ProCook Professional anodised cookware set

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What is the ProCook Professional anodised cookware set like to cook with?

Before we even get to cooking with these pans, we are thoroughly impressed by the packaging. There is not a piece of plastic in sight. Each pan comes protected by its own cardboard box, which is recyclable. Brands that use heavy plastic to package pans should take note – this is how it’s done.

The handles on the pans are nicely shaped. They’re ergonomic and mould well to the hand. But, we do find they get quite warm when cooking, which is disappointing.

We find these pans are heavier than the majority of the others we’ve tested. When carrying a full pan from hob to sink, there is noticeable straining in the arms. That being said, the extra weight ensures these pans remain stable on the hob.

Usually, saucepans sets include pans in 16, 18 and 20cm sizes, but these from ProCook are markedly smaller. While this size is fine for smaller families, if you like to batch cook or make larger portions, even the largest 18cm pan may not be big enough.

Results

We cook a range of basic foods, using each appropriately sized pan. In the frying pan we cook an omelette and American pancakes. We also pop some dry ingredients in the frying pan to see how well it tosses food.

The frying pan is quick to heat up and our omelette cooks evenly. The browning on the outside is a little patchy, but the cooked omelette slides from the pan with ease. After cleaning the frying pan out, we drop in a good spoonful of our American pancake mix. We notice that the mix spreads a little further than we like, but eventually rises evenly. When flipped, we notice some definite patchiness, the majority of which is focussed in the centre of the pancake, under the flame.

Scrambled eggs and porridge are cooked in the smallest pan. Both cook well and are relatively easy to control. We find the corners of the pan quite angular, and while we are able to reach into them with a rubber spatula, we aren’t able to when using a wooden spoon. Thankfully, both dishes come out of the pan with ease, leaving very little residue.

We cook onions in the 16cm pan. They fry evenly, but we find the pan a little slow to respond to changes in temperature. Despite this, the onions are golden and evenly cooked.

In the largest pan, we cook pasta. The pan takes around 3 minutes to come to the boil and, like the American pancakes, the bubbling water seems to concentrate just under the flame; we’d like to see a more even boil. With the lid on, the water begins to boil over, but removing the lid instantly halts this.

Conclusion

If you’re in the market for a reasonably priced saucepan set, this ProCook Professional anodised cookware set is a good choice. The set ticks the box in terms of basic usability: oven-safe, dishwasher-safe and suitable for all hob types, but we found that it easily dents and notches.

We found these pans to be on the small side, so think they’d be better suited to couples. While you wont get the even results of some of the other pan sets we’ve tested, the non-stick is effective, meaning clean up is easy.

• Available from ProCook (£149)

Specifications

Size of pans: 14, 16 and 18cm saucepans
Non-stick coating: yes
Material: aluminium
Induction compatible: yes
Oven-safe: yes, to 260C

Saucepan recipes

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Cheese sauce
Vegan chilli
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Spiced carrot & lentil soup
Homemade custard
Vanilla panna cotta

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