What I Really Think About HexClad’s Cookware

Celebrity endorsements don’t mean much in my book. When I heard that Gordon Ramsey and Oprah use HexClad cookware, my first thought was, “Do they really?” But my second, and more useful, thought was to try HexClad myself, to really put these pans to the test.

For the past few months, I’ve been using two HexClad pans as my primary pieces of cookware. The 12-inch frying pan replaced an old banged up nonstick, and the 5.5 quart deep sauté pan has got its fair share of use as well. Both have been put through their paces, and both have lived up to the HexClad name. I really do love using these pans. With few exceptions, I want to continue using them for every meal I cook.

As a New York City resident on an editor’s budget, the I just wanted to answer if HexClad pans are really worth that near $200 price tag. Reviewers on the internet seemed stuck on either side of that question, so I came at it with some objectivity. My verdict? HexClad makes a wonderful do-it-all pan, well worth the price.

HexClad Hybrid 12″ Fry Pan with Lid

Cons

• Handles stay hot
• Not as good as a cast iron or stainless steel for searing
• Expensive

First Impressions: Love at First Sight

From the moment I took these pans out of the box, I was in love. The first thing I noticed is that patented hexagonal pattern that’s on both sides of the pans surface. It looks incredible, yes, but it plays a huge functional purpose. These hexagonal steel ridges and nonstick valleys combine stainless steel and ceramic nonstick. The claim is that it creates a Goldilocks pan or “Hybrid Cookware,” meaning it combines the attributes of stainless steel and nonstick.

For me, HexClad held up to that promise. I cooked a lot of meals in the past five weeks. Enchiladas, a Bolognese, squash gratin, all favorites here and all turned out beautifully. My new frying pan even helped aid in the creation of my second-ever Beef Wellington. I’ve used a lot of spatulas and tools in the process, wooden and metal, and each pan has been sent to the oven and survived with delicious results.

Well after hitting the 30 day mark, I can happily say my HexClad pans are still just like new. Because of the ceramic nonstick, cleaning the pans has been a breeze for everyone in my household. In fact, I’ve even found them to be stay consistently nonstick. A tiny bit of butter or oil, and most things you’re cooking will slide around with ease. Does that mean they’re completely nonstick? Not entirely, which has bothered many online reviewers. But my real question is who cooks like that? Sure, there are certainly health reasons to want to cut down on cooking fats, but even a little bit of fat goes a long way on these pans.

Here’s something else: I love my apartment, but our storage space for cookware is subpar. When moving, kitchen size is perhaps the only downgrade I took in favor of a dishwasher, washer-dryer, and numerous other amenities I don’t regret. When it comes down to it, I don’t have the space to specialize with separate stainless steel and nonstick frying pans. I have limited storage for large pans, and a cast iron is already taking up some of that space. The way I see it, the more desperately you need new cookware, the better an investment HexClad will be.

Cracks In the HexClad Armor

I mention my cast iron pan so much because, frankly, HexClad can’t replace it. For me, the big crack in the HexClad armor is the searing power. Due to the PTFE coating that makes these pans nearly nonstick, it’s impossible to get a hard sear as quickly or deeply as with a stainless steel or cast iron pan. Despite how quickly the pans get hot, they are not my first pick for frying or searing meats. That still goes to my cast iron skillet.

Another gripe that might be more user error than anything is that, if warmed, the handles do stay pretty hot. The first time I had taken the deep sauté pan out of the oven, I left it to sit for a a good five minutes and (pot-holders nowhere to be found) absent-mindedly gripped it with my open pan. It was still screeching hot, and in that millisecond I lived and learned. To be fair, that’s proof that the handle is made of high-quality stainless steel. Still, I would’ve preferred to not burn my fingertips—so don’t make the same mistake as me.

My Final Verdict

I see a lot of people online jump to call what HexClad is doing a scam. Hate to break it to them, but if you’re delivering a quality product that lasts years it’s not a scam. It’s just not what those specific reviewers wanted. In terms of the pure searing power of All Clad stainless steel or Lodge cast iron, it won’t hit those high marks. But, if you’re looking for great do-it-all pan or space-saving apartment essential, HexClad is the brand to shop. That is just an objective fact.

5.5QT Hybrid Deep Sauté Pan with Lid

Cons

• Handles stay hot
• Not as good as a cast iron or stainless steel for searing,
• Expensive

Why Trust Esquire?

Here at Esquire, we compile our guides by performing heavy research and testing, and the gadgets we choose to award are what we’d spend our own money on. We choose the best tech, homeware, and kitchen tools for you based the hands-on experience of our writers, editors, and extended staff across the globe. I wrote this review after more than four weeks of hands-on testing with two HexClad pans. If anything changes in the coming months, I will be returning to update this review accordingly.