Best Appe Makers in India – Top Paniyaram Pans Reviewed

Known as appe, paniyaram or kuzhi paniyaram, these soft little dumplings are an extremely versatile snack. Traditionally made using a rice and urad dal batter, the ‘instant’ version of appe is made using rava (suji). Appe can be made with leftover idli or dosa batter. Serve with a spicy tomato-peanut chutney or a classic coconut chutney, they are the perfect tea-time snacks. These soft paniyarams are made in special pans called Paniyarakkal.

While there are a lot of non-branded appe pans available in the market, we picked four popular paniyaram pans – Hawkins, Prestige, Cello, and Anjali. After testing them in our review lab for over two weeks, Hawkins Appe Pan (Top Pick) was chosen as the best appe maker brand in India. Prestige’s appe pan is Also Recommended as it came very close to our Top Pick. Anjali’s appe pan is our Value For Money pick.

Read on to know why!

In this section we discuss which appe pan brands in India did we pick for our review, their price range and availability.

1. Reviewed Brands

We reviewed four popular brands of appe or paniyaram pans – 

• Cello Appe Pan
• Anjali Appe Pan
• Prestige Appe Pan
• Hawkins Appe Pan

2. Price Range

On average, a branded appe pan can be priced anywhere between Rs 650/- to Rs 1300/-. If you are buying non-branded ones from a wholesaler, they can go as low as 250-300 bucks. 

3. Availability

Paniyaram pans are easily available in local retail utensil shops, as well as on multiple online shopping portals. 

To test the appe pans (paniyaram pans), we laid out the following parameters – 

1. Material of the pan

Paniyaram pans are available in aluminium and cast-iron varieties. The material of the base determines the weight of the pan as well as the final cost. Aluminum is lighter, cheaper while cast iron is heavier and costlier.

We checked all the brands for the base material and the coating on the pan. Does it have a non-stick coating? If yes, which type of coating does the pan have? If it’s a cast-iron pan, is it pre-seasoned or do we need to season it?

2. Type of handle

The type of handle determines the ease of handling eventually. If the pan has small handles on either side, the handles are bound to get hot thus making it difficult to handle. It can lead to kitchen-related accidents. If the pan has a long bakelite handle, it is definitely much more convenient to use. 

3. Quality of Lid

What is the material of the lid? Steel or glass? Does it get hot? Is the lid sturdy or flimsy? How is the knob on top of the handle? Does it heat up while cooking?

4. The Final Outcome

How well did the appe cook? Is the browning even or not? Is the pan able to distribute heat evenly? When we cooked the appe, were they able to retain their moisture even after cooling down? Usually, due to uneven heat distribution, the food can be undercooked or it can overcook very quickly.

The taste of the appe was not a factor as that is dependent on the recipe, and not the pan.

5. Number of Cavities/Pits

How many pits are there in the pan? 6, 9, 12 or more? How many appe can be yielded per batch?

6. Ease of Cleaning

We made sure to let the pan sit for a while before we cleaned it. This helped us gauge if the pan is easy to clean or not.

7. Price

How cheap or expensive is the pan? If it’s more expensive than their competition, what sets them apart? Does the pricing justify the quality of the utensil? 

10. Warranty

The warranty period was also a parameter while making the final decision.

At Mishry, we believe in the transparency of reviews which is why our review process is thorough and detailed. Here’s how the pans were tested. 

We seasoned all the pans before cooking in them, even if the pans were pre-seasoned. Seasoning the pan eases the cooking process. Here’s how we did it – 

• After unboxing, wash the pan with soap and water.
• Heat the pan on low flame for 30 seconds.
• Smear oil with a brush in all the cavities and the surface of the pan.
• Cool. Wash again with warm water and soap. 
• Rinse and dry. The pan is ready to use.

For our review, we followed the same recipe for all the brands of pans. The recipe we followed is –

• In a bowl, we mixed 1 cup sooji with 3/4th cup curd.
• Add salt (to taste), chopped ginger, green chilies, and chopped veggies. We added onions, beans, carrots, and capsicum.
• To this, we added ½ a sachet of unflavored fruit salt.
• We used the batter immediately to make appe.

We made sure to cook all the appe on medium to low flame. We stored half a batch of appe in a casserole for tasting them later and tasted the other half right away. This helped us gauge the change in texture if any.

Our testing led us towards some of the best kuzhi paniyaram pans in India. Here is a table comparing all four brands with price, material of the pan, number of pits, type of coating, warranty and more.

The Hawkins Appe pan comes pre-assembled and pre-seasoned. This is a 12 cavity pan and each cup has a volume of 25 ml. The pan comes with a wooden turner and a soft nylon sponge to clean the pan. The material of the pan is aluminum and this is a die-cast pan. The coating is German ceramic coating (PFOA free non-stick). This has a toughened glass lid which is heatproof. 

After cooking appe in this pan for over a span of two weeks, we noticed that the handle and lid knob remain cool to touch. The glass lid on top helps us check on the cooking progress of the appe without losing out on the heat and steam.

Batch after batch, the appe made in the Hawkins pan cooked to perfection and had even browning. Even when we ate the appe after an hour of keeping them in a casserole, they did not dry up. The moisture remained intact.

The pan did not emit any chemical smell when we heated it.

Features

• The Hawkins Non-Stick Appe Pan is priced at Rs 1175/-.
• Number of cavities – 12
• Size of the pan is 22 cms.
•  The material of the pan is pressure die-cast aluminium with stay-cool handles.
• Material of the lid – Toughened glass
• The coating is PFOA free non-stick coating.
• Wooden turner inside.
• Guarantee/warranty – This product has a 2 year guarantee.
• The pan is not dishwasher safe.
• The pan is not induction-friendly. 
• Weight of the pan – 1.252 Kg
• Comes with a detailed booklet that contains sweet and savory recipes like appe, paneer kebabs, alu bonda, veg momos, spicy veg manchurian, egg and cheese balls, jalapeno poppers, chocolate and walnut muffins.

Pros

• The pop-red color on the exterior makes this pan very attractive to look at.
• No assembly is required. This is a pre-assembled pan.
• This has a 2-year guarantee. Other brands offered a 1 year warranty only.
• This has a German ceramic coating. This is a PFOA free non-stick coating.
• The glass lid on top enables us to look at the progress in cooking.
• The stay-cool handle adds to the list of pros.
• The wooden turner eases the process of flipping the appe.
• The heat distribution is even and cooks the appe perfectly. The browning is even and helps the appe retain its moisture even when consumed after an hour. 

Cons

There are no cons, which is why we chose this as our Top Pick.

Best Suited For

If you are looking for a paniyaram pan which cooks the appe evenly, is sturdy and easy to use, Hawkins Appe Pan is one of the best options. 

The Prestige Omega Paniyarakkal, like our Top Pick, comes pre-assembled and has 12 cavities. In the box there is a wood turner and a blue scrubber. The material of the pan is aluminium with a non-stick coating which is PFOA free. The glass lid is convenient with a 24 mm thickness. The coating is metal spoon-friendly.

Our cooking experience with this pan is similar to Hawkins Appe Pan which is why this is an Also Recommended pick. The reason Hawkins marginally trumped Prestige is because of the difference between the non-stick coating and the guarantee and/or warranty period. Prestige is also a little more expensive than Hawkins, for the same quality of cooking.

Features

• The Prestige Omega Appe Pan is priced at Rs 1300/-.
• The warranty period is 1 year.
• This is not a dishwasher-safe pan.
• This is not an induction-friendly pan.
• Cool the pan before washing.
• The material of the pan is aluminium.
• Material of the lid – Glass
• The pan has a bakelite handle.
• The coating is PFOA free non-stick coating.
• Comes with a wooden turner and a scrubber.

Pros

• This is a pre-assembled pan.
• The pan has a PFOA free non-stick coating.
• Comes with a wooden turner which helps turn the appe without making a mess.
• The glass lid on top is convenient to use.
• The handle does not heat up while cooking.
• The even heat distribution helps cook the appe evenly. The appe remained soft even after cooling down.

Anjali’s Appe Pan has an aluminium base and a stainless steel lid. The handle is sleek and remains cool to touch after cooking. This pan needs assembling. The lid knob and the handle need to be screwed tight before usage. This comes with a wooden turner.

Even distribution of heat helps cook the appe uniformly. The pan is priced much lower than its competition but has similar cooking results making this our Value For Money Pick. 

Features

• Anjali’s Appe Pan is priced at Rs 745/-.
• The lid weighs 109 grams.
• Weight of the pan (with lid) – 600 gms
• The warranty period is 12 months.
• The material of the pan is aluminium.
• Material of the lid – Stainless steel
• Comes with a wooden turner.
• Detailed instructions given on the pack on how to season the pan.

Pros

• The pan cooks the paniyarams evenly.
• The handle remains cool to touch.
• The wooden turner makes it easy to flip the appe.
• The apee do not stick to the pan.
• The pan is the cheapest amongst all the brands we reviewed.

Cons

• The pan is not pre-assembled.
• This does not have a glass lid. This can lead to loss of heat and steam every time you lift the lid to check on the cooking process.
• The cavity of the pan is slightly smaller in comparison to the contenders.

Best Suited For

This is an economical pick for those who want to buy a paniyaram pan under Rs 1000/-.

Cello’s Appe Pan comes with a wooden turner. The knob on the stainless steel lid needs to be assembled. During our testing phase, there was a lot that did not work for Cello’s Appe Pan.

From the flimsy, lightweight stainless steel lid to the small handles that heat up within seconds and the quick browning of the appe. For novices using this pan, it can get very difficult to handle.

Features

• Cello’s Appe Pan is priced at Rs 1190/-.
• Weight of the pan – 400 gms with lid.
• Material of the pan – Aluminium
• Material of the lid – Stainless steel
• Wooden turner inside

Pros

• The pan comes with a wooden turner.
• The pan cooks appe evenly.
• The appe do not stick to the pan at all.

Cons

• The handles are not cool to touch. They get heated up very quickly, thus lowering the overall experience of using a gas-based pan.
• The stainless steel lid is very lightweight. Moreover, it does not allow checking on the cooking progress without losing on the heat and steam. A glass lid is definitely much more convenient. 
• The pan browns the appe very quickly, even when cooked on a low to medium flame. This led to them becoming hard quickly.
• There is no information provided on the pack related to the type of coating used or the warranty/guarantee.

Why did we choose Hawkins Appe Pan as our Top Pick? Our Top Pick, Hawkins, has multiple positives. The even cooking of the appe, the toughened glass lid, and the stay-cool handle being some of them. The fact that this has a ceramic coating which is PFOA free and the 2-year guarantee helped this inch ahead of the other contenders. Another added plus is the attractive red exterior of the pan. 

Why do we Also Recommend Prestige Appe Pan? The Prestige Omega Appe Pan is our recommendation because our cooking experience with this pan is exactly the same as our Top Pick. The 1-year warranty period pales in comparison to the 2-year guarantee of the Hawkins pan. The price difference also plays a small but important role in this.

Why is Anjali Appe Pan our Value For Money Pick? Anjali’s Appe Pan is much cheaper as compared to the other two picks but cooks paniyarams as well as Hawkins and Prestige. The cooking of the appe is uniform and the handle remains cool to touch.

Here are some interesting FAQs on kuzhi paniyaram pans in India.

1. Are these above reviewed appam brands dishwashers safe?

As per information provided on the pack, the appe pans by Hawkins and Prestige Omega are not dishwasher safe. No information regarding this is provided by Anjali or Cello. We have not tested this personally. 

2. Which is the best material for appam pan?

Appe pans are vastly available in two materials – cast iron and aluminium. While aluminium pans are lightweight and considerably cheaper in comparison to cast iron pans, they don’t snatch the top spot due to speculation revolving around aluminium cookware. Cast iron is much better as a material for utensils. Read more on this here. 

3. Which brand of appe maker is the best?

As per our review, Hawkins Appe Pan is the best for your kitchen. It is easy to use, cleans well, and has deep cavities. The German ceramic non-stick coating makes it very easy to turn the appe without them turning into a sticky mess. 

We also recommend the one by Prestige and Anjali. 

4. Are these above reviewed appam brands induction compatible?

No. None of the above mentioned brands are compatible with an induction cooktop. They are all compatible with a gas stove.

5. Are appe pans difficult to clean?

From our personal experience, none of the above mentioned brands of appe pans were hard to clean. Make sure you do not wash them while they are still hot as it can lead to the coating getting damaged.

6. Did the appe stick in any of the above mentioned pan?

No. The appe were fairly easy to turn in all of the pans. They did not stick to the surface in any of the pans.

Please note that when we review appliances and utensils in our test kitchen, we ensure to keep using the product even after the official review process is over. In case we have any new updates and fresh insights, we update the article.

Call them what you may – Appe pans, appam patras, paniyaram pans or paniyarakkal. They are fast becoming an important part of most kitchens, even in the North. From mini muffins to sweet and savory appe to egg and cheese balls, these pans are being used for much more than they were intended for.

Our two-week testing of these four brands of paniyaram pans led us to the conclusion of awarding Hawkins Appe Pan as our Top Pick. We also recommend Prestige Omega Appe Pan. Anjali’s Appe pan is our Value For Money Pick.

Do you own a paniyaram pan? Which brand is it from and how has your experience been with it? Let us know in the comment section!

* If you do agree with our review, please give it a thumbs up! And, tell us which one is your favorite from this list. If you don’t, please tell us why!

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* Our reviews are unbiased and all samples used during the reviews were paid for by us. Read our entire ethics statement here.

* No part of this review is sponsored by any brand. All expenses were borne by us.