All chefs understand that cookware can make a difference to the quality of a meal. A good skillet won’t make a good cook, but a bad skillet can ruin even the best meal.
Often the very best cookware can set you back several hundred dollars — out of the price range of even the most enthusiastic student chef.
Misen believes that quality cookware shouldn’t be exclusive to professional kitchens.
Their range of knives, skillets, and kitchen basics have been created with care, and the very best materials available, to bring restaurant quality into the home.
Misen hasn’t been on the market long, so they’re still building a name for themselves. If you’re interested in seeing what Misen can do for your kitchen, take a look at this guide.
All About Misen Pans
Misen is a brand created to lead a cooking revolution. Too often, cookware falls into one of two categories. There’s your basic stuff, that can be picked up for cheap and get the job done, but will need replacing in a few years time.
And then there are the premium ranges. This is cookware that can last for a lifetime, serving restaurant style dish after restaurant style dish — but you might have to save up a lifetime to afford it.
Misen intends to sit in the middle, bringing impressive performance at an affordable price. It isn’t a budget range, but this is durable cookware that you don’t need to break the bank to afford.
One of the ways Misen saves money is by only selling online. They don’t have a retail presence, which helps them to keep costs low. If you want to buy from Misen, check out their Amazon store or the Misen homepage.
What We Like About Misen
There is a lot to like about Misen, because this is cookware that really does get the job done. It brings out the best in your cooking, and allows home chefs to create some quite special dishes.
Price. We have to start with the obvious — the prices for Misen are fantastic. Yes, they aren’t exactly low budget, but they’re significantly cheaper than you can normally expect to pay for quality cookware.
If you’re on a student budget, you might be put off paying this much for a pan, but it really can take your cooking to the next level.
It’s worth investing in a few quality pieces that will support your growth as a chef, and with Misen, you can find cookware at a reasonable price.
Testing process. Misen has put a lot of thought into every area of design. There are other brands out there that promise high quality cookware at a lower price, but fall short when it comes to delivering. Misen is different. They’ve put time and money into testing, spending months checking every millimeter of design is performing as it should be. Prototypes are handed to engineers and chefs to make sure Misen is up to standard in every way possible.
Materials. When it comes to cookware, what separates the best from the rest is the quality of the materials used. And Misen are using the best they can get their hands on. From the handle of the skillet to the points of the knives, Misen have chosen premium materials with proven performance.
Performance. We’ll cover the performance closer in the product reviews below, but Misen cookware really does live up to their promises. This is thanks to that rigorous testing process and the careful material selection. By the time Misen makes its way to your home, it’s already been proven to work.
What We Don’t Like About Misen
As with all brands, you can accept to find a few flaws. Here are the things we were less keen on.
Potential durability. This isn’t necessarily a flaw of Misen, but it is something to be aware of. This brand is very much new, which means that even those who invested in the 2015 Kickstarter have only been using the brand for a few years.
Realistically, even a bargain skillet should be expected to hold up that long. Until the brand has a few more years behind them, it’s impossible to know the full durability of the range.
With that said, we feel fairly confident that this is cookware with some longevity.
The range. Again, this is less of a con, and more of a natural pitfall of being a new brand. Misen have expanded significantly, but there are still some areas where the brand is lacking.
If you want to fully equip a kitchen with Misen, you might be waiting a few more years for product expansion. But for kitchen essentials, you can find what you need with Misen.
Appearance. Misen cookware looks good, but it doesn’t have quite the same style as some other brands. In our opinion, this is a good sacrifice in order to save money.
Rather than spending time and boosting prices to create a pan that looks Instagram worthy, they’ve gone for simplicity of design and exceptional performance.
Our Top Picks From Misen
Misen Nonstick Frying Pan Set
All kitchens need a good nonstick pan. They’re essential for cooking all your delicate foods, and make cleaning up so much easier.
The Misen nonstick pan is quickly becoming a kitchen necessity, thanks to its affordable price, and long-lasting coating.
Nonstick pans are all about the surface. The Misen surface is completely unique. It uses a 3-layer Dupont platinum coating that’s PFOA-free, with a titanium-infused plasma primer.
It’s designed to be 2.5x more effective than other primers, releasing foods and keeping your nonstick coating clean.
But Misen hasn’t focused solely on the surface. The flat bottom design spreads the heat throughout the pan for an even cooking surface, while the ergonomic handle stays completely cool.
We’ve chosen the 10″ and 12″ set as our top pick, because as far as we’re concerned, the more pans the better. But Misen makes the pan in an 8″, 10″, and 12″ design.
We think your best choices are the larger pans, as they’re more versatile, but they all have the same Misen quality finish.
Misen Stainless Steel Frying Pan – 5 Ply Steel Skillet
The Misen stainless steel skillet can really take your cooking to the next level. It’s a fantastic pan, providing an evenly heated cooking surface that can give your steaks a perfect sear.
For home chefs who are excited by quality ingredients, the Misen stainless steel pan can ensure you get to celebrate produce at its absolute best.
Misen have made this pan using 3 mm thick, 5 ply steel and aluminum. This gives a high heat that distributes evenly and quickly.
The sharply sloped sides provide a wider cooking surface on the standard base size, so you have fewer problems with crowding.
Instead, cook large cuts of meat together, and watch as they brown at the exact same time from center to tip.
Misen Chef Knife
The 8″ Chef Knife from Misen is a knife that all kitchens need. At less than $100, you’ll quickly find this premium steel knife becomes your go-to no matter what foods you’re prepping.
It’s versatile, elegant, and sharp. An all-rounder that you’ll love to use.
A chef’s knife is a staple for any kitchen. It combines balance and length to handle everything from dicing to slicing with ease.
This option from Misen is one of the best we’ve tried, built using AICHI AUS-10 steel that provides a long-lasting sharp edge and more carbon than other premium knives.
Misen was inspired by Japanese cooking when crafting this knife, using a 15-degree edge angle for a sharper cutting surface.
They’ve also brought their own spin to a classic design — a sloped bolster that’s comfortable to hold and gives you access to the full blade.
We loved the chef knife from Misen, and quickly found it was the first knife we picked up every time we entered the kitchen.
Misen 3-Inch Paring Knife
A paring knife takes care of almost everything that your chef knife can’t do. With just a 3-inch blade, it can handle all the delicate precision work necessary for the best dishes.
The Misen paring knife can confidently and competently slice all the fruits and vegetables in your kitchen in no time at all.
If you’ve found yourself turned away from creating complex veg dishes because of the amount of prep work involved, we highly recommend checking out the Misen paring knife.
It’s made from the same AICHI AUS-10 steel as the chef knife, giving it a super sharp edge that lasts for a long time.
It’ll make quick work of even large piles of veg, helping novice chefs nail the chop and dice movements.
The Misen paring knife is less than $40, which is incredible value for a knife this good. If you’re just starting to build your kitchen, the Misen paring and chef knife is a fantastic combination.
Conclusion
Properly cared for, Misen cookware has the quality to last for a lifetime. This is cookware that wouldn’t feel out of place in professional kitchens, sold at a price for home chefs.
We’ve been impressed with all the Misen cookware we’ve tried, and we’re excited to see how the range might expand from here.
