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Tefal 20cm Non Stick Thermospot Frying Pan
by shopping_jem
This is my second Tefal frying pan, and oh my goodness how fab they are! I already had a bigger one, but thought this would be perfect for smaller meals, side dishes etc. I have never stopped using it since, and it is still going strong after a few years of family use (unlike several other non-Tefal frying pans which have had to be ... binned).
The pan is very solid yet lightweight. As well as having excellent quality non-stick coating, it has great ability to spread the heat evenly and a tough base that allows heat to penetrate well without being too harsh. The handle is bakelite, which is comfy to use and doesn't get hot when you are cooking with it. It features a "hotspot" in the middle, a red motif which disappears when the pan has heated up enough to cook with. I personally don't use this as I cook instinctively, but my husband finds it very useful and it is a nice feature.
The size of this pan is very useful. I mainly bought it so I could fry a couple of eggs without them spreading out too much, or a small omelette. It is great for this purpose, but also for doing side-bits e.g. frying an onion or bits of veg to add to a meal, cooking a single steak or piece of meat, kids portions etc. You would generally want this pan in addition to a larger frying pan though, as it is deliberately smaller than "standard" frying pans.
Food cooks nicely in the pan, and it is very easy to clean - because of the quality of the non-stick coating everything comes off with one wash, and its size makes it excellent for squeezing into a full dishwasher or onto a packed draining board. There is hardly any wear and tear showing on mine after years of use and dishwashering, the only thing is that I once cut food apart in it with a blunt knife, and this has made a line across the non-stick. However, this was clearly a result of my "blonde moment" and not a reflection on the quality of the pan :-) In fact, it doesn't hamper the performance of the non-stick like I would have expected, it is purely cosmetic. The non-stick is effective as the day it was bought.
To sum up, I highly recommend this pan for its quality and the versatility of the size. It is built to last and will be a useful addition to anyone's pan collection! Hmmm, I've made myself hungry with this review.... eggs, anyone?
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Tefal Basics Thermospot Pan Set
by Drewster_Rooster
Introduction
To go with my recently acquired cooker it was pretty obvious that I was going to need to buy some cookware to go with it and I decided from the offset that I was going to buy a decent pan set rather than settling for something cheap as I've used inferior pans before and found them to be extremely poor quality ... which ended up being next to useless, often dangerous and in need of replacement. I figured that if I bought something that cost a little more from the start then I could just forget about them and not have to think about buying something better a few months down the line so I dismissed all of the budget brands straight away and had a clear idea in my mind of what I wanted and that was buying something from Tefal.
In my mind when I think about pans I think of Tefal, the brand name is synonymous with cookware and whilst it may be a conditioning of my upbringing I always remember both my parents and grandparents having Tefan pans when I was growing up and I remember standing at our kitchen sink washing out the pots and pans after a Sunday dinner. Looking around for a pan set for myself left me spoilt for choice really as Tefal's products are widely available and can either be bought as separate items or together in a set and in the end I bought this 3 piece starter set comprising of 3 differently sized pans. The set cost me £40.00 in store at Asda and was put to use the same day I bought it and as soon as I took the pans out of the box they were packaged in I knew I'd made the right decision in paying that little bit more as the quality and feel of them more than lived up to my expectations.
Thermo-spot 3 pan set
Comprising 3 pans with lids this set includes a 14cm milk pan plus 16cm and 18cm saucepans, they're black in colour, have silver detailing on the rims and feature egonomically designed handles which are comfortable to hold. The lids are made from stainless steel which have a nice weight to them and fit snugly in place on the two larger pans, you are not supplied with a lid for the milk pan which is usually the case and the pans themselves are made from non-stick aluminium which looks and feels of good quality. These are "Thermo-spot" pans which, according to Tefal, mean that they have an inbuilt heat indicator contained in the non-stick coating that allows you to pre-heat your pans to the optimum cooking temperature, there is a pattern on the base of the pans that turns red in colour once the pan is hot and much like pre-heating an oven before cooking Tefal explains that this can seal food better and is the secret behind perfect cooking. To be perfectly honest the 'Thermo-spot' technology wasn't the reason I bought these pans and I pretty much pay no attention this feature, I'm not someone who tends to experiment in the kitchen and I'd never describe myself as a 'foodie' I just wanted a decent pan set that would last me a lifetime and I'd say that in this set I got exactly what I wanted.
You can feel that the pans are of excellent quality, the finish on them is perfect and the non-stick coating actually works. I'm sure a lot of people reading this review will have had pans which claim to be non-stick but end up being nothing but and there's nothing worse when it comes to washing up when you have stand for ages trying to pry cooked food of the bottom and the sides of cheap pans. With this set I can cook the things I want to cook and then quickly clean out the pans, nothing sticks to the bottom of them and the clean up time is next to nothing. I'm not an adventurous cook admittedly but simple things like tinned beans and spaghetti are effortlessly heated through without sticking and the same can be said for things like gravy or boiled vegetables.
The lids sit in place without problem and are not too heavy that they're cumbersome and the design of the handles prevents them from getting too hot when they're on the hob, I do think that the classic black and silver colour combination of these gives them a timeless look that should fit into any kitchen decor or colour scheme and for £40.00 I consider it to be money well spent. I have the reassurance that the non-stick coating has a lifetime guarantee and I'm confident that these pans are going to last me for many years of service backed by a recognisable and respected name in the cookware industry.
It's obviously a starter set, you only get 3 pans after all but they're well designed and offer me everything that I want and need in a set of pans and I have no complaints with them whatsoever. For anyone looking for a change of pans or are setting up a new home I'd definitely recommend these as you are buying quality and I can't see how they'd disappoint. Five stars as a rating from me, thanks for reading my review.
nb. It's worth mentioning as well that these are dishwasher safe!
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Tefal Rewe Bienvenue Frying Pan
by cazkins
I'm not convinced that non-stick pans are always that non-stick and don't tend to buy Tefal that much because of their cost and limited life span. I came across these, however, a little while ago and bought them when on offer because they were in a twin pack. Of all the non-stick branded pans, these have probably been the best ... ones.
Tefal is a prestigious brand and very popular when it comes to cookware. I've bought their pans in the past and have found them to be good quality but rather expensive. They've got a large range to choose from to suit various wants and needs, but when it comes to pans, I'm a little dubious of the claims. I came across the Bienvenue frying pans a little while ago and gave them a go because of the price.
These have the Tefal 'thermo-spot heat indicator system' so you know when it's heated to a suitable cooking temperature, a thermo conductive base for more even distribution of heat, an aluminum non-stick coating and 'stay cool handles'. The non-stick element is what I tend to look for, and this has a '5-layered Tefal resist anti-adhesive coating' that should prevent your nom noms from getting stuck and causing the pan to be coated in half your food. The pan is suitable for electric and gas stoves with integrated copper particles in the base and is heat resistant up to 180°C.
I bought these as a twin pack in which you get a 20cm and 24cm frying pan. They're black and look neat and of good quality with a fine silver trim and silver element that connects the handle. The metal is actually fairly light so these aren't too heavy, but they're not super light either which is a good thing because they don't fall off the hob too easily! They're ergonomical to use as the handle is steady and fairly stay-cool when cooking. You can see the 'thermo spot' in the centre which is red and looks quite funky.
I'm not bothered by the thermo-spot, however, as I don't really use this. When using this for frying I find that it is actually fairly good at being non-stick as it claims. In fact, I've not noticed anything getting properly stuck to it, so it makes cooking that bit easier, quicker and cleaner. After use, depending on what you've cooked, I've found it to be quite easy to clean but I'm careful with it and tend to use a softer sponge so as not to scratch it or damage any stick-resistant coating.
The only niggle I have really is the size, because I actually now prefer 24-26cm pans to fit more in or just to get more space to flip/cook my nom noms. They're still a reasonable size, however, it just depends what you intend to use them for. This is partly why I've given it 4 stars, that and they're pricey usually on their own when not bought on offer, especially considering no pan will really last a lifetime.
Overall, I would recommend these as being good quality and effectively non-stick frying pans. They are quite pricey, but they've lasted me a while now. I don't think any frying pan seems to have a particularly great life span if used regularly but these have been better than most. The non-stick also has a lifetime manufacturer's guarantee, which is good to know for peace of mind. As an investment, these are something I would recommend because you do get 2, just consider first if the sizes are suitable.
£21.60 (Amazon) for a set of two: 20 and 24cm twin pack.
[Also reviewed by me, gothic_moon, on Ciao]
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