There's still about a week until Mother's Day, and plenty of time for you to find just the right item for the special woman in your life. We've looked at a few kitchen necessities and accessories over the past few days, including a sleek scale and chopping board, but the last in the series is a singular pan, versatile and durable.
The Anolon Copper 3-Quart Covered Sauté Pan is a great piece, perfect for searing and frying up veggies, deep enough for thick cuts of meat or fish. Like most Anolon cookware that we've tried, it looks great on a shelf or rack, cleans up easily, and cooks evenly. Unlike the other recent pan that we saw, this one is big enough to cook up quantities sufficient for a family of four, and it's dishwasher safe as well.
The handles are double riveted for extra strength, and though we found the pan a bit on the heavy side and little deep for items that need regular flipping, it worked perfectly for browning some chicken-fried steak, with plenty of room to maneuver. The lid was decent as well- a tight fit ensures that that heat and moisture will stay inside. Plus, this cookware can be used on any type of heat source thanks to the copper- induction, gas, electric, etc. We didn't try it over a camp fire, but it would probably be just fine. It's oven safe as well, so you can go straight from the cooktop to the oven. We didn't notice any hot spots, and the copper-aluminum combination means a blend of cooking performance and durability, as well as reasonable prices.
As with most cookware, it's available in single pieces or sets. Their top-of-the-line set includes 14 pieces, and a 9-piece set includes most of the essentials. Alternatively, you can buy the pieces individually for $25-$120. This one is available for around $100.
