Progressive International Stainless Steel Roasting Pan

This is the deepest lasagna pan I have been able to find, and that is why I bought it. I have owned it several years, but I don't bake or roast often. It has worked adequately. I have gotten my money's worth.

Because it is stainless steel, it feels lightweight. It is not made of thick metal, and therefore feels just a little cheap. Gourmet cooks might sneer at it.

Being stainless steel, it shows no signs of rust, even at the handles, after soaking in the kitchen sink. The exterior still looks nice. The interior does not have any kind of non-stick coating.

The spatula/turner/flipper utensil, which comes with the pan, has been very useful. It is thin enough to slide under food to be turned over in a skillet. It is a little flexible. We use the spatula very frequently. It is thin enough to slide under fresh-baked soft cookies, to remove them from a pan, without making a mess of the cookies. The end of the spatula is also useful for cutting lasagna, etc., into serving pieces. Not sharp like a knife, but adequate for on medium-soft foods; of course it should not be used on Teflon or other nonstick pans.

The rack can be put inside the pan, and fits nicely, for use when roasting meat. The rack is not high, so it would not be adequate for roasting something extremely high in fat, such as a goose or duck, that would result in a deep layer of melted fat in the bottom of the pan. [A goose would probably not fit in this pan anyway.]

The rack can also be used as a cooling rack for baked goods, although not intended as such. The wires are not spaced as close together as the ideal cooling rack; thus small cookies may fall through.

P.S. The handles are only easy to rotate when not wearing potholders. In other words, we try to remember to unfold the handles outward, before the pan gets put into a hot oven.

[Update-Postscript from February 2012] It's now 5 years since the review, and 12-plus years since buying the pan. Apparently the pan is more rugged than we would have guessed from the lightweight first impression.

At the time we originally got this pan, there were very few choices when looking for a truly deep-dish lasagna pan. Now it seems there are many more choices. There are better pans available, but most are higher priced.

If you are looking for a pan that can also be used on the stovetop, this is probably not a good choice. Please click on the "Comments" button just below this review, to see discussion about gravy and stovetop use.

I sometimes see pans that look identical, as far as I can see, but carrying different brand names. I don't know whether they really are the same. For example, here is a link to another pan that looks similar, but has a plastic lid for use when storing leftovers: ExcelSteel 4-Piece Stainless Roaster with Cover, Rack and Spatula

We are thinking of getting better oven mitts to make it easier to grab pans from oven; these improved versions of "Ove Glove" look promising: Ove Glove The Anti Steam Ove Glove Right Hand, Yellowith Whitered and Ove Glove The Anti Steam Ove Glove Left Hand, Yellowith Whitered. Note that the left-hand glove and the right-hand glove are sold separately, at additional cost. The gloves would be way more expensive than this pan was, but of course the gloves would be used with other pans too.

I bought this pan to make more than two layers of lasagna - no other dish/pan was deep enough to accomplish this. I was able to get four layers in this! Be prepared for A LOT of lasagna, however. I used two boxes of pasta, 6 jars of sauce, over 3 pounds of meat, and 16 cups of cheese. All of this did not quite reach the top of the pan, so there was no bubbling over (another added bonus). Clean-up was great; it soaked in soapy water for about an hour, then wiped clean. No scrubbing needed, even for broiled-on cheese.

Pan is very deep and perfect for lasagna, macaroni and cheese, or any other baked item. Clean up is a snap. Pan is lightweight and holds quite a bit. Didn't fit my turkey :( (but I got a very large bird). Look forward to roasting some meat in it with rack in place. Only difficulty - is that it is hard to get the handles flipped up with potholders on! Also, included spatula is good but flexible, so it may bend depending on your use. Overall, a great product for the price!

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