Finally, the best nonstick fry pan we’ve found that’s built to last. It’s a stainless steel nonstick hybrid that produces perfectly fried eggs and tomatoes!
Gifts From the Garden
There are few things that I love more than tip-toeing through the garden in the early hours of the morning. She provides joy on so many levels and always has a surprise or two in store.
This summer morning her gifts were a handful of edible flowers and tomatoes—lots of tomatoes.
The crop of Roma, Pearly Pink, Black Krim and Kellogg’s Breakfast are ripening on the vine at record pace. With so many tomatoes for the picking, I am leaving them on neighbors’ doorsteps, dehydrating them, simmering up Artichoke Basil Pomodoro and making lots of Chipotle Salsa.
And then there are the flowers.
An English Garden Breakfast
I’ve never walked through the garden picking flowers with the intention of eating them, but this morning I did. I picked a few pansy, squash, nasturtium, chive and red clover flowers and made myself an English Garden Breakfast consisting of fried eggs, fried tomatoes and a floral garnish. It was art on a plate!
The chive blossoms and nasturtium flowers were quite tasty, but it was the tomatoes that really won my taste buds.
The flavors that the right pan and a little oil and salt can coax out of garden-fresh tomatoes is exceptional. I say the “right” pan because the sugar in tomatoes has scorched both my stainless steel and ceramic cookware making clean up a bear. For eggs and tomatoes, nonstick is essential in my opinion.
The Best Hybrid Nonstick Fry Pan
Until recently I looked at nonstick fry pans as disposable by design, which really was a shame. We’d swap them out at least once a year because no matter how careful we were, scratches happened and food eventually began sticking to the surface.
Then we discovered the Frieling Black Cube Stainless/Nonstick Fry Pan (affiliate link)—the best nonstick fry pan I’ve used to date. It’s unique in that it’s a hybrid pan. A raised stainless steel pattern over a recessed layer of nonstick coating 1) allows for browning on stainless steel without sticking and 2) protects the nonstick coating. When you stir and scrape the pan as you cook, your spoon or spatula rubs against the grid rather than the nonstick finish—helping prolong the life of this PFOA-free nonstick cookware.
An 8-Month Test Drive
I wanted to give the Black Cube Fry Pan a rigorous test drive before I reviewed it here on Flo & Grace. We’ve been using the Black Cube nearly every day for 8 months and I am happy to report that there are no scratches on the cooking surface—yep, it’s the best nonstick fry pan I’ve found to date. There is some wear and tear (see image above) around the rim of the pan that is not protected by the stainless steel grid. It doesn’t affect the cooking surface and is proof to me that the grid is doing what it was designed to do—to protect the nonstick surface. I can only imagine what the typical nonstick fry pan I would have bought at T.J.Maxx would look like by now?
I like products that are build to last and the Black Cube seems to be just that. Black Cube fry pans work on all cooktops and are oven safe up to 450° F. I’m thinking we will get some good years out of this pan and many more fried tomatoes!
Tips for Use & Care
Use a Bit of Oil
Because the Black Cube is a hybrid pan, it offers the best of both worlds. While able to achieve some browning with the raised stainless steel surface, you do lose a bit of the “nonstick” of a basic nonstick pan. But use a bit of oil (not spray), and you’re good to go.
Cooking Utensils
Though Frieling designed the Black Cube pans to stand up to metal utensils, I stick with wood spoons and silicon spatulas—old habits die hard.
Avoid Excessive Heat
Most cooking we do in this pan requires low to medium heat. As with any cookware, extreme heat can cause damage and/or discoloration. Avoid heat in excess of 450˚F.
Clean Up
Cleaning is a breeze. All that is required is a sponge. If a bit of food does stick, I soak it for a few minutes then give it a cleaning with a plastic bristle brush. Though dishwasher safe, we use this pan so frequently that we just hand wash it.
Fried tomatoes pair perfectly with fried eggs, adding bright sweet and tart flavors to a plate. Garnish with edible flowers from your garden.
Ingredients
- Tomatoes, firm ripe
- Avocado oil or other higher smoke point oil
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Sea salt
- Fresh rosemary, minced
Instructions
- Coat bottom of a nonstick frying pan with thin layer of avocado oil.
- Slice tomatoes into ½-inch rounds and arrange in a single layer in fry pan.
- Saute tomatoes over medium-low heat until undersides begin to caramelize but tomatoes are still on the firm side, 2-3 minutes. Use a Splatter Guard
- Season with salt and minced rosemary.
- Flip tomato slices and saute another minute.
- Finish with a drizzle of olive oil
- Serve with fried eggs.
What’s Your Essential Kitchen Tool?
We all have kitchen tools and gadgets we could not live without. For me it’s a nonstick pan for eggs. Do you have one that’s indispensable?
Disclosure: Flo & Grace received a free Black Cube Fry Pan from Frieling in exchange for an honest review on this site. All opinions expressed are our own.
20 comments
This pan sounds amazing! A good pan really does make all the difference. I got a pretty good tri-poly stainless steel non stick set for my wedding 3 years ago that is still going strong.
It’s amazing how a frying pan can impact the overall quality of a finished dish. It is so true, though. Getting quality pans (and knives) are a must for me.
Totally agree. One nonstick, one le crueset shallow casserole … I use them for EVERYTHING.
I have fallen so hard for summer tomatoes this year! Beautiful dish to cook up with the pan!
I’ve never seen tomatoes cooked like that, but they look amazing!
My frying pan is right there next to my chef’s knife – both are my right hand!
Kelly, same here! One great knife is essential. What kind of knife do you use?
Hands down my waffle maker! I actually own a couple
My husband and you think alike. He says we need more than one waffle maker!
This looks delicious…I love fresh tomatoes and I am sure that pan cooked them to perfection.
What is the pan coated with? Always looking for better options 🙂
I’m gonna have to look this pan up, we are looking for a good nonstick pan! One of my favorite kitchen utensils is microplane.
That pan looks super cool–never heard of it–thanks for letting me know.
Having a good fry pan *is* key! I would say the tool I could not live without, however, is my slowcooker. A working mother’s best friend. lol
Definitely a slow cooker. 🙂
Those tomatoes look absolutely amazing! I need to check out that pan.
I have become obsessed with finding a quality non-stick frying pan. Thank you for introducing me to this one!
Wow, that pan looks and sounds amazing! I love the design of it and really do need a better quality pan.
I think it’s pretty fancy, too. It’s durable, too. Use it every day!
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