Pangea

By Tara Richter…

There is a lot to be said for good quality kitchen products. For a number of years, I made-do with cheap versions or received hand-me-downs from family. The problem with poor quality is that food sticks, burns, or falls apart in big messes, ultimately making baking and cooking entirely unpleasant. Now that I’ve been working in a permanent job for a number of years, I’m slowly converting my cookware and bake ware to really functional and quality products; and I must say – it really does make a difference.

A recent addition to my kitchen was a couple of products from Pangea Sales inc, including a frying pan and cake pan. This company is based out of Ontario and serves as in import distributor of unique and better quality housewares and food preparation products. They have over 20 years of marketing experience to meet the growing and changing needs of consumers.

I have since tossed all previous frying pans in my kitchen after receiving and using the Woll Diamond Plus 8” Frying Pan. Until I used this frying pan, I’d actually forgotten what properly cooked eggs should look (and taste) like, and how even heat distribution really cooks food so well!

All Woll cookware products are hand-produced in Germany, and have a non-stick cooking surface that uses state of the art technology. The surface allows for easy release of food (and easy cleaning) without the use of oils or fats. Best of all they are PFOA free, short for perflurooctanoic acid that is commonly used in non-stick products such as Teflon. This synthetic chemical has actually been found in the bloodstream of the majority of Americans and is increasingly under scrutiny for potential adverse health issues. Unlike many non-stick products, the Woll pans are oven-, dishwasher, and metal-utensil safe.

I also really liked the little booklet the Woll Diamond Plus Frying pan came with complete with a list of 9 tips for use of the frying pan, covering everything from the best way to heat the pan for different cooking options, to the kinds of fats & oils to use.

The Push-Pan by Wilkinson is no ordinary cake pan. This leak-proof and watertight pan smoothly removes any depth of cake simply by pushing the ‘centre’ up and out of the circular basket that surrounds it, allowing you to bake, release, and serve all in one. Until this brilliant idea of a cake-pan came into my life, I had all but stopped making my own round cakes simply due to poor bake-ware that caused the cake to stick to the sides. My cake fail would often involve an attempt to invert the pan in hopes of releasing a perfectly round cake, only to have it come out in awkward pieces and crumbs.

When I told my son I “had-to” make a cake in order to try out the Wilkinson Push-Pan, he could hardly wait and continually asked once it was fresh out of the oven when we could have some. Once cooled, I prepared myself for the push part of the push-pan experience.

I couldn’t help but say aloud “that is so slick” as the cake & cake base very easily rose up through the middle of the pan revealing a perfectly round, perfectly formed chocolate cake. Of course the cake didn’t last very long around here since it was a bit of a novelty!

Give the gift of quality this year to those culinary folks on your lists or perhaps just to those who need the cookware upgrade as I did. The Push-Pan (available in varying sizes from 19.99 to 24.95) and 8” Woll Diamond Plus Frying pan ($69.99) are available online through http://www.pangeadirect.ca/. The website also offers immediate access to other great products through their downloadable catalogue. Many of the items are available at local retailers, however these may be different city to city. To find a retailer near you, simply type your postal code or city in the space provided on the Retail Network tab of the website to find where to buy these great products.