Collect and Cook with Save Mart and Thomas Cookware

Disclosure: I participated in an Influencer Activation on behalf of Mom Central for Save Mart Supermarkets. I received Thomas Cookware items to facilitate my review as well as a promotional item to thank me for my participation. As always, all opinions are my own.

This time of year I like to go through my kitchen supplies and make sure I have all the serving platters, casserole dishes and pots and pans that I may need for the upcoming holiday season. Every year I vow to purchase a complete new set of cookware, but somehow another year goes by without doing so. Instead I’ll pick up a few items here and there that may replace and older piece, but I’ve yet to purchase a new quality set that matches.

This may just be my year though! Save Mart, one of my favorite grocery stores, has a Collect and Cook Program going on NOW in stores. Now, what is the Collect and Cook Program? Oh, I’m so glad you asked!

Collect and Cook with Save Mart

• Shopping at Save Mart Supermarkets can get you FREE high quality cookware just for purchasing your everyday groceries.
• From September 3rd through January 20th shoppers earn 1 bonus stamp for every $10 spent at Save Mart Supermarkets and can put these bonus stamps towards receiving free Thomas Cookware pieces, exclusively at Save Mart Supermarkets.
• The Thomas Cook & Pour  Cookware line includes a range of 9 pieces designed to go straight from your stove to the oven (4 non-stick pans and 5 multi-function pots.) Many of these pieces have a unique pour and strain feature for ease of use.

Now I have no problem collecting these stamps (plus the bonus ones!) because the closest grocery store to me is Save Mart. It’s where I go when I’m in the middle of cooking and realize I forgot an ingredient, and I’m even known to go power walking through my neighborhood with the jogging stroller and stop in to Save Mart for a few snacks. What I also love about Save Mart is that it’s a small grocery chain that started right here in Northern California, and it still has that neighborhood grocery store feel to it. Matter of fact, my local store has the best customer service, the cashiers have genuine and longstanding relationships with their customers and even the management recognizes me and says hello whenever I’m shopping.

Now, winning things is always fun, but I wanted to check out the quality of these pots that way if I like them I might just have a complete set by the end of the year! I received the 8″ stainless steel saucepan with glass lid that holds 3 quarts and the 11″ stainless steel non-stick grill pan. Both of these items have the cook and pour feature and come with a 2 year guarantee.

There’s a few things that I just love about BOTH pans, like the beautiful stainless steel handle with a thumb grip, the fact that both pans have a nice weight to them, they both have the cook and pour feature, AND they can go from stove top to oven.

I’ve had a few pots with metal handles, and the screws always get loose and you have to search for a screwdriver to tighten them every few days. Not these pots! They are secured with rivets that I can’t imagine coming loose. I did mention you can use these in the oven, but they are also dishwasher safe as well! I know that’s unheard of with most non-stick pans, but it’s good to know!

I decided to test out these pieces on a busy weeknight for a quick family dinner. One of those twenty minute meals that you don’t have a lot of time to fuss in the kitchen, and you need good and solid pots to cook the food properly. I decided to do a blackened tilapia in the pan with some buttery noodles with a few seasonings rubbed in. All you need is a side salad and you’re good to go, and with these pots clean up is a snap!

I found that both pots heated quickly and evenly, which is very important. I loved the way the grill pan covered a lot of space, I could have made at least 5 tilapia fillets with all the space I had.

The saucepan boiled fairly quickly, and the noodles didn’t stick, the pour feature worked great to strain the noodles and the seasonings were easy to clean off once I was done. No extra dishes is always a plus!

My in-laws even stopped by when I was preparing this meal, and she remarked on what a gorgeous set of cookware it was. Of course I told her all about it and she’s ready to save her stamps for the grill pan that I have. I’m also on my way to my next pot, I think I have my eye on the 8″ Non-stick Fry Pan.

To find out more about the Save Mart Collect and Cook Program, click here. You can also find Save Mart on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.

Which pot would you save your stamps for?