For whatever reason, I held on to my last nonstick frying pan for 12 whole years. I bought it in Florida, moved it to Portland and took it with me when I moved out of my ex-husband’s place. Truthfully, until about a year ago, it was working “fine,” but there is a thin line between fine and annoying.
Things weren’t sticking to the pan, exactly, but they weren’t sliding around and out of the pan like they used to. My fried eggs hesitated, my fish required coaxing, my hash browns held on just a little too long. The not-quite-problems caused by my old nonstick pan weren’t insurmountable by any means, but it was annoying me very slightly on a daily basis, and I began to resent it.
Obviously, this problem had a very easy solution—I just needed to buy a new nonstick pan. And I did (it was $25). But it’s amazing how long I let myself be annoyed almost every day by this kind-of-sticky nonstick pan. And, while I won’t pretend to know the life of every person who might be reading this, I would guess that there is probably an item in your home that performs less perfectly than it should, causing daily annoyance. You should replace that item.
I know you know what I’m talking about—that thing that technically works fine but aggravates you ever so slightly each time you use it. It’s probably not a big thing (like a car). It’s small, and you forgive it’s shortcomings because it works “fine,” and you don’t “need” a new one. I am asking you to value yourself just a little more, and toss it. It might be a leaky soap dispenser, a frayed broom or a chipped coffee pot. Just get rid of it. Buy a new one. Free yourself. (Especially if it’s a 12-year-old sticky nonstick pan. No one needs that in their life.)