Baumalu 5qt. Saute Pan and 2qt. Open Sauce Pan

Baumalu 5qt. Saute Pan
Made in France
2.5 mm Copper lined with 0.5mm tin
Cast iron handle

This beautiful piece of cookware is a pleasure to the eye. Solid construction with 2.5mm thick copper. Tin lining is applied by hand according to the manufacturer's booklet, therefore, irregularity on the surface is considered normal.

The piece is not for weak arms, and it's definitely not one of those 'for show only' copper cookware. I was not able to saute the food with one arm during my test ( I can saute with a 12" Lodge cast iron pan though). The dish I made is a Chinese classic - "Red Cook Pork Chop" (A.K.A. pork chop Teriyaki). I made a modern twist to it by adding red sweet pepper to the dish. I found red sweet pepper (or paprika when red pepper is selling $3/lb.) does a good job in balancing soy sauce and bring to the sweetness of the cinnamon.

The first thing I noticed when using the pan is that it heats fast. It browns the pork chop perfectly, and left fond on the bottom for deglazing. I then sauted the Chinese five essence spice ( that I mixed myself), green onion, and red sweet pepper (diced), then deglazed the pan with rice wine and dark soy sauce. Added back the pork chop, covered the pan, and lower the heat. The pan response to the heat change very well. The sauce in the pan stops boiling right away. After 25 minutes of braising, I turned off the heat and let it sit for 5 minutes, then serve.

The pork chop came out excellent, I gave credit to the pot for excellent browning and braising capability. I didn't see any hot spot and food in the center of the pan is as "done" as the food close to the side of the pan. 2.5mm thick copper is the reason I guess.

My only complain is that 0.5mm tin lining is not much. After washing the pot that night, I have noticed couple area inside of the pan has started to expose copper. Therefore, I have to say goodbye to this pan and keep looking for a stainless steel lined copper cookware. Falk and Mauviel are the only options. However, neither of them is sold under $100.

Overall, I can only say I had a great time cooking with this pan. I do admit that I might have scrub the pan too hard when washing it. The maintenance is way too much for me to handle at the moment.

Cost: $49



The 2qt. open sauce pan is unique. It's hammered, meaning the body of the pan has dents all over. It has 3mm thick copper, again, a 0.5mm tin lining. It's gone for the same reason I described above. All I did was making soup in this pan.

It's really a pity that the tin lining didn't last. Both pans feel great in the hand and perform superb.

Cost: $19

Sitram Catering 3.35 Chef Pan and 3.35 Saute Pan

Showed in picture: 3.35 Saute pan at front, 3.35 Saucier in the back

Sitram Catering Line
Made in France
Stainless Steel with Copper disc bottom
NSF
No lid
Handle is welt not riveted
Drip free rim

These two restaurant grade stainless steel saute pan and saucier from Sitram are among my favorites. The stainless steel construction is solid and sturdy. The sizes of these two pans are perfect. There is a 2mm exposed copper disc sandwiched at the bottom. It looks great, but to keep it shiny requires rigid scrub with Cameo or Bar Keeper's Friend.

Another disadvantage of this disc bottom design is that it requires close regulating of heat source since the bottom doesn't go all the way to the edge of the pan, hence creating a
'hot ring' in the sides of the pan when used on gas top. Though I have heard people saying this design works better on an electric cook top better than a gas one, I can detest to that as I only have a gas stove top. To me, it works fine as long as I keep the flame within the diameter of the disc bottom.

Cleaning should not to be a big problem if you don't let the flame lick the sides of the pan. Otherwise, Cameo and Bar Keeper's Friend will get the job done easily.

The handle won't feel comfortable in your hand as they angel too much to the ceiling. As a result, I will have to stand on a kitchen step in order to wield it comfortably. I guess it's designed for those tall French chefs instead of a short home cook. Eventually, stepping on and off the bar stool became a chore, and I decided to bend the handle down with a pipe wrench. Since the handle is essentially one piece of stainless steel, it didn't cost not much hassle to angle the handle perfectly to fit my height. I will still use a kitchen towel though with the handle, it doesn't bother me.

I guess the welt handle won the cookware a NSF stamp, as you won't see any leftover food stuck in the rivets inside of the pan. I will roll my eyes over anyone who claims NSF is a mark of the quality though.

Overall, I like these two pieces for their design, construction and how they feel in the hand. The disc bottom design doesn't perform the best on on a gas burner as I can't use high heat in this
pan, but I can live with that. I will recommend Sitram to whoever likes 'commercial style' cookware.

Cost: ~$15 each

I Can Wok

Hot top beaming strong
Burning my face just walking around.

Hot top making me sweat
orders getting close, havent got me yet

I cant dance, I cant talk.
Only thing about me is the way I wok.
I cant dance, I cant sing
Im just standing here searing everything.

Oh and checking everything is in place,
You never know whos looking on.

Young punk spilling beer on my shoes,
Fat guys talking to me trying to steal my blues.

Thick smoke, see her smiling through.
I never thought so much could happen just making roux.

But I cant dance, I cant talk.
The only thing about me is the way that I wok.
I cant dance, I cant sing
Im just standing here searing

Oh and checking everything is in place
You never know whos looking on
A perfect body with a perfect face - uh-huh.

No, I cant dance, I cant talk.
The only thing about me is the way I wok
No, I cant dance, I cant sing
Im just standing here searing everything.

But I can wok.
No I cant dance.
No no no I cant dance
No I said I cant sing.
But I can wok