Breville Thermal Pro Stainless BEF500

control power lead only last 12 months – We rate the pan highly the only problem we are experiencing is we have to purchase a new lead annually. This is no fault of us users as we ensure the lead is not twisted and is positioned within the pan socket. We have had our pan for 2 & 1/2 years and have had to purchase two power leads since. Maybe when i purchase the next lead i should ask for an Aussie manufactured lead!  Show details

Worst Fry Pan I have ever bought – The temperature control on this fry pan has never worked properly. It starts to heat as soon as the power is on at the wall, even though the control is on zero. It appears to be boiling or nothing with this model. Each time I used it I would wonder it the food would be burnt. I regret not taking it back to the shop when it was in warranty.… Read more

Unfortunately, it went into the cupboard and stayed there until the warranty had run out. I see that it is a discontinued model. I can see why. This was not a cheap Fry Pan and it left me with the feeling that I will not be purchasing another Breville appliance.

It's a nice frypan, but I wish I'd gone non-stick – Being used to non-stick cookware, it took a while for me to understand how to properly clean and season this kind of cookware, as well as cooking (ie. patting the meat dry before putting it on, letting it get a good seal before turning it). Stainless steel gives you superior caramelisation or "fond". It is also obviously harder to clean. I use… Read more

an inch or two of water after heavy use to clean it. Don't use soap. I've made few roasts in the pan and it certainly produces a different result to the oven. The chicken doesn't dry out as fast, has lovely caremelised bits at the bottom, but the vegies themselves don't get very crisp (except where they contact the pan). Making gravy is however obviously a cinch.

Why do I say I wish I'd gone non stick? Well, I already have plenty of cookware. If I'd got a cheaper, non-stick pan it would have been great for taking on trips to places which don't have cooking facilities. And I can't really justify buying a second electric frypan.

One last mention - the thermostat control gives an on/off cycle cycke. It can't do heat which is actually variable, like a stovetop. So cooking certain meals like this (low simmer, for example) might prove difficult.

Great stainless steel frypan, temperature control lets it down – I have had mine for a while and the stainless steel and size of fry pan is great however the temperature has been basically on or off since I purchased it. If I am cooking something with liquid I have to put twice as much in as it never stops boiling; I am lucky if the temperature light will go off in the lowest simmer setting. I usually have to… Read more

turn the power switch off to get it to go off the boil. I regret not taking it back earlier because as a fry pan it is the perfect size and I find it easy to clean.

Fantastic first experience with stainless steel – I have used several brands of non-stick electric frypans in the past, and despite being satisfactory for cooking, none of them seemed to last long enough before the coating starts to bubble or peel. Having owned the BEF500 for 2 months now, I am very happy with it. I did some research before using it and found many sites which recommended… Read more ·  1

seasoning the pan before use, which I did. This worked well and I have had no problems with food sticking, and the pan is a breeze to clean. I definitely encourage anyone to look into this if purchasing stainless steel cookware. I have found the surface of the pan distributes heat evenly, and I have experimented with cooking a wide variety of meals on the pan all very successfully.

I have not experienced any of the lid problems some other reviewers have outlined, and the temperature settings are easy to manage once you have used the pan a few times and figured out which setting is appropriate for different types of cooking. The pan is heavier than other models of electric frypan I have used, but this is not an issue for me.

Overall I definitely recommend this pan, and owning it has encouraged me to purchase more stainless steel cookware in the future. Great heat distribution, sturdy, can handle any meal You must be prepared to properly care for this pan

Useless – If solely cooking at quite high temps I suppose this is satisfactory, however I can't believe so many reviews have no problem with the absolutely terrible temperature control! A pan that is incapable of a simmer fails one of the most basic and fundamental tasks! At lower temperatures (not even THAT low) the element simply cycles on at… Read more

searing temps then turns off, completely inappropriate! Cooking eggs slowly to have the element switch on for 5 secs near the end of cooking to over do and burn them, enraging!

Try to simmer something at anything less than a raging boil with constant stirring to avoid burning, and you get 5 secs of raging boil followed by a minute of nothing.

Cooking some meat on a steady even temp? Nope it gets a good sear every few minutes. Useless!!

The pan itself is an excellent stainless steel pan, some reviews have problems with it that seem to stem from being unaware of how stainless steel pans work.

I love the pan quality and the large surface area, and the heating element does cover the pan excellently giving good even heating to almost the whole surface. More's the pity the cycling on and off of it is such garbage!

Very frustrating as to me this is an expensive unit that I paid alot of money for, with such poor control this is a useless brick, I have electric pans from the sixties that supply steadier heat than this!

Excellent frypan for cooking food – I recently bought the Breville Thermal Pro Stainless Steel Frypan and am very happy with my purchase. It cooks food evenly and has a 25 year warranty on the base. Good quality appliance, except it is quite heavy. My meals are very delicious now. Bought it on sale at a great price!  Show reply

Had initial problems – After reading the mixed reviews, I took to YouTube and saw some convincing videos about the thermal pro, so I invested in one. I had some initial problems with the lid being far too small so I called Brevilles customer service "to discuss my issues" as I was instructed to through the questions section of this product review.. That was an extremely… Read more

useless waste of time! The guy I spoke to was most unhelpful and suggested he couldn't do anything about it, the lid is what it is! Basically you get what you're given. I was absolutely so upset and i went back to The Good Guys and luckily I actually got some customer service, where we discovered the lid was not right at all and a complete replacement was given to me. If it was left to my dealings with Brevilles Rep, they would have lost me on any future purchases across the brand.. Apalling!

I think the lid could still be a better fit especially after watching the Breville promo video on YouTube for smoking trout... You lose too much steam with the lids as they are, I really don't think smoking any meat is at all possible with the loose fitting lids that are supplied.

Also it seems as though that when I put the temp down to minimum it seems to cut out completely, I understand the thermostat would kick in to reduce the temp, but then it just stops cooking altogether doesn't seem right to me.. All in all if you're cooking with high temps it is great, sears meat and vegetables really well and as promised it is an even cook..

Still not convinced about the lid fitting and the thermostat seems to cut out so won't give it a wonderful review but at this stage it's I just an ok..

Paid $110 on sale from The Good Guys November 2015

Awesome product. Well worth the financial outlay – We purchased this pan from Myer after being given a gift card for Christmas a few years ago. Now, prior to this purchase, we had gone through two or three nonstick electric frypans purchased from kmart /target over the course of about two years. Either the power cord would die or the non stick coating would come off or the temperate would stop… Read more

regulating.

We were sick of it. Having three young children, our frypans get heavy use so my husband and I decided that we'd go all out and get the best frypan we could find.

I think we've had this pan for around three years and it is still going strong!

It does pancakes AMAZINGLY and seals meat really well when doing slow cooked joints.

The roasting tray/rack works well... The other day I butterflied a whole chicken and popped it on the roasting tray and continued to baste it while it cooked - the result was way faster and easier and yummier than I could have achieved in the oven or BBQ.

I've read other people's reviews on here about food sticking... And I've got to admit that has happened to me a few times too. But I think in my experience that it's the operators fault normally! Usually it's because I have chosen the wrong heat setting or not used enough oil... As soon as I correct that everything is right as rain!

If you want a decent appliance that will last, I highly recommend this pan!

Pancake Perfection – I only cook one thing on my Frying Pan and that is Pancakes. Therefore i consider myself an expert in the Art of cooking Pancakes they need to be light an fluffy and have an even colour, hence the pan needs to have an even heat across the pan . After reading previous reviews i purchased my new Pancake cooking tool, i firstly seasoned the stainless… Read more

steel pan as recommended in previous reviews to make it non stick. My first batch of pancakes was disappointing, i burnt the bottom and they were sticking, total disaster. I re-seasoned the pan a second time and adjusted the cooking temperature to number 7, presto! the perfect pancake and no sticking.

Very pleasantly surprised – I love this frypan. In the last 18 months I have started using electric frypans and wish I started years ago. I have used a couple non stick pans but the same problems always occur- the non-stick keeps flaking and secondly, heat distribution is uneven. THIS PAN IS AMAZING. Very Even Heat distribution. Very easy to clean. Very simple to use. Very… Read more ·  1

efficient to cook with.

Here are some tips I have picked up as I had never used a stainless steel pan before.

1. Always use oil. 3 tablespoons is enough to coat it, and only add it once the pan is heated up (I normally use setting 14 to sear and then turn to 12- I mainly use this pan for cooking meat. Although it makes fabulous potato rostis and hash!! Then I jiggle the heat depending on how much cripiness I want).

2. Dont use metal utensils. Steel being porous (at a microscopic level) requires oil to lubricate it. Using metal utensils damages this porosity, which will mean that food will stick no matter how much oil you use to lubricate.

3. When you're completely finished cooking, turn off the pan and immediately add a litre or so of water to the pan. This will soften any residue that that stuck and will not have time to dry to the sides (and pop the lid on too to steam it).

4. When its cool, add some dishwashing liquid and give it a slosh around. Although its dishwasher safe, I personally prefer to handwash it as it takes literally seconds once everything has soaked. By the time we have finished eating, its generally safe to touch.

5. Dont use it for things that will definitely stick. Like pancakes. Obvious really, but I would use a non stick pan for pancakes and the like.

6. Enjoy it. Because it really is great, and I thoroughly recommend it. Never have to worry about flaking non stick surfaces. Ever. Again.

Very good frypan - very even heat, good control – We have had ours for about a month now and can't find anything negative to say about this product. Very even heat over the whole cooking surface and is very easily cleaned in the dishwasher. We finally got fed up with replacing perfectly good pans because the non-stick surface had deteriorated and will be looking for a new stainless wok soon! Even heat, easy to clean, large cooking area Nothing so far Show reply

Great Electric Frypan- Happy – Very good heat distribution which is the most important criteria. Makes for problem free cooking and great taste. I use it mainly for bolognaise, curries, stir fries and pancakes. Good size to enable cooking large meals so leftovers can be stored in the fridge and reheated. It gets very hot at the sear and high temp. settings which sears meats… Read more

quickly, evenly and well. Slow, even simmering on very low temperature brings out the great flavour of the food. Would roast very well and large size accommodates large roast.

Cleaning is easy. If you get the pan and say olive oil very hot prior to searing then any sticking problems are eliminated or at least significantly reduced. I can see by other comments here that stainless steel pans can be seasoned to become non stick so am going to try this method. Even if anything sticks, using water in pan with lid on and boiling will totally remove it. I don't see sticking as a problem because anything stuck concentrates flavour and makes for great flavoursome gravy. For a thorough clean simply put in dishwasher as the element is sealed,

It is big and heavy so takes up some space. I was reluctant to get an electric frypan due to the thermostat control but the stainless steel stores and distributes the heat so well that any problem of losing heat is eradicated. Food is cooked very well so that it tastes great. Great heat distribution enables great flavour and trouble free cooking. Bit big so need some bench and/or storage space.

Great pan – I have had this pan for nearly 18 mths. I love it. It is easy to keep clean. I don't have to worry about the kids using metal utensils and scratching the non stick surface. Now that I have mastered cooking with stainless, I will not be going back to nonstick. Sears meat well. Even cooking Sometimes buzzes when you turn it on

Broke just out of warranty – This item did the job ok while it lasted, but at $170, I hoped it would have lasted a bit longer than 13 months. No good for slow cooking stews, sauces or soups as the heat fluctuates at low temperatures - hot-cold-hot-cold - so food would either boil away or not cook at all. Decent, quick heat for searing meat etc and can also be used as a bain… Read more

marie over for heating pots and pans for indirect heat cooking.

However - the plug has no gone kaput *just* after the warranty expired. I expected better from this brand however now will simply be buying cheaper products as there appears to be no difference in quality. Save your $$$. Quick to heat for frying, good size Poor quality item despite high price tag, no good for long slow cooking.

Over Rated – I did my research before purchasing and all sounded as though it was worth paying extra for quality. The first and all subsequent uses have been disappointing as everything sticks unless you are deep frying. Not only does it stick but its near impossible to clean where it has stuck. We have converted back to using our $30 non stick frypan. All over heating Expensive, Everything sticks

In love – I am completely in love with my breville frying pan. Great size, enough room to cook for your family and have leftovers. Even heat means things like pancakes come out perfect. I am a vegan so in all honesty, I have no idea how well meat cooks in this pan but I do make a lot of vegetable and rice dishes and fry mock meats in this pan and its easy… Read more

of cooking and even distribution of heat make things a breeze. No other pan I own comes close to how good this pan is. Real easy to clean as well, everything just wipes off, I was always under the impression you could only do that with non stick but this pan is great, still looks as shinny and clean as the day I bought it. I just love it. stainless steel, size, good heat distribution, easy to clean. A great pan.

Fantastic – I love this electric frypan. Completely stainless steel so extremely easy to clean & can wack into the dishwasher as well. Heats up very quickly, and has an even spread throughout pan - with no areas which aren't as hot as others. Comes with a rack for steaming - I wrapped trout in foil and steamed and it was absolutely delicious and so easy. Heats quickly and evenly.  Show 4 replies