Customer Reviews

Circulon 45881 12" Electric Sauté Pan

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

The Circulon Saute Pan cooks evenly, heats quickly, and the ridged bottom doesn't crack, warp or shed its protective layer. One wipe of the sink sponge gets out material cooked into the ridged bottom. We love it as a primary cooking appliance. One minor beef: some of the legs haven't stayed tight and as a consequence keep rotating out of position; even retightening the screws doesn't solve this. But other than that, this is a slam dunk purchase for your skillet needs.

I had a Presto 'dutch oven' for the past two years;it is essentially their electric skillet with higher sides. I loved this skillet and used it several times a week for everything from frying chicken to making spaghetti sauce to cooking pot roasts and briskets. I'd still be using it, and happy with it, except that the nonstack finish started coming off after a few months. I kept using it until I couldn't tolerate little black flecks in the food. There's no doubt that a nonstick finish can be a godsend for sticky things, but half a nonstick finish is much worse than none! They always say these finishes are nontoxic, but who can be sure?

I went to the store to buy a Farberware, only to learn that they'd been discontinued. I came across the Circulon skillet at a factory outlet kitchen store and decided to give it a try. I have a large flat round griddle/skillet in Circulon that I've had for years, and also the large and small woks.

I've been using this appliance for roughly six months for essentially the same things I used to do in my Presto. However, since the sides are much lower, I can't really do the soups I did in the Presto. For me, the greatest drawback right now is its inability to neatly fry chicken--sides are too low for the grease level without making a mess! And, no, I'm not talking about deep-frying, but instead Southern pan fry style with roughly an inch. However, it does great steaks, croquettes, etc. I haven't seen any wear on the finish so far, and always use the appropriate utensils. It's certainly the prettiest of the available choices.

With the excellent luck I've had with Circulon pans and woks, I'm looking forward to a long history with this pan.