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Pros
attractive, minimalist design, heavy based, good weight, made in England, cooks like a dream
Cons
lug handles on S2 and S4 get warm, expensive, lids are not clear

Read our full guide to the best saucepan sets

What is the Crane stainless steel cookware set like to cook with?

Each pan arrives in its own presentation box. They’re securely packaged, and the vast majority of the packaging is recycled and recyclable, apart from a few plastic bags.

Before we even started cooking with these pans, we were struck by how beautifully designed they are. Each pan comes with sculpted handles, and they're reassuringly weighty and finished to the highest possible standard. The set doesn’t contain the pans you’d find in a traditional saucepan set, rather this collection is geared towards serious cooks, hence the inclusion of a casserole dish and sauté pan.

The pans are suitable for all hob types and we found them all to be stable and balanced, both when simply sitting on the hob and when stirring vigorously. The pans are uncoated, but we found nothing stuck to them. For ease, this cookware set is dishwasher-safe, though hand-washing is recommended.

Results

In the S1 pan, we cooked scrambled eggs and porridge. We melted a small pat of butter then added our eggs in. When we adjusted the temperature, the pan responded in a timely manner, allowing us to cook with absolute control. We found the same when cooking porridge too. The milk boiled evenly and we were able to reach right into the edges of the pan to incorporate all of the oats. After cooking, a thin layer of egg and milk remained, but rinsing and wiping with a sponge cleaned everything out.

We used the S4 pan to cook pasta. These pans are quick to heat up; water took just two minutes to come to the boil. Again, the pan was responsive to increases and reduction in temperature, and even with the lid on the pan didn’t boil over.

For our fried onions test we used the S2 pan. This heavy based pan stayed securely in place as we stirred the onions. Nothing stuck and the onions caramelised gently.

We cooked a classic omelette and American pancakes in the S5 frying pan. This pan is not non-stick, so you’ll need to use butter or oil before cooking anything. Our omelette cooked gently and slid out of the pan once finished. We dropped the pancake batter into the pan and it spread a little further than we’d have liked, but the pancake rose evenly and was smooth and evenly browned on either side once flipped.

Conclusion

Cooking with the Crane cookware set is nothing short of a joy. This pan set for serious and passionate cooks, and if you’ve got the money to spare, worth every penny.

For people looking for a pan set to last a long time, this one comes with a lifetime warranty. The pans are heavy-duty and beautifully designed. They’re versatile too, going from hob to oven with ease. They’re also pretty enough to act as serving dishes. There’s no avoiding it – these pans do not come cheap, but it may be the last cookware set you ever need to buy.