The Pan Handler: A Passion For Pots and Pans
The Pan Handler, if anything, is a library of useful information regarding everything pots and pans. We have the scoop on everything you need to know about your cast iron skillets, your carbon steel pans, your stainless steel cookware, and your enamel-coated pots.
We have helpful tips that will help you maintain the shine and the non-stick properties of your pans for decades to come. Who knows, you could even pass down your priced cookware to your kids and the kids after them.
Helpful Guides and Tips
It is frustrating when you crack open an egg over a pan, and it doesn’t cook as well as you expect it to. When you try to scoop up the egg and try to flip it, it sticks to the pan or tears, slashing that delicious yolk and spreading it everywhere. Don’t you just loathe moments when you try to sear chicken breasts, and the skin glues to the bottom of the pan, forcing the flesh and the skin to part ways when it’s time to flip?
Or when your pan defaces after cooking some delicious sources?
And let’s not even get started about cleaning these pans. Some people get so frustrated they toss out brand-new pans after the first cook. And pans aren’t cheap, this we know.
As the old adage goes, “Information is power.” Many people lack the right tools (information-wise) when shopping for pans. And even at home, they may end up using the wrong pan for cooking the wrong dishes.
This is a problem that The Pan Handler is solving one article at a time with our helpful guides that educate you on the right pan for the job, the most superior brands, and even how to clean and care for your pans.
We love cookware, and we like to think that pans love us back. And we want to help you get the most out of your trusty cookware.
Know Your Pans
Do you have that old cast iron skillet that you discovered in your grandma’s attic? Or that rusty old pan you scored for cheap from a yard sale? No matter the age of your vintage find or its condition, we have identification articles that will help you trace the history of your cookware, what these pans were meant for, and their value in today’s dollars. Now how cool is that?
Some of the things that give us joy are when our readers reach their aha moments and realize how old and valuable their pots and pans are. But we don’t just stick to the old and forgotten; we also feature new brands, giving them in-depth reviews.
Fun Recipes For Your Pans
It’s one thing to buy your favorite pans, but it’s another thing entirely to know how to use it. The Pan Handler is dedicated to finding you appropriate recipes for your pans. From delicious meaty delights to mouth-watering pastries, there’s never a dull moment in the corridors of The Pan Handler. As long as your hand can wield a pan, we’ll put it to good use.
Meet the Team
The Pan Handler blog is all about the big F-word; family. The Pan Handler was started by the humble descendant of a blacksmith who, upon discovering his granddad’s old creations, decided to continue the old timer’s legacy the only way he knew how; creating a blog.
Let’s meet the team:
About Michael and Laura Johnson
Now let’s talk about Michael, no, not the cool Michael (Jackson, Jordan, or Tyson). But Michael Johnson, humble ol’ son of an accountant and a school teacher. Hailing from Baltimore, Maryland, Michael was a sporty little kid, choosing swimming over ball games. And his talents did not end there; he could sketch out some pretty awesome comics if you gave the little guy some papers and markers.
Like any other normal American kid, little Michael was fond of his granddad, and he lived for those little trips they would make to Bedford County, Virginia. The two would play catch in the yard, and old Granddad would share his experiences at war in Korea. Precious times, precious times indeed.
But none of them knew that these precious moments would lay the groundwork for Michael’s future fascination with hand-crafted pots and pans.
You see, Fitzgerald Johnson, Michael’s grandfather, was a blacksmith specializing in creating the finest cast iron skillets in the Mid-Atlantic. And as time went on, the old man grew frail from old age, and he passed on.
Inspiration and Journey
In 2017 while clearing out his grandfather’s attic, Michael Johnson stumbled upon a treasure trove of his grandad’s old creations; his priced cast iron skillets. This discovery struck a chord with the now-grown Michael Johnson, a man in his own right, a father, and a loving husband.
The find ignited a fascination with the old art of blacksmithing and the culinary potential of well-crafted pans. A fascination that still burns today. So he started The Pan Handler blog with his wife, Laura Johnson.
Family Involvement
The Jonson household now lives on their grandfather’s three-acre farm in Bedford County, Virginia. They share in their love for pots and pans, plus the magic of cooking. This passion for the culinary arts has even bled into their two kids, Michael Jr. and Keeley Johnson. The kids help their parents find the best recipes for different pots and pans, and they all cook together.
Not one to be relegated to the background role of being an awesome mom, Laura Johnson curates the helpful content that features on The Pan Handler. This is a family that works like a well-oiled machine. Each cog, no matter how small, is important to the mission of communicating the important role that pots and pans play in our lives.
To you, pots and pans may be a means to a very delicious end, but to the Johnson family, it is an artistic statement, a grandfather’s legacy.