Le Creuset is one of the more popular cookware makers in the world today, so it seems only fair that we should have a look at some more of their products. One of their most popular cookware ranges in Europe is the Toughened Nonstick range. This cookware range comes in a variety of pots, pans, woks and griddles to suit a multitude of cooking tasks. Today we are going to look at the Toughened Pan, which comes in a variety of sizes from 8″ to 12″. How well does it perform? Lets take a closer look at this below.

Product Features:
Now before we move onto the actual review, we should mention that this particular cookware range doesn’t seem to be sold anywhere in America. We had a friend who was visiting London who acquire this pan for us while they were visiting the UK. There are places like Amazon.co.uk where you could buy this cookware and have it shipped, but due to the weight and dimensions you will need to be prepared to pay a bit for this.

Today we are looking at the largest pan available in this cookware range which is the 12″ frying pan. This particular pan has quite a unique design and style which is why it is somewhat pricey. This pan has an aluminum core which extends all the way up the sides of the pan. This core provides a fast and even heating base to cook with. On the inside and outside of this aluminum core is the two stainless steel coverings. These essentially cover the aluminum like a sandwich, and provide a tough base which is induction compatible. Covering the inside and outside of the pan is the premium nonstick coating. This coating is pfoa free and can be used with metal utensils. Le Creuset also say that this cookware is dishwasher safe, so clearly they are very confident in the durability of this cookware.

The design of this pan is something we would expect from Le Creseut. It has a black finish, complete with a long stainless steel handle. The handle is riveted onto the pan, and is ergonomically designed. The logo is featured at the base of the handle, and we think it is a really nice modern design. The pan feels quite heavy to the touch compared to some of the cheaper pans we have seen, and you get the sense that it is a quality piece of equipment. Not heavy enough to make it difficult to work with, but heavy in a sense that it is well constructed. We should note that you can purchase lids for these pans, as the do come separately. We didn’t purchase one, so unfortunately we can’t provide any more info.
Now lets have a look to see how well this pan performed.

To begin with we started with a good old fried egg. The pan heated up nice and fast, and in no time our egg was looking in good shape. The nonstick coating felt very fluid, and the egg was very happy to slide around the pan. The egg was soon finished, and was evenly cooked all over. After that we switched over to some bacon which again left us with some promising results. There was no sign of any hotspots, and our bacon cooked fast and easily. After the bacon was done, we wiped it clean and decided to try it out with some eggs again. This time however we switched to scrambled eggs since this would be more of a test on the nonstick coating. Using our metal spatula, we swished our eggs around until the were light and fluffy. Once the bulk of the egg had cooked we removed it from the heat and left a few leftover bits to remain cooking. Our intention with this was to burn some bits to see how easily it would be to clean. After enjoying our eggs, we came back to attempt to clean the remaining bits of egg. After leaving the pan to cool down a bit, we added a bit of water and used our sponge to gently remove the remaining overcooked bits of egg. This was an easy task, and even the burnt bits were no real challenge for this cookware as they simply wiped straight off.

The next day we decided to whip up a batch of pancakes. Once our mixture was ready we heated the pan to a medium heat and set to work. The pancakes showed no sign of sticking to the cookware, and we were quickly getting through the mixture with good results. Our pancakes were well cooked all over, with no sign of any burnt or overcooked areas which is a common sign on cheaper lower grade cookware.
Sticking with that kind of theme, we then tried our hand at making an omelet. Our omelet was a bit of the heavy side as it contained some chopped up tomato, but it was still happy enough to remain slippery on the cooking surface. Once it had finished cooking we were very pleased with the results, and a wipe with a paper towel was all that was needed to get the cookware clean.
So that is a quick look at the performance of the Le Creuset Toughened Non-Stick Pan. We were very impressed with how well it worked, and even using metal utensils didn’t harm the coating at all. The only downside is that you will likely have to import this cookware as we couldn’t find it for sale in the USA, however if you want some quality cookware then this may be something you are prepared to do.
 

Pros:

• Dishwasher safe
• Induction friendly
• Can use metal utensils
• Well made
• Heats evenly
• Simple to clean

Cons:

• Not for sale in the USA?
• Pricey

 
Summary:
The Toughened Non-Stick pan from Le Creuset is a great piece of cookware. It is well made and the nonstick coating performs very well. The downside is that you will struggle to find it for sale in the USA. We suggest taking a look at the alternative Le Creuset 3 Ply Nonstick pan if you want a similar product which you can buy locally.