Stir fry dishes are amongst my favourite dishes and they are a great way to use up leftovers in your fridge - if you have some leftover roast meat, and some vegetables you can create a meal in minutes this way.

I have owned woks for years now such is my love of the stir fry, but have struggled to find the ideal one for me.

I well remember my first wok, which came with a little frame to sit on on the hob but which was cheap and nasty overall, ending up bashed, tarnished and in the bin.

However I didn't learn my lesson from this experience and continued to pick up cheap woks, with varying degrees of success.

Of course the secret in stir frying is ensuring you season your wok with oil before you use it for the first time, and you use it at very high temperatures. However I disliked how all the woks I bought didn't have a traditional handle and cursed what I perceived to be a design fault.

When my last wok bit the dust I decided I was going to spend a little more on something and would break the wok golden rule and buy a non-stick product.

Browsing Asda last year I spotted the Tefal Specific Stir Fry pan available for just over £15 and snapped it up.

I am a huge fan of Tefal pots and pans - I find they offer quality products at fairly reasonable prices and the fact I still have a Tefal frying pan I bought ten years ago is testament to their durability.

~~The Pan~~

Basically, the Specific Stir Fry pan looks like a wok with a traditional handle. It is 28cm in diameter and has an enamel exterior and a thick bakelite handle.

It also has a thermo spot, which is unique to Tefal products. This spot lets you know when your pan has reached the required temperature for frying efficiently.

~~My Thoughts~~

This pan isn't anything like as lightweight as some of the woks I have used in the past - it is sturdy and quite heavy. Like all woks, this still has to be seasoned with oil before using - in fact every Tefal non-stick pot and pan I own has had to be seasoned prior to use.

Once you have done this you are ready to roll and straight away this pan is head and shoulders above the rest because of the thermo spot.

In the past when I have used woks I have struggled to be sure that the oil is at the correct temperature - if oil is too cool and you can't cook the food properly. Let it get too hot and smoky and you may well have to contend with your smoke alarm going off. It's a hard balance to strike.

With the Tefal Specifics Stir Fry pan this isn't a problem as the thermo spot tells you when the pan and oil are at the correct temperature. The thermo spot is located in the middle of the pan and whilst the pan is heating up it changes colour - you watch the spot until it turns solid red and then you know your pan is at the correct heat level.

Cooking with the pan is a piece of cake too - you can move your stir fry pan about easily because of the long bakelite handle while still stirring away with your free hand. And because the pan is non-stick you can cook with even less oil than you would need with a traditional wok - I have made very successful stir fries using just spray oil in this pan, so it's worth considering if you are on a low fat diet.

The pan is dishwasher safe but I must be honest here and admit I only ever wash my pots and pans by hand as I find the dishwasher is too rough on my non-stick pots and pans. Tefal do warn that some discolouration may occur if you put your items in the dishwasher and as someone who likes aesthetics in my kitchen, I am loathe to spoil the appearance of this pan so I get out the Morning Fresh instead.

I haven't seen the pan in Asda again recently which is a shame as the price was a bargain - although the £23 Amazon are currently charging still represents excellent value for money.

If you enjoy stir frying then I would recommend you consider the Tefal Specifics Stir Fry pan for an effective and easy way to cook.