A few weeks ago, I was invited to check out the launch of the new home brand, Famco.
This is a local brand but quality level is similar to higher-end foreign brands. If I didn’t know this was a local brand, I would assume it was an imported brand 🙂
Really Nice Cookware
When I looked at their products, I immediately thought that they seem “inspired” by premium foreign brands, specifically by All-Clad, when I looked at their cookware.
I was really impressed by their cookware – it was heavy duty, thick stainless steel, has a thick bottom, and seriously very near All-Clad in quality (about 80-90%) for like, 1/5 the price.
2QT Sauce Pan (P995)
I am definitely getting their 2-quart sauce pan when the time comes that I need to replace my current sauce pans (that in all honesty are only used to cook instant noodles 70% of the time, LOL 😀 ). Another thing that is making me go for the Famco sauce pan, is that during the demo, the chef used it to deep fry some food, and the handle of the sauce pan didn’t get hot at all! The entire sauce pan is stainless steel, even the handle, and yet the handle never got hot. I literally held it with my bare hand and it wasn’t hot at all. There’s no need to use a mitt or anything to hold it.
The only “downside” for me is that the lid is also stainless steel. I prefer glass lids so I can see how the cooking is going. Other than that, this pan is great!
It is induction-ready.
The other pans Famco has are non-stick. To be fair, the chef and other people who have used this all say that Famco’s non-stick coating is really good. I don’t doubt that. Personally I just don’t want to deal with the hassles of non-stick pans where I have to be careful about not scratching them, etc…
Mortar & Pestle
The item I immediately told myself I had to get was their mortar & pestle!
Price is P450 but it’s currently discounted and you can get it for less than P400 during sales (use discount vouchers on their Lazada shop). This one is made of pure granite.
Last week, a friend asked if he could borrow mine for a food photo shoot, and the Thai chef we were with (who works at a 5-star hotel) loved this mortar & pestle that he asked my friend to buy one for him 🙂 So, yeah, Thai chef-approved, LOL 😀
I haven’t used this so much yet, just for pounding some garlic for adobo, but I’m happy with it. It is big enough for the spices I am using so they don’t fly out while pounding. Many of the mortar & pestle sets I see sold in department stores are too small.
Famco New Bone China Plates
This was unexpected.
I only bought a set of plates just because they looked nice in the candlelight/table setting during the launch.
But now I love them so much! We’ve been using these Famco plates daily for almost a month now and they still look good as new!
I have the 10.25″ dinner plates (P650 for 4 plates) and the 8″ side plates (P395 for 4 plates).
The plates have a thick, glossy finish that don’t show any signs of wear. Color is white but on the warmer side, kind of cream-colored, which looks really good in warm lighting and also makes food look more appetizing.
The ends of the plate are curved up (about 1-inch tall), so you don’t have to worry about spilling anything, especially if you are eating something saucy or soupy.
The plates are heavier than the typical Corelle/Luminarc dinner plates, but not as heavy as stoneware. These plates are not stoneware. They are new bone china. I asked about this during the launch, and I was told that these were porcelain but instead of using traditional bone ash, they used something else that was just as good and made for a more break-resistant product.
And yes, they are break-resistant! A few days ago, I left a plate with some boiled chicken out on the counter. The chicken was for the cats but they weren’t hungry so I thought I’d just leave it out and feed them later. I covered it with one of those plastic microwave cover things, and did other tasks.
Later, we found the plate on the floor, chicken gone. Obviously, one of the cats got to it 😀 Apparently, the cats pushed the whole thing off the counter and to the tiled floor to get to the chicken. The amazing thing was the plate was still intact! No signs of breakage, chips or anything!
Magnetic Measuring Spoons
A measuring spoon set that didn’t need rings? Honestly, that was the thing that sold me on this set!
People are just too lazy to put the spoons back into the rings in order. Now our measuring spoons are magnetic, so there’s no excuse! It’s even fun!
But, what I like more is that the spoons are double-sided. So when I’m measuring things out, I can use one side for something like say, soy sauce, and then flip the other side to measure something like sugar. No need to wash & dry a measuring spoon if you need to measure 2 different things. Or have to do math by using 2 x 1/2 tsp if the 1tsp is dirty.
These thin, stainless spoons also pick up spices, flours, etc… much more easily than the thick plastic ones. One side even fits into the smaller spice jar openings.
Since these are stainless, they don’t tend to get dirty or stained unlike plastic measuring spoons.
The only thing I don’t like about my set is that the white text printing is kind of smudged. Hopefully it’s just my set and the other ones are okay. But it doesn’t detract from the usefulness of the spoons.
Pot Holder & Oven Mitt
I’m a sucker for a good oven mitt so I had to get this!
Since I got the oven mitt, might as well get the matching pot holder 😀
The lining is made of real cloth (not foam that disintegrates after laundering it).
Both the oven mitt & the pot holder have a silicone line design that helps with grip – so the hot casserole/cake pan/cookie sheet you are taking out of the oven is less likely to slip from your hands.
Usually, with other brands, part of the oven mitt is replaced with silicone. But Famco’s is still cloth that just has an added silicone grip design on top of the cloth. The only other one I’ve seen this in is Crate & Barrel’s oven mitt, but that’s USD $13 each compared to Famco’s that’s only around P200 (USD $4) after voucher discounts. So, this is definitely a must-buy if you like good oven mitts!
Grater/Zester
Can you believe this Microplane-looking Famco zester/grater is only P195?
I already have a Microplane zester (price was around P1,000) but I bought this one from Famco, too, because I think the shape of the Famco one is more practical. A box grater is too cumbersome to clean.
My Microplane zester is the long, narrow one, and I sometimes wish it was wider when I grate cheese, etc…
This Famco grater has a more familiar grater shape. It also has a plastic cover to protect the grater (and other things you might be storing it with) when not in use.
As for grating – it does the job, and we find it easier to clean/wash. We mostly just grate cheese.
Can Opener
It looks a lot like our old Farberware can opener that has seen better days!
Our old Farberware can opener doesn’t work so well now – it skips and doesn’t grip the can very well. So replaced it with the Famco can opener (only P195!).
The Famco can opener works like a charm! Opening cans is easy now, no more struggle!
Bamboo Bed Linens
Famco also has some good bamboo sheets that are selling for much lower than competitor’s prices! Prices start at around P2,250 (less if you avail of Lazada vouchers).
The bamboo sheets were smooth and very cool to the touch. The feel is different, from say, Egyptian cotton. The bamboo ones are not soft like cotton, but they feel so much smoother and cooler and feel so much less likely to be sticking to sweaty skin.
It definitely feels very cool on the skin. In fact, the ones who have tried it told me that it feels like you are sleeping in an air-conditioned room even if you’re not.
I will definitely be getting a set when they come out with my bed’s size. Currently, they have Full, Queen and King sizes. The colors available are white and light gray.
They are OEKO-TEX Certified (Standard 100).
Other Items Available from Famco
Airtight containers (similar to OXO)
These start from P250 (less if you use Lazada discount vouchers).
Mixing Bowls with Non-slip bottom (P895 for set of 3 bowls)
Summary
I am really glad that this brand, Famco, exists!
If you like the look and feel of the higher-tier brands like All-Clad, Crate & Barrel, OXO, Microplane, etc… but can’t get them locally, or don’t want to spend that much, Famco is the answer!
Famco’s prices are a fraction of what you’d be paying for the other brands, but their products are very good quality and have the same vibe.
Their products are easy to buy – they have a Lazada Flagship store that also participates in the monthly sales (6.6, 7.7, etc…). They ship quickly (my orders arrived in 2-3 days), and they pack items securely. They also use eco-friendly honeycomb paper wrap (bubble wrap alternative).
I really hope Famco continues to provide these kind of products to consumers who like the higher-end look and feel but want value-for-money, too 🙂
Famco Website: https://makeitfamco.com/
