Stanley Tucci x Greenpan Venetian teal 33cm pan
- Size: 33cm diameter, not including handles
- Capacity: 6l
- Cooking source: Gas, electric and induction
- Oven and grill safe : Pan up 315C lid up to 218C
- Colours : Carra White (£199.95), Milano Black (£229.95), Stainless Steel (£229.95)
- Full range: 11 pieces include – 26cm saute pan, 16cm and 20cm saucepans, 16cm, 20cm and 30cm frying pans, 33cm pan with lid, pasta pot with glass lid, stainless steel pasta insert – £699.95/ £799.95 in Milano Black and Stainless Steel.
- Why we love it
- Great for batch cooking or big families
- Sturdy and durable
- Looks great
- Chemical-free
- Made using recycled materials
- Even heat-distribution
- Great non-stick ability
- Dishwasher safe
- Take note
- Takes up a lot of space
- Heavy
First impressions
This aesthetically pleasing chic pan has been designed to be the jewel in the 11-piece range’s crown. First thing to note – it’s a biggie. At 33cm diameter (not including handles) with a 6-litre capacity, it’s a hefty piece of equipment. So large, it takes up a huge amount of space on my cooker, and its base is much larger than the biggest ring on my induction hob, making using other pans at the same time quite the squeeze.
But, for its generous capacity, it makes batch cooking and cooking for families or dinner parties a total breeze. Forget struggling to cook enough food to feed the five thousand (ok, not quite, but you get the idea, it’s big). Tucci apparently wanted people to be able to cook "without constraints", which I totally agree I could. I made a huge cauliflower and spinach dal for two, with plenty of leftovers, and I wasn’t struggling to keep the contents in the pan, or annoyingly sloshing it over the sides.
As expected with its large size, it’s also pretty heavy too and feels more akin to a chunky Le Creuset cast iron casserole dish, rather than a frying pan. Though, it has its positive side, as the brand says this means the pan "won’t warp or wobble". It’s certainly sturdy and doesn’t move around while cooking.
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It also looks good, just as you’d expect. It’s one of those pans you’re happy to leave out on the hob, adding to your interior’s aesthetic, rather than something you’re keen to shove into a cupboard.
The teal colour covers the entirety of the outside of the pan, including the bottom, omitting a black or stainless steel base. This feels more inline with modern cookware design, like the Instagram-favoured Always pans, which took the internet by storm and encouraged even the unlikeliest of people to get cooking. The inside of the pan is grey, which I prefer to the usual black of most pans.
Design and performance
Belgian cookware brand Greenpan prides itself on its ceramic non-stick cookware, using its signature ‘Thermolon’ coating which is also free of any chemicals. It’s also made from 70 per cent recycled aluminium, a big tick in my book.
It’s made from three-ply stainless steel, which sounds familiar and what other similar high end cookware brands use, too. Going one step further though, the brand says it’s infused with layers of diamonds, which increases its durability and heat transfer, which I felt was even and well spread, even though the base of the pan is enormous. It happily passed the egg frying test breezily, cooking evenly and quickly, without sticking.
The teal-coloured base is made by weaving bands of stainless steel together, which Greenpan says is "truly cutting-edge". It’s then infused into a 5mm thick forged base to offer efficient induction. I found it heated up quickly and didn’t need to be on a high heat to get things started.
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Tucci says its design has been inspired by Italian cooking, where the ethos is to buy the "best ingredients possible", which he’s translated to his equipment range – buying the best you can, in effect to honour the food’s quality too. It’s a nice sentiment to connect the food to the act of cooking, and feels like the cookware brand is really aimed at the keen home cook. Of course, they’re all made in Italy too, where else?
He’s obviously keen for the pan to be as functional as it is beautiful, which I’d say he’s achieved. One way he’s done this is by ensuring the handles don’t get hot, including the one on the pan lid. Often a rare find, and usually only with the higher end cookware brands, which Tucci’s sits neatly within, considering the £200 price tag. The teal version has gold-coloured handles, made from cast iron which certainly add to the weight of the pan, but also play a big part in both its aesthetic and balancing the pan’s size nicely. There’s also a small handle to help carry it, if you’re doing hob to table serving.
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It’s a slick design that feels seamless, without any little annoying add ons, or complications. Its simple branding “Tucci” is found on both handles and the bottom too. The lid is also completely flat, unlike the usual curved lids most pans have.
The pan is easy to clean, too, nothing stuck on it and, though it is dishwasher safe, the brand recommends hand washing, which is what I’ve done and do with other similar pans. I also use silicone utensils to avoid scratching. Interestingly, Greenpan also says not to use spray oils, as these have a propellant which can damage non-stick, so make sure to stick to butter or oil.