Circulon 12 Inch Skillet
The Circulon 12 inch skillet is an incredibly versatile cooking pan which is excellent for almost any kind of cooking. For example, the Circulon 12 inch skillet can: braise, sear, sauté, stir fry, scramble eggs, make omelets, pancakes, quesadillas and it is also great for Asian cooking owing to its unusually wide and deep skillet. The Circulon 12 inch skillet is 12-1/2×19x4 inches of quality cooking equipment that can easily handle a meal for 6 persons efficiently. I am rather a messy cook and I loved the wide mouth and generous cooking surface, because I could throw in my ingredients without them missing the mark and ending up on the floor! Unlike the limitations of shallow skillets, the Circulon 12 inch skillet sits on a wide base, which gives a good sized heating area and its deep edges allow it to contain generous portions of food. Furthermore, the Circulon 12 inch skillet has a structure which is both deep and tapering and this allows delicate foods, like omelets and fried fish, to slide out without breaking up.
The Elite series from Circulon is good enough, but favorite is the Circulon 2 series and the Circulon 12 inch skillet has all the quality features that I associate with this brand. For example, you get a sturdy pan of heavy-gauge, hard anodized aluminum which combines efficient thermal conductivity with durability. The Circulon 12 inch skillet will not warp and it can cook with temperatures right up to 400 degrees. You get almost instant heating with the Circulon 12 inch skillet and the uniform heat distribution means that your food is always perfectly cooked. Furthermore, the lid of the Circulon 12 inch skillet is made of strong, tempered glass which lets you supervise the cooking progress without having to open the lid itself. The lid of the Circulon 12 inch skillet fits well and keeps both flavor and nutrients from escaping as steam and I think this is an important feature.
Another good feature of the Circulon 12 inch skillet is its patented and unique Hi-Low wave technology, which makes its non stick coating superior to some other brands. The Circulon 12 inch skillet avoids the typical problems of peeling and cracking by its special design which means that only a small area of the high raised layer is exposed and in contact with the cooking food. From my own experience, I can tell you that the Circulon 12 inch skillet allows you to remove cooked food instantly and without any danger of overcooking. Cleaning and maintaining the Circulon 12 inch skillet is easy, so although you cannot put it in the dishwasher, you can simply wash it with a soft sponge in soap and warm water.
Is the Circulon 12 inch skillet a perfect cooking tool? In my opinion, it falls short of perfection because of the unwieldy handle which is not the right length or weight to balance this heavy pan. When I used the Circulon 12 inch skillet with its lid in place it was fine, but without the lid when I was trying to melt some butter, it tended to tip downwards. Bearing in mind that the price of the Circulon 12 inch skillet is 100 dollars, I believe that there are better skillets to be bought for the same price.