Granite Rock Pan Reviews: A Non-Stick, No-Warp Frying Pan as Seen on TV
Riddled with mixed consumer reviews, Granite rock pan, is a product that sparks conversations.
Amidst all the no oil or butter needed, this pan is perhaps the best nonstick frying pan on the market.
Whether you are using a lubricant or not, it has impressive test results as you’ll see later in this review.
Retailing at a low-price tag, it sits right in with budget nonstick frying pans. Probably because it’s of pressed aluminum and the granite rock layers that are embedded on it.
The rock-like finish gives it the beautiful rough texture; you would be forgiven to think it’s going to stick just by touching the surface.
Our Rating: 4.8/5
QUICK SUMMARY
Our Granite Rock Pan Review confirmed what we knew. Graniterock nonstick pan is an incredibly efficient and durable frying pan for most kitchen needs. From frying to cooking, and even baking, this pan can do it all.
Frying with this pan doesn’t feel over the top, well, until you burn cheese or bake pizza on it. You are taken aback because nonstick pans are supposed to be expensive to give quality results, but Graniterock isn’t following the crowd.
Pros
Cons
- Nonstick coating is not specified - it may contain unknown properties in its coating
What's Special About the Stone Granite Pan as Seen on TV?
The fact that this pan can cook, fry, bake, and withstand kitchen abuse is amazing. We see a product that has been thoughtfully made to give you years of exceptional use.
Like many aluminum pans, this one is manufactured by heat-treating a thick, solid piece of aluminum. The pressed aluminum core lends it to even heat distribution that’s why it can bake at temperatures above that of baking a regular cake.
Unlike many nonstick pans, the Granite rock pan does not use Teflon or PFOA (Perfluorooctanoic acid) for the nonstick coating.
Teflon has been linked to cancer, and according to the American Cancer Society, it stays long in the body which increases the chances of it causing cancer.
This pan has three layers of food-grade granite-like finish and natural mineral coating for nonstick performance. It has a rock-like surface that is ultra-hard to showcase its remarkable durability. It can also be used with metal utensils which is usually a cardinal sin which nonstick pans.
The granite stone pan resists warping and is rated for 500 degrees Fahrenheit oven performance. You can bake upside down pizzas, sear steaks, and sauté stuff to your convenience, just like other ceramic bakeware.
The handle is of stainless steel, and though it remains cool on a stove, you’ll want to use oven mitts when grabbing it out of the oven.
The unique feature of this pan is that it does not require you to use oil or butter to fry stuff. From eggs to steak, salmon, and even marshmallows, nothing sticks.
You can cut on the oil calories and you won’t spend valuable time scrubbing it off. It is even dishwasher safe thus cutting cleaning time further.
Note that you can use butter or oil to flavor your foods but never use nonstick cooking spray on this pan (more on this later).
Is Granite Stone Pan Safe?
Granite stone nonstick performance works much like Teflon. But stone cookware has been seen not to release harmful chemicals into food.
However, it is important to note that the mineral coating that seems to be doing all the nonstick magic does not act by itself. And Granite does not tell us what it is exactly that they use to prevent the pan from sticking. Talk of trade secrets which is understandable.
Our only issue is that even though Graniterock indicates that it is PFOA-free, they have not said it is PTFE-free. PTFE is another type of nonstick coating, but it has not been phased out like PFOA. It is a synthetic polymer that has a high melting point which makes it hard for the surface to be damaged by heat.
Because we don’t know the exact nonstick coating of this pan, take care not to:
Is Granite Stone Pan Toxic?
The granite-like coating on this pan comes from stone and granite particles. The design is what attracts many people to this pan, but the question on our minds is the toxicity of the surface when exposed to heat. Because the surface is mineral-based, does not produce toxic fumes especially when used in the oven.
What Does the Granite Pan Set Include?
Graniterock nonstick pan ships free of charge but may take 30-60 days for it to ship out, unlike the Bialetti Cookware. When you get this pan directly from authorized sellers, it comes with only the pan and a set of guidelines on using the pan.
On Graniterock’s website, they offer a free egg pan. It is not automatic that you will receive the egg pan. You have to tick the option of getting a free egg pan along with the main pan. Graniterock also used to give a free recipe book, but we have not seen it off late, online or otherwise.
Available Sizes
Graniterock non-stick is available in three sizes. The smallest is 9 inches followed by a 10-inch and a 12-inch pan.
The 10-inch pan is the cheapest from online retailers.
The other two sizes cost roughly double the price. Am yet to know why there are price disparities maybe it’s the square shape of the other two, but we highly doubt it.
Granite Stone Pan Review vs. Copper Pans Review
Copper pans are from 99% copper. They are known to provide quick food warm up, even heat distribution, and an overall professional look. But copper can leech from pans to the food and become toxic. While adults should take only 900mg of copper every day, exposure to a high level can be poisonous.
Copperware can also react with acidic or alkaline foods and cause a metallic taste in the food. You may even notice gray streaks in eggs as they pick copper in the pan. And if the pan is too old, it can have a nickel or tin coating which means the pan should not be used.
As you can see, you are looking at the complexities of using copper pans as opposed to Granite Stone cookware. After the Granite rock pan review, we noticed that it is lightweight and it provides smooth release performance for drama-free cooking and quick cleaning.
Does Granite Rock Pan Work on Induction?
Induction cooktops work through an electromagnetic field to transfer heat to the pan. For a pan to be induction ready, it has to have iron-based compounds.
Graniterock is not iron-based which means it will not work on induction cooktops because it has an aluminum core.
If you already own an induction cooktop and still want to buy granite rock, there’s the option of using an induction disk. It’s like a DIY burner that picks up the heat from the cooktop and transfers it to the pan.
Testing and Results
Graniterock lays out a claim that no oil or butter is needed when frying stuff. Well, we investigated on the claims but left out their anti-scratch and durability tests that involve crushing rock with a sledgehammer in the pan.
The extra claim of durability is not relevant right now but we’ll keep checking to see how well it holds up.
1st Test: Frying Eggs
Frying an egg should be easy especially because you don’t need a recipe to do it right. Seven eggs were used in the testing (yeah, you heard that right). The idea is to fry one egg separately and then add cheese and bacon to the other six eggs and see how it goes.
The single egg test goes quite well. The egg is fried on medium heat. After a minute, we found out a spatula is not needed because the egg comes loose with just a little swirling. You will only need the spatula when flipping the egg. If you wanted to cook with the sunny side up, all you have to do is slide the egg onto a plate without involving the spatula.
One thing we noticed is that instead of the egg having a film after turning it, it has a firm texture, not the usual browning when you don’t use oil.
2nd Test: Bacon, Cheese, and Eggs
For the second egg test with bacon and cheese, it went way better than we expected. We watched videos about other people’s experiences and we were not enthusiastic at all. But our perception changed because there are really good results.
This time, with the pan on low heat, six eggs are used together with pre-cooked bacon, and cheese. It’s just like in the commercial because surprisingly, everything slid off perfectly. In fact, this time a spatula is not needed because nothing is being flipped.
3rd Test: Hard Caramel, Cheese, and Chocolate
The pan is impressive even when making meaningless messes. On the third test, the pan melts hard caramel, cheese, and chocolate. And as you can see, everything slides off.
Even though the infomercial seems to be over the top, most of their claims check out. The frying was equivalent to our deep fryers that we tested.
4th Test: Salmon
The fourth test is making salmon with the skin side down without using any oil. And again, we do not have our hopes up but the salmon cooks without getting stuck. It cooks evenly with a beautiful brown color on both sides.
However, our testers use a knife to cut the salmon against all reason because the commercial shows you can use a metallic utensil in the pan. Unfortunately, the pan gets a scratch. It’s something you want to avoid and instead stick to using other tools like tongs and spatulas but not knives.
We didn’t go looking for a fifth test after the knife scratched up the pan. At this point, there’s no reason to see if the pan holds up against crushed rocks or a Bunsen burner flame.
Cleaning the Graniterock Nonstick Frying Pan
Being a non-stick pan, cleaning should go well. You’ll notice that occasionally food can stick especially when you use it on high heat.
This pan should be cleaned with a sponge and soapy water.
And while this method works most of the time, if the pan forms a layer, soapy water won’t cut it.
You’ll Need
To Clean the Pan
Another method that makes cleaning easier is by using hot water instead of warm water. In this case, you’ll have to wear rubber gloves when cleaning. This method does not require repeating because the stone pan cleans in the first round.
Maintaining the Nonstick Surface
To preserve the nonstick surface, you’ll want to be gentle to the pan even though it has all the said qualities of hard rock.
Wrapping Up
The Granite rock pan review is one of a kind. At a reasonable price and without the use of toxic nonstick coatings, this pan delivers on its nonstick promise 90% of the time. And though the knife scratched the surface lightly, I believe sticking to non-abrasive materials should preserve this pan in great condition.
Performance: 4.9/5
Construction Quality: 4.8/5
Value for Money: 5/5
