I’m a Former Pastry Chef, and This Is the Only Nonstick Pan I’m Using to Make Sticky Sauces and Caramels

The saying goes true: You can take a girl out of the restaurant but you can’t take the restaurant out of the girl. My former career as a pastry chef has made the kitchen my forever happy place. How could it not be when there are so many fun ingredients to experiment with and so much top-notch cookware to conduct said cooking adventures in?

Because I’m cooking (and dancing and sweating) in my apartment so often, I spend hours and hours testing out kitchen essentials nonstop. Whether it be super cute (and sharp!) chef’s knives or affordable and effective stand mixers, you can bet I’ve clocked in a few extra hours testing things out than your average home cook. While there are tons of editor-favorite and internet-famous brands that I use for my daily cooking, it’s discovering new-to-me finds that really gets me excited. I mean, the only thing better than cooking with something you love is finding that something. Am I right?

One of those recent discoveries that has me whipping up delicious goods with minimal effort and minor cleanup is the new Fiskars Hard Face Saucepan, which is exclusively available at Wayfair. I’ve had it for just about two weeks, and let me tell you, it’s been on my stovetop almost every single one of those days. The pan is, like so many others these days, non-stick and PFOA-free. Yet, unlike other comparable models, the interior of this cookware is a trademarked 4-layer Hardtec Superior Plus coating; it’s tough and most importantly scratch resistant (even so, you’ll only ever catch me using my silicone and wood utensils on non-stick surfaces).

I’ll admit the feel of the pan’s interior is a bit surprising. Contrasted with the smooth, shiny cooking surfaces of the non-stick coatings I’ve always used, this Hardtec feels rough and porous. But that very same coarse texture is what allowed the caramel I made last weekend to simply slip right out of the pan — I’m talking no spatula. Now that’s truly non-stick if you ask me.

Another reason why I love the pan? Its aluminum-energy base causes the Fiskars pan to heat up twice as fast as other cookware. Which I notice: All. The. Time. For example, last night I had two pots of water on for pasta — one for my GF pasta and another for my boyfriend’s very glutenous cut. I was making a single serving just for me, and the Fiskars was the ideal size. Next to a stainless steel sauce pan, my water boiled in just under three minutes, at which point I promptly turned off the timer because my boyfriend’s pot had only just begun steaming. Point proven.

Plus, when the pasta was cooked and ready, all I had to do was reattach the top, tip the pot, and the water streamed out. That’s because the Fiskars pot lid, which is made of glass (so you can monitor what you’re cooking) and has a silicone edge (which retains moisture and eliminates banging or clanging), has two spouts on each side. One spout is perforated for pouring out just a bit at a time, where the other is larger and functions as a steady stream. Perfect for draining the water from pasta, lentils, rice, and, of course, for minimizing dish-washing.

It’s dishwasher safe (if there’s anything left in the pan to clean, that is), has Bakelite handles which always stay cool to the touch, and works on all stovetops (plus in the oven up to 300 degrees). In short, this Fiskars pan offers everything I could dream of and more, and as someone trying to relive my old pastry days, it’s a relief to be able to rely on a pan for sticky sauces, caramels, and custards knowing I won’t have a hefty cleanup to follow. I might just have to get a whole set, after all, they are stackable.

Buy: Fiskars Hard Face Saucepan with lid, 2.5 qt., $155