I bought this pan, based on the extremely large number of 5 Star Reviews, as being the lesser of two evils, when compared to so many other non stick brands. This particular model had the lowest percentage of 1 Star reviews out of dozens of brands and models that I researched on Amazon. I noted that many of the bad reviews mentioned the fact that the pan was not flat in the middle (being convex, or higher in the center). I also noted that the manufacturer made comments within those reviews that the pan can warp upwards, in the center, if it is subjected to "too high" heat, without anything in it, and/or running cold water into an already very hot pan, which can cause it to warp. With that warning heeded in the 1 Star reviews, when I received the pan from Amazon, the first thing I did when I took it out of the box, was to pour some cold oil into the new unused, cold pan, never heated yet on the stove. Needless to say, I was very disappointed in what I saw (picture attached). If TFal can't manufacture a flat bottom pan, off the assembly line then they ought not to sell their pans, while claiming that they are flat in the center. TFal has multiple iterations of their non stick pans, and I purposely bought this one, after inspecting various models in retail stores and noting that this model had the thickest metal, compared to other TFal models. Thus I assumed that the thicker metal would insure a flatter bottom. But, sadly TFal is producing this model with a built in hump in the middle that forces product to the edges. Or they produce some that come out flat and some that do not.....roll the dice and hope you get a flat one. I am a former "upscale restaurant" owner with 20 years of extensive cooking under my belt, as well as being an extremely accomplished cook at home, and most of my kitchen cooking gear is very expensive restaurant grade stainless steel clad, with aluminum cores and very thick bottoms. My "home use" professional restaurant skillets cost $200- $300 for a 12" or larger, and that is what I always cook on, at home, due to their performance and being able to develop "fond" for deglazing, extremely even cooking, heat retention, etc. Thirty years ago, as a young adult, I fell for the "Teflon" rage and had a full set of Teflon cookware and after just a couple years of use, the coating simply wore off, in spite of always using plastic spatulas and wooden or plastic spoons. After that, I swore never to buy non stick again. But technology changed dramatically with all of the new surface materials, although I still resisted trusting any of it. But I recently decided that I needed a durable non stick skillet for some very specific dishes and had hopes that this one would perform as expected and more in line with the huge number of 5 Star reviews. I figured what the heck. It wasn't as if I were spending over a hundred bucks for a pan, so the risk/reward factor compelled me to give it a try, after some research. With this higher grade TFal model, If it were not for the convex center which causes ghee, oils, and liquid contents to migrate to the outside perimeter (causing uneven cooking results), I would give the pan high marks for its non stick properties and easy clean up. And the heat spread within the pan seems to be pretty even and consistent, as long as you have it centered over the heat source (I use a gas range), and you maintain the heat source at a level that does not shoot out beyond the edges of the pan (especially with gas, which will toast anything near the sidewalls, while delivering less cooking heat near the center....common sense. Be cautioned though that the surface can be pretty easily scratched with anything that is not plastic. I had used some metal restaurant tongs to gently grab the raised edge of some bacon strips to turn them, while trying not to even touch the non stick surface. When I went to wipe out the pan with a soft sponge after it had cooled down, I noticed an inch long barely noticeable scuff on the surface. It was not enough to in any way alter the integrity of the not stick surface and will probably not result in any negative impact down the road, but I did notice that a very slight scuff occurred. Going forward, nothing will ever touch the surface of this pan, except for rubber coated whisks, rubber coated tongs, etc. Although I am hopeful, that Tfal might be able to replace this defective pan with one that comes from the factory absolutely flat in the center. But that might be an unrealistic expectation because, in order to accomplish that and prior to shipping, TFal would have to do a water test inside of a replacement pan to see if the water migrates to the outer edges of the pan....and if it doesn't, send me a flat replacement, because I do like the pan for its performance, if it were absolutely flat, like my professional grade skillets. ****************Revised Update******************** One week after I received this pan, I called TFal's customer service. Of course they were cordial and listened to what I just described above, testing the pan, out of the box, without any heat applied, which proves that the pan came from the factory that way. They said I would have to pay for shipping to send the pan in for evaluation. The cost of shipping is close to the value of the pan itself and there is no reimbursement if TFal agrees that it is a manufacturing defect, of no flat bottom. They will replace the pan and send me a new one. There is no way that I am going to incur extra cost for this pan, and TFal could easily come back and claim that excessive heat probably warped the pan, or that cold water was poured into a very hot pan. I don't see how any kind of visual assessment from TFal is going to make a difference in determining whether my claim is correct or whether they want to assert misuse. So their warranty isn't worth a hoot, since you will incur unwarranted cost to return the pan, unlike Amazon's policy of issuing a prepaid shipping label to return defective products. So, I will return the pan at no cost, for a refund, from Amazon. You are rolling the dice on whether you will get a flat bottom, when you order this pan, so, just know that there is no recourse that makes sense, from TFal, regarding their warranty.
