Oh man, what a pan!

As I hinted at a few weeks ago, my luck did not end with the Scharffen Berger and the cookies from Mrs. Wheelbarrow. In fact, I won yet another contest, this time from the fabulous Barbara at Vino Luci Style. Barbara had a giveaway sponsored by ManPans and I received this gorgeous pan, lid and steamer insert!

It’s a beauty! I have to admit that I hadn’t heard of ManPans before I noticed some buzz on Twitter and some other blogs. But, they are made here in the US and are known for their green environmental practices so that sounded good to me right off the bat. Then I was even more intrigued when before they shipped me my prize, they specifically asked if my range was gas or electric and what type. I have an electric range with a flat glass top and it is hard to find a pan that really sits on it flat, snug and even. I have good Calphalon pans that don’t even quite do the job. So, I couldn’t wait to find out of this pan would actually be different since it was apparently made just for my range type.

When I got it out of the box, I noticed right away how lightweight it was, which was surprising. Aren’t great pans supposed to be heavy and hard for me lug in and out of my cabinets? So, I placed it on my range right away and even before I cooked anything I could tell there was something different about this pan. It really did sit on my range like it was made for it – flat, snug & even!

Man Pans also has their own tough proprietary non-stick coating process. So tough they say you can even use metal utensils with them and not damage the surface. For my first use of the pan I decided to try another recipe from Pam Anderson’s Perfect One Dish Dinners – Salsa Verde Chicken with Herbed Cornmeal Dumplings. There’s some whisking involved so it was a great way to test that metal utensil thing out and I can report that the whisk didn’t leave a mark. Fabulous.

(Side note – I grabbed a jar of Goya brand medium salsa verde to make this, never having purchased salsa verde before. It was ragingly hot to me. Is that just me or this brand?)

Another thing I loved about this pan was that it was super easy to clean – easier than any other so-called non-stick pan I own. I have been using the pan constantly since then, including for a beef stew during the blizzard last week. Sorry for the steam in this picture, but I wanted to show you the great sear I got on that beef – who said you can’t get a good sear on a non-stick pan? I’m sold!!

So, I think I am going to need more of these pans. And just so you know, Man Pans didn’t ask me to write this. I just wanted to properly thank them and Barbara (You should totally be following Barbara on Twitter, and for your web design needs, check out her Kinetic Webs services!) and tell you about this great product. Thanks, Man Pans!

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