J
Jeneane Vanderhoof
October 27, 2023
No stick video attached- shot with one hand (the other held camera)- no butter or oil used!!
I had T-fal when I got my first apartment- it was given to me as a gift and my first complete set of cookware ever. So when it came time to purchase a new cookware set, I went through Amazon and saw T-fal- for everything you got in the twelve-piece set, and you couldn't beat the price- and I knew it was top-of-the-line cookware (in my opinion), from previous use.Everything I needed was in the set- except for the bigger cooking pot. So I bought my birthday present for myself. And yes, cookware is a gift item, in my opinion, even when bought for the home- because it is so nice. And there was nothing more that I wanted than some good cookware to make my life easier- and nicer- to make better food for my loved ones.Let me tell you about the video I made to illustrate my point- of how T-fal is top of the line, high quality made and no other line can give you what T-fal does, at the price- Please excuse that I had to make the video by myself. And I had no stick to hold my phone- only one hand and the other- and these old hands have nerve damage and problems so know that I tried my best.I mixed an egg and poured it into the bare pan- meaning no butter, no oil, just the egg mixture (which was only eggs beaten in my mixing cup). Watch as I cook it (one-handed, the other videoing), and how nothing sticks, it all came up great-- you can see for yourself how nothing sticks!!And, in the video- look and see that there are no signs of oil, butter, or anything that could help the egg not stick. (And excuse the large scraper- while I could have used the one that came with the set- I figured instead of unpacking it, I'd use the one that we had out). All that is there to help prevent sticking is the wonderfulness of T-fal's non-stick technology. Honestly, it was all amazing- to again cook with T-fal and see the wonders of great heat distribution (which also helps the non-stick), along with the non-stick elements.Had I known what would happen next, I would have kept the video rolling but one-handed and all, I quit as early as I could- not knowing how to edit videos either (yet). But I took the pan to the sink to wash it- all I really needed to do- and did- was take a paper towel and wipe the access off. And then it was sparkling clean- nothing left to wash. The picture I included after the video was the pan after it was wiped out with a paper towel, no other cleaning was needed (or done). Especially since no butter or oil was used. And even though the egg was a little bland without anything to grease the pan- I added a little salt and thought how much better my health would be- without clogging my pores with oil and butter.All the T-fal in the set are that amazing. And while I would add more photos of it- the pan is the smallest of the set that I used- all the others look as they appear online in photographs- you don't really need my extra photos because they look the same at home as they do on Amazon.I think the set I had was great for me when I was younger- because at that time I hadn't mastered cooking in a way that made me want to be patient- cook right- and spend the time doing it. Youth can be that way. This is why this set is great- it makes up for the error of youth and the impatience- because that is normally when you are going to get things that stick to the pan- with that kind of attitude. So if you are looking for anyone's set of first cookware- you have found it.But now I take the time to cook and do it well. Even master complicated dishes that take a long time.- however, I want some good cookware to do this. T-fal is still the best for me. Also- for those health issues I have- I would like to cut out added butter and oil- especially when I use it just for the non-stick element and the recipe would be great, still, without it. As you saw in my video- no butter or oil is needed.I am so happy that T-fal has stayed affordable, and even become more affordable over time. This whole set was an amazing price- I didn't pay more than $10 per item- with all that was included- which is amazing when you look at the quality. A small pan that works this well should see for over $20 on its own.Thanks to T-fal for being such a large part of my life- and making it so much easier with the best cookware ever!Please note: I shot the video with one hand to work on everything, the other was on the camera. Sorry I'm not really set up to make great videos- wish I was but I tried my best to show how great the pan is. Also, the second photo shows it after cooking the eggs in the pan and I used a paper towel to wipe out whatever didn't land in the bowl. What was left- a clean pan needing no further wash!!Addition to Review on 11/13If you watched my video, you see that I used a metal spatula- which isn't the best idea with T-fal. If you want to keep the great results of the pots and pans, use the included plastic spatulas and spoons- While nonstick seems like magic, it needs to be treated well to keep working. I just wanted to add this- so people don't follow my bad example.My husband actually reminded me of this, after seeing the video and chiding me on my bad decision, so I don't ruin our new pots and pans (and my birthday present to myself). Isn't that the reason we keep em' around ;)?
✔ Verified Purchase
decent product, but not great. I'll explain
I bought the black 12 piece set. I have only cooked with them once so far and made eggs in one and cooked maple flavored sausage links in the other. Here is my impression of them. First, the final impression in short and to the point, then why I felt that way..The cliffnotes (short) version..Nice lids that fit on both, the pots and pans.. decent handles on the pots and pans, but not great.. easy to dent pots and pans.. very very cheap utensils.. Ok for single person, couple, or starter set.. Not great if you have kids (you know that they will get damaged 10 times faster with kids around) or if you like caramelizing things like meats to make gravies to stews.. OK for the price but not worth retail. Non stick works, but dont expect the slide around egg effect like you see on TV.. Made in china..Full, Description version of my review...The 3 utensil pieces (spoon, flipper, etc) do work, but I'll be honest, I have bought some in the past at the dollar tree, that were, yes you guessed it, a dollar, and they were made much better. The ones included do work but are not very strong, nor do I think that they will hold up to much use over time. But hey, you didnt buy this set for the utensils, you bought them for the pans, so what do you expect. they will work fine until you get to the store (or order off the net) to buy better ones.The lids to the set are pretty well made. they have plastic over the handles will keep you from burning your hands if you have to remove the lids and feel like it will hold up OK over time. there is a plastic, or silicone spacer between the handle rivets and the glass so that should help protect the glass from breaking due to the metal up against glass. Also, the lids fit perfectly on both, the fry pans and the pots, so you have a way to cover both without having to worry about splatter.. Just cant do both at the same time obviously.Now for the pots and pans.the handles feel decently made. Not great, but pretty good. On a scale from 1 to 10, 10 being great, i would give the handles a 6.. maybe 7 if i was feeling generous. They feel like they will hold up to normal use with no problem, but dont try to abuse them or you may have problems. and it may not be the handles fault, it may be the pot or pan part itself.The Nonstick coating works good from what I have seen so far. I cooked eggs in one, and did not need to use any butter to keep them from sticking. The eggs did not slide around like you will see them do on TV, but they did not stick either. They came right up with no problem and did not break the yolks either. The sausage links I cooked in the other pan never stuck either. I washed both out and dried them by hand and you could not see any kind of mark like they were ever used. so the coating did not peel at all, nor did cooking the food leave any marks.Now for the bad.. the aluminum that the pots and pans are made from is not extremely durable. When taking them out of the packing, one of the pots hit up against the flat pan, and guess what.. It dented.. Yes, that little hit was all it took. I have other good quality pots and pans with non stick coatings that are made out of aluminum too, and they can get hit 5 times harder and not dent.. The aluminum in these is a bit of a softer aluminum, so you have to watch or expect a lot of dents in your pans. But on the positive side of that, because of they way and type of aluminum that they are made out of, they are also light.. it is kinda like comparing whipped cream cheese to brick cream cheese.. one is much softer and lighter.. that is these.Another downfall, which I was not happy to find out, was that they were made in china. I did a search on amazon for american, or USA made pots and pans.. These were at the top of the list. Obviously I should have checked into it a little more and not trusted amazon to be accurate here, and for that reason, I did keep them, after all, they will work fine for what I want, but just to be clear.. China made, not American!!!One things that I never see that I would like to point out though, especially for first time buyers of non stick cookware. Non stick does have its advantages, like not having to use any kind of grease or oils when cooking, but at the same time, there is one major flaw to non stick coatings.. you can not brown food.. I have heard it as browning, glazing, caramelizing, etc. These cook the food fine, but you know how you take a roast and brown or caramelize a roast so that it gets that nice brown glaze in the bottom which is really good if you plan on making home made gravy, or for flavoring the stock in a roast so the flavor goes into the other foods when you cook a roast.., From what I have seen, any non stick pan i have ever used sucked at giving any kind of that browning or caramelizing. It cooks the food with not problem, but you dont get that bit that makes good flavoring or gravy material. If you plan on it, get a pan that is non stick for that purpose.. then after you do the initial caramelizing of the meat, then put all that in these pots if you want. but that is one major draw back to non stick coatings on cookware.Overall, they are not bad, but not great. They will work fine for a single person, or for a couple. For a decent first set, they are not bad either. If you are someone that gets their pans knocked around a bit (maybe put it in the sink then put stuff on top and clean everything later), then expect to get a lot of dents in these over time. Considering that you get these for under $10 per piece, they are not bad for the price, but i would say average priced for the set. I would not pay anywhere near the retail price for these because they are not worth that much, in my opinion at least. If they were more expensive, i probably would have given a 3 start instead of 4, but I tool price into consideration vs quality when I gave it 4 stars. In the end, it all depends on how you cook as to if these are good for you. Personally, I'll take my old club aluminum pots over these any day of the week.. but that is just my opinion. But also, luckily for me, these are for someone else, not for me, so i dont have to worry about it. :)........................................Update on info about them...according to the manual, they are good for gas, spiral or solid electric, ceramic (radiant) and halogen rangetops.also, the temp rating on them for the oven is.. 350f/175c with plastic handles or stainless steel handles with silicone inserts. 450f/230c for full silicone handles. 500f/260c for handles made completely out of aluminum or stainless steel. cookware with soft touch translucent portions is not oven safe. and never use them in the broiler.
✔ Verified Purchase
