Okay, so... I'm married to a Chef. As a result, I know a little about cooking and kitchen tools. My husband, the Chef, dislikes non-stick cookware because it cannot tolerate high temps. The nonstick part of most nonstick cookware is also toxic (especially at high temps). In our home we have transitioned to either stainless steel (which does have it's own problems, specifically because of the nickel content) and cast iron. We definitely prefer cast iron. If you pre-heat it correctly, there is really little sticking, so cleanup is easier than the stainless steel cookware we have.
I may have been expecting a cross between stainless steel and the regular non-stick cookware I have experience with. I may also have been really shocked when I read that the Ozeri pans require almost no oil for cooking, that they are seasoned, AND that cleanup would consist mostly of wiping out the oil and a few crumb-like bits in the bottom. Okay, honest, I really didn't believe it could be true.
And then I tried it. I decided to go with one of my favorite foods that is also quite messy when re-heating. Cajun enchiladas! YUM! They are a mass of gooey tortilla as a result of being coated in delish tomato sauce and those wrap around amazing cheese sauce in the middle and topped with shredded cheddar that melts in the oven. Yes, I do make them myself, thank you for asking! Anyway... that is what I put in my Ozeri for my first test. Melted cheddar, whether melted for the first time or re-heated and, thus, remelted, has always been a bit of a mess in both stainless and cast-iron. So, I was curious to see what would happen in the Ozeri.
First of all, the heat time IS really fast. I was very skeptical about that claim when I read the information sheet about my new pan. It is faster than any of my other pans, regardless of thickness (one of my cast iron pans is significantly less dense, so it heats up faster than the other on).
Second, there was almost no stickage! Seriously! The cheese on the outside of my enchiladas picked right up whether it was melty or crunchy! This pan would be fabulous for making cheese crackers out of fried cheese! Make sure you check out the picture related to this. You really do have to try this out for yourself!
I made and/or heated up a few things in my pan and it worked remarkably well with all of them. I enjoyed using it to make scrambled eggs for yummy egg wraps. Again, almost nothing left on the bottom or sides of the pan upon completion! I've never had SUCH great nonstickage from any pan - ever.
The only negative I could come up with... and I really had to stretch on this one because it's not an issue for me, but I guess it *could* be for some people: the raised bottom pattern of the pan (the part that looks like a honeycomb) will leave a sort of imprint on some things (including cheese crackers made out of only cheese). I actually think that's kind of cool, but I can see how someone who is either super finicky or has problems with visual textures (?) may not prefer it. The textured bottom helps with heat conduction as well as nonstiction (yes, I made that one up, of course).
Now, my only problem is how to get the other Ozeri pans available into my kitchen tools collection!
Disclosure: I was given an Ozeri pan to test so that I could write this post. I get to keep this amazing pan as a form of compensation. All opinions in this post are completely and totally my own.
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