Convenience of use
Like the Cheap of the brand, the Plancha Saveur double impresses with its weight which exceeds 15 kg. It is therefore not a device that you put away after each use, and you can also leave it in a summer kitchen without fear since it is IPX4 certified and must therefore be resistant to rain. This robust design is due in particular to the materials that make up the Plancha Saveur double. Krampouz has mainly used stainless steel, even if there is a little plastic at the level of the feet and the levers.
The Plancha Flavor double measures 74 x 38 x 23 cm for 17 kg.
Unlike the feet of the Pro Iron of Lagrange, those of the Plancha Saveur are not adjustable in height. The knobs, two in number on this version equipped with as many independent cooking zones, allow the choice of a temperature between 50 and 300°C and are graduated every 50°C. We would have appreciated intermediate benchmarks, but it’s always much more precise than a simple power setting, as found on most consumer planchas.
The materials are of high quality, but the finishes not always (the Krampouz logo is not straight).
Each controller is accompanied by a heating indicator and Krampouz recommends preheating for 10 minutes. As in a stainless steel frying pan, you can use the water drop test to find out if the plate is at temperature: if the water evaporates, it is not ready, if the water forms balls, it is. Food can then be placed on it, but it may be better to oil the plate beforehand for vegetables, fish and even very thin pieces of meat.
In the absence of a non-stick coating, the food sticks to the stainless steel and you have to let the Maillard reaction do its work before you can peel it off, otherwise you will leave bits of it on the plate. Pieces of meat that are too thin risk being overcooked, but large pieces caramelized in this way retain their juices. Non-stick coatings are much easier to handle, but you get drier cooking. Stainless steel also has the advantage of being much more resistant and metal utensils can then be used without fear.
In case of residues, we can deglaze and use a spatula to scrape the plate and dispose of it in the bin at the front. This is removable and extends over the entire width of the plate. It is fixed using notches provided on the anti-projection edges. A few centimeters high, these do not offer infallible protection and avoid installing the Plancha Saveur too close to a wall. Note that Krampouz offers an optional cover not only to protect the plate between two uses, but also to avoid projections backwards by fixing it on the edge. A trolley and a cover can also be purchased.
The bin handles tend to unscrew over time – watch out for accidents!
Cooking
The Plancha Saveur double benefits from a total power of 3200 W distributed equally between two resistances allowing independent cooking zones. You can thus choose a temperature of around 150°C to cook vegetables or fish on the left half of the plate, and heat to 200 or even 250°C for a nice piece of meat on the right. The Krampouz plancha also allows you to adjust the temperature up to 300°C – we even measured up to 340°C on the surface of the plate by letting it heat up to the maximum. This is almost as much as what we had noted on the Pro Iron of Lagrange.
In general, the temperature selected using the thermostat is rather to be seen as a minimum temperature. The Plancha Saveur double, like all planchas, turns on its resistances intermittently in order to stabilize the temperature of the plate, but variations are then to be noted. The high inertia of the stainless steel plate used by Krampouz nevertheless makes it possible to limit them to just under 50°C by setting the thermostat to 230°C (the reference temperature for our tests).
Double Flavor Plancha surface temperature for a target temperature of 230°C.
This may seem high, but we noted up to a hundred degrees difference on entry-level planchas using very thin cast aluminum plates. Only the QPL665 de Riviera & Bar really did better on this point with temperatures between 220 and 250°C. Heat distribution is also very good in the center of the Krampouz griddle. Note, however, that the edges of the plate remain much colder than the center, and especially that the Plancha Saveur double requires a little time to heat up.
Temperature differences on the surface of the Plancha Saveur double.
By launching at maximum power, we had to wait 7 min 39 s for the plate to reach the required 230°C. This is obviously the disadvantage of having a thick plate, and we can also add that stainless steel is not an excellent thermal conductor. We had also noted a fairly long heating time with the Pro Ironthe only other stainless steel model in our comparison, while the Iron Time of Senya, for example, requires only 2 minutes of preheating, and the Tefal Colormania barely more. Remember in passing that Krampouz recommends 10 minutes of preheating.
Ease of maintenance
Whatever the manufacturers say, stainless steel remains more difficult, or at least technical, to clean than a non-stick coating on which a wipe of the sponge is often enough to clean it. The caramelization of food colors the plate and leaves residues that can be difficult to remove. The easiest way is to act on the still hot (or lukewarm) plate by placing cold water or ice cubes on it. As for a sauce, the thermal shock helps to loosen the juices and residues. But make no mistake: finding a completely clean plate always requires a little elbow grease, even with an abrasive brush.
Stainless steel makes it possible to use scouring pads, but also metal spatulas to scrape if necessary; small scratches do not affect the properties of the plate. You can also use white vinegar or baking soda to help remove burnt residue, but we regret that the Plancha Saveur double plate is not removable for soaking. Still, we would have had to find a large enough sink if that was the case, you will say… It should also be noted that the anti-splash edges are not removable, unlike those of the Riviera & Bar QPL665and that it can be difficult to clean the corners if stubborn dirt is found there.
By deglazing regularly, just rub a little to find a clean plate.
Only the drip tray is removable, but it is better to wait until you have cleaned the plate to remove it. It thus makes it possible to recover the water used for de-icing, but is not very practical. The handles tend to unscrew and let the bin swing, which can lead to small accidents. This is all the more true since the edge is not very high on the side of the plate. Once detached, the tray can be washed by hand or in the dishwasher, but its length will complicate things a bit.