Non stick pans are great, the first time you use one it really is a break through moment in cooking. Why wasn’t I using this before! However, not all non stick pans are made equal, there are many different types. Some use chemicals to achieve non stick and some don’t. The ones that don’t tend to need treatment of some sort like with Cast Iron. The ones that do use chemicals don’t tend to last as the non stick surface eventually wears away.
These days people are more actively trying to avoid chemicals in cookware. We are becoming more health conscious and much more aware of what manufacturers are putting into our products. The debate on whether these chemicals are safe long term rumbles on but many aren’t prepared to take the risk and we are fully on board with that way of thinking. So because of this there are new products popping up all the time that promise chemical free non stick. One of the latest products that has been advertising heavily on TV lately is the Granite Stone Rock frying pan that uses “High-grade natural mineral coating for a super non-stick cooking experience”.
So we figured we best check out this product and give it a through testing.
If you are looking for a quick answer here then let me sum things up really quickly. Granite Stone pans are ok but they are nothing special. The non stick is not that great and we found even simple things like eggs would stick frequently. If you want a real quality non stick PFOA-Free pan then we suggest going for something like the All Clad E785S264 HA1. If you want a PFOA and PTFE free pan then go for a ceramic pan like the Vremi Ceramic Nonstick Frying Pan.
Contents
Available Sizes
These Granite Stone pans are available in a few different sizes. Ranging from 5.5 inch to 12 inch and many sizes in between. There are also square versions if you prefer square pans to round.
The Non Stick Surface
The main problem I have here is it is so damn inconsistent. Sometimes it works great and other times it fails completely. This is true even when using the same foods. For example I tested it heavily with eggs and sometimes they would stick and sometimes they would not. This was pretty frustrating to say the least.
Reading around the internet it seemed other people had experienced this as well and a lot of reviews were split. Some were saying it was amazing and some were saying it didn’t work at all. Is there a quality control problem here or what? It makes no sense. All I can assume here is that conditions have to be just right for the non stick to work, the heat, the amount of oil etc. It’s the only thing that explains the reviews and experiences being so far apart.
My experience was down the middle but that’s not really a good thing. I want my non stick to work every time and having tested so many pans over the years you kind of get used to the best non stick. So this really stood out to me as an incredibly average non stick pan. I had to remind myself that it cost less than $20 so it’s kind of hard to be to down on it.
Another issue I have though is that Granite Stone state that the pan is PFOA-Free but they do not say it is PTFE-Free. PTFE is another chemical used for non stick. There is no evidence that it’s unsafe but if you want to avoid chemicals it would be nice to know whether or not it has been used here.
Construction
The pan itself feels pretty solid and it’s not something that screams cheap when you have it in your hand. Unsurprisingly granite has been used to make this pan. There are 2 layers of granite that sandwich an aluminum layer that helps speed up heat conductivity. This construction promises that it suffer from heat induced warping. It is oven safe to 500 degrees F.
The handle is a “Cool Touch Handle” that doesn’t get hot in normal use on the stovetop. If you are using this inside the oven though the handle can get quite hot so watch out for that.
Pro’s of owning a Granite Rock Pan
- It’s cheap – These things are really cheap. Depending on size these things can be had for less than twenty bucks (at the time of writing).
- It’s not heavy – It’s nice and light in the hand and this is a big advantage for seniors or those with wrist issues.
- Non stick – Ok it is a non stick pan some of the time so I guess I have to include that here
Con’s of owning a Granite Rock Pan
- Non stick is bad – The non stick is inconsistent and quite often just doesn’t seem to work at all. You are better off spending a little bit more money on another pan.
Is The Granite Rock Pan Safe?
Yes. It’s PFOA free and there is no teflon. It is unclear what other chemicals may or may not have been used here unfortunately, I would particularly like to know if any PTFE’s have been used. PTFE’s are deemed safe but a lot of people are actively trying to avoid these chemicals.
If you are looking for PFOA and PTFE free pans then look to ceramics. We have a run down of some the best ceramic pans here.
Should you buy a Granite Stone Rock Pan
Well based on what I have seen and what’s been said above I would suggest there are much better non stick pans out there for the same or not much more money. If you are health conscious then go for a ceramic pan as most of these are PFOA and PFTE free. As mentioned earlier in this review Vremi have a great range of non stick pans.
Check out the Amazon reviews here of the Granite Stone Rock Pan. It’s not great reading. There are plenty of good reviews but the number of bad reviews that echo some of the experiences I had with this pan is a worry.
Where to buy the Granite Stone Rock Pan?
The best deal right now is on Amazon here. It’s cheap and will be delivered quickly plus if you aren’t happy then Amazon have a pretty smooth returns policy. I would suggest not buying it from the infomercials or the official website as you might be waiting a while for it to come. Quite a few people I spoke to about this who had ordered it after seeing it on TV waited months for it to arrive. Maybe they were inundated with orders at the time and couldn’t cope or something but I would order on Amazon to be sure of getting it in a reasonable amount of time.
Have you bought a Granite Stone Pan? Let us know in the comments below what you thought of it and whether you would recommend buying one.
Can you tell me where granite pans are manufactured?