20.5.2014

I used to buy cheap cookware thinking it was better to replace them every year than pay through the nose for a decent set, but the Teflon coating would blister, peel and flake away so they were false economy. I took a chance with Tefal a few years ago and it paid off. I still have the pans and they are as good today as they when I first bought them. Naturally, I was more than happy to try out this new range.The first thing I noticed was the moderately small box these were packed into, much smaller than a full set with handles attached. This is a massive bonus for me as I don't have a lot of kitchen storage available.These pans all nest inside of each other and because the handles are detached they don't all sit at an odd angle with handles taking up valuable room.If you are familiar with the Tefal range then you will know just how good these pots and pans feel. They are a decent thickness with a strongly bonded Teflon layer that doesn't suffer the same fate as cheaper alternatives. Although I always avoid it, they are reported to be resistant to metal utensils (with the exception of knives and whisks) and are quite happy to have the bases of the other pans sat on the coating when nested together. With the exception of the saucepans, they have the red thermal spot indicator to show the correct temperature has been reached for cooking. They are easy to clean and as the non-stick quality is so good they are pretty much clean after a quick rinse. They are dishwasher safe, although some fading is evident on the underside. As the handles are detachable they are easier to load in the dishwasher. Though I have to say that they are so easy to wash, I find it quicker to hand wash these than to load them in the dishwasher.The detachable handles take a little getting used to. It seems a bit odd to put a pan on the stove and then remove the handle. The handle simply clicks into place anywhere on the outer lip and a press of the side buttons releases it. The thought of a clip on handle filled me with images of the pan falling off, but as soon as it clips on you know the pan is clamped tight and is not going to fall off. I don't think you could fill the pan with enough weight for it to break off and it is reported to take up to 10 kg and that is a lot of weight. The other advantage of a detachable handle s that there is no handle to knock or catch when on the stove, but do remember where you put the handle when you have a pot on the boil.The glass lids have a silicone surround which protects it from knocks and some drops and also allows the pan to ventilate. The handles are like butterfly wings that fold up to pick up and fold flat to pack. There is also a set of plastic lids should you wish to store the contents of a pot or pan in the fridge for a few days/hours.All these pans worked on my gas hob, but I loaned this set to a relative who has an induction cooker. She reported that they all worked as expected and commented on what a great set it was.This is a well made, high quality set that should last for years with the right care and attention. The idea of removable handles and ability to move from hob to oven, stack inside each other and also use for food storage is something that makes you think "Why wasn't this done years ago".I would highly recommend this set and I would say that it is 5 star quality, but you need to think carefully about what you need. There are only 2 saucepans, so you cannot immediately replace all of your older cookware. I think they may have been better off sacrificing a frying pan or sauté pan for another saucepan and lid. The current price of 200 GBP is a real blow to the budget, you may be better off buying the 3 piece induction saucepan set and a 2 piece induction frying pan set which works out at the current price of 128 GBP (although there are no lids).

3.3.2014

This ‘three piece’ set consists of two frying pans – 22cm and 26cm diameter base; 24cm and 28cm at rim – and one detachable handle that fits both pans and, apparently, other pans too in the Ingenio series.Lids can be bought for the pans, but none comes with this set.I know from experience with a Corningware casserole set that a detachable/interchangeable handle can work and be entirely satisfactory, so no problem there. The one supplied with this set is robust and grips very firmly, so again no problem. Tefal warn against asking the handle to lift more than 10kg. OK, they need to set limits on what is covered by their warranty, but that’s an awful lot of weight to put in a frying pan and means that,in practical terms, there is no upper limit on the weight of food and other ingredients that can be put in the pans.Tefal make a selling point of the possibility of moving the pans between stove top, oven and fridge, removing the handle after placing the pan in either of the latter two. Yes; good idea, especially in that frying pan cooked food can be moved into an oven to keep hot without transferring the food to another vessel. Frying pan food doesn’t usually go in a fridge after cooking – except perhaps as leftovers, transferred to another container – but the possibility is definitely there with these pans. If you don’t want to buy a pair of the matching lids, aluminium foil can be used as a cover (or an upturned plate!).If you do buy the official lids, they are not suitable for use in an oven – so in that case it will be back to the aluminium foil anyway.Covering whilst cooking on the hob is a bit more of a problem if you don’t buy the official lids. A notch in the lid is required to accommodate the handle, which reaches over the top rim into the pan in a way that normal frying pan handles don’t. So a lid from another pan won’t fit well and, whilst a splatter screen can be used to good effect, it similarly stands proud on the handle side of the pan.And, of course, the pan end of the handle is in there with the food and the fat when you are frying, so it needs a wipe with a paper towel every time it comes out, and a good wash between uses. We are told to hand wash – not put it in a dishwasher.To minimise the handle’s exposure to heat, we are also advised to remove it when it is not needed whilst cooking (even on the hob). That potentially gets over the covering whilst cooking problem, but repeatedly attaching and detaching the handle is, frankly, just not going to happen – especially when the less kitchen-proud members of the family decide to have a fry-up.The pans are rather smart, with a quality non-stick surface inside and a stainless steel base, both of which should stay smart for a year or two – stove-top catastrophes apart. For me, they are quite respectable enough in appearance to sit on the table during all but the very poshest meals, so that food can be served directly from them. They could even sit on a hot tray on the table or sideboard.The pans are of a good weight for their size. There is nothing cheap or flimsy about them and the transfer and distribution of heat within them is all that you would want of them. Basically a five star item, but minus one star for the various handle drawbacks.

17.3.2014

First thoughts about this 3 piece set is what is the use of a frying pan set that you can transfer from the hob to the fridge?Also the detachable handle means that it will never be as safe as a permanent handle.Plus the fact that there is only one handle for two pans and if that breaks or gets lost then you are left with two frying pans without handles!But it is only after using the pans that you appreciate their true worth.We received ours to test and we took our time trying them out and seeing the pros and cons.The pans are easy to store the smaller fits neatly inside the other and this means that when your space is at a premium these are ideal.The handle fits well and easily.It feels robust and ridged even when you use the `joggle'test.The firms boast that it can withstand 10kgs of weight which is enough for anyone in a frying pan!The real advantage we found is that when you fry something and wish to keep it warm you just place the whole lot in the oven and detach the handle.The action is really easy to do and it fits quickly and wellOn a guarantee note the firm guarantees the handles for ten whole years.Now some may thing this is a minor use BUT like a lot of families we have a son who is a picky eater and he always has different food from us which means that his is often in the oven cooking so if we use the pans for ours all the food is kept warm to be served at the same time. This saves having to decant the food from the pan to a separate heat proof bowl.You do need to take care with the pans.If you put the pans on a flat surface to detach the handles then you must ensure that the surface is heat proof!!!Also watch out where you place your fingers on the handle.The pans are really well made and have a really good non stick coating.I was amazed at how easy the pans were to clean.Literally under the hot tap and a dry wipe with kitchen roll.Brilliant.The pans have that red centre dot that fades when the pans reach the optimum heat.As usual there are suitable for Gas, Electric or convection ovens.I would not use the dishwasher myself preferring to hand clean because the pans may be easily scratched by loose cutlery.The non stick coating is thick and robust.It works well, as you would expect for an expensive set like this.There are no lids but we use a splatter guard for most jobs - the lids are of no use for the oven so not such a great omission.However I must admit that the pans are very impressive and that is after 3 weeks of trials.Post Script.Three months done the line and I can say that I am really happy with these pans.The non stick has maintained its sheen and good looks and the pans come up shining with a minimal effort.So far the detachable handle has maintained it's excellent and firm grip.Storage is still really easy.These pans really should last a lifetime.PS 19 months on and despite constant use the pans still look new.The coating has prmained and is still really effective.Built to last?You bet.

16.6.2014

You wouldn't think that there's much that a company can change about a set of pans perhaps, but in this case Tefal have obviously gone back to the drawing board and had a think about what improvements could be made to your regular pans. Storage of pans has always been an issue in our house and so I was really pleased to see how well this set stacked as some bright spark has come up with the idea of removable handles. Sadly, for whatever reason, our set doesn't stack quite as nicely as illustrated in the picture even though we've tried to recreate it. I guess one or more of the pans are just a slightly different size. However, that said, they still stack very well and take up far less room than a conventional set of pans with their attached handles.The knobs/handles on the top of the pan lids even fold out flat so that the lids can stack flat on top of one another. Very clever!The non-stick coating is really non-stick and seems quite thick and robust. These are, without a doubt, the most non-stick pans that I've ever owned. They also have a little heat indicator sign in them so that you can gauge when your pans are hot enough/too hot. The heat seems to distribute very evenly through these pans and they seem very solid and well made.Now for the few minor quibbles that I have with them. First of all, the lids are not oven-safe which seems slightly daft for pans that are meant to be used in various guises from hob to oven. Next, the removable handles are a clever idea which allows for easier pan stacking and the clipping on/off mechanism seems to work very well. However, you can still get a slight sideways movement of the pan v the handle if you're shaking the pan, for example, and this does lead to a bit of scratching around where the handle attaches. I could also do with another handle or two because if I'm cooking a big dinner with many pans on the go at once it can be a little bit frustrating to have to keep clipping and unclipping the handles to transfer them from one pan to another. Also, I find that nearly every time I use these pans, food ends up getting stuck in the handle where it attaches inside the pan. Not a particular problem since I just pop them in the dishwasher along with the rest, but a bit annoying - especially if you're using the handles for multiple pans at the time. Another minor fault, in my eyes, is that the main pouring "spout" from the lid is opposite the cut-out for the handle. Therefore you can end up pouring almost vertically and risk the steam burning you. It is possible to pour from other sides of the lid as it doesn't quite touch all the way around, but this doesn't always work so well.Re-reading the above that seems like quite a list of gripes! On the whole, though, I honestly do really like these pans - they seem like a quality set that should last a long time and do cook well. I'll be buying more handles if I can find them!

26.12.2020

TL:DR – DO NOT DUNK THESE PANS STRAIGHT INTO WATER AFTER COOKING, allow the pans time to cool down before putting them in any water. Simple answer – Think thermal expansion/contraction, aluminium and steel expand/contract at different rates.I saw these Pots and Pans set in a large department retail store. I was intrigued and attracted to the space saving benefits that these pots and pans bring as like most people space is a premium in the UK.However due to the high price I held off from buying in the shop and decided to read some reviews of the product and search for a better price.Lo and behold I came across people having issues with the induction plate delaminating (falling off)the base of the pots and I was insistent in getting induction compatible ones. Worried about this i looked it up on Amazon and saw tens of people complaining about the induction plate coming apart from the pan, some completely, some just peeling off without an explanation from Tefal.However still convicted to get them, I bought these when the price came down back in Nov 2020 and i have been using them for over one month.So far i have been enjoying using them and they make cooking easy, whilst saving on clutter, a top tip would be to get one extra handle so you have three and pan spacers to prevent the pans from scratching one another.Nonetheless I still worried about the induction plate coming off the pan so I have been careful with them as there is no explainable reason as to why the plate would just fall off. However, I think I may have worked out why the plate just falls off now that I own a set.Looking at the base of the pans you can see that the induction plate (made of steel) placed on the aluminium base of the pan and the two are pressed together with most likely some kind of heat treatment and pressure. This causes the two materials of aluminium and steel to friction lock so that they hold onto each other tightly without the need of glue (which would melt under heat or give off toxic fumes) or welding (aluminium and steel are difficult to weld together and friction locking is a method).However both metals expand and contract at different rates and amounts. Aluminium expand and contracts greater and faster than steels does, so my understanding is that if you heat the pan, the aluminium expands making a tighter friction lock with the steel base (good).But if after cooking you rapidly cool the pan down (ie dunking it in the sink (even with hot water)), then the aluminium contracts so much faster than the steel plate that it loses the friction lock on it. Once or twice is fine but successive hot pan into cold water will cause the plate to fall off.That my two cents, take it or leave it.The lesson is let the pans cool down normally, don’t dunk them still hot into water.

3.5.2014

A fine set of pans. They feel really well made and substantial.The removable handles make for compact storage as the pans can be stacked on each other if space is a premium. The handles themselves are also extremely well built and the fact that they can be removed helps in cleaning - it means that unlike pans with static handles you don't get that build up of grime/burnt kind of grease or whatever that often forms where the handle connects to the pan no matter how closely you clean them.The lids are nicely styled and one thing we have found extremely useful is that when boiling veg you can drain the water off through the second opening on the side of the lid (opposite the one that caters for the handle)

20.4.2014

Impressive set of versatile cookware suitable for all hobs including induction, and initial impressions are very good indeed. The pans look really smart and feel solid without being over-heavy, with a good non-stick coating (smooth black on the outside and diamond patterned inside the frying pans) and a shiny patterned base to enable optimal heat distribution. Made a cooked breakfast in the 28cm pan this morning, and the thermospot in the centre of the pan ensured it wasn't too hot - excellent results. The detachable handles seem robust enough (guaranteed for 10 years) gripping the edge of the pan tightly with a curved steel plate. To release, you press two buttons on either side of the handle with finger and thumb,

2.5.2014

I first came across these pans at a holiday cottage we stayed at in Corsica last summer. I have used them now on both induction and gas hobs and have found the pans to be excellent on both. They have sufficient weight to cook food evenly, with no sticking even with minimal amounts of oil. The thermospot system whereby the central disc changes colour to indicate that optimum temperature has been reached is actually useful and not a pointless gimmick. The pans are really easy to clean. Initially I didn't put them in the dishwasher fearing that the surface appearance would be damaged but one day I forgot and put a pan in without any ill-effects.

6.4.2014

These pans are very very good, crispy duck and crispy chicken is made easy, this could have something to do with the material and the titanium coating, the heat distribution is excellent, heating quickly and evenly across the surface. Though I am not sure about the use of the 'thermo spot', it is a red circle in the middle of the pan, when it gets hot one can no longer distinguish the writing because it merges with the red circles (The directions merely say "Tefal's Thermo-Spot which lets you know when the pan has reached the optimum cooking temperature.)" I am not sure what the optimum temperature is, I haven't taken too much notice of it, especially once the food is in, it can no longer be seen,

28.5.2014

Well if you are in the market for non stick pans then look no further. Top class pans that cover most of the everyday needs and at the same time are very space efficient.What we have here is a heavy duty aluminium Teflon coated pan set made in France - which at least has some cachet for cooking - that are well thought out and on initial use very high quality.The base of each pan is thick and milled flat - always a good sign because they will transmit heat well and not warp. Mind you in all honesty I'm not sure if induction pans are susceptible to that or not.The Teflon coating states that it has some form of titanium within it to increase the resistance to damage.

26.8.2020

I’ve had these pans for almost a year and have absolutely loved them. They are so easy to store and they heat up extremely quickly on my induction hob. Unfortunately a few months ago the induction base came away from the 20cm saucepan. This happened while I was using it on the hob, but thankfully didn’t damage the hob.Despite the pans only being 9 months old, I had to contact Tefal directly. The issue was then passed onto their technical team at Novo - who don’t seem very keen on communication!After no contact, I was suddenly emailed a free royal mail return label saying to return at my convenience and a questionnaire asking about how they were used, stored and cleaned.

15.5.2017

Such a great idea! Making the handle removable means you can fit so may pans into such a small space! These ones have a really robust teflon coating as well, so in addition to being truly non stick (even when dry-frying an egg, a test I've had many a cheaper 'non-stick' pan fail in the past), you can also use metal utensils for stirring and serving up. No knives though. That would just be silly.The handles are very solid, and clunk reassuringly into place when you lock it on. They can slide around the edge of the pan, but are totally secure for lifting even when the contents of the pan are quite heavy. They are also super easy to remove so you can swap the handle between pans or store them away.

8.3.2014

I first came across these pans last summer when we were staying in a cottage in France and thought they were a brilliant idea - very compact to store in a small kitchen. They can be used on the hob and in the oven and the combination of a pair of the frying pans and the matching saucepan set in effect provides saucepans, casserole dishes and even a cake tin. It is very handy to be able to cook something on the hob and then transfer it to the oven to keep warm (you do need to remove the handle as it isn't ovenproof).I have used the pans on both induction and gas hobs and have found them to be excellent on both. They have sufficient weight to provide a good cooking surface but aren't overly heavy.

11.5.2014

The Tefal 13 piece Ingenio Induction Set consists of a wonderful set of pans complete with one stir fry pan, two sizes of frying pans, sauté pan and two saucepans. The set comes complete with two detachable handles that fit all pans, three glass lids and three storage lids. The pans fit into one another to make best use of storage space.It is important to read the instructions first, as this prevents misuse and damage to any of the components.I was concerned, at first, by the detachable handles and practised using them before trying any pans. They clicked into place when at the right angle to the pan and were comfortable to use. It is useful to know that removing the handle, whilst cooking,

19.6.2014

When the box arrived I was amazed at its size, it was a lot smaller than I was expecting. The first thing you notice from this is the amount space you can save in your cupboards from its unique stacking method, removable handles and removable lids. We replaced almost our entire pan set with this and the space it saved was fairly remarkable. What is worth nothing though, is it can be a little frustrating when you want the pan at the bottom of the plie, you have to carefully remove them taking care not to drop the lids and handles on the floor. A minor annoyance as the same has to happen with normal pans.The handles are a great idea for many reasons,

Tefal L0979502 - Reviews

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