I have the lucky job of testing cookware for Ideal Home and a little over six months ago, a very intriguing cookware find landed at my door for a review. It was the Our Place Titanium Always Pan Pro, which is currently reduced from £170 to £121.50.
It's a seriously pricey pan set – that was one of my serious quibbles with it in my full-length review – but I also heralded it after my tests as the best non-stick pan I'd ever tried after trialling dozens. Now, six months on, I've discovered more about how this pan really holds up, especially after it getting a bit of a charring when I accidentally left it on a hob too long.
After all, if you're going to invest in a seriously expensive pan set you want to know you'll have it for the long haul. Here's three extra things I've learned in my prolonged testing of this 'indestructible' cookware.
1. It can bounce back from burnt-on blunders
In my original review, I was so impressed by how this pan looked as good as new even after my time putting it through its paces. Now it's been even longer that I've been using this pan often twice a day in my kitchen and I've had more accidental mishaps with burnt-on food than I initially did.
The most notable one was when I was browning meatballs to add to a slow cooker recipe before adding onions to the mix. Distracted by getting my other ingredients ready, I left them on the hob a touch too long and came back to a very burnt bottom on the pan.
With cheaper pans I've owned in the past, this would mean a serious amount of scrubbing at best or a ruined one at worst. And I had to admit that the amount of burning I'd caused on this pan did worry me as it looked severe.
Luckily the USP of this pan is that it is 'virtually indestructible' and that rang true with this particular burn mark. One go through the dishwasher later and all I needed to do was use my trusty acacia brush to get the final debris out of the grooves on the non-stick surface.
This kind of harsh brush with tightly packed bristles has been my lifesaver with this pan's small grooves – this one is similar from Amazon for £6.88 (and you also get a soft one thrown in!).
2. Anyone can use this pan – without you worrying about it
Once you use this pan it's hard to go back to versions with a standard non-stick coating as all of the actions that become natural with this pan, like using metal utensils and putting it in the oven at extremely high heats, are not universal. In fact, this pan makes you a tad spoilt.
Though that ease of use element is undoubtedly valuable. If you live in a house share (where pans are regularly abused, let's be honest) or even struggle with your nearest and dearests not giving as much respect to pans as they should, this pan will survive unscathed.
My metal tongs are one of my trusty kitchen tools and being able to use them across my cookware thanks to this pan is a real game changer. You can cook and serve with them without worrying about scraping your non-stick coating up from your pan and so can less-than-careful chefs in your house too!
3. It might have competition
One of the things I loved about this pan initially was how stylish it looks as a pair on my hob, though the fingerprint and grease marks are sometimes an irritation. I thought it was easily one of the the best looking sets on the market, with a real professional chef feel.
Recently Our Place launched a new cookware line: the Essentials collection, which features easy-to-store ceramic cookware. Now these two ranges are very different, with the Essentials products lacking the indestructible build of the Titanium range most crucially. But there are other positives instead: it's easy to store thanks to the included pan organisers and features glass lids, so you can keep an eye on your food.
I've been testing the 11-piece set (£275 at Our Place) for a few weeks now and I'm impressed by its non-stick capabilities so far, though I do have to be vigilant when using it as it's not as tough as my trusty Titanium Pro. It looks great on my hob too and I am in love with its storage system. The two might just be competing for a spot in my kitchen.
After a more affordable option? The Our Place Mini range isn't just super cute, it's also super functional. The bestselling Mini Always Pan 2.0 makes a great Christmas gift for a foodie (or yourself), and there's also the Mini Cookware Duo bundle reduced from £210 to £150.
