Crofton Awesome Pan
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EDITOR’S NOTES:
- Updated at the bottom with a 2-year progress report.
- Aldi sold this pan later in 2022 for a higher price of $28.99, but then Aldi brought it back again in 2023 and 2024 for the original price of $24.99.
- If you’re looking for information about the Crofton Mini Awesome Pan, click here.
- If you’re looking for information about the Crofton Awesome Pot, click here.
My kitchen is filled with Aldi cookware. From stockpots to fry pans, saucepans to skillets to mini casserole dishes, and even universal lids, the discount grocery store regularly features cookware in its famous middle aisle.
In January of 2022, Aldi introduced a new piece of cookware I’ve never seen them sell before: a budget imitation of a pricy name-brand Always Pan.
A bit of history on Always Pans: they are made by Our Place, a company founded in 2019 that focuses on making kitchen products. The co-founder, Shiza Shahid, served as a mentor to Nobel laureate and assassination survivor Malala Yousafzai. Our Place sells a variety of products, but its best-known 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.” It also comes with a built-in beechwood spatula and nesting steaming basket.
The catch is that a name-brand Always Pan currently costs $145. Enter the Aldi version, which costs just a fraction of what the name brand does.
Overview:
The Crofton Awesome Pan (Product Code: 705241) cost $24.99 at the time of publication. That’s obviously a lot less than the $145 Always Pan, and is also less than most other ceramic pans like this one online.
This is an Aldi Find, which means it’s only in stores for a short time. (And Aldi won’t ship it to you.)
Here’s more information about the Crofton Awesome Pan:
- Features Fusion Ti nonstick ceramic coating that allows for easy release
- Made without PFOA or PTFE
- Made with a long-lasting cast aluminum lid and a stay-cool, Bakelite handle
- Features an aluminum body that provides uniform heat distribution
- Measures 10.25″ in diameter
- Compatible with gas, electric, glass ceramic, halogen, and induction cooktops
- Available in Matte Black, Beige, or Dusty Blue
- Made in China
The Crofton Awesome Pan comes with a two-year warranty. The warranty page for the pan on the Aldi US website lists a London mailing address, while the email address on that page is based out of Colombia in Central America, although not all companies with similar email addresses are from Colombia. Anyway, this same warranty service provider has provided service for other Aldi products in the past.
Initial Thoughts:
I bought the Dusty Blue version, which is a pretty muted shade of blue-gray on the outside, while the interior is beige.
There are some notable differences between the Crofton Awesome Pan and an Always Pan. The Aldi Awesome Pan does not include a wooden spatula, spatula holder, or nesting steamer basket and colander like the Always Pan does. The Awesome Pan also is missing the two pour spouts on the sides that the Always Pan features.
This pan feels sturdy and is moderately heavy, but not nearly as heavy as cast iron cookware. The whole thing feels very substantial. The lid fits on top securely with a knob that is comfortable to grip. I like that the lid is metal instead of glass.
The handle is reasonably ergonomic. The instruction sheet that comes with the pan states that the handle will become hot during stove top or oven use, so oven mitts or hot pads should be used when moving the pan.
The small instruction sheet packed with the pan includes a few other tips:
- Before using, wash in warm soapy water with a soft cloth.
- Do not use high heat settings. Low to medium heat settings work best for most cooking.
- To preserve the life of the nonstick coating, always use nylon, silicone, or wooden utensils. Metal utensils will cut or scratch the pan.
- Place the cookware on a 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.
- The Bakelite handle is oven safe and heat resistant up to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Do not use under a broiler.
- Always lift the pan on a glass stove top, taking care never to drag or drop onto the glass surface.
- If cooking with a gas range stove top, never allow the open flame to travel up the sides of the cookware.
- Always allow the pan to cool before immersing in water to wash it, as it may cause the pan to 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 stove top user manual to ensure the use of proper cookware suitable to your appliance.
While the instructions technically say this is “oven safe,” the temperature rating (300 degrees) is probably too low for most baking uses. Of note: the Our Place Always Pan is not oven safe, so this is not a disadvantage of the Crofton pan compared to the Our Place one.
Trying It Out:
I have initially used this pan to cook Aldi sausage patties and scrambled cheesy eggs for a family brinner. The fairly thick pan took a little more time to heat up compared to some other skillets I own. Once it got cooking, the nonstick properties were excellent. Usually when I cook sausage in a regular nonstick pan, it leaves some dark gooey residue behind. That didn’t happen with this Aldi Awesome Pan. The scrambled eggs also did not stick at all. When it was time to wash the pan, the food residue rinsed out easily with no hard scrubbing required.
Also, most of the handle did not get too hot to the touch while this pan was on my stove top, even after I had been cooking for a good 10-15 minutes.
It remains to be seen how well the Awesome Pan holds up after more use, but I’m hopeful this will be a good addition to my cookware collection. I’ll update this post if there are any new developments.
The Verdict:
The Crofton Awesome Pan appears to be a less expensive Aldi take on the pricy name-brand Always Pan. There are some important differences, including the fact that the Aldi pan does not include a wooden spatula, spatula holder, nesting steamer basket and colander, or two pour spouts like the Always Pan has. Still, the Crofton pan’s sturdy aluminum construction with nonstick ceramic coating makes it look like a promising new addition to our kitchen. We initially used it to cook some sausage patties and eggs, and so far, so good. We’ll see how it does with prolonged use.
UPDATE (October 2024): After a full year of frequent use as our primary skillet, and now a couple of years still getting frequent use, the pan continues to hold up relatively well. Both the metal pan and the ceramic surface are in decent shape and do the job.
I rely on my cookware to be oven safe. This is not. Pass.
To be fair, this particular pan is mostly designed for stovetop rather than as a baking dish. (The Our Place Always Pan isn’t designed for baking, either.)
The handle seems to be covered in matching silicone, much better than any plastic. There were a few in one inner city store Christmas week. Way in the back of the freezer were still some German items, long gone/discounted elsewhere. Our freezer full, even after our New Years day party, so we skipped these bargains. They still also had a couple smoked turkeys, one of which we took home for split pea soup (bags also from Aldi) and turkey chili… and more.
It actually is up to 300 degrees , which is noted in her review ….
300 degrees is probably not hot enough for cooking, in my opinion it works to keep food warm…for a short period of time
I had several people try to get me one of these pans, and sadly, the one manager said he wasn’t even sure they existed! The one Aldi only had the cheaper $12.99 Crofton pan, which I did not want! So thinking they really never had this pan, but a rue to get shoppers in! Very disappointed!
We saw them in stores, so we know they existed. They were incredibly popular, though, so they didn’t last long, and some stores only got a few.
This may be due to product delays that have occurred in many different types of stores here. Aldi’s had mentioned it in our store a few months ago. The product may just be late getting there due to shipping. They print the fliers, expecting the products to be delivered by that date. We found what we were looking for a few weeks later, at the advertised price. I hope this helps.
Nearly Everything was arriving late to my area and I accidentally came across the awesome pan(not on discount) and the skillet (on discount) in the close out section much to my delight. I picked them up just after Christmas so there is still hope your store might have them.
I LOVE IT! This is a knock off of that OTHER popular pan, sold by pyramid marketing. I will not mention their name but we all know of that pan. This is my pan, no one is allowed to touch it. It’s a perfect omelette pan. It’s soft and gentle and cooks like a dream. I actually snagged the dark grey, NICE pan! Looks elegant. Go early if you want the newer stuff that drops on Wed morn. Our store had many of these pans, at least 12.
I was out of town the day this pan became available, noticed an Aldi’s store as we were driving and had my husband stop. Bought the last one in the store and it wasn’t even 10.30 yet. I’ve used it to cook chicken sausage breakfast links, browned Italian sausage for pizza night and boneless pork chops. Absolutely love it! No problem with food sticking and cleans up beautifully. Added bonus, the Aldi’s we stopped in sold wine, our local stores do not.
Alice, yes, the name-brand version is pricey, as mentioned in the post, but pretty sure it’s not part of a pyramid scheme.
My lovely husband took time out of work to be at Aldi when the store opened to get one of these pans for me. He said that people were lining up before opening and aldi only had five of these pans in stock total on opening morning. Luckily, he was able to find one and I love it! It is a dream to cook in. I really hope aldi makes more of these.
Tried the Aldi’s closest to my house first and they were sold out by the tine I got there Saturday. Trekked over to another Aldi in a shady part of the city and they had a bunch! I bought one for myself and one for my mom. My eggs and sausage have been sliding out like a dream!
Most Aldi stores never even got them in. Every one that I checked with did not, so what was the big point of advertising these!
My local stores had plenty of the pans. Aldi is dealing with shipping delays that are unpredictable and outside their control, just like every other retailer these days. https://www.aldireviewer.com/whats-up-with-aldi-find-product-shipping-delays/
agree I went to 5 stores and none of the stores received them! what was the point I even called the corporate office and that did not help the rep told me once they are gone that’s it well they never received them!!
I purchased one a few weeks ago and love it. It isn’t too heavy, cooks evenly and is non stick. Do I expect it to last forever? No, but even if I get a couple of years, it will be worth it.
I brought the 2 pans in the box and they are rusted
You’ll want to take them back for a refund.
I was lucky enough in Chicago to snag 2 of these pans right before Christmas, 1 matte black & the other a light lavender color , $29.99 each. I figured one of my sisters might want it.
I remembered reading the reviews about the Awesome pan compared to the name brand costing one an additional &115 for a steamer, wooden spoon, pour sprouts & hole in the handle for a spoon rest…..well l think that’s a lot of extra, unnecessary cost. Plus, most people own some type of wooden or silicone utensils, probably a spoon rest for their stovetop & may even have a steamer type of basket. I, of course, own all of these currently. Sure, a pour spout is nice on a pan, but most pans don’t have one, so you’ve already learned how to use a pan without that feature. The spoon rest, aka….holes in the handle is nice for hanging your pots/pans, but nonetheless not a dealbreaker for this bargain!
I’m impressed with Aldi’s commitment to quality & pricing. They’ve been high on my list for compliments for at least a decade now because, in my opinion, they just keep getting better & better, while saving me a ton of dough! Thank You Aldi.
I enjoyed reading the reviews on the Aldi Awesome Pan. I bought one for a gift and hope this person likes it as well as all of these reviewers.
Thank you.