Nonstick cookware sizzles, fizzles

Consumer Reports tested nonstick cookware, which outsells uncoated pans by a three to one margin, and turned up problems.

Among those tested was the Home Shopping Network's T-fal Ingenio set.  

Testers found the Themospot technology does not prevent the pan from getting too hot.  Pancakes did not cook evenly on that T-fal and the coating wore away quickly in the steel wool scrubbing test.

The coating wore off even more quickly on pans from the  EarthPan II and EarthPan Plus sets.

Interestingly, another EarthPan did better in the scrub test. It's the EarthPan Hard Anodized set, a best buy at $170.