Crofton Mini Awesome Pan

This post contains affiliate links. 

EDITOR’S NOTE: This review is from 2024. Aldi sold the same pan in May of 2025 for $18.99. Read our update at the end of this post on how the pan has held up during our first year using it. 

In January of 2022, Aldi introduced the Crofton Awesome Pan. It was a much less pricey knockoff of an expensive name-brand Always Pan. Always Pans are made by Our Place, a company founded in 2019 that makes kitchen products. The co-founder, Shiza Shahid, served as a mentor to Nobel laureate and assassination attempt survivor Malala Yousafzai.

Our Place sells a whole range of cookware, but its signature product is the Always Pan, which features an aluminum body and ceramic nonstick cooking surface. It claims to replace your “fry pan, sauté pan, steamer, skillet, saucier, saucepan, non-stick pan, spatula, and spoon rest.” We bought the knockoff version when it came out at Aldi, and it’s one of our go-to pans for making everything from eggs to taco meat.

In the spring of 2024 and again in 2025, Aldi took it a step further and sold a Mini Awesome Pan. This is a knockoff of the name-brand Mini Always Pan. The Aldi Mini Awesome Pan is only 8 inches in diameter compared to the regular Aldi Awesome Pan’s 10.25-inch diameter. If you buy the name-brand version, you’ll pay a whopping $100 when it’s not on sale (it was on sale for $80 in May of 2025). Meanwhile, the Aldi Crofton Mini Awesome Pan cost only $18.99 in 2025.

I like our full-sized Awesome Pan so much that of course I had to buy the Mini Awesome Pan when it arrived in my local stores. It came in black, pink, and blue. I bought the blue one to match my blue regular-sized Awesome Pan.

The Crofton Mini Awesome Pan is an Aldi Find, so you’ll only find it in stores for a short time. Each store receives one shipment, and after that sells out, it’s gone. Aldi might decide to bring it back later, but only Aldi knows. You can’t order Aldi products online if they’re out of stock at your local store.

This cost $16.99 when I bought it in 2024. As of 2025, it’s $18.99. For comparison, the name-brand Mini Always Pan costs $100 when it’s not on sale. You also won’t find name-brand Mini Always Pans or similar pans for less on Amazon.

Here’s more information on the pan, according to the package labeling:

• Oven safe to 300 degrees
• For use on electric, glass ceramic, gas, halogen, and induction cooktops
• Made without PFOA or PTFE
• Features FusionTi nonstick coating for easy release and cleanup
• Measures 8 inches in diameter (20.4 cm.)
• Measures 15.8 inches long including the pan and handle
• Cast aluminum provides uniform heat distribution

This is sold under the Crofton brand. There is not a company called Crofton. Instead, that’s the name Aldi puts on many of the kitchen products and cookware it sells, which it sources from various suppliers.

The packaging has directions for use and care:

• Before using, wash in warm, soapy water with a soft cloth.
• Do not use on high heat settings. Low to medium heat settings work best for most cooking.
• To preserve the life of the nonstick coating, always use nylon, silicon, or wooden utensils. Metal utensils will cut or scratch your pan.
• Place the pan on a cooktop burner no larger than the bottom of the pan. The pan should heat up gradually on the burner. Do not put the pan on a pre-heated burner.
• Never leave an empty pan on a hot burner. This can damage the stovetop and ruin the pan.
• The pan is oven-safe and heat resistant, but only up to 300 degrees. Do not use under a broiler.
• The handle and the pan will get hot during stovetop or oven use. Use oven mitts or a hot pad.
• Always lift the pan on a glass stovetop, taking care never to drag or drop the pan onto the glass surface.
• If cooking on a gas range stovetop, never allow the open flame to travel up the sides of the pan. This can lead to discoloration of the pan.
• Always allow the pan to cool before immersing in water so the pan doesn’t warp.
• The pan is not dishwasher safe. Hand wash only. Do not use steel wool, metal scouring pads, or abrasive cleaners.
• Always clean and dry the pan before storing.
• Always consult your stovetop user manual to ensure the use of proper cookware suitable for your appliance.

So far, this pan functions exactly like the full-sized Awesome Pan from Aldi. It’s just smaller. It’s perfect if you’re cooking for just one or two people, or if you only need to cook a small amount of food. For example, I initially tried this pan when I made a breakfast sandwich for myself. I fried an Aldi sausage patty in the preheated pan, then fried an egg, and added it all to a biscuit with some cheese. Everything cooked up great, and the pan is easy to clean after it’s cooled down, with a nice nonstick surface that helps everything wash off easily.

The only downside is that the Aldi pan doesn’t do as much as the name-brand Mini Always Pan. The name-brand pan claims it “sautes, fries, bakes, sears, boils, braises, strains, serves, stores … does it all!” Meanwhile, this Aldi pan is only oven safe up to 300 degrees, so you should not use it in the oven other than maybe for keeping things warm. The Aldi pan also does not include a built-in spoon rest or spoon holder like the name brand does.

Honestly, those things are not deal breakers for me, as I rarely need cookware that goes between the stovetop and oven. I also don’t mind using a separate spoon rest.

I’m definitely glad to add this pan to my cookware collection. It was a timely addition, too, as some of my other smaller skillets were starting to wear out. As always, Aldi seems to sell exactly what I need exactly when I need it.

The Verdict:

The Crofton Mini Awesome Pan is just like the Crofton Awesome Pan but smaller, and it’s a knockoff of a very expensive Mini Always Pan. The name brand costs $100 when it’s not on sale, while the Aldi dupe is just $18.99 in 2025. The Aldi pan has a good nonstick surface for easy cleanup, and it’s ideal for cooking small amounts of food. So far, we love it.

UPDATE (5/4/2025) — I’ve owned this pan for a year now, and it gets regular using making eggs, sausages, and other small amounts of food. It still looks as good as new and works well.