Josh Conway and Adam Chaudry, inventors of The Handy Pan, have been buddies since grade school. They share a love of inventing things and one of their inventions earned them a trip to the Shark Tank. Their business is called Chaudway Innovations LLC and they have “several other kitchen products aligned with the Handy concept” in development. Both guys have full time jobs. Chaudry is a criminal defense and civil rights attorney and Conway is a realtor and GM of a strategic technologies company.
The Handy Pan was born out of a design written on a napkin. It’s your basic ceramic coated, non-stick frying pan with a heat resistant handle. What makes it special is the attached strainer. Simply push the button on the handle and the strainer raises up, then just tilt the pan and drain out your liquid. No extra strainer required!
At just $29.99, it’s about the price of a regular, quality ceramic pan. The guys sell direct on their website. They tried to raise money on Kickstarter back in 2018, but they didn’t raise enough. Manufacturing was a challenge for them during the Covid-19 pandemic related supply chain issues, but they appear to have worked them out and they’re ready to go in front of the Sharks.
My Take on The Handy Pan
I do all the cooking in my house and I think this is a cool idea. Whenever I brown ground beef, there’s grease. I usually dump everything into a strainer over a leftover coffee can. That’s just one more piece of cookware I have to wash. This product eliminates the need for it.
I also like that it’s dishwasher safe. Teflon pans can’t go in the dishwasher, but ceramic pans can. My only concern is the durability of the button mechanism that releases the strainer. While I believe it’s a good product, I wouldn’t want to break that button!
Will Sharks Feel Strained and Invest?
I have concerns about The Handy Pan getting a deal. The first is their website. It’s pretty rudimentary. I doesn’t have that “I did a deal with a Shark” feel to it. Their Facebook page is very sparse too. Since they didn’t fund on Kickstarter, they either don’t know digital marketing very well or the product wasn’t well received. I think it’s more of the former.
As for the Sharks, they’ll want to see sales and I don’t think they have a lot of sales. Chef Wonderful and Lori are probably the best partners for this product. Expect a royalty offer from Mr. Wonderful. In the press release photos, Lori is onstage trying the pan out. If she likes it, it could be a good QVC product. It’s going to be Lori or Kevin or no deal for this product.
Entrepreneur, auteur, raconteur. Rob Merlino is a blogger and writer who enjoys the Shark Tank TV show and Hot Dogs. A father of five who freelances in a variety of publications, Rob has a stable of websites including Shark Tank Blog, Hot Dog Stories, Rob Merlino.com and more.
I would like to purchase a HandyPan but have been unable to connect on any website. Please direct me as to how I can find & buy a HandyPan.
Thank you,
audrey schweyer
https://www.buyhandypan.com/
I received my handy pan but it’s not what I expected. I thought it was just a grease dripping attachment that you can put on or take off I didn’t think it was a pan that’s attached to it & the pan isn’t large enough anyway for me to fry over a pound of hamburger so I’d like to return it but there’s no return slip inside the box.