Le Creuset 9" Enameled Cast Iron Skillet with Signature Iron Handle - 1-3/8 qt. Capacity, Cherry Red - Perfect for Searing, Baking & Stovetop-to-Oven Cooking

My wife and I have two of the Le Creuset Signature pans - this nine inch version and the twelve inch iteration. We got the thirty centimeter pan for our first anniversary and the twenty three centimeter for our second. These pans are, without question, the best frying pans I have ever used. I first encountered them in the care of a roommate who was gifted two of them upon graduating culinary school. The special enamel coating is unlike any pan I have ever used: it is not a traditional "non-stick", nor is it a plain cast iron. It is a unique enamel formulation that, over a short period of time, acquires a patina which offers the best of both worlds. It imparts the kind of rich carmelization and browning you expect from well-seasoned cast iron, while also having outstanding non-stick qualities without any unusual chemicals (PTFE, etc.) being involved.Unlike traditional cast iron, the Signature pans do not require seasoning with oil and high heat, and can be washed with regular dish soap and scrubber sponges or the like. You can put them in the dishwasher, and you can use heavy scrub brushes on them, but both of these things will inhibit (or outright prevent) the development of the patina that enables the enamel finish to really function as intended. I recommend only hand washing, and only using soft nylon scrubber sponges at most. Fortunately, even high heat cooking rarely if ever sticks anything to this pan so badly that you can't clean it off with a sponge or, at worst, getting at it with a wooden spoon.To really make the pan shine - literally and figuratively - I recommend that after cleaning and drying it, you spray it with a light coating of neutral vegetable oil (soy or canola) and gently wipe it down with a paper towel to form a light shiny coat. Doing this every time will help develop the patina more quickly, and leaves the pan ready to fry the next time you reach for it. You don't need a lot of oil here - just a smidge.These pans are expensive, no question. They are also ridiculously durable and incredibly useful. They will probably end up in our will. We barely use any of our other pans anymore! They're that good.