I have been making crepes for 30 years, using various frying pans. I fry my crepes in butter at high heat, getting a beautiful golden-brown finish. The thinner pans heat quickly for fast cycle-times, but also heat unevenly because of poor heat distribution. Most recently I have been using All-clad copper-core 12" frying pan which works pretty well, but I wanted the very low-profile edge, and the heavy copper for the ultimate even-heat distribution.
So I bought this Mauviel 12" crepe pan, which is 1.5mm copper with a stainless lined interior. Mauviel has 3 different handle options for most of the cookware - stainless, cast-iron or bronze. For this pan, I could only find the bronze.
The handle has turned-out to be the biggest problem. First of all, this is a heavy pan, weighing nearly 4 pounds. The handle is just too thin - it is barely an inch wide, and about 1/4" thick. It is just uncomfortable to work with - lifting, rotating, flipping the crepes with this handle built like a butterknife. But, by FAR the biggest problem is that the bronze handle conducts a ton of heat from the pan up the handle. By the time I made maybe 4 or 5 crepes, the handle was so hot I couldn't touch it anymore. So I had to grab an oven mitt and use that for the remainder of the batch.
I don't understand how a company that has been making cookware since the Andrew Jackson administration hasn't yet figured-out how to make pan handles that are cool and comfortable to use?? I NEVER have this problem with my All-clad. Why doesn't Mauviel redesign the handle, or at least offer a silicone handle sleeve to fit their pan handles? Is this the best they can do for $250?
So now I am looking for a silicone handle sleeve that will fit - which is a nightmare because no one publishes any dimension on these sleeves, except the length. So it will be trial and error until I find one that fits properly.
On the positive side, the pan worked as well as I could have hoped: it resulted in beautiful, uniform, even browning and absolutely nothing stuck to the nicely polished stainless. Of course, being raw copper, the exterior quickly oxidized with a pattern of bluish/purplish colors in the pattern of the gas burner. It is relatively easy to bring it back to new with copper cleaners, but I'm not sure if I will bother doing that every time. I bought this for its cooking performance, not as an art object.
Update Aug 2012: I did find a silicone handle that works really well - a 'black silicone pan handle for 14" pans' (product #806849) from US Foods Culinary E&S
Next Day Gourmet Black Silicone Pan Handle 6-1/4"L For 14" Fry Pans
that was very inexpensive. This makes all the difference in the world. WITH the handle, I will upgrade the rating from 3* to 5* - it makes that much difference. Never mind the 1* review on the handle - it fits perfectly on this pan.
Add a debit or credit card to save time when you check out
Convenient and secure with 2 clicks. Add your card
Customers also viewed these products
Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1
Reviews with images
SPARROW HAWK COOKWARE CAVEATS
Hello felow Mauviel fans, sadly, I must submit this product review & forewarning concering our shopping experience with Sparrow Hawk Cookware & Mauviel Cookware of France. I've included my communications with Sprrow Hawk, who declined to offer a product exchange four our 12" Crepe Pan. My wife admires the brand but this product was problematic--from ordinary soap & water, incredibly. ALSO, she attempted to revive the brilliant copper sheen with copper polish, as directed, but the polish failed to restore the pan to its original lustre.The following email exchange took place 7-10-2020 (w/slight spelling edits).Hello, I need your assistance. I purchased the Mauviel pan in late March for my wife’s birthday in late April, just as th COVID shut down took place. She noted the color seemed off compared to her other copper pans, also vintage Mauviel. She did not use the pan until recently, & we made a distressing discovery. After the first use the pan was significantly discolored, & when we logged onto our Amazon account we had just missed the the return item time frame.So, we are requesting an exchange, because my wife loves the pan but is disappointed with the severe discoloration. I have photos to compare the copper color & reveal the pan condition.SPARROW HAWK COOKWARE: It is too late to exchange the piece. I believe you simply to use some their copper polish. It is still the exact same body composition as they have always had.2nd MSGWe are upset, naturally, b/c my wife has become a fan of vintage Mauviel cookware & thus I wanted to surprise her. I've included photos so you can see the extreme discoloration & reconsider your position. The photos clearly reveal the pan interior is virtually new & the exterior shows what looks like extreme burn mark in the center & YET the polish remains on the sides.Please review the photos carefully. As noted, she loves the pan but is disappointed in the sudden, unexpected discoloration which suggests a faulty manufacturing step within the production chain. In fact, you can see that one side seems radically discolored yet the opposite side still has the deep copper sheen.She would be happy with an exchange b/c the Mauviel copper is part of her decor & serious cookware collection developing.SPARROW HAWK COOKWARE: What was sent to you was new construction from Mauviel not vintage. You will need to contact Mauviel directly to find out if something changed in construction. They have not said anything to us about a change. It is past any return period thru us and Amazon but if you contact Mauviel directly, they may be able to exchange it.3rd MSGOk, well that's disappointing, considering this new pan--in the course of normal usage--reveals such questionable manufacturing. Worse, we expressed our willingness to gratefully accept an exchange rather than demand a refund, but clearly you feel the transaction is complete & not subject to discussion.As a matter of fair warning, I will post the photos on Amazon & offer fellow consumers a caveat when shopping Mauviel & your storefront, sadly.
Top reviews from the United States
There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.
Reviewed in the United States on April 23, 2012
Reviewed in the United States on January 22, 2023
Reviewed in the United States on July 11, 2020
Hello felow Mauviel fans, sadly, I must submit this product review & forewarning concering our shopping experience with Sparrow Hawk Cookware & Mauviel Cookware of France. I've included my communications with Sprrow Hawk, who declined to offer a product exchange four our 12" Crepe Pan. My wife admires the brand but this product was problematic--from ordinary soap & water, incredibly. ALSO, she attempted to revive the brilliant copper sheen with copper polish, as directed, but the polish failed to restore the pan to its original lustre.
The following email exchange took place 7-10-2020 (w/slight spelling edits).
Hello, I need your assistance. I purchased the Mauviel pan in late March for my wife’s birthday in late April, just as th COVID shut down took place. She noted the color seemed off compared to her other copper pans, also vintage Mauviel. She did not use the pan until recently, & we made a distressing discovery. After the first use the pan was significantly discolored, & when we logged onto our Amazon account we had just missed the the return item time frame.
So, we are requesting an exchange, because my wife loves the pan but is disappointed with the severe discoloration. I have photos to compare the copper color & reveal the pan condition.
SPARROW HAWK COOKWARE: It is too late to exchange the piece. I believe you simply to use some their copper polish. It is still the exact same body composition as they have always had.
2nd MSG
We are upset, naturally, b/c my wife has become a fan of vintage Mauviel cookware & thus I wanted to surprise her. I've included photos so you can see the extreme discoloration & reconsider your position. The photos clearly reveal the pan interior is virtually new & the exterior shows what looks like extreme burn mark in the center & YET the polish remains on the sides.
Please review the photos carefully. As noted, she loves the pan but is disappointed in the sudden, unexpected discoloration which suggests a faulty manufacturing step within the production chain. In fact, you can see that one side seems radically discolored yet the opposite side still has the deep copper sheen.
She would be happy with an exchange b/c the Mauviel copper is part of her decor & serious cookware collection developing.
SPARROW HAWK COOKWARE: What was sent to you was new construction from Mauviel not vintage. You will need to contact Mauviel directly to find out if something changed in construction. They have not said anything to us about a change. It is past any return period thru us and Amazon but if you contact Mauviel directly, they may be able to exchange it.
3rd MSG
Ok, well that's disappointing, considering this new pan--in the course of normal usage--reveals such questionable manufacturing. Worse, we expressed our willingness to gratefully accept an exchange rather than demand a refund, but clearly you feel the transaction is complete & not subject to discussion.
As a matter of fair warning, I will post the photos on Amazon & offer fellow consumers a caveat when shopping Mauviel & your storefront, sadly.
The following email exchange took place 7-10-2020 (w/slight spelling edits).
Hello, I need your assistance. I purchased the Mauviel pan in late March for my wife’s birthday in late April, just as th COVID shut down took place. She noted the color seemed off compared to her other copper pans, also vintage Mauviel. She did not use the pan until recently, & we made a distressing discovery. After the first use the pan was significantly discolored, & when we logged onto our Amazon account we had just missed the the return item time frame.
So, we are requesting an exchange, because my wife loves the pan but is disappointed with the severe discoloration. I have photos to compare the copper color & reveal the pan condition.
SPARROW HAWK COOKWARE: It is too late to exchange the piece. I believe you simply to use some their copper polish. It is still the exact same body composition as they have always had.
2nd MSG
We are upset, naturally, b/c my wife has become a fan of vintage Mauviel cookware & thus I wanted to surprise her. I've included photos so you can see the extreme discoloration & reconsider your position. The photos clearly reveal the pan interior is virtually new & the exterior shows what looks like extreme burn mark in the center & YET the polish remains on the sides.
Please review the photos carefully. As noted, she loves the pan but is disappointed in the sudden, unexpected discoloration which suggests a faulty manufacturing step within the production chain. In fact, you can see that one side seems radically discolored yet the opposite side still has the deep copper sheen.
She would be happy with an exchange b/c the Mauviel copper is part of her decor & serious cookware collection developing.
SPARROW HAWK COOKWARE: What was sent to you was new construction from Mauviel not vintage. You will need to contact Mauviel directly to find out if something changed in construction. They have not said anything to us about a change. It is past any return period thru us and Amazon but if you contact Mauviel directly, they may be able to exchange it.
3rd MSG
Ok, well that's disappointing, considering this new pan--in the course of normal usage--reveals such questionable manufacturing. Worse, we expressed our willingness to gratefully accept an exchange rather than demand a refund, but clearly you feel the transaction is complete & not subject to discussion.
As a matter of fair warning, I will post the photos on Amazon & offer fellow consumers a caveat when shopping Mauviel & your storefront, sadly.
Images in this review
