At 30 years old, I should be a more confident home chef. Ask me to make a salad, bake brownies, or create a mouthwatering open-faced sandwich and I'm your gal. My weakness is preparing meat.
When I agreed to test Made In's Stainless Clad Frying Pan, my secret mission was to master the one-pan chicken dish. That and fry an egg without leaving half the whites behind on the pan.
To my great surprise and enjoyment, I not only mastered that chicken dish and the perfect slide-off-the-pan fried egg, but, in the process, I became a much more confident home cook.
In this article: Made In Stainless Clad Frying Pan, 3-Piece Set, Made In Stainless Steel 10-Piece Cookware Set and Made In Stainless Clad Stockpot , 12-qt
The Stainless Clad Frying Pan from Made In cookware arrived at my door in a long yet lightweight box. The packaging was simple and included a postcard-sized user guide that I now keep on my refrigerator. The user guide included information about the proper preheating technique and cleaning instructions.
Made In cookware's stainless steel pans are made with 5-ply construction. I tested the 12-inch round pan, which weighs 3 pounds and felt balanced in my hand. Made In also makes 10-inch and 8-inch frying pans.
I think Made In knows it's customer because when I opened the box with the frying pan, a postcard with care instructions fell out. As someone who burned the heck out of my last stainless steel pan, it was great to receive a refesher on how to actually care for this type of cookware.
According to Made In, there's a trick to make your stainless steel pan more stick-resistant. Here's what Made In says to do: First, set the pan on the burner and turn the heat to medium-low. After a few minutes test if the pan is hot enough to use by splashing a few drops of water on the pan. When the pan is ready, the water should bead up and roll across the surface of the pan. It should not scatter or sizzle.
At this point you can add oil. Allow the oil to heat up for a minute or so. You want to see the oil shimmering in the pan. Then you can add your ingredients.
I figured a great way to test this approach was by frying an omelet. I was shocked with how easily and cleanly it slid out of the pan when it was done. Made In's process added about two to three minutes to my cook time (depending on whether I used low or medium heat), but it saved me a ton of time on the backend that I would have spent scrubbing or even soaking the pan. Cooking eggs in this frying pan was so easy that I bought an extra carton of eggs and had eggs for breakfast every day for the rest of the week. I also tried this technique on chicken and Halloumi.
The other element that made my cooking experience more enjoyable was Made In's prorietary hollow handle, which it calls the Stay Cool Handle. The handle is designed to dissipate heat so the handle doesn't get scalding hot when home chefs are cooking on the stovetop. In addition to being cool to the touch, I found the handle comfortable to grasp.
I also found Made In's cleaning instructions helpful. The cookware brand recommends allowing your stainless steel cookware to cool down before rinsing it under warm water with a few drops of dish soap. For the most part, this process cleaned away all cooking residue from the pan, especially when I paired this cleaning method with the preheating technique discussed above.
To test how difficult it is to remove tougher stains and grime, I let the pan sit on medium heat with oil and food residue in the pan, after I was done cooking. This resulted in a sticky golden brown coating across the bottom of the pan. I then boiled water with some vinegar to break down the residue and then I scraped it off with a wooden spoon. This worked and removed most of the residue and discoloration from the pan. Made In also recommends using stainless steel cleaner or baking soda and vinegar. I did not try these methods.
When I agreed to test the Made In Stainless Clad Frying Pan, I was slightly apprehensive about cooking meat. It's not so much that I have an aversion to meat; it's just that I've cooked too many singed chicken breasts with pink centers. I was beginning to think there was something wrong with me. Veggies are much easier. I love cooking veggies.
I started with Halloumi. I figured that would be easy and it was excellent! The cheese browned up nicely and slid right out of the pan when I was done cooking. Next was zucchini. I sauteed wheels of the vegetable in the pan on medium heat, careful to flip them as needed. When I was done, they were slightly golden brown and tasted like late summer.
The final test was boneless, skinless chicken thighs with shallots, rosemary, thyme and quinoa. The taste was fantastic, but what was more incredible was that I was able to fully cook four chicken thighs and a cup of quinoa evenly with minimal fuss and next to no cleanup. The cleanup was so easy that all I needed was hot water, dish soap and a soft sponge.
While I tested the 12-inch Frying Pan, Made In cookware has a number of other stainless steel cookware pieces that are worthy of your review.
Made In Stainless Clad Frying Pan, 3-Piece Set
This set includes Made In's 12-inch, 10-inch and 8-inch frying pans. This is a great cost-saving bundle, especially if you're stocking a kitchen.
Made In Stainless Steel 10-Piece Cookware Set
Another value set, this bundle includes 10 pieces of 5-ply stainless steel. We love this set for those who need to outfit an entire kitchen.
Made In Stainless Clad Saucepan, 2-qt
A small saucepan is a kitchen essential. It's great for everything from making sauces to reheating soups and stews.
Made In Stainless Clad Stockpot , 12-qt
This stockpot is great for making soups, stews and even pasta. The extra-large size means it's great for meal prepping too.
Prices listed reflect time and date of publication and are subject to change.
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