Falk Copper Cookware is considered to be one of the best in the industry. The company was started in 1958 by Pieter Paul Van Achter, a industrial engineer. In the past, they use to make copper cookware with traditional tin lining. However, today the company is known for thier bi metal copper and stainless steel cookware. They were at the forefront of this technology and held the patent for quite some time. Their cookware is hefty with a copper thickness of 2.3 mm with the stainless steel lining at .2 mm. I have used Falk Copper Frying Pan for quite some time now and find the results to be generally good. However when compared side to side with Mauviel, you find things that can be improved upon.

Falk Copper Frying Pan Review Quick Summary

Categories	Falk Culinair
Performance	Excellent
Colors	Brushed Copper
Brand Awareness	Europe and Copper Collector
Weight	4.39 lb (1990 g)
Helper Handle	No
Pouring Lip	Yes
Thoughts	A excellent performing pan that is held back due to its shape. It resembles too much like a saute pan. If it had lower sidewalls, it would be excellent.
Reviewed Cookware	Copper Skillet

Falk Copper Frying Pan Design

Falk Classic Handle vs Signature handle

The main difference between the Classic Handle and the Signature handle is the metal. The classic Handle uses Cast Iron while Signature uses Stainless Steel.

Performance wise, the signature series handle is better. It does not transmit heat like cast iron and it will stay cool longer. It has a simple design where it extends almost straight towards you. The center divots in slightly much like how All Clad handle is. This improves the grip on the skillet but at the same time causes discomfort. The main benefit from this design is that it wont rotate in your hand.

The cast iron handle on the other hand will transmit heat. If you cook on the stove top for a extended period of time, it will get hot. The good thing is that it resembles a traditional french skillet. I personally find that it looks better on copper cookware. The stainless steel on the signature series looks out of place and I never liked it.

Something interesting to note is the length of the handle. The base distance from the loop end is around 4 inch. Roughly the same size of my hand.

On the base of the handle, the name FALK is engraved. Older Vintage Falk model do not have this. All they have is a stamp on the bottom.

Is the Falk Vintage Model Inferior?

I should note that I use to have both the vintage and modern version of this pan. When I measured the wall thickness of the vintage one, it is around .2-.3 mm thinner. Which leads me to believe that the older model might be inferior in terms of thickness.

Thicker copper are usually heavier and hold heat better. This is important if your goal is to sear food. A pan that is too thin, will loose heat fast. But the upside is that they are more responsive to heat. If your intention is to sear and brown food, go for the newer model.

Falk Copper Frying Pan Shape

The shape is the major issue that I have with Falk copper frying pan. Although it is a frying pan, due to the high sidewall, it functions more like a saute pan. If you look at the corner of the interior, it rises up almost vertically. A better design would be a gradual slope, much like the skillet from Mauviel (See Image Below). This prevents food from getting stuck in the corner.

However, this is a great choice if you do plan on getting a hybrid type of skillet. It can save you money and space by just buying their skillet.

For me I would prefer a skillet with lower sides. If I wanted a saute pan, I would have bought a saute pan. The good thing about this design is that it helps in tossing food. A lower sidewall will probably cause food to fly out.

Other than that, I like that they have a rolled lip. A rolled lip allows for liquid to fall freely from the pan. It wont travel along the side and cause a mess. This is something that the Mauviel M250C pan seems to lack.

Falk Copper Brushed Finish

Falk brushed copper exterior is what made them so unique. While most French Copper manufacturer relies on a polished smooth/hammered finish. Falk seems to pride itself on its matte interior and brushed exterior. Those who own copper cookware can tell you how high maintenance it is. By having a brushed exterior, any nicks or mark will be masked by it. Not only that, a mirror finish will dull with use. Polishing it by hand will never bring back its luster. You need to get a rotary buffer to do that.

With that being said, a professional kitchen wont care about this. They are more interested in how well it performs then how it looks. If you cook regularly it will get caked in grease. I tried to remove all the grease but gave up half way. I have to admit, it looks pretty disgusting. But cast iron cookware is literally caked in that same grease. This caked on grease is better known as “seasoning”, but in reality, it is just caked on fat.

Specs:

Note:These measurement are done by me with the tools that I have on hand. The manufacturers have their own measurement guidelines and that should be assumed to be accurate. What I find on this review can vary widely due to several factors, such as ambient temperature, location, water, tool calibration, stove btu, etc..and should only be considered as my opinion.

Weight: 1990 g
Rim Width: Around 9.8 inch
Base Cooking Width: Around 7.8 inch
Height: Around 1.8 inch

Falk Copper Frying Pan vs Mauviel Performance Test

To test the how well it distribute heat and how well it heats up, I perform a toast test where I place a piece of toast in the center than weight it down with a meat pounder. I heat up the pan for a total of 2 min then see the color of the toast.

Below you can see how the test was performed.

Looking at the result, you can see how even the heating of the toast was. Although there was a slight cool spot on the bottom. Even though the pan is heavy, it still gave a pretty nice browning to the toast. Much better than what you will get from Cast Iron.

Now, we will compare this same test on Mauviel’s Modern Frying Pan, the M250C. As you can see, the result is slightly more even and darker. The darker shade of toast can be easily be explained due to the weight (1848 g). It is slightly lighter than Falk’s Pan. But its close enough to make little to no difference. Its nice how even the browning is though.

As a general rule of thumb, heavier cookware are better. They store more heat and can sear food better. Lighter pans can loose all its heat when you drop cold food in.

Conclusion

There is a lot of thought and ingenuity that went into designing Falk Copper Cookware. However, I would say that the major downfall for this frying pan is simply due to the shape. To me, it does not fit what a traditional frying pan is like. It would be perfect if the sidewall was a little bit more slanted and shorter. Both Mauviel and Falk has its strength and weakness, what you choose should really depend on your preference. In the Toast Test, both performed beautifully with a slight edge given to Mauviel.

I hope you like this Falk Copper Frying Pan Review, If you would like to see more, please visit our Pots and Pans Review page.

Source

https://www.falkcoppercookware.com/info/about-falk-culinair