Breville Thermal Pro Stainless BEF500 / BEF560

The worst Frypan I have ever bought – Quality? Yeah right!!!!...Another FAIL for Breville. More to come soon about another product I am disappointed in and that I paid quite a lot of money for!!!!!....That cheapy controller seriously speaks volumes about this thing and odd thing is as mentioned in another review the surface heat is uneven and it seems to have cool spots that don't… Read more

cook and hot spots that burns things. The heat controller on this pan is either full on or full off just like another mentioned in their review of it and yes this unit is still under warranty and I still have the lovely box full of lies it came in. Another thing that stikes me as odd is how this appliance hums very loudly when it is heating. Quite scary really. Like as if it may short out and blow up. I have owned Kmart brand cheapies that cook far better then this thing. As soon as I have time I will return this overpriced heavy piece of garbage and go and buy another cheapy as it seems to be pretty cheap quality rubbish anyway. Don't waste your money people. It is NOT something to keep in your cupboard and feel a sense of pride in like you used to do in the old days

BREVILLE! YOU'VE DONE IT AGAIN!!! – A week ago my poor old Sunbeam which I've always loved short circuited our electrical safety switch and we lost power on all plug in devices. No T.V. no computer and no fridge etc. At that stage I didn't know what had caused the problem. Next day I plugged in the Sunbeam and off went the power again. This time I knew how to get it back on again… Read more

but it was definitely time for a new electric frying pan. I came here to product review to search review for another stainless steel frying pan. No way do I want to eat non stick surfaces ever again. Been there done that. The reviews for Sunbeam and also for Breville are not good, but no-one else makes stainless steel. So off to Harvey Norman where I buy most of my electrical items. They had the Sunbeam but not the Breville so went to the Goodguys where I could compare both brands. The Breville is slightly larger and looks slightly better made. Problem with both though is the dodgy control probe which lots of people are having trouble with, especially on low heat. I bought the Breville because I do a lot of bulk cooking and then freeze meals so we can have "fast food" when I don't want to cook at the end of the day. I've now cooked 30 meals since I brought the Breville home during the last week. Have had no problem with simmering and amazed at the power for searing. The best thing is that the base is very deep, which helps to prevent splatters and I can get one heck of a lot cooked in one go! I now like the shape being oblong. So easy to stir fry in this shape. The down side is that it won't fit into the kitchen sink and I have a very big sink! The non slip feet are good to make sure it stays put, but makes it harder to slide into the cupboard. It's also very heavy but that's O.K. Don't think it really needs non slip feet. When I first turned it on I got a fright because smoke came out all round and I thought it was going to explode. That soon stopped. Toasters often do this too when they are new. After reading all the negative reviews on the thermostat I bought the extended warranty for an extra $30 + So I have 3 years for the thermostat to cause me problems. There's only 12 months on it normally and 25 years on the body. Nothing will go wrong with the stainless steel, but the element will be covered for 3 years so I feel protected. Just hope it doesn't break down soon after the 3 years. Really wish we didn't live in the disposable generation. Things are built to fail so manufacturers can sell more. Anyway... I'm happy so far. The meals I've made are perfect and the Breville certainly looks wonderful with all my other stainless steel appliances. I recommend buying it, but not without the extended warranty. Also, use it a lot so if you're going to have trouble you can take it back for a replacement. Happy cooking, Dianne.

The Best Fry Pan Ever – My old fry pan had a Teflon coating and was terrible and that was my 2nd one!. Marinated meats would still stick to it. They pitted over time, food always sticking. I researched stainless steel ones without the Teflon coating. Read the reviews on the older model which is discontinued now and rang Sunbeam about the difference with this model.… Read more

Customer Service was great. From memory I believe they had changed the thermostat and there was a change in the plug. The size was the same, as I have it now not long since it came out. The trivet is also a bonus as well. It is so, so easy to clean, i just have to wipe it with a damp cloth to clean it most times even after cooking stir fry’s. Cooking eggs, marinated meat/chicken, I do fill it a bit with water when it’s still warm to soak, but it just comes straight off. I have never had anything burn or stick to it at all and the thermostat is spot on with the temps on the plug in. When I store it I just rub a very small amount of olive oil in the base. It does take a while to cool down under the base, so I leave it out, till cold. The size is great for big cuts of meat, it is rather heavy, but it is heaven. I still do not use metallic utensils in it though. Habit I suppose. It is worth the extra cost for the quality. Sunbeam Fantastic.

Fantastic FryPan - Best Ever – My speciality is cooking of fish 2 or 3 nights a week. Having used many pans over the last 40 years this fry pan is the best ever. The only thing is that one expects the thermostat to cut in/out at short intervals, once I set it I don't touch it thoughout the cooking, the temptation is to "chase" the setting. Just leave it alone once set. The only negative for some would be the weight. Show details

Large, reliable and easy to clean – I purchased the Thermal Pro to replace my Sunbeam Ellise that broke after 5 years of almost daily use. I bought this frying pan based on the mostly positive reviews. As with most electrical products, there are a variety of good and bad reviews and it's difficult to find something that's just right. There are often problems. I have owned the… Read more

Thermal Pro for three months and am thus far happy with it. It heats up fast and I've found the base cooks evenly. It does get very hot, the heat settings are inaccurate and I usually end up frying food on the simmer setting. Apart from this it seems to be a very sturdy and reliable appliance. I like the larger size as I cook big batches for leftovers. I only ever hand wash and the stainless steel base is easy to clean.

Great, but not my favourite product of this type – I had the Sunbeam Ellise and when it died I replaced it with the Breville because the Breville was a better price. Don't get me wrong, this is a good frypan, but it gets too hot. I am having to use it with the heat set one setting below what I think it should be. It's also a tiny bit bigger than the Sunbeam which means it doesn't fit in the dishwasher as easily.  Show details

So disappointed in this Frypan – Breville makes some great electrical products, BUT this frypan is not one of them! Unfortunately I decided to buy it despite the mixed reviews here because I wanted a large stainless steel frypan, but the thermostat is just absolute garbage! None of the middle heat settings work, and it only seems to alternates between High and Low, and then… Read more

for good measure it regularly just cuts out leaving your food sitting in there uncooked. In desperation I’ve then turned the thermostat up to maximum Sear, and not even a bubble in the oil! The stainless steel frypan itself is big and beautiful and of great quality, but its totally let down by the dodgy thermostat. Paid $160 at The Good Guys and I’m returning it for a refund. Breville should be ashamed to put such junk out to the market!!!

Breville Stainless Steel Thermal Pro electric frypan – Very dissappointed in my new Breville Stainless Steel Thermal Pro electric Frypan. Followed instructions and cooking advice but everything sticks. We have even had food stick on simmer. Wish I could return to Breville and get my money back and buy a descent non stick. Show details

Doesn't meet expectations – We have 5 of these in our community and all have similar issues; feet fall off, uneven heat and the thermostat goes in the first year. Additionally, there are no replacement part options on the Breville site. We can't find a good quality SS unit anywhere. Show details

A Mixed Bag – To be fair, this frypan is a mixed bag. Starting with the good: I've owned stainless steel frypans for over 20 years, and they are easier to clean than non-stick when you know the tips and tricks. This frypan is no different. Starting with the obvious, try to be attentive to heat control and not burn oil into them (no frypan likes this). You… Read more

can get this out with a mixture of boiling water in the frypan and some gentle scouring but this is hard work. After cooking, cover the pan with cold water to soak for later cleaning, and stubborn bits can be coaxed out by boiling the water when the rare need arises. Follow this and these pans stay looking brand new for decades unlike other pans where the coating will eventually get soaked through and begin to fail.

The banquet pan size is great for family cooking and the whole pan and feet can go in the sink for cleaning, albeit the pan is heavy to haul around. This is also a very powerful frypan with 2,400 Watts ie. 10 Amps of current draw, so will heat and cook quite fast compared to a stovetop.

So the bad: The weakness of this frypan is the Temperature Controller, and unfortunately this is common in this category. There is definitely some sort of design flaw here that I will fault Breville here in its quality control that it does not appear to be testing its product batches for usability that would easily detect this problem. If I had to guess, the temperature probe is too loose in the pan temperature sensing socket an not making good thermal contact between itself and the pan. There is a fair delay between the actual pan temperature and when the controller probe heats to that temperature. This is why some have reported burning oil or burnt food when turning the temperature to say, "Simmer" and expecting the controller to only heat to this temperature. It does not do this, and from cold any setting will heat the pan to a far higher temperature than what the dial indicates, typically more like full heat for at least 2-3 minutes before the controller fully catches up. Unfortunately as this is also a very powerful frypan, you can easily burn oil into it or as my son found out, set off a smoke alarm whilst trying to "season it (even after I told him to not believe the temperature settings and manually turn the heat on and off himself). So, every cooking session, you need to set the temperature to the absolutely lowest setting of "Warm" and even then be prepared to manually turn the pan off to slowly get the pan up to the desired temperature, wait for the temperature controller to catch up and then finally can ramp up the controller to the desired setting once equilibrium between the pan and temperature probe is established. This is quite a chore with this frypan to having to keep manually turning the heat on and off on this for the first few minutes of cooking.

Is it noisy like others have reported? Yes, and this is from two things: The noise comes from its very high current draw of 10 Amps flowing through the heating filament similar to what you may hear from an oven grill filament etc. This combines with the large pan and the the metal-on-metal contact between the pan and the legs to amplify this noise. Personally, I don't mind it: It's an aural cue that the pan is heating and let's me know if someone forgot to turn it off, but if you want to cook more quietly, this is definitely not the frypan for you. It is an electrical current hum that is soft but is nonetheless easily heard in the next room.

In summary, a good stainless pan that looks like it will last in near new condition for a lifetime, but let down considerably by a design flaw in the temperature controller arrangement and is a little overpowered for what it needs to be.

Best electric frypan ever. Never go back to non stick frypans – Even though it's stainless steel there was no sticking when making a stir fry. Easy to clean. No more replacing non stick fry pans every six months. Best decision ever.

When you think you are investing in quality – $150 for an electric frying pan is at the higher end of the price bracket and so to have not 1 but 2 conk out with similar problems is frustrating. Part of the heating element stopped working twice so it will not heat the entire surface effectively. The temperature control dial no longer turns off the element - you have to turn it off at the… Read more

power source. What's the point of that? Someone else mentioned the feet of the pan falling off - we found that the feet of the second (replacement for first faulty pan) pan we got cracked from heat of the pan itself. A disappointing product as it seems we will need a 3rd replacement.

Feet falling off – Temperature control is poor and the feet fell off on one side basically as soon as I purchased it. Other than that it’s okay. I had another one for 15 years and never had a problem with it at all. I purchased this product from Myer in Penrith thinking it would be as good as the last one we had for years  Show details

Best electric frypan – I have owned a lot of different electric frypans and this is by far the best electric frypans I have ever owned Nothing sticks to it, it heats really well and evenly Dead easy to clean Dead easy to use I highly recommend it There is nothing to hate about this frypan  Show details

Rubbish – After having read negative reviews about the Sunbeam frypan I decided to purchase the trusted breville brand . Unfortunately it was very disappointing in performance. Great if you want to sear everything but when you buy an electric frypan you need a range of temperatures! No simmer or low temperature with this product... this rules out curries… Read more

casseroles and anything else needing a lower temperature. It promised even heat distribution but let down in this regard too. I will be returning it because I am unable to use it for anything but searing steak or pan frying

control power lead only last 12 months – We rate the pan highly the only problem we are experiencing is we have to purchase a new lead annually. This is no fault of us users as we ensure the lead is not twisted and is positioned within the pan socket. We have had our pan for 2 & 1/2 years and have had to purchase two power leads since. Maybe when i purchase the next lead i should ask for an Aussie manufactured lead!  Show details

Worst Fry Pan I have ever bought – The temperature control on this fry pan has never worked properly. It starts to heat as soon as the power is on at the wall, even though the control is on zero. It appears to be boiling or nothing with this model. Each time I used it I would wonder it the food would be burnt. I regret not taking it back to the shop when it was in warranty.… Read more

Unfortunately, it went into the cupboard and stayed there until the warranty had run out. I see that it is a discontinued model. I can see why. This was not a cheap Fry Pan and it left me with the feeling that I will not be purchasing another Breville appliance.

It's a nice frypan, but I wish I'd gone non-stick – Being used to non-stick cookware, it took a while for me to understand how to properly clean and season this kind of cookware, as well as cooking (ie. patting the meat dry before putting it on, letting it get a good seal before turning it). Stainless steel gives you superior caramelisation or "fond". It is also obviously harder to clean. I use… Read more

an inch or two of water after heavy use to clean it. Don't use soap. I've made few roasts in the pan and it certainly produces a different result to the oven. The chicken doesn't dry out as fast, has lovely caremelised bits at the bottom, but the vegies themselves don't get very crisp (except where they contact the pan). Making gravy is however obviously a cinch.

Why do I say I wish I'd gone non stick? Well, I already have plenty of cookware. If I'd got a cheaper, non-stick pan it would have been great for taking on trips to places which don't have cooking facilities. And I can't really justify buying a second electric frypan.

One last mention - the thermostat control gives an on/off cycle cycke. It can't do heat which is actually variable, like a stovetop. So cooking certain meals like this (low simmer, for example) might prove difficult.

Great stainless steel frypan, temperature control lets it down – I have had mine for a while and the stainless steel and size of fry pan is great however the temperature has been basically on or off since I purchased it. If I am cooking something with liquid I have to put twice as much in as it never stops boiling; I am lucky if the temperature light will go off in the lowest simmer setting. I usually have to… Read more

turn the power switch off to get it to go off the boil. I regret not taking it back earlier because as a fry pan it is the perfect size and I find it easy to clean.

Fantastic first experience with stainless steel – I have used several brands of non-stick electric frypans in the past, and despite being satisfactory for cooking, none of them seemed to last long enough before the coating starts to bubble or peel. Having owned the BEF500 for 2 months now, I am very happy with it. I did some research before using it and found many sites which recommended… Read more ·  1

seasoning the pan before use, which I did. This worked well and I have had no problems with food sticking, and the pan is a breeze to clean. I definitely encourage anyone to look into this if purchasing stainless steel cookware. I have found the surface of the pan distributes heat evenly, and I have experimented with cooking a wide variety of meals on the pan all very successfully.

I have not experienced any of the lid problems some other reviewers have outlined, and the temperature settings are easy to manage once you have used the pan a few times and figured out which setting is appropriate for different types of cooking. The pan is heavier than other models of electric frypan I have used, but this is not an issue for me.

Overall I definitely recommend this pan, and owning it has encouraged me to purchase more stainless steel cookware in the future. Great heat distribution, sturdy, can handle any meal You must be prepared to properly care for this pan

Useless – If solely cooking at quite high temps I suppose this is satisfactory, however I can't believe so many reviews have no problem with the absolutely terrible temperature control! A pan that is incapable of a simmer fails one of the most basic and fundamental tasks! At lower temperatures (not even THAT low) the element simply cycles on at… Read more

searing temps then turns off, completely inappropriate! Cooking eggs slowly to have the element switch on for 5 secs near the end of cooking to over do and burn them, enraging!

Try to simmer something at anything less than a raging boil with constant stirring to avoid burning, and you get 5 secs of raging boil followed by a minute of nothing.

Cooking some meat on a steady even temp? Nope it gets a good sear every few minutes. Useless!!

The pan itself is an excellent stainless steel pan, some reviews have problems with it that seem to stem from being unaware of how stainless steel pans work.

I love the pan quality and the large surface area, and the heating element does cover the pan excellently giving good even heating to almost the whole surface. More's the pity the cycling on and off of it is such garbage!

Very frustrating as to me this is an expensive unit that I paid alot of money for, with such poor control this is a useless brick, I have electric pans from the sixties that supply steadier heat than this!

Excellent frypan for cooking food – I recently bought the Breville Thermal Pro Stainless Steel Frypan and am very happy with my purchase. It cooks food evenly and has a 25 year warranty on the base. Good quality appliance, except it is quite heavy. My meals are very delicious now. Bought it on sale at a great price!  Show reply

Had initial problems – After reading the mixed reviews, I took to YouTube and saw some convincing videos about the thermal pro, so I invested in one. I had some initial problems with the lid being far too small so I called Brevilles customer service "to discuss my issues" as I was instructed to through the questions section of this product review.. That was an extremely… Read more

useless waste of time! The guy I spoke to was most unhelpful and suggested he couldn't do anything about it, the lid is what it is! Basically you get what you're given. I was absolutely so upset and i went back to The Good Guys and luckily I actually got some customer service, where we discovered the lid was not right at all and a complete replacement was given to me. If it was left to my dealings with Brevilles Rep, they would have lost me on any future purchases across the brand.. Apalling!

I think the lid could still be a better fit especially after watching the Breville promo video on YouTube for smoking trout... You lose too much steam with the lids as they are, I really don't think smoking any meat is at all possible with the loose fitting lids that are supplied.

Also it seems as though that when I put the temp down to minimum it seems to cut out completely, I understand the thermostat would kick in to reduce the temp, but then it just stops cooking altogether doesn't seem right to me.. All in all if you're cooking with high temps it is great, sears meat and vegetables really well and as promised it is an even cook..

Still not convinced about the lid fitting and the thermostat seems to cut out so won't give it a wonderful review but at this stage it's I just an ok..

Paid $110 on sale from The Good Guys November 2015

Awesome product. Well worth the financial outlay – We purchased this pan from Myer after being given a gift card for Christmas a few years ago. Now, prior to this purchase, we had gone through two or three nonstick electric frypans purchased from kmart /target over the course of about two years. Either the power cord would die or the non stick coating would come off or the temperate would stop… Read more

regulating.

We were sick of it. Having three young children, our frypans get heavy use so my husband and I decided that we'd go all out and get the best frypan we could find.

I think we've had this pan for around three years and it is still going strong!

It does pancakes AMAZINGLY and seals meat really well when doing slow cooked joints.

The roasting tray/rack works well... The other day I butterflied a whole chicken and popped it on the roasting tray and continued to baste it while it cooked - the result was way faster and easier and yummier than I could have achieved in the oven or BBQ.

I've read other people's reviews on here about food sticking... And I've got to admit that has happened to me a few times too. But I think in my experience that it's the operators fault normally! Usually it's because I have chosen the wrong heat setting or not used enough oil... As soon as I correct that everything is right as rain!

If you want a decent appliance that will last, I highly recommend this pan!

Pancake Perfection – I only cook one thing on my Frying Pan and that is Pancakes. Therefore i consider myself an expert in the Art of cooking Pancakes they need to be light an fluffy and have an even colour, hence the pan needs to have an even heat across the pan . After reading previous reviews i purchased my new Pancake cooking tool, i firstly seasoned the stainless… Read more

steel pan as recommended in previous reviews to make it non stick. My first batch of pancakes was disappointing, i burnt the bottom and they were sticking, total disaster. I re-seasoned the pan a second time and adjusted the cooking temperature to number 7, presto! the perfect pancake and no sticking.

Very pleasantly surprised – I love this frypan. In the last 18 months I have started using electric frypans and wish I started years ago. I have used a couple non stick pans but the same problems always occur- the non-stick keeps flaking and secondly, heat distribution is uneven. THIS PAN IS AMAZING. Very Even Heat distribution. Very easy to clean. Very simple to use. Very… Read more ·  1

efficient to cook with.

Here are some tips I have picked up as I had never used a stainless steel pan before.

1. Always use oil. 3 tablespoons is enough to coat it, and only add it once the pan is heated up (I normally use setting 14 to sear and then turn to 12- I mainly use this pan for cooking meat. Although it makes fabulous potato rostis and hash!! Then I jiggle the heat depending on how much cripiness I want).

2. Dont use metal utensils. Steel being porous (at a microscopic level) requires oil to lubricate it. Using metal utensils damages this porosity, which will mean that food will stick no matter how much oil you use to lubricate.

3. When you're completely finished cooking, turn off the pan and immediately add a litre or so of water to the pan. This will soften any residue that that stuck and will not have time to dry to the sides (and pop the lid on too to steam it).

4. When its cool, add some dishwashing liquid and give it a slosh around. Although its dishwasher safe, I personally prefer to handwash it as it takes literally seconds once everything has soaked. By the time we have finished eating, its generally safe to touch.

5. Dont use it for things that will definitely stick. Like pancakes. Obvious really, but I would use a non stick pan for pancakes and the like.

6. Enjoy it. Because it really is great, and I thoroughly recommend it. Never have to worry about flaking non stick surfaces. Ever. Again.

Very good frypan - very even heat, good control – We have had ours for about a month now and can't find anything negative to say about this product. Very even heat over the whole cooking surface and is very easily cleaned in the dishwasher. We finally got fed up with replacing perfectly good pans because the non-stick surface had deteriorated and will be looking for a new stainless wok soon! Even heat, easy to clean, large cooking area Nothing so far Show reply

Great Electric Frypan- Happy – Very good heat distribution which is the most important criteria. Makes for problem free cooking and great taste. I use it mainly for bolognaise, curries, stir fries and pancakes. Good size to enable cooking large meals so leftovers can be stored in the fridge and reheated. It gets very hot at the sear and high temp. settings which sears meats… Read more

quickly, evenly and well. Slow, even simmering on very low temperature brings out the great flavour of the food. Would roast very well and large size accommodates large roast.

Cleaning is easy. If you get the pan and say olive oil very hot prior to searing then any sticking problems are eliminated or at least significantly reduced. I can see by other comments here that stainless steel pans can be seasoned to become non stick so am going to try this method. Even if anything sticks, using water in pan with lid on and boiling will totally remove it. I don't see sticking as a problem because anything stuck concentrates flavour and makes for great flavoursome gravy. For a thorough clean simply put in dishwasher as the element is sealed,

It is big and heavy so takes up some space. I was reluctant to get an electric frypan due to the thermostat control but the stainless steel stores and distributes the heat so well that any problem of losing heat is eradicated. Food is cooked very well so that it tastes great. Great heat distribution enables great flavour and trouble free cooking. Bit big so need some bench and/or storage space.

Great pan – I have had this pan for nearly 18 mths. I love it. It is easy to keep clean. I don't have to worry about the kids using metal utensils and scratching the non stick surface. Now that I have mastered cooking with stainless, I will not be going back to nonstick. Sears meat well. Even cooking Sometimes buzzes when you turn it on

Broke just out of warranty – This item did the job ok while it lasted, but at $170, I hoped it would have lasted a bit longer than 13 months. No good for slow cooking stews, sauces or soups as the heat fluctuates at low temperatures - hot-cold-hot-cold - so food would either boil away or not cook at all. Decent, quick heat for searing meat etc and can also be used as a bain… Read more

marie over for heating pots and pans for indirect heat cooking.

However - the plug has no gone kaput *just* after the warranty expired. I expected better from this brand however now will simply be buying cheaper products as there appears to be no difference in quality. Save your $$$. Quick to heat for frying, good size Poor quality item despite high price tag, no good for long slow cooking.

Over Rated – I did my research before purchasing and all sounded as though it was worth paying extra for quality. The first and all subsequent uses have been disappointing as everything sticks unless you are deep frying. Not only does it stick but its near impossible to clean where it has stuck. We have converted back to using our $30 non stick frypan. All over heating Expensive, Everything sticks

In love – I am completely in love with my breville frying pan. Great size, enough room to cook for your family and have leftovers. Even heat means things like pancakes come out perfect. I am a vegan so in all honesty, I have no idea how well meat cooks in this pan but I do make a lot of vegetable and rice dishes and fry mock meats in this pan and its easy… Read more

of cooking and even distribution of heat make things a breeze. No other pan I own comes close to how good this pan is. Real easy to clean as well, everything just wipes off, I was always under the impression you could only do that with non stick but this pan is great, still looks as shinny and clean as the day I bought it. I just love it. stainless steel, size, good heat distribution, easy to clean. A great pan.

Fantastic – I love this electric frypan. Completely stainless steel so extremely easy to clean & can wack into the dishwasher as well. Heats up very quickly, and has an even spread throughout pan - with no areas which aren't as hot as others. Comes with a rack for steaming - I wrapped trout in foil and steamed and it was absolutely delicious and so easy. Heats quickly and evenly.  Show 4 replies