Kitchen pots and pans are no longer just your bog standard silver metal, colourful and aesthetically pleasing cookware is cropping up everywhere and I'm here for it. Not only have I found it makes me more motivated to cook, it can also make a stylish addition to your kitchen side, so you can leave them out and don't have to find a cupboard to cram them into.
The concept of cookware that has multiple uses in one is also gaining in popularity as the nifty pieces of kit free up kitchen space and make the cooking process more streamlined. Combining both of these trends in one, earlier this year I got my hands on the 10-in-1 Our Place Always Pan which went viral after selling out ten times in the US.
Both aesthetically pleasing and functional, I was incredibly impressed when I put it to the test, so when ProCook launched a five-piece Soho Cookware Set which promises to provide 12 functions and be your 'ultimate cooking companion', I wanted to see what five pans could get me compared with one.
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Over the last few weeks, I made my meals using the five pans included in the £149 Soho Cookware Set, pitting how well they cooked and washed against the £130 Always Pan. You can read my full review of the Always Pan here, but both pieces of kitchen equipment claim to be able to boil, braise, bake, fry, steam, strain, sauté and sear your food.
The ProCook Soho range works on most hob types, including induction and contains a saucepan with lid, sauté pan with lid, frying pan and a casserole pot with a smart steamer insert. I have the green colourway which is a really trendy pick, however there are blue, cream and pink shades available.
Frying
Both Pro Cook frying pans have impressive non-stick featuresTrying the non-stick feature on any saucepan is pretty important so I set about whipping up the ultimate non stick test - a fried egg. ProCook pans have a PFAS-free, ceramic non-stick coating which I found heated up quickly and cooked my egg to perfection. There was zero sticking, as I also found when using the Always Pan, and I was able to use a spatula to lift the egg out with no resistance.
Both pans passed my non-stick test with flying colours, however the Always Pan is a little larger (26.7cm diameter) compared to the ProCook frying pan (24cm diameter).
Steaming
You can steam and boil at the same time with the steamer insertThe ProCook Soho Cookware Set comes with an impressive smart steamer insert that you can place into the casserole pot while on the hob. It is much larger than the metal steamer basket that accompanies the Always Pan meaning it is more suitable if you are cooking for more than two.
Shallow steaming works well in the Always Pan, another easy insertThe way it is designed also enables you to boil and steam at the same time, for example I boiled rice in the casserole pot below and steamed vegetables up top. This function isn't available with the Always Pan, unless you buy an additional accessory for £25 - the Spruce Steamer.
One pot dishes and sides
The Soho Cookware Set is ideal for meals with dishes that have to be cooked simultaneously, like this curry and naan breadThe ProCook Soho Cookware Set and the Always Pan are both attractive pieces of kitchenware and I found that when cooking one-pot meals, such as pasta or curry, you can serve your dinner guests from the same pan you cooked it in without having to transfer to another dish. Less washing up? Yes, please.
I used the ProCook sauté pan with lid to make a curry and while it provided similar excellent results that the Always Pan did (heating up quickly and cooking food to perfection), I found the addition of an extra pan necessary for sides that needed to cooked simultaneously.
Using the frying pan alongside the sauté pan, I was able to dry fry naan breads at the same time as cooking the curry. When cooking more complicated dishes, it is an essential to have more than one pan and the Soho Cookware Set provides this over the Always Pan.
Overall thoughts
While the individual Always Pan can certainly perform all the functions that the ProCook pans can, where it lacks is cooking multiple dishes and ingredients at once. ProCook's Soho Cookware Set is ideal if you tend to cook for more than two people or prefer to make meals that are a little more complicated than a one-pot dish.
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If you are lacking kitchen space, the Always Pan is an excellent option, however, you are getting more equipment for your money by opting for the ProCook Soho Cookware Set. On days where I'm cooking just for myself or I want to steam something small I find myself reaching for the Always Pan, but if I were to have friends over, the Soho Set is the best (and arguably the only) option.
In terms of cost, the Always Pan is cheaper when full price at £130 compared to the ProCook's £149 set, but the ProCook set would typically set you back £379 if you were to purchase each item individually so it works out at just under £30 per pan when in a set.
Both brand's tend to run sales so if you're savvy you can usually find them for much cheaper. Currently the Always Pan is on sale for £95 on their website or at Selfridges.
So, is one pan better than five? Ultimately, it comes down to your cooking style and situation. If you have the space to store more than one pan, then I can't recommend the ProCook set enough. They look stylish, clean well and certainly perform the 12 functions they claim to which will minimise kitchen clutter to a degree.
For those who want to really cut down on how many pots and pans they have in the cupboard and don't tend to cook for multiple people, I'd steer towards the Always Pan.
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