Pommes Anna Pan is used to make Pommes Anna or Potato Anna. It is a french potato dish that is layered together to form a cake like dish. Chef Adolphe Dugléré is credited to be the person who invented this dish in the 1800’s. He named the dish after a supposed prostitute(Cocottes/high end prostitute), Anna Deslions? There is never any concrete details on the origin of these dishes.

Nevertheless, most people in America do not even know such a dish like this exist. This make finding recipes difficult. Most of the time, they use a frying pan as the tool for cooking. However, the results are usually lack luster and flat looking. A well built pomme anna has height and is neatly stacked. To do this, you need to have a specialized pomme anna pan. This pan lets you layer potatoes on top of each other with ease. This review will take a closer look at how the pomme anna pan is constructed and whether its deserve a place in your kitchen.

Mauviel Pommes Anna Pan Review Quick Summary

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Categories	Mauviel Pommes Anna Pan
Performance	Excellent
Compatibility	Gas, Electric, Halogen, Glass Top
Colors	Polished Copper or Hammered
Warranty	Life Time Warranty
Brand Awareness	World Famous
Country of Manufacturer	France
Thoughts	A excellent specialty pan for making Pomme Anna. You can get away with a frying pan method, but the shape wont be the same. A restraunt who cook this regularly has the most to gain.
Reviewed Cookware	Mauviel Pommes 4qt Anna Pan

How do you use the Pommes Anna Pan?

The basic concept of a Pommes Anna is a stacking thinly sliced potatoes in a circular form. Between each layer, you season with salt, butter and Parmesan cheese. If you like, you can add various herbs like dill or thyme. You can fill the pan all the way to the rim. Then cover it with the other piece. Since both sides are designed to be used on the stove top, flipping and frying it is very easy. Once, both side is brown, you finish cooking the dish in the oven so that the center will cook through. The end result is a buttery, savory potato cake.

Design

Pieces of the Pomme Anna Pan

These pans typically comes in two pieces. They go on top of each other to make an enclosure. The issue with this is that this causes the metal to rub against the tin. Eventually, the tin will start to wear down and you will eventually have to retin it.

The pan that is taller but smaller in diameter is the piece where you want to start layering. If you go use the shorter one, you will not be able to stack the potato neatly.

For those who want to maximize the utility of their purchase. You can technically make one as a frying pan and another a sauce pot. However, the handle is small and this makes it difficult to move around.

Pomme Anna Pan Handles

These handles are often called shrek ears because of the way it looks. Since they are so small, they get really hot and fast. They are also difficult to move around in the stove top. However, if you use it like it was designed, it makes flipping the Pommes Anna really simple. All you need to do is to squeeze it together and flip. This will keep the cake neat and secure.

Most if not all Pomme Anna Pan are made of Brass. Which makes the hot handle an issue. You will need to wear gloves or it will burn you. They are affixed usually affixed with copper but newer models might use stainless steel rivets.

For whatever reason, these handles are pretty beat up. There are are cracks and nicks throughout. I am not sure if it was just damage through use or if it was made this way. I have a larger 24cm model and the handle does not have the same problem.

Thickness of the Copper

Since most of the cooking is done in the oven, Copper Thickness on a pomme anna pan is not that important. However, if you get a chance, I still recommend getting it as thick as possible. Thicker copper still have a more even heat distribution. There are many different version online, try to find one that is at least 2mm.

You really benefit from the thicker copper during the initial searing. The potato will get a more even brown maillard reaction. But once you get it in the oven, the thickness of the copper should not matter as much.

Hammered Finish

This pan is hammered to give it a beautiful gleaming look. Originally the reason why manufacturers will hammer these is to improve the structural integrity of the copper. When hammered, it will anneal the metal and make it harder. Having said that it was most likely done for superficial reason. A pan of this size would not benefit much from the hammering.

Fit and Finish

The fit and finish is generally very good. It has nicks and marks, but this look like it was done on purpose. This gives it a authentic rustic feeling that most cookware these day lack. Overall I am stunned by the craftsmanship of it.

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: 1745 g combined. Bottom Piece: 958 g Top Piece:787 g
Width: Bottom Rim Width: Around 6.25 inch Top Rim Width: Around 7.75 inch
Height: Bottom Height: Around 2.45 inch Top Height: Around 1.25 inch
Thickness: Bottom Thickness:Around 2.3 mm Top Thickness: Around: 1.97 mm

Conclusion

These pans are pretty much a specialty pan that only enthusiast or professional chef will purchase. You can still make the dish with a frying pan like all the videos on youtube. However, the result will not be professional looking. Those frying pan method simply lack the height that you can get with a traditional Pomme anna pan.

I hope you like this Pomme Anna Pan by Mauviel Review, If you would like to see more, please visit our Pots and Pans Review page.