightly better.
Design: Strata had the most comfortable handle, while Misen had the widest cooking surface. Anolon was heavier in the 12-inch size.
Recommendation: Misen is recommended for low-maintenance, everyday nonstick use due to its nitrided surface. Strata is ideal for those who prefer seasoning and even heat. Anolon is a solid, heavier option for those who prefer classic carbon steel feel.
The video introduces three "forever nonstick" pans: Misen Carbon Nonstick, Strata, and Anolon EverLast N2. These pans claim to provide nonstick performance without traditional coatings. The reviewer conducted a comprehensive series of tests to evaluate their performance and durability.
Tests Conducted:
Metal utensil durability: Scraped with a 5 lb weighted metal ladle 50 times and a metal spatula, followed by a stand mixer whisk in constant contact for two minutes.
Demonstration of metal utensil durability tests using a weighted ladle and a stand mixer whisk.
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Acidic food simmering: Simmered crushed tomatoes for 15 minutes to check seasoning breakdown.
Two pans simmering crushed tomatoes to test resistance to acidic foods.
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Overnight water test: Left pans wet overnight to check for rust.
The three pans after being left wet overnight to check for rust.
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Warp resistance: Heated to 425°F on an induction cooktop for 2 minutes and measured flatness before and after.
Pan being heated on an induction cooktop to test warp resistance.
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Measuring the flatness of the pan with a ruler to detect warping.
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Heat conduction and retention: Measured surface temperature at center and edge after 2 minutes on medium heat, and temperature drop after 5 minutes off heat.
Measuring the pan's surface temperature with a thermometer during heat tests.
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Nonstick performance: Cooked dozens of eggs, pancakes, fish, vegetables, and meats over several months, including controlled tests with varying amounts of fat.
Side-by-side comparison of eggs cooking in the three different pans.
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The video explains the material composition of each pan, highlighting the differences in their construction.
Misen Carbon Nonstick:
Composed of three layers.
Core layer: Aluminum.
Cross-section view of the Misen pan revealing its aluminum core layer.
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Top and bottom layers: Nitrided carbon steel.
Nitriding process: Steel is baked in a nitrogen-rich oven, hardening the surface, improving rust resistance, and enhancing food release without seasoning.
Misen's description of the nitriding process for its Carbon Nonstick™ pan.
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Pork chops cooking in the Misen Carbon Nonstick pan, illustrating its nonstick properties.
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Anolon EverLast N2:
Single layer of nitrided carbon steel.
No aluminum core.
Benefits from nitriding for rust resistance and nonstick properties without seasoning.
Anolon EverLast N2 pan demonstrating nonstick performance with an egg.
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Warping is a common concern with carbon steel pans, especially on high-heat induction cooktops. The test assessed how well each pan maintained its shape under thermal stress.
Mechanism of Warping: Occurs when different parts of the pan expand at uneven rates, creating stress in the metal.
Pan Vulnerabilities:
Anolon: Being a single layer of carbon steel, it is theoretically more vulnerable to warping.
Misen and Strata: Their aluminum cores are designed to help distribute heat more evenly, thereby reducing stress and potential warping.
Test Method:
Measured the initial flatness of each pan.
Measuring pan flatness before heating to establish a baseline for warp resistance.
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Heated each pan to 425°F on an induction cooktop for 2 minutes.
Re-measured flatness after heating.
Results:
All three pans started slightly concave, a common design feature to accommodate expansion.
None of the pans showed any visible change or warping after the heating test.
Other carbon steel pans in previous tests by the reviewer have not always held their shape.
Example of a carbon steel pan that warped after intense heating.
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The interaction of the pan surfaces with liquids, especially in terms of seasoning integrity, was evaluated.
Test Method:
Poured clean filtered water into each pan.
Boiled the water for 10 minutes.
Poured the water back into glasses for observation.
Results:
Misen and Anolon: The water remained completely clear, indicating no material leaching.
Strata: The water was cloudy with a yellow tint.
Water samples from Misen, Anolon, and Strata after boiling, illustrating seasoning leaching from Strata.
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Interpretation: The yellow tint in Strata's water indicated that bits of its seasoning layer were breaking down and leaching into the liquid.
Close-up of the cloudy, yellow-tinted water from the Strata pan, indicating seasoning breakdown.
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Significance: This is typical for seasoned carbon steel or cast iron but highlights a disadvantage of Strata compared to the nitrided surfaces of Misen and Anolon for liquid-heavy meals.
The video analyzes how quickly and evenly the pans heat up and how well they retain heat.
Heat Conduction (Speed and Evenness):
Test Method: Heated each pan on medium heat for 2 minutes, measuring surface temperature at the center and edge.
Anolon: Fastest to heat but prone to overheating, leading to smoking if not carefully managed. Temperature difference: 104°F (center 575°F / edge 471°F).
Anolon pan smoking due to overheating, a common issue during testing.
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Misen: Heated at a moderate pace. Temperature difference: 70°F (center 535°F / edge 465°F).
Strata: Heated less quickly but was the most even, with only a 3°F difference between the center and edge (center 418°F / edge 415°F). This evenness was confirmed in real-world cooking (e.g., chicken browning).
Chicken pieces browning evenly across the entire surface of the Strata pan.
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Heat Retention:
Test Method: Heated each pan to 400°F, removed from burner, and measured temperature after 5 minutes.
Pans are generally lightweight and not optimized for retention like thicker cast iron.
Strata: Retained heat the best, dropping by 117°F.
Misen: Dropped by 119°F.
Anolon: Dropped by 129°F.
Within this group, Strata had superior heat retention.
Heat performance comparison table showing center and edge temperatures, and temperature differences for Anolon, Misen, and Strata pans.
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Uneven browning comparison.
Traditional cast iron pan showing uneven browning, contrasting with Strata's heat distribution.
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This crucial section assesses the nonstick capabilities of each pan both new and after extended use and durability tests.
Claims:
Strata and Anolon: Surfaces become naturally nonstick over time as seasoning builds.
Claims from Anolon and Strata describing their pans as naturally nonstick or stick-resistant.
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Misen: Nonstick right out of the box and improves with use, branded as "Carbon Nonstick™" due to the nitriding process.
Misen's claim that its Carbon Nonstick™ pan is fully nonstick right out of the box.
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Controlled Tests (after months of use and durability tests):
Test 1: Egg with 1 tsp oil, 5g butter: All three pans passed; eggs slid with no sticking. Anolon initially overheated, causing sticking, but performed fine with slower preheating.
Egg cooking in the Misen pan during a controlled nonstick test.
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Egg sliding easily in the Anolon pan after controlled preheating.
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Test 2: Egg with 0.5 tsp oil, 2g butter: All three pans passed without sticking.
Reduced fat egg test showing an egg cooking without sticking in the pan.
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Test 3: Pancakes with light butter: Misen and Anolon released cleanly. Strata had slight sticking but was flippable.
Pancakes releasing cleanly from Misen or Anolon with light butter.
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Strata pan showing slight sticking during the light butter pancake test.
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Test 4: Pancakes with no fat:
Anolon: Slight sticking but pancake was flippable without breaking.
Anolon pan releasing a pancake with minimal sticking during a fat-free test.
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Misen: Stuck badly, couldn't flip without tearing.
Strata: Similar issue to Misen, stuck badly and tore.
Misen or Strata pan showing significant sticking with a pancake cooked without fat.
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General Performance (Day-to-Day Cooking):
Misen and Anolon: Impressively nonstick out of the box and maintained performance for months. Not as slick as new Teflon but functional with some oil/butter and proper heat management. No performance decline observed unless overheated.
An egg sliding effortlessly in a new Misen Carbon Nonstick pan.
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Strata: Similar performance to Misen and Anolon when using fat and managing heat.
Main Challenge with Strata: Seasoning. Applying too much oil or uneven spreading can make the surface tacky and cause sticking. Proper seasoning is crucial to achieve comparable results to Misen and Anolon.
A De Buyer carbon steel pan with a tacky surface due to improper seasoning.
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