WHEN I first read Made In Cookware’s marketing material, I’ll admit I chuckled slightly.
The company brands itself as “the cookware chefs actually use™”, and it’s hard not to see that as a friendly jibe at Hexclad, whose pans are brand-ambassador Gordon Ramsay’s claimed choice for his kitchens.
I tested Made In’s stainless steel frying pans
Shop stainless steel pans at Made In
As an extremely eager home cook, I’ve spotted Made In popping up on my TikTok for a while – several of my favourite food influencers rave about it, while over 8,000 happy customers have taken to the Made In website to express their delight with their “outstanding” new purchase.
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I’ve tried a range of different pots and pans over the last several years, but having had mixed experiences, I’m not easily won over by exquisite branding or beefy marketing budgets. I tested Made In to see if it could deliver on its promises.
Pros
Achieves the best sear I’ve ever managed on meat
Used in thousands of restaurants, including 103 recognised by Michelin
Because they don’t have a chemical non-stick coating, they will genuinely last for years
They look fantastic – especially with the antique brass handles
Excellent heat distribution
Handles don’t get hot
Well-priced compared to other luxury brands
Compatible with gas, electric and induction hobs
Cons
Cooking on stainless steel does take some getting used to; expect a learning curve
Not as easy to clean as nonstick – you might have to buy some stainless steel cleaner
There are cheaper options available
Rating: 9.5/10
Made In Cookware review: Quickfire Q&A
How much is it? The three-piece Stainless Clad set that I tested costs £269, a £58 saving on buying the components separately. However, you can buy individual pans from £79, and the 25cm pan that I reach for most often is £109.
Who’s it best for? Considering their price point, plus the fact that cooking on the stainless steel surface takes getting some used to, they’re for serious home cooks who want to invest in upgrading their setup.
What I loved: As cliché as it sounds, once you figure out cooking on these, you won’t go back. They give the best sear on meat that I’ve come across, they’re virtually indestructible, and it’s a bonus that they look great. I also like that they don’t contain any of the chemical coatings you get on non-stick pans.
What I didn’t: There is a bit of technique you have to learn to get the best out of it, and if you go in half-cocked, you will almost certainly ruin your dinner.
The Nitty Gritty
First impressions
These. Look. AMAZING.
As a cookware nerd, I am admittedly easily excited by new pans, but it’s hard not to be when they look this good.
If Hexclad, with its sleek grey-black design and carbon fibre-esque honeycomb pattern, looks like a modern, hi-tech Ferrari, this is more like a classic Jaguar or Aston Martin.
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With its classic silver steel surface and antique brass handles, it conjures images of old-school Parisian kitchens, chef’s toques and starched white tablecloths – they feel like something out of Ratatouille.
Do they deliver?
The pans managed to get an incredible sear on steak
Made In Stainless Clad Frying Pan, from £79
The first thing to take into account when using stainless steel pans like these is that you can’t cook with them like you would with nonstick.
Instead of relying on a non-stick surface made from chemicals like PFAS – commonly referred to as “forever chemicals” because they take hundreds of years to degrade – Made In relies on a clever bit of science for its non-stick effect.
To achieve this, you have to heat the pan up before you start cooking on it, allowing it to get hot enough that a few droplets of water splashed on the surface bead together and dance around like liquid mercury.
This nonstick is achieved by something called the Leidenfrost effect, where a thin layer of the water’s own steam creates a microscopically thin barrier between the pan and the water.
Once you’ve achieved that level of heat, you can get rid of the water, add oil and get cooking.
There are a few other things to remember, too; leaving meat to sear before trying to move it around in the pan, for example, and cooking at a generally lower heat than you would with non-stick (stainless steel retains heat really well).
However, once you’ve got these fairly simple lessons through your head, cooking on stainless steel quickly becomes very rewarding.
One of the first tests I did was cooking a steak, and I was blown away with how well it cooked – after just a few seconds, I had the perfect dark-brown crust around the meat that purists strive for.
And cooking with these pans, you also get an abundance of fond, the caramelised bits of food that stick to the bottom of the pan, which can then be deglazed and added back into a sauce for extra flavour.
These pans have some other benefits too. They’re surprisingly light, for one, which is handy if you’re tossing pasta or vegetables, and because the handles are made of metal, they’re also safe to pop in the oven.
They’re also dishwasher-safe – I probably wouldn’t get into a habit of chucking them in there every time you use them, but it’s nice to know it’s an option on those nights when you just can’t be bothered.
And because they don’t have chemical coatings, which chip over time, well cared for, these will last for decades.
How much are they?
The cheapest pan that Made In does, a 15cm Stainless Clad Frying Pan, is £79, and the three-piece set I tested is £269 – a £58 saving on buying the components separately.
While that sounds expensive, that puts it at the more affordable end of the luxury end of the spectrum; buying a pan from, say, Our Place or Hexclad would cost you slightly more.
However, it’s certainly more expensive than a perfectly serviceable pan from, say, Tefal or Procook.
To justify that, Made In would probably point to the fact that its pans are made in Italy with a five-ply construction, ensuring “even heating and expert searing”.
The Verdict
I’m head over heels for these pans.
After the inevitable adjustment period, where you have to figure out the knack of cooking on stainless steel, you’re rewarded by the most satisfying cooking experience you’ll ever have.
Perfectly seared steaks, charred veg and flavourful sauces are all extremely easy to achieve – and it’s simply an extra bonus that you’ll feel like a professional chef.
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