Weeknight pasta on a Tefal pan

Heat your largest non-stick over medium. A glug of olive oil. One small onion, fine dice. Two cloves of garlic, sliced thin. Cook five minutes — never let them brown.

A can of crushed tomatoes (San Marzano if your wallet allows). Salt. A pinch of sugar to take the bite off. Simmer six minutes. Off heat, fold in a knob of unsalted butter and a torn handful of basil.

The pasta — drain it a minute early and finish in the sauce. Two ladles of pasta water. Toss until it emulsifies. Cheese off the heat or it goes stringy.

Why the Tefal: the sloped sides make tossing easy and the non-stick survives the chef's-knife scraping motion home cooks accidentally do. Replace the pan after three years; ours come with a warranty card.