Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

These things have been around for a while in Asia, and I bought one there some years back and have used it ever since. Bottom line, you're sacrificing a little bit of stickiness for a lot of durability and for not seasoning your food with plastic. First, when it comes to keeping things from sticking to the pan, rock pans are NOT as good as standard Teflon/PFOA coated pans. Unfortunately some of the new TV advertisements are misleading about this. You should use a bit of oil with them. HOWEVER: --They are far, far more durable. While it is possible to damage them through very rough use of metal utensils, it is not easy. While you should still probably avoid metal utensils they won't immediately destroy the pan as they do Teflon. I have had mine for many years now and aside from some superficial scoring it's fine (and yes, the nonstick surface is thick enough that it can take some surface scratches without falling apart). Avoid hard scraping with metal tools but that's about it. You absolutely will not damage them by storing other pans inside the bowl etc. Personally, this was enough to sell me on the pan. I was always unnerved by the idea that I must be eating all the coating that inevitably came off of my Teflon pans. Especially since once you got the first scratch in there, the rest comes off at an accelerating rate. --Temperature: the directions say oven-safe to 500F. I don't know how hot the pan can actually get without damaging it. However, I *do* know that if I let it get too hot, it won't start emitting vapors like the Teflon pans do. I routinely cook on high heat (electric) with this. The main issue with high heat is that it will increase sticking, not that it appears to pose a serious threat to the pan's integrity. I will say that the nonstick coating is clearly a thermal insulator. Although the pan heats evenly, it does so more slowly than Teflon (to say nothing of steel/aluminum) dishes. I consider this a minor inconvenience. Preheat it for a few minutes while you're prepping. --Dishwasher safe: Yes, it is absolutely dishwasher safe.