Some non-stick is permanent

I see several references in this thread to non-stick coatings being fragile. Just wanna point out that there's non-stick and there's NON-STICK. The usual non-stick really is fragile. And the higher the temperature, the more fragile the cookware. All those objections fade when it comes to Excalibur coating, which is a patented process which is not a "coating" per se, but a whole different level of bonding. Excalibur "treated" pans don't lose their non-stick because this stuff is more like "welded" on. In fact, the process is very much like "flame spraying" on car exhaust parts, where the temperatures get high enough that covalent bonds form between the coating and the base metal. Rocket parts are often treated the same way. Which is why I say that Ultrex now is the brand to beat. There's nothing new there, the industrial processes have been around for years. but not EVER at the price level of Ultrex. IMHO, the biggest problem with Ultrex is that it comes from Home Shopping Network. However, that large a market also makes it affordable, so I'm not going to rag on HSN too much.

edfan@earthlink.net