Up until now we have looked at a range of cheaper and mid priced cookware sets, but that is all about to change. In this review we are going to take a look at a premium grade cookware set – the Scanpan CTX Deluxe Set. This is a 10 piece cookware set, and is aimed at cooking enthusiasts and those looking for a long lasting ceramic set. It comes with a big pricetag, so is it worth the investment? Find out more below.
Product Features:
Scanpan is a Danish manufacturer of cookware, and they have been making cookware sets since 1956. All their cookware is made in Denmark, so there is no question of quality and poor workmanship with their products. Over the years they have grown to be one of the most trusted cookware manufacturers, and their range of CTX cookware is one of the newer additions to their product line.
Initially we had planned to review a few of the pots and pans in separate reviews to rate their performance, but once we saw you could buy them as an entire set it made more sense to review the set as a whole unit. If you are planning on only buying a pot or a pan then this review will still be relevant to you as we did give the whole set a proper test.
First off lets have a look at what you get in the Deluxe 10 piece set. There are two frying pans (8″ and 10.25″), 2 quart & a 2 3/4 quart saucepans (with lids), a 10 1/4″ Sauté (with lid), and finally a 7 1/2 quart dutch oven with lid. This is more or less everything you need to make any sort of meal. This cookware set combines the best of both worlds – you get the durability and lightness of stainless steel combined with ease of use in the nonstick coating. The cookware itself looks very impressive, and the attention to detail is very evident when you examine it. The scanpan logo is etched onto the side of the handles, and this adds a classy and unique touch. The handles of the unit are ergonomically designed, and feel just right in your hands. Pancakes are are easy to flip, and the frying pans feel perfectly balanced. Unlike some of the cheaper sets you can buy, the handles are riveted onto the cookware. This means no more flimsy and shaky handles. The cookware itself is fairly light, but at the same time there is a bit of weight to the pots and pans, and it certainly feels like they are very well put together.
The features of this set of cookware are the most comprehensive we have seen, so lets take a look at a few of them. The cookware base is made out of aluminum-stainless steel, and this is applied in 5 layers to get the strongest base possible. It is worth mentioning that all their metal is obtained from recycled metals, so Scanpan definitely gets some green point awards for this. Even the packaging is 100% recycled, so this company does care about the environment.
The nonstick coating is undoubtedly the highlight of this whole Scanpan CTX set. As was mentioned earlier, Scanpan has been producing cookware for over half a century now and are at the forefront of cookware product developments. They were one of the first cookware manufacturers to come out with PFOA and PTFE free non stick coatings. The particular coating used on this cookware is their trademark “Greentek” coating, which is a blend of ceramic and titanium. This coating is 100% free of PFOA and is quite revolutionary. This ultra strong coating means that you can even use metal utensils when you are cooking without worrying about scratching or chipping the nonstick coating. Using metal utensils with a nonstick coating is unheard of until now, and this is a giant leap forward for nonstick coatings. Another feature with Scanpan CTX models is that they are dishwasher safe. Again, this is something you would never do with standard nonstick cookware, but obviously Scanpan have put this to the test and have a lot of faith in their Greentek coating.
Looking at some of the other features, the lids of the unit have a inner glass top so you can take a look at your food when it is cooking. The lid handles are also heat resistant so you don’t need to worry about burning your hands when checking on food. These cooking units work on every type of stove top including electric, gas, ceramic and induction. Another great feature that you don’t see too often on these types of sets is that they are oven friendly. All the pieces in the set are oven safe up to 500F, even the glass tops! It can be quite tough finding cookware that is oven safe up to this temperature, so this is quite a rare and most welcome feature to have.
So we’ve heard about all the great features of this cookware so far, but how does it actually perform? To do that we started out by testing the frying pan. We decided to start by cooking a steak. Using a teeny bit of oil, we heated the pan up to a medium heat and stuck the steak in. The pan heated up very quickly, and the heat was nice and evenly distributed. The steak was lovely and brown by the time we had finished, and slid right out of the pan with ease. It was cooked evenly throughout, and the flavor was very nicely sealed in thanks to the lack of oil. Eggs are always a good test for a non stick coating, and we tried to fry one straight after the steak. The pan was still nicely lubricated after cooking the steak, and the egg was looking good after a minute or two. We flipped it over, then slid it out and had no issues at all. The nonstick coating seems to perform very effectively, and it only needs a few drops of oil to really make the most out of it each time.
In a previous review we made some toffee, as that seems like the perfect sticky and gooey kind of mixture to test out the nonstick coating. We decided to repeat this experiment, and for this we used the 10.25″ saucepan and put it to the test. After around 15 minutes, our sugary mix was complete, and we poured it out into the tray to cook down. We left the saucepan for a while, so that the remainder of the mixture would cake onto the cookware. After about 10 minutes we went back and tried to remove some of the leftover toffee mix, and using a kitchen towel we were able to get most of it out. Then we used a wet kitchen towel to try and get the rest out, and with a few swipes around the pan it looked as good as new!
We have tested all the units of this set for the past 5 weeks, all with great results. The nonstick cookware is tough as nails, and works great. This new “Greentek” coating developed by Scanpan is definitely a winner, and is a giant leap forward in progress for nonstick cookware. This particular coating is much better than that seen on standard nonstick cookware, and we can only hope that the competitors start implementing this type of technology onto their own cookware soon.
Pros:
- Looks superb
- Ergonomic handles
- Quality workmanship
- Uses recycled materials
- Tough scratch proof coating
- Oven friendly
- Dishwasher friendly
- Works on induction stoves
- Limited lifetime warranty
Cons:
- Quite expensive
Summary:
We were very impressed with the set, and it really is the most advanced ceramic coated cookware set we have seen. The titanium coating is very durable, and performs exactly like a normal nonstick coating with great results. The entire set looks very stylish, and comes with a limited lifetime warranty for peace of mind. We would have given this a 5 star review, but the price is a little high. Bear in mind that this could be the last cookware set you ever buy, so the price could be justified!
The Scanpan CTX Deluxe set is currently available on Amazon, otherwise you can find the individual pieces of the set for sale over here.
| Our Rating: |
|---|
| 4.5 |
