You asked "which frying do the experts use?" - here's our answer

If you’re looking for a stylish saucepan, look no further. Smeg’s family-sized pan has all your needs covered, from an aesthetic and a functional perspective. I’ve put it to the test in our kitchen and, unsurprisngly, it’s performed very well.

In my time at woman&home, I’ve worked through the best induction pans and stainless steel pans on the market, which means that I’ve seen my fair share of frying pans. I can tell you with complete confidence that none look as good as this and I haven’t used one as big as this either.

So, if you want to know more about the practicalities of the Smeg (as well as why it’s the pan of choice for our recipe team), here’s everything you need to know.

Specifications

Unboxing

Smeg sends this pan in a long, slim cardboard box, which isn’t really a surprise given what’s inside. It comes securely packaged, and surrounded by all-recylable tissue and cardboard, which is really impressive. Not all brands have made the move over to more sustainable postage equipment, so Smeg has really pioneered it.

I tested the 30cm saucepan in Smeg’s delicious cream hue, but the brand offers a range of colour and size options. Aside from testing the cream in my home, I've been into the Smeg show room and all the colourways are classics. They'd all look great in any home.

Who would it suit?

The non-stick isn't ceramic, nor is it stainless steel, which means that you'll need to be careful with the utensils that you use (stick to wooden or silicone). I was worried that this would scratch over time in my home, or get stained with my cooking, but, from experience (and by looking through thousands of customer reviews), I can confirm that the cream stays stunning, whatever you choose to cook up in it.

The 30cm pan that I tested is immense. It's certainly big enough to cover the needs of the most hungry homes. For example, when I made omelettes, I used four large eggs, which is excessive, even for me. 

The size, whilst intimidating, makes this perfect for our food team. If you recognise the pan from our videos, it's because this is the one that we use for lots of our videos and photography. Aside from the aesthetics, this appeals to our food team for its wide and deep dimensions. It’s really easy to show off what you’re cooking; and manage your food without it spilling over the edges, and it feels robust too. It doesn't even get too weighty or difficult on the wrists, even when I made risotto in it.

What is it like to use?

 I have a couple of tests that I like to put all of our pans through: frying onions and making pancakes. In this instance, I couldn’t resist an extra test: omelettes. The Smeg non-stick works pretty well, it has an immense amount of space, and the handle doesn’t get too hot. It’s designed for induction hobs, but I’ve tested this out on gas too and it’s just as good across the board. 

Test 1: frying onions

For this test, I normally chop and fry one onion. To maintain consistency, this is what I started with. I put the heat on the pan, with a drizzle of oil, and found it sizzled all over within a minute. Then, I added the onion and watched as my pieces caramelised at the edges, turning tender and translucent in the middle within the space of a few minutes. Given the size of the pan, I actually felt a bit ridiculous frying just one onion. For fun, on another day, I chopped up onions on repeat to see how many I could fit into the pan. Any guesses? Seven. I could chop and fry seven whole onions in this pan. If that’s not dinner party appropriate, I don’t know what is.

Test 2: making pancakes

The pancake test is always a great visual representation of how evenly heat is distributed across the base of the pan. I whipped up some mix and tried making one, crepe-sized pancake in the middle of the pan. It sizzled nicely and moved around the pan easily. The handle felt nice to hold and shake, it was easy to flip the pancake, and, as you can see, the colour is even and brown. The pancake was cooked right through, really evenly, and it had some nice crisp around the edges. 

I've since tested this out with American pancakes and more crepes and the Smeg frying pan was consistent across the board. I could cook eight American pancakes on the base of the pan and the results were nice and even across all the batter.

Cleaning

Smeg says that the frying pan is dishwasher safe, which makes life extremely easy. Whilst this is great if you're pushed for time I (and plenty of other reviewers) have found that the finish and quality of the pan stays intact for a lot longer if you wash it by hand. Make sure to use a soft sponge and a gentle detergent, such as Ecover. 

The non-stick, as I mentioned earlier, is important to keep unscratched, so don't stack other pans inside this. You could hang it up, or lie it flat in a deep drawer. Trust me, it's for your own good.

Should you buy it?

If you're not fussed about sticking to a budget, this luxury pan delivers on all parts of the premium experience. It looks beautiful, feels great, and cooks like a professional pan. It's the one that our experts use - that should say it all.