* I was gifted this product for the purposes of this post, all opinions are my own.

One of the ways I like to decompress at the end of the day is cooking or baking. I know that is opposite to a lot of people, but I like the routine of it. Christian and I are slowly trying to swap out our old and cheap cookware to better quality, easier to maintain pieces. I was very excited when Alva Cookware offered to send me one of their stainless steel pans to test out! 

They sent me the Chef 8" stainless steel frying pan which can be used with any heat source, is oven safe (to 392°) and dishwasher safe! I do love easy cleanup. (Alva does recommend hand washing to keep the finish nice, but the pan can be put in the dishwasher.) This size would be perfect for someone cooking for one, but since I usually make larger batches of food it's not the most practical size for me. That being said, the moment I picked up the pan I could tell it was high quality from the weight and feel. The handle is great for gripping and easily moving it around. The 8" is currently sold out but the Alva Chef 9.5" frying pan is available.

A bit of history on the brand - Founded in Belgium in 1949, Alva has been making high-quality cookware from recycled materials. The first pots and pans were made with repurposed materials from World War II and that practice continues today with the brand focusing on sustainability in its products. All Alva products are free of PTFE, PFOA, PFAS, lead, and cadmium, including ceramic-coated products.

Next I've got my eye on their Nesting Cookware Set, 5-ply stainless steel frying pan and Carbon Steel Wok. I make fried rice so often I feel like I could use one!

It’s cooking time! I made crispy gnocchi with veggies since Christian and I are in the middle of a vegetarian dinner month. We love doing this as a way to switch things up—it’s a nice reset. While we usually include a couple of vegetarian meals in our weekly rotation, going completely meat-free for a while feels refreshing.

This dish was super simple and cooked in just one skillet. I started by pan-frying the gnocchi in olive oil until crispy, then sautéed the veggies until they softened before adding the gnocchi back in. Easy peasy!

Cooking with the Alva pan was great! Its solid weight gave me confidence throughout the process, and the high sides made stirring and sautéing a breeze—no veggies escaping! Cleanup was just as smooth. A quick wash with soap and water, and everything came right off.

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