Bachelor on the Cheap

By Mike Thayer

When the eggs you're frying up for breakfast stick to the 'non-stick' frying pan despite the ample dose of olive oil, you know it's time to replace it.  The cheap frying pan set I bought at Walmart about five years back when setting up my apartment post-divorce were all in need of replacement as a matter of fact.  While I do enjoy my fair share of eating out, I do prepare most of my meals at home, so that el cheapo Walmart frying pan set endured almost every day use.  For the $18 or so I shelled out for the el cheapo stuff, I'd say I got some pretty good mileage out of those pans.

A frying pan upgrade was needed and heavier/thicker gauge metal pans, something that can hold the heat better, where the non-stick coating will last longer was a must.  Oh, and having to occasionally get the screwdriver out to make sure the loose handle didn't fall off those el cheapo pans was a bit of a nuisance.

Enter T-fal

Shopping with my girlfriend in Costco one day and browsing the 'kitchen stuff' isle, I picked up a T-fal 3 pack,  which consists of an 8 inch pan, a 9.75 inch pan, and an 11.25 inch pan.  For my cooking needs, this was a winner.  The pans are Titanium non-stick, with riveted handles (no more screwdriver!) and these pans are even oven safe up to 350 degrees.  But the best thing about this pan set was the price, just $24.99!

These pans are a pleasure to cook with, hold heat much more consistently than that el cheapo stuff did and are SUPER easy to clean.  This was a nice upgrade without having to shell out a lot of cash.  With proper care, these pans are going to last me more than the five years I cooked with that "e.c." set from Walmart.  I'm giving the T-fal 3 pack frying pan set 4 out of 5 Bachelor on the Cheap stars, the only thing this set is missing is a lid.  I'd pay a few more bucks for a lid for one of the pans.

$pend Wisely My Friends.....

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