Based on the good reviews on Amazon, I picked up the 12 inch stir fry pan and I just gave it its first test run making curry.
In general this is an excellent pan, it's a good weight, meats brown and vegetables saute quickly, it cleans easily, and it is very responsive (i.e. it heats and cools quickly as you adjust the burner).So it makes a very good alternative to a stainless steel or anodized aluminum skillet or saute pan for everyday cooking.
That being said, it does not completely replace a standard cast iron skillet because it is so responsive...if anything, this pan heats and cools a wee bit too fast. Traditional cast iron heats and cools slowly because of its mass, making it very good for certain types of cooking that need the temperature to hold steady like deep searing meat, stir frying vegetables, shallow and deep frying, and braising.
I also wonder if the ceramic surface will hold up.As anyone who cooks on terra cotta or stoneware knows, ceramic in general makes a tough and easy to clean cooking surface, but Cook's Illustrated recently reviewed Starfrit's ecological cookware and said the ceramic surface began to quickly degrade.However, the base of that cookware is aluminum which has very different thermal properties than cast iron.Since ceramic and cast iron are more similar, I hope this pan does better.Only time will tell.
P.S. If anyone from Starfrit is reading this, I would love it if you made this pan in a 13 or 14 inch, 6ish quart size. The wider base and extra volume would make this more useful, especially when cooking for four or more.Even though I appreciate the lighter weight, a bit heavier of a gauge of iron would be good too and resolve the sometimes too rapid heating and cooling issue. A lid would be nice too.
UPDATE: After a few weeks of use, It's my pleasure to say these pans (I eventually bought the 11 inch skillet too) are more versatile than I originally thought.The 12 inch stays hot enough to do a very decent job at stir-frying. Sure, my Staub wok does a better job, but it must be three times the weight. The skillet sears steak like no one's business. My only issue is I wish both were a tad larger...a standard 12 inch for the skillet and 13 inch for the stir fry.
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Starfrit Light Cast Iron Fry PansProduct Description: Our new line of light cast iron pans are made in a metal mold, not a sand mold, so we are able to reduce the gauge and offer a pan that is 50% lighter than traditional cast iron pans on the market. The light cast iron has the same features as traditional cast iron, without any of the negatives. Our cast iron has a reinforced ceramic surface that prevents rust with no PTFE, no PFOAs and no toxic fumes, even when using high heat. The light cast iron retains and transmits heat quickly and evenly for perfect browning without needing to use a maximum heat setting. The riveted stainless steel handle stays cool to the touch on stovetop, yet still allows oven use.
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I truly love this skillet!As a serious cook with a large family, I use it often for pasta, stews, stir frying -- you name it.It holds enough for my brood without being too heavy to handle.
