Wolf Gourmet Cookware Review & Giveaway

Disclaimer: This is a product review article written for Wolf Gourmet in exchange for receiving their stainless steel cookware for my personal use. All opinions stated above are mine and are true to my personal experience while using this product. Wolf Gourmet is responsible for sponsoring the giveaway and I have not been monetarily compensated for the same.

Any person who enjoys cooking even a little will tell you how important a good set of pots and pans are. They are as important as the ingredients you choose to cook with. While everybody talks about the ingredients and methods of cooking, there seems to be no consensus on the best cookware that enables you to best bring out the flavors of the food you cook.

The email from Wolf Gourmet couldn’t have come at a better time. I had already thrown out my non-stick cookware set and had started collecting a hodgepodge of stainless steel pieces. If you take a look at this blog’s recipe index page, you will find that I cook several types of cuisines. It can be American, Indian, Italian, Chinese, Mediterranean and more. All these cuisines involve different types of cooking techniques like searing, slow-roasting, frying, stir-frying, sauteeing, braising, boiling, simmering and what not. How wonderful would it be if one set of pans took care of all that, right? So I gleefully accepted Wolf Gourmet’s stainless steel cookware set to test and bang on my countertops and review them for you. I rarely do sponsored posts or reviews, and make it a point to only work with brands who make excellent products that I can personally vouch for. I also have a GIVEAWAY lined up and you will find the details at the end of this post.

What is Wolf Gourmet cookware?

According to their website, “Wolf Gourmet cookware is crafted in the USA using multiple layers of stainless steel with an inner core of aluminum for incredible durability. Seven-layer construction throughout provides even heat distribution, faster heating, and superior heat retention for everything from searing steaks to cooking delicate sauces. Elegant, ergonomic handles fit comfortably into a variety of hand sizes and are easy to grip with or without oven mitts. Thoughtful features like flared rims, beveled walls and helper handles on larger pieces make preparing meals a pleasure.” I was prepared to test everything they claimed.

The 10-piece set I received includes,

6-qt Dutch oven with lid – perfect for stews, soups, one-pot rice dishes, pasta and more.

3-qt saucepan with lid – perfect for boiling eggs, potatoes and vegetables or for making sauces, custards, puddings, ganache and more.

2qt saucier with lid – a slightly curved and rounded saucepan which I personally loved because it made whisking and stirring super easy.

3.5-qt saute pan with lid and helper handle – a true work horse, it can sear meats, stir-fry vegetables, toss noodles, pasta casseroles and cook almost anything.

11.5-in and 8-in skillets – the skillets are well-designed with long sturdy handles which makes frying, flipping and tossing food very easy.

Personal Experience & Review

I decided to begin with fried eggs made in their skillet. Who doesn’t fry eggs almost everyday? And yet, this simple chore can turn out to be such a disastrous venture. Sometimes the pan is not hot enough or gets too hot too fast, the eggs are underdone or overdone and worst of all, it sticks to the pan so stubbornly you give up and begin to think they might be soul-mates.

This skillet heated up evenly in a reasonable amount of time. I like my eggs with slightly crisp edges and runny yolks. With a touch of oil in the pan, that is exactly how they turned out and the eggs slid right out as well. See for yourself.

We have a major dessert addiction in this family. I am constantly making custards, puddings, ganache or Indian kheer to feed our sweet tooth (teeth?). I tried my chocolate pudding recipe in the saucepan. I was able to whisk, boil and simmer the pudding to the perfect consistency. The thick beveled edges ensured that not a drop of milk pudding was burned and the flared rims enabled me to smoothly pour the pudding into dessert cups.

Now it was time to bring out the big guns. The 3.5-qt saute pan is a true work-horse and can probably do most of the cooking in the kitchen. I made curries, stir fries, noodles and even meat roasts in that pan. The large size ensures that onions get evenly caramelized. If you are salivating over this beautiful egg curry I made, I will post the recipe in a few days and link it here for you guys to enjoy. (Update: Here is the recipe post!)

The one feature I was super excited to try out was how the pans will hold up in the oven, especially in a super hot oven (they claim to be oven-safe up to 500 degF!). I whipped a batch of blackened, spiced chicken thighs for dinner yesterday. The meat was beautifully seared on the stove-top and finished baking in a 400 deg.F oven. I even stuck the pan under the broiler for a minute. This has to be the most beautiful, delicious and crisp skin on chicken I ever got. Can’t you almost hear it sizzle and crackle?

So, here’s my recap of the pros and cons.

Pros:

1. Crafted in USA.
2. The thick construction seems sturdy and durable.
3. Stainless steel is the safest way to cook as it is non-reactive with almost any kind of food ingredients.
4. The pans have fast, even heating and good heat retention while cooking.
5. I especially liked the flared rims that facilitate drip-free pouring of cooked sauces, stews, curries and soups.
6. You can use any sort of utensils in the pans, even metal spoons, whisks and stirrers.
7. Sturdy handles and helper handles on larger pans makes handling the pans easier.
8. These pans can go from stove-top to oven to tabletop. Cookware is oven-safe up to 500 deg.F.
9. Easy to clean. A good soak in warm, soapy water and a sponge or soft brush is all it takes to keep them looking new.
10. Last but not least, we love a good-looking cookware set, don’t we? And this one delivers big time!

Cons:

1. The one drawback that immediately came to mind as I was using them was how nice it would be to have a pasta or steamer insert. The Dutch pot full of water gets heavy, so draining pasta and noodles may be cumbersome to some.

Of course, all cookware pans are only durable so long as you do not abuse them too much. Only use pans as intended, never leave food unattended on the stove because over-heating dry pans is the number one cause of damage. These pans and lids can also go in the dishwasher, but I would personally recommend you to hand wash them to ensure they look good for a long time. Read more about this cookware series on their website or visit Bloomingdale’s to get your own set.

Wolf Gourmet & At The Corner Of Happy And Harried GIVEAWAY – ENTER NOW TO WIN! (**GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED**)

Wolf Gourmet has been kind enough to sponsor a giveaway for one lucky reader. You can win an amazing piece from their cookware collection and no prizes for guessing which one I’m offering you guys. Of course, it is the most versatile among the lot, the 3.5Q saute pan with lid priced at $329! Now you can fry, braise, stir-fry, simmer and roast to your heart’s content. See below for rules and guidelines.

How To Enter:

To enter,

1. I would be thrilled if you guys subscribed to this blog via email (see subscription box in the right sidebar or below the post in mobile devices).
2. I would also love it if you liked our Facebook page.
3. If you have done both, drop me a blog comment below telling me that you have subscribed and liked my FB page. If you want to, you can also tell me what you would love to cook in these pans. That’s it!

The giveaway will run from 17th March till 25th March and I will announce the winner on the 26th.

Other Terms & Disclosure:

1. You must be a resident of USA to enter this giveaway. Unfortunately, Wolf Gourmet is only able to ship to US addresses right now, so my international readers kindly excuse.
2. An online random name picker will decide the winner. The winner will be intimated via email and will have 48 hours to get back to me with their shipping address and telephone number. In case I do not hear from this person, I will draw another name.
3. The product will be shipped directly by Wolf Gourmet. At The Corner Of Happy & Harried is not responsible for non-fulfillment of this giveaway. This blog’s owner reserves the right to suspend this giveaway in case of any unforeseen circumstances.

Go on, SUBSCRIBE TO BLOG—LIKE ON FACEBOOK—COMMENT ON THIS POST to win this fabulous piece of cookware. Good luck, y’all!

UPDATE – MARCH 26TH, 2016

This giveaway is now closed. And the winner is Jenny. Congratulations!!