Top 10 pan manufacturers
The best manufacturers of cast iron pans
Strong, durable and practical - this is how you can characterize almost any dish made of cast iron. It can cook meat, fish, mushroom and vegetable dishes at both low and high temperatures. When choosing a cast-iron pan, you need to pay attention to the thickness of its walls (at least 0.4–0.6 cm) and the absence of any casting defects. With proper use and care, it will serve for decades, and its protective properties only increase over time.
3 Gipfel
Country: Germany
Rating (2022): 4.5
Kitchen interior designers advise choosing utensils from the same company and, if possible, from the same line, since shelves with the same utensils always look stylish and orderly. Thanks to the extensive product range of the German manufacturer Gipfel, there are no difficulties with the choice: even if you now need a single cast-iron frying pan, you can later buy a companion for it. Not a problem and the absence or damage of the cover - in the company's online stores you will find the right size. True, the Gipfel brand is far from always found in ordinary dishware stores, probably due to the fact that the price of products is somewhat higher than for ordinary cast iron.
Is this brand worth the extra money? Most users are sure that it is.It is praised for its solid appearance, versatility (many models can be washed in dishwashers and put on an induction hob), as well as for its serial variety. Look how good the Select Orange series frying pans or the Diletto portion frying pan look - in such it is not a shame to serve the finished dish on the table directly from the oven. The inside surface of some lightweight cast iron products is protected by a 2-layer non-stick coating, which, however, allows the use of metal accessories.
2 Biol
Country: Ukraine
Rating (2022): 4.7
A little more, and Biol will celebrate its 20th anniversary. Agree that this is a considerable age for the enterprise, therefore, the company's products have been in demand all this time. Buyers are attracted by reasonable prices (from 500 rubles) and the prevalence of the brand in any city in Russia, Kazakhstan and other CIS countries. If you study the reviews more carefully, then the list of advantages of Biol products can include a flat and thick bottom, removable handles, and the presence of different sizes. It should also be noted that the manufacturer offers WOK pans for lovers of oriental cuisine, braziers for connoisseurs of piping hot food, and grill pans for those who love juicy homemade steaks.
However, there are also complaints. For example, someone does not like the impressive weight of even the smallest pans - they say, as long as you fry pancakes, you don’t need to go to the gym. But let's be fair: cast iron cookware is never easy. Some owners point out that rust quickly appears in pans after use and washing.This drawback is also a feature of cast iron and is eliminated by prolonged calcination and timely lubrication of the surface with grease. Over time, a fatty film forms on it, which will serve as a non-stick coating. By the way, you can’t store cooked food in cast iron pans, as it is saturated with a metallic taste and smell.
1 Lodge
Country: USA
Rating (2022): 4.9
Traditionally, the design of cast iron pans looks, to put it mildly, outdated. And for most housewives, this is not a problem - after all, they are not valued at all for beauty. "Lodge" products are created, rather, for perfectionist culinary specialists, because, along with practicality and durability, they delight their owners with an impeccable shape and appearance. You can not hide such dishes behind the kitchen facade, but put them in the most open place as the most functional decoration. Moreover, the color of decorative enamel can be chosen according to the color scheme of the interior.
The history of the brand goes back over a hundred years, and imagine that all this time an American company has been producing cookware, including professional ones, exclusively from cast iron. Such a commitment to the same material has been repeatedly justified: its quality in all reviews is recognized as the best. Due to this fact, the vessel is distinguished by a thick bottom and walls, the absence of casting flaws, uniform heating, resistance to deformation and rust. It is noteworthy that the overseas brand, unlike some German and Italian cookware brands, remains very loyal in terms of prices, and a medium-sized frying pan can be purchased for 1-2 thousand rubles.
The best manufacturers of steel pans
Stainless steel, when viewed from the point of view of the material of the pan, is very similar to cast iron, as it has similar heat storage and heat distribution properties and does not tolerate food storage. The thicker the bottom and walls of a steel vessel, the more versatile it is in use. But its main advantage in comparison with cast iron is light weight and, accordingly, simplification of care. Unfortunately, no name pans often suffer from insufficient metal thickness, so the products on them often burn. But if the manufacturer did not save on the material, then a frying pan with his name will certainly take pride of place in your collection.
3 BergHOFF
Country: Belgium
Rating (2022): 4.6
Every housewife is obliged to have at least a couple of items with the Bergoff logo - so, in any case, it was recently accepted in our open spaces. But if earlier people were ready to pay just for the “leiba”, now practicality is more important for them. And the company (by the way, Belgian, not German, as it is sometimes mistakenly called) also took care of it. There are many reviews on the net about how a stainless steel frying pan or saucepan, bought several years ago, still serves faithfully to this day. And this is true: unlike non-stick pans, the service life of which does not exceed 3-5 years, steel products can last forever.
So that the products do not burn, the company's pans are made with a multi-layered bottom of pressed metal plates, and there can be from 3 to 6 such layers.Thanks to this design, heat is evenly distributed throughout the entire volume of the dish, the food is cooked in its own juice with virtually no water and fat, and it turns out to be more delicious. It is important that Berghoff pans clean well, as it is not uncommon for food to be prepared to be forgotten. So, users are satisfied that after washing there is no trace of burn. Probably the only thing they don't really like is the prices, but they console themselves with the fact that they can still pass on their crockery collection.
2 Fiskars
Country: Finland
Rating (2022): 4.8
The Finnish company Fiskars is well known by gardeners, fishermen and hunters - for more than 300 years it has been producing various cutting tools, agricultural implements and kitchen goods. The plastic handles on the scissors, by the way, are her idea, and over a billion of these scissors have been sold worldwide. A distinctive feature of all Fiskars products without exception is excellent high-quality steel and impeccable execution of every detail. If a knife, then it should be the sharpest, if a frying pan, then it must be made the best - this is the attitude that a German merchant once managed to create in his mini-production, and it has miraculously survived to this day.
The “pedigree” of the dish is invisible at first glance - a frying pan is like a frying pan. But as soon as the cook takes her in his hands, he immediately falls in love. Its heaviness will not allow you to doubt the optimal thickness of the bottom and walls, and the mega-comfortable grip of the handle and the balance of the design will tell you how diligently Finnish engineers approached solving ergonomic problems.Do you want to cook maximum food with minimum fat? Do you appreciate durable dishes that are not demanding to care for? Then do not hesitate, which manufacturer's frying pan is better to take. It must be Fiskars.
1 kitchen aid
Country: USA
Rating (2022): 4.8
The star of the American manufacturer KitchenAid rose to worldwide fame when he offered housewives the then-unique Artisan Planetary Mixer. The appliance is still considered the best kitchen helper, and many families have a tradition of giving it at Christmas. But the KitchenAid brand also produces tableware, the quality of which is highly appreciated by professional chefs, bartenders and chefs in restaurants. They were captivated by the timeless design, multi-layer construction and excellent thermal distribution properties.
However, home cooks also treat KitchenAid utensils with respect. It is versatile as it is suitable for use on gas, electric and induction hobs. The pans are unpretentious in care - ordinary pollution is easily washed off with water, and since its weight is small, this is done very quickly and easily. In addition, the manufacturer allows washing in the dishwasher. Welded stainless steel handles allow you to put the dish in the oven heated to 260°, while traditional Bakelite handles can withstand only 170°.
Top Manufacturers of Aluminum Non-Stick Pans
Aluminum outperforms previous materials in terms of thermal conductivity: it conducts heat 4 times better than cast iron, and 13 times better than steel.However, an uncoated aluminum frying pan is unsuitable for long-term use, since the metal tends to stand out in food. Therefore, manufacturers apply one of the types of non-stick coating to the work surface: Teflon, ceramic, marble, silicone, etc. If they do not save and conscientiously approach the development of the composition and application technology, the protective layer is very reliable. Such cookware can last 5–7 years without loss of non-stick properties, while the service life of no name products does not exceed 1–2 years.
4 Kukmara
Country: Russia
Rating (2022): 4.4
After listening to negative opinions about the dangers of Teflon (in fact, all modern studies show that it is safe), consumers began to look for a more environmentally friendly, in their opinion, alternative. One of the leading Russian manufacturers, Kukmara, was quick to respond to the demand and offered them quality-made ceramic frying pans. Inside and outside they are covered with ceramics - a natural silicon-containing material, which, after aging in an oven, turns into a hard and heat-resistant coating. For maximum adhesion strength, it is applied by spraying so that a layer of even thickness is obtained without any cracks and chips.
And I must say that the product line turned out to be very successful. Users note that the glazed ceramic surface is devoid of pores and does not accumulate odors, thanks to the embossed bottom with grooves, the pan heats up quickly and keeps the temperature for a long time, it can be fried with a minimum amount of fat, and after use it is easy to wash with mild soapy water.The only criticisms that we found on this cookware relate to the fragility of the coating. The ceramic protective layer, indeed, has its own characteristics in operation - it cannot be subjected to sudden temperature changes, washed in a dishwasher and rubbed with abrasive substances. Under these conditions, ceramics will last a long time.
3 Neva
Country: Russia
Rating (2022): 4.7
Comparing the cost of frying pans of world brands with the domestic "Neva", one can doubt whether the St. Petersburg dishes are of high quality, since prices differ by 2-3 times. But if you read reviews and reviews, it becomes clear that you won’t have to save a certain amount from your salary to buy a really good product, because 1 thousand rubles will be enough for a purchase. In addition to availability, frying pans from the Neva Metal Posuda factory have a number of advantages: they are environmentally friendly (the company received certificates according to German and Russian standards), they have a cast body, a smooth machined bottom 6–7.5 mm thick and walls 4–5 mm thick .
There are more than 200 items of products in the assortment. There is a classic collection with standard coatings, there are also premium lines created using the know-how of the company - 4- and 5-layer coatings "Titan" and "Diamond". Users speak very well about them: they are tall, hold for a long time and evenly distribute heat, food is cooked with a minimum amount of fat and it turns out as tasty as in a cauldron or cast iron.And this is not surprising: in order to achieve the safety and reliability of its products, the company provided absolutely all production processes on its own, including the development of food-grade alloys and PFOA-free coatings.
2 Vari
Country: Russia
Rating (2022): 4.7
If the material, thickness and workmanship of the pan can still be assessed by sight, then it will be difficult to do the same with a non-stick coating - it looks almost the same. But if you clarify its brand, then determine the consumer properties of the entire product becomes an elementary matter. So, all dishes of the domestic brand "Vari" are produced using coatings from Whitford, a well-known manufacturer of non-stick and ceramic compounds. It is known that for the manufacture of Titano pans, cast aluminum with a 3-layer high-strength QuanTanium coating with a thickness of 25 to 35 microns (at a rate of 20) is used, and the Cerama cookware line received a premium Eclipse coating with a thickness of more than 35 microns, designed for long-term intensive use.
Highly professional sources covering the market of kitchen utensils and created by experts in this field recommend "Vari" as "high-quality cast aluminum cookware with a thick bottom and a reliable coating." They are echoed by ordinary consumers: they call their frying pans "armored", "stone" and "better than Tefal". Given that these vessels differ in price by at least one and a half times, Vari brand products can be called close to the premium class in terms of quality, and in terms of cost - to the average. Solid profit for the buyer, isn't it?
1 Tefal
Country: France
Rating (2022): 5.0
A little more than 50 years (from 1954 to 2009) it took the world famous Tefal brand to sell a billion of its pans. It was thanks to him that cooks learned about a non-stick coating called Teflon and about pans to which nothing sticks even without oil. To this day, tableware with a branded bright red logo is considered one of the best and most technologically advanced. Its design can really be called thoughtful:
- not only the inner surface of the vessel is protected from the accumulation of soot, but also the outer, and even the upper rim;
- the pan is made of thick aluminum, so that its bottom is guaranteed not to overheat and, accordingly, not deformed;
- the product “knows how” to tell the cook when the ideal moment comes for putting food into the pan - it has a thermoslot that changes color when the optimum temperature is reached;
- The quality of the protective coating has been tested by a huge number of people over the course of decades, and most reviews say that it is excellent.
Unfortunately, scammers constantly revolve around the name "Tefal" who want to profit at his expense, so there are many fakes of these pans. They are distinguished by an extremely low price for this segment of dishes, the absence of a temperature indicator, lightness and thinness of the material. They serve very little, they lose their properties almost immediately, so before buying, you must definitely familiarize yourself with the certificates or make a purchase in stores with a high reputation.