Review of the Rachael Ray Hard-Anodized Skillet

I will admit it. I am rough on my pots and pans. I expect them to hold up to anything. I do not mind paying good money for high quality items that will stand the test of time. In the search for some new pots and pans, I found a fantastic deal on the Rachael Ray Hard-Anodized Rectangle Skillet. The Skillet comes with a cast iron Panini Press or Sammy Press as Rachael calls it. I figured since it was such a great deal I would buy just the pan before buying a whole set.

I ordered it online so I patiently waited for the package to arrive. The UPS man arrives and I am paused behind the closed door, not wanting to appear as a vulture waiting to attack. As soon as he had his foot ready getting back into his truck, I had the door opened, package in hand, and was back in the house before he even had a chance to sit down on his seat. Off to the kitchen we (the box and I) went looking for scissors to cut the packing supplies. The skillet and press are heavy. On side of the Skillet has a curve to help with getting a spatula under whatever it is your cooking. The soft grip orange handle makes for easy moving of the pan.

I put them in the sink and looked around my kitchen for something to make in my new pan. I decide on a grilled cheese so I can use the pan and press. I know in the back of my mind that this is a bad idea since the bread is very soft and that press is heavy, but decide to do it anyways. I wipe the skillet and press clean then put them on the stove to heat as I am preparing the sandwich.

Into the pan it goes with the press on top. Flip it over to toast the other side and put the press back on. The press is now squishing the cheese from the sandwich. The burnt and stuck on cheese will be the perfect test of the non-stick abilities on the new Rachael Ray skillet. The sandwich was great but next I will use bread that has a dryer texture like Italian or French.

As for the non-stick abilities, all I needed was a paper towel to wipe the burnt cheese from the pan. My next test was a skillet cake to see if the heat is distributed evenly. It worked great. The cake was perfect, not an over cooked spot anywhere. I am impressed with the Rachael Ray skillet and have since purchased six more of the same one for gifts. Even at full price, it would have been a purchase that was worth the money and it will last for years to come.