The Scanpan Professional range of cookware items has been a firm favorite in the world of nonstick cookware for many years now, and today we are going to put it to the test to see how well it performs against the current generation of nonstick coatings. Can it still compete, or are there newer and better products to invest in? Read on to find out more.
Product Features:
Scanpan is a very popular manufacturer of cookware, and they are known to produce a large range of quality cookware built to last. One of their more popular product ranges is the Professional range. This is designed towards your average home user, and aims to provide affordable professional grade cookware to the masses. Scanpan is made in Denmark, and they have been producing cookware for over 50 years. Today we are going to be looking at the Professional frying pan, which comes in a variety of sizes. These range in size from 8″ to 12.5″, and we are going to check out the medium size 10.25″ pan in this review.
With a retail price of under just under $150, this is certainly a frying pan designed to provide many years of use and service. The core of the pan is made out of solid gauge cast aluminum which is formed using “200 tons of pressure”. It sits very flat and evenly on the stove top, so heat distribution should be very even. The base of the unit is designed to be the optimal width to provide the best heat distribution and to prevent warping. The handle of the unit is made out of stainless steel, and is polished to provide a really elegant modern day look. Like most of the other Scanpan products, the logo is etched into the handle which looks really great. There is also a hook at the end if you like to hang up your cookware. The handle itself is very nicely designed, and fits perfectly in your hand. The actual unit itself is quite light, but there is a little weight to it, and it certainly feels quite sturdy in your hand. Unlike some of the cheaper frying pan sets, the handle is riveted onto the pan, so there is no issue with looseness or movement in the handle when you pick it up. The pan looks very elegant, and the stylish polished steel really help it to stand out.
The ceramic coating is one of Scanpans custom inventions. This particular coating uses a titanium ceramic mix, which is undoubtedly the highlight of this product. The titanium provides a very durably cooking surface, while the ceramic part provides the non stick side of things. The titanium aspect of the coating provides two major benefits which other cookware sets lack. Firstly, it means you can use metal utensils when you are cooking, with no worry about damaging the nonstick coating. This may be the only cookware set that you can actually do this with, so this is a definite benefit if you don’t want to invest in silicon or plastic cooking utensils to use with your new nonstick cookware. The next major benefit this titanium coating provides is the ability for it to be used in the dishwasher. Most other nonstick cookware sets cannot be put in the dishwasher, as this method of cleaning is too harsh. The Scanpan professional is dishwasher friendly, so Scanpan clearly have faith in their revolutionary nonstick ceramic coating.
This frying pan can be used on a range of cooking surfaces, including gas, electric and ceramic. This set cannot be used on an induction stove, however the good news is that the Professional range of cookware is oven friendly, and can be used up to temperatures of 500F (or 260C). Remember to use an oven mitt prior to taking out the pan as it can get very hot. Under normal usage conditions, the handle doesn’t heat up at all. We aren’t sure what grade of stainless steel is used in the handle, but the fact that it remains cool during usage is a good sign.
Now we will give you an idea of how well it actually performs. We tested the pan over a course of 5 weeks on a daily basis, and it is safe to say our test were very positive. We used minimal oil and butter to cook, and we recommend that you use a little to help the coating last as long as possible. At the very least you should “season” the cookware, which means you need to spread a little bit of oil around the pan before you begin using it. We should also note that the manufacturer recommends you don’t use any spray on oil for cooking.
Our first test was a fried egg, as that is always a good nonstick test. The egg didn’t take long to cook, and seemed to be very evenly cooked after a few short minutes. The heat distribution of the pan felt quite good, and the egg slid right out once we had finished cooking it. Sticking with eggs, we decided to test out some scrambled eggs to see how the pan managed with them. The results of this were again very positive, with the egg cooking fairly quickly, and none of the egg remained in the pan after we had given it a gentle nudge out with the spatula. So far so good.
A good breakfast wouldn’t be complete without a pancake, so we poured in the pancake mix straight after the scrambled egg to check how the nonstick coating performed without any additional oil. The pancake cooked very nicely, and was a lovely golden brown color in no time. Like the eggs we had done before, the pancake slid right out as soon as we had finished cooking it. The results we had in these first three test are more or less the same results that we have had since we first received the pan around 5 weeks ago. Meat, vegetables and all sorts of other food were no match for the nonstick coating, and everything was well cooked. On one occasion some sausages ended up burning (after a distracting telephone conversation!), but that wasn’t really a problem. The burnt sausages scooped right out, and the leftover burnt residue came off with one or two wipes of the sponge. We haven’t had any issues with food sticking thus far, and the nonstick coating still looks like new. The lack of oil required for this type of coating really helps to seal the flavor in the food, and the titanium coating looks like it will last for many years.
Cleaning the pan is quite straightforward, and a wipe with a paper towel will get it clean in most cases. If you do have a bit of stubborn food that the paper towel can’t handle, then a bit of soapy water and some gentle brushing with a sponge should get the job done. As it is dishwasher friendly, you can always pop it in the dishwasher, but in most cases you don’t need to do this as cleaning it has been very simple in our experience.
We were very impressed with the Scanpan Professional pan, and it does everything it claims to do. Scanpan back this product with a limited lifetime warranty, so they certainly believe that the product is a worthwhile investment. We tend to agree, and if you are looking for a great piece of nonstick cookware, then a Scanpan Professional is what you want.
Pros:
- Looks great
- Oven safe to 500F
- Riveted handle
- Titanium ceramic coating – metal utensil and dishwasher friendly
- Nonstick coating performs very well
- Easy to clean
- Limited lifetime warranty
Cons:
- Doesn’t work on induction stoves
Summary:
The Scanpan Professional frying pan is still one of the top performers today, and this quality cookware is definitely a good investment. It may be a bit pricey compared to some of the cheaper pans, but if you want a pan that will last then you should look no further. You can check the latest frying pan pricing on Amazon over here, otherwise you can check the current price of the full 10 piece Professional set right here.
| Our Rating: |
|---|
| 4.5 |
UPDATE: If you are looking for Scanpan cookware that is compatible with an induction stove, then you can read our review of the Scanpan CTX range here.
