When you cook often, like I do, at some point you will find that your pot cupboard begins to expand. You begin collecting vessels for every type of situation- skillets, sauté pans, Dutch ovens, sauce pans, stock pots, fajita pans, comals, griddles etc. You get the point.  But, not only do you find that you own not one of each item but several of each do you then say- “Whoa, that’s a lot of cookware! Do I really need all of these pans?”

Well, no, of course not. Having one good everyday pan can actually replace several.  A pan such as the new Viking 5-ply Everyday Pan with its heat resistant handles and its 3.4-quart capacity would be a good choice.

Like all good cookware, a good pan needs to do a few things particularly well; heat evenly, be balanced and comfortable to handle, make transfers to the oven easily and steadily-not shaky, and to keep food and heat contained it must have a tight-fitting lid.

Oh, and it must be able to go into the dishwasher. That is my one pet-peeve with the multitude of anodized aluminum cookware that I currently own. I am not supposed to put it in the dishwasher. But at some point over the years I did, and now, 20 plus years later, I am starting to replace it piece by piece with ones that actually can go into the dishwasher-just so I won’t have the nagging guilt of putting it in the dishwasher when it’s not supposed to! (Not really, but that’s a good excuse!)

After sautéing vegetables, braising a filet of beef and frying a few chicken cutlets in this new pan, I am happy to say that it does all of those things well. It heats evenly, maintains its heat and at 3″ deep, you can wilt a full bag of spinach in one batch.

It’s also my new go-to pan for making mussels!

The price tag is hefty though- around $300. But, if you consider the costs of all the pans it replaces, then you might be able to justify the expense. Liken it to having one good chef’s knife in your arsenal of kitchen tools. And of course, you might want to consider a larger capacity pan if you are cooking regularly for several people. Otherwise, if you are looking to replace a few saute pans and skillets, the Viking 5-ply Everyday Pan would be a good option to choose. Plus it has a lifetime warranty and it’s made in the USA.

 

Disclosure: I received the Viking 5-ply Everyday Pan to review at home. The thoughts and opinions are my own.