Circulon Contempo Hard Anodized Nonstick 12-Inch Covered Skillet

The Perfect Pan
This covered saute pan has quickly become my favorite. Circulon Contempo Hard Anodized Nonstick 12-Inch Covered Skillet

I wanted a good sized pan that was large enough to cook for my family of four without being too heavy or burdensome to clean. This pan easily holds four large sized chicken breasts (for example) and is deep enough to hold larger sauce or stew recipes. However, given is larger depth and surface size, it is not unwieldy to manage due to the comfortable silicone handle and its balanced weight. It is a quality pan with thoughtful details such as the clear lid, which fits snuggly, the stay-cool lid handle and the ease of its cleaning surface. I would not recommend putting this pan into the dishwasher, but cleaning its surface is quite easy - and even if the surface is blackened or charred during cooking, with a minute of soaking it comes right off with a soft sponge and very little effort...

Nice pan, but...
When all of the skillets we had reached the end of their usable lives almost simultaneously, I zeroed in on the Circulon non-stick pans because I have a Circulon griddle which has performed superbly. I really like the contemporary look of this design, and wanted a skillet with a lid, which seems to be hard to come by these days.

I like the skillet. It performs well. However, the handle is not as well balanced, nor as well covered as I would like. Given the size of the pan, it could really use a helper handle on the opposite side, especially given the lack of balance in the one handle. I also think the base could stand to be thicker, as it heats up and loses heat more quickly than I would expect based on high quality cookware I've had in the past.

I''m a convert to this brand - ultra fast heat up, good heat conduction throughout
I have owned many high end brands and even tried some inexpensive T fal items which weren't bad. I just purchased 2 items in Circulon and am super impressed. The heat up time is really fast, with even heat distribution all the way up to the rim. Love that I can use metal utensils and clean up has been very easy. Tried them on stove top and in oven. Everything turned out great and I love the prices.

Click to Editorial Reviews