Top positive review
5.0 out of 5 starsExcellent set with a few minor issues and dubious claims...
Reviewed in the United States on November 18, 2020
This is an excellent starter set or replacement set if you need some well-sized, easy-to-use pieces for your kitchen. I've been thoroughly impressed by many things about this set, but it's important to be aware of what this set is and isn't.
I'd like to describe my relationship with cooking so that you'll know where I'm coming from with this review. I love to cook. I began cooking in my teens as a hobby, and I'm now in my mid 30s. Over the last 20 years, I went from an amateur home cook to a confident, experienced cook. I utilize a variety of devices and am comfortable cooking most types of food from the basics up to more advanced dishes. I also consider myself a cast-iron and carbon steel enthusiast. My favorite pans are heirloom cast-iron and a Matfer Bourgeat carbon steel skillet. But, sometimes a non-stick pan is a convenient, easy way to cook, and nearly all of my non-stick pots and pans were years old and beaten up to the point that I needed a new set, so I was enthusiastic to get this set.
I've been using all the pieces in this set for about a month now, and I'm very happy with the set overall. Some of the best things about this set are the following:
- The tall stock pot is an awesome size. I've never had a pot of this exact size, but I love that it's tall without a huge footprint (though still pretty substantial). I've used it for soups, stovetop popcorn (perfectly popped due to even heat distribution), and a slow-simmering chili sauce with beef for birria tacos (turned out amazing!). This one is the piece I didn't know I needed.
- The sautee pan (with lid) is great for browning marinated tofu (pictured) and doing stir-fry (also pictured).
- Both fry pans are also useful (pictured there's an arepa and my attempt at putting a nice char on a little piece of steak - not a perfect result, but not bad - more about that later)
- The smaller pot has been useful for boiling pasta and reheating smaller quantities of liquids.
- The non-stick coating is great on all of these. It's a bit rough to the touch, and food doesn't stick (from eggs to meats, etc.), provided there's at least a small amount of some type of cooking oil.
- All the pieces are well-balanced. The handles are heavy, but they don't cause the pans to topple or sit askew, which is something that I have hated about inexpensive non-stick pans in the past.
- I like that they're oven safe. Usually I'll stick to carbon steel or cast iron if I'm going from stove to oven, but I am happy to be able to with these, and I've done so several times.
Now, the few critiques I have, including some dubious claims:
- The fry pans just don't have the weight or heat retention to get an incredible sear on a piece of meat like cast-iron or carbon steel. You can come close, perhaps, but it's never going to be the same. Don't expect to replace every other kitchen tool with a non-stick set.
- The claim that these are metal utensil safe seems quite dubious to me. I've used rounded metal spatulas in these to flip fish, for example, and I've already seen some small micro-scratches in the non-stick surface. The surface seems more durable than many other non-stick pans I've used, but I'm not comfortable continuing to use metal in these. I'll stick with silicone and wooden utensils.
- The product page says "no need to cook with oil or butter." Ignoring the fact that you probably need oil or butter for flavor purposes, these aren't so incredibly non-stick that foods will slide around freely without some sort of fat. I'd stick with using at least some sort of cooking fat to lubricate the pan for best results.
- An insert in the package warns against using aerosol spray oils. I can't begin to imagine why. I don't prefer to use these in general due to propellants and other additives that I'm not sure about, but my wife is hooked on coconut oil spray for certain things. She has used it in these with no issues, so I'm confused about this claim.
Bottom line: These are great, heavy non-stick pans (compared to other lower cost sets), and for the price, I feel that they represent a great value. I love the sizes of pots and pans included because they allow for most functions that a home chef will need. These won't replace everything, and I wouldn't suggest using metal utensils. Nevertheless, this set comes recommended for sure.
