The Always Pan: Is It For You?
A review of sort
The first product review on Gastro World Digest. If useful reviews are what you’re in to, please consider subscribing! (:
What is it?
Many people have seen the Always Pan online, in cooking videos, and pretty much every food blog you could follow. By now, you might be wondering, “Is the Always Pan worth all the hype?” but before we dive in, let’s take a look what what this pan is.
The promise is that this pan will replace your fry pan, sauté pan, steamer, skillet, saucier, saucepan, non-stick pan, spatula, and spoon rest so that means you can braise, sear, steam, strain, sauté, fry, boil, etc. Because of the strong promise, I was low-key side eyeing this pan at first, it just sounds a little too good to be true like those As Seen On TV products, so I had to try it out myself.
There’s only one way to answer that. Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of the Always Pan and whether or not you should be using one in your kitchen.
Always Pan Pros
Non-toxic, Non-stick ceramic coating
Spoon holder
Good Looking Pan
Flexible tool in the kitchen
Non toxic, Non-stick ceramic coating
The non-toxic coating gives me peace of mind, I don’t have to worry about a potential danger in my food. Non-stick is a must for your kitchen. We all have a pot or pan we avoid using because it’s difficult to clean. But this pan is effortless to clean, and food doesn’t stick when you’re cooking. It makes clean up and cooking easier, and even helps your food taste better.
Spoon Holder
The spoon holder is really convenient. What do you do with your spoon when you’re letting your food cook? Some of us put it on a rag, hang it over the sink, buy a separate spoon holder, or do a delicate balancing act of hanging the spoon on the edge of a pan. With the Always Pan, it’s as simple as putting it on the built-in designated spoon holder. It’s really in the little details!
Good Looking Pan
This one might not matter when it comes to cooking, but I make recipe videos so having a good looking pan doesn’t hurt and it really enhance the cooking experience for me when I have tools and equipments that makes me want to cook.
Flexible Tool
The Always Pan is a flexible tool in the kitchen. This pan can replace up to 8 pieces of cookware. You can use it to stir fry, it’s deep enough to boil, has a built-in pour spout, and it even comes with its own steamer. This means you can use it for cooking a variety of dishes and it’ll suit most of your needs in the kitchen.
Always Pan Cons
Price
It’s heavy
Not oven safe
Can’t use high heat
Price
The Always Pan is not cheap. The first thing that might discourage most people from buying this pan is the price. For someone who doesn’t do a lot of cooking, it may sound like a lot of money to pay for a cooking utensil. It’s $145 for a pan… but it’s not an outrageous price for people who cook often or use quality kitchen tools.
Weight
It’s a heavy pan. It’s marketed as “lightweight” but I have trouble tossing food with one hand so it’s on the heavier side for me and I honestly thought that it’s because I’m a small gal, but my boyfriend Rick thought that it is a heavy pan too, so I knew that I was not trippin. This is a sturdy pan that has some weight to it. So, it’s probably not the best pan for tossing or easily moving around if you’re used to cooking that way. The difficulty of having a heavy pan becomes clearer when you’re cooking many things at once and moving things around to make room on burners and cooking surfaces.
Not Oven Safe
Always Pan is not oven safe. This comes as a surprise to a lot of people. The Always Pan is advertised as a versatile cooking tool, but you can’t use it in the oven. For recipes that call for both pan and oven use, you’ll need to use more than one piece of cookware.
Can’t use high heat
This pan is not suitable for high heat. You should only use medium-low heat in order to help the non-stick surface last. Although you can do the occasional sear, this pan should mainly be used with low heat and slow cooking. The cast aluminum body is designed to distribute heat evenly, so you don’t need to turn it up.
Should you buy the Always Pan?
After carefully considering the pros and cons of the Always Pan, I highly recommend you pick one up for your kitchen. The versatility you get and the well-thought-out design make for the perfect cooking companion.
Although it’s considered too pricy for some people, you get what you pay for. The pros far outweigh the cons, and it seems unfair to judge a pan for not being oven-safe when most are not. If you use the pan how it was meant to be used, you will not be disappointed.
Buy an Always Pan for yourself today, and see why so many people are talking about them. You won’t regret it.
I hope this review helped if you have been eyeing this pan for a while. Happy cooking (:
As a person that purchased the pan during a Black Friday sale and finally got mine the last week of February, I have to say it was worth it. Not only did I buy it on a discount but they 4 payment system that I took advantage of as well. I’ve used it to making dumplings, tacos, stewed oxtails, etc. I pretty much use it a lot with a sprinkle of my cast iron. Was it expensive yes but it was worth the investment. I feel I used it enough to see the value in it just like a more expensive chef’s knife.
I have the pan and not a fan and I think it is over hyped! The non stick coating is easy to mess up and the outside is hard to clean if you get sauce or any food stains they don’t come off the exterior easily. I mean the colors and aesthetic are nice but not all that! I have had mine for about six months.