@@sambanks3189 yes. Use a high smoke point oil to create a coating before cooking. You're not adding fat to food. You're making the pan better to cook with 👍
I had a Hexclad pan and after a couple of years, the surface started to show scratches and food started to stick. I contacted Hexclad and they asked me to send in some photos of the pan with scratches. They actually honored the lifetime warranty and sent me a new pan. I have been using this new pan for another two years now and so far so good.
@@swordfish356dt cast iron and ceramic are non toxic options just be weary of deceptive marketing. Don't get the ceramic coating, get the SOLID ceramic option
To clarify this is kind of true for any nonstick pan you don’t use metal on it. if you have scratches on your nonstick pan you were using it wrong to begin with. you should only use wooden or rubber/silicon spatulas tongs or whatever else would ever touch your pan. I don’t own a hex clad so I’m not one of their fanboys. what I’m saying is it’s just a universal truth if your nonstick pan has scratches on it you fucked up from the start
Plastics Engineer here. Unbiased, credit given where due, and extremely accurate material science information tailored to the masses. Incredibly well said Chris, feels like I'm back in school again...
@@PneumaticFrog probably studying Chemical engineering in university and then doing a postgrad in polymer science. It opens up the same jobs as any other ChemE and Polymer science degree: Mostly as an advisor, rarely as an R&D Researcher.
@@PneumaticFrog Agreed with @JustinKoenigSilica. Did my undergrad in ChemE (doing polymer research and extra courses along the way) and then a Master's in Chemistry that focused exclusively on Polymer Science. There are some universities that will offer official polymer science degrees and certifications for undergrad, though from my experience employers tend to like advanced degrees in an R&D setting unless you have a ton o experience. I'm happy to answer any other questions you might have if you want to DM!
I'm one of those who always tries to take exceptional care of their teflon cookware. I never take it above 500deg, and never use metal utensils in it, or scrub it with abrasives. It has always been frustrating to watch the coating break down and start to peel after about 2 years though, and I wondered if I was doing something wrong. Thanks for explaining the different expansion rates of teflon and metal, and the inevitable failure that results from it. That explains so much.
I do as you. Over 500°, Teflon expels a poisonous gas (I read long ago) and plastic, nylon or silicone utensils are all that should EVER touch it! Go to a thrift store and look at the old tossed-out teflon pans for a laugh.
On this season of Hells Kitchen they swapped all the nonstick pans for Hexclad and on a recent episode there was a big problem with the scallops sticking. Ramsey was very careful not to trash his brand deal while also not being able to come up with a solution lol.
I think the core of the problem is that people don’t want to admit that nonstick pans are basically disposable products with a limited lifespan. So the thought process is that if you spend a load of cash then maybe it will last longer. Really I think we just need to be less afraid of using oil because a sufficient amount isn’t that terrible for you.
Truth. Price aside, I kept screaming "put some bloody oil into it" cuz i never cook or fry without oil or butter. And if oil helps, regarldess of pan - why wouldnt you use it? At some point I feel like the marketing is towards people that dont want to use fat in food, but still encourages to use oil to season the pan. Any chef worth his salt wouldnt think twice of using oil to being with.
Agreed. I keep a cheap, but decent, nonstick pan around to cook eggs and the occasional delicate seafood. I went with a Tramontina that's around $30 and does the job. My daily cookers are stainless All-clad with the occasional (about as often as nonstick) cast iron for stuff that benefits from it. Nonstick just isn't great as a daily use, every meal, kind of pan unless you want to replace it very often.
Ads are often related to the videos you watch. If the videos you watch tag products that have ad deals with TH-cam, those products are usually advertised on those videos.
I had my Hexclad for almost 5 years and it started to flake. I called and was sent a brand new one. I showed them a few pictures and they didn't hesitate. Great customer service!
@@BlakeA3636 How? It combines the disadvantages of both stainless steel and PTFE pans. The food literally rests on stainless steel, only in the crevices and holes does it come in contact with PTFE. And when it overheats you get the toxic fumes.
I'm a HexClad owner, the comment you made at the end "reasonably non-stick, easy to clean and durable enough for misuse" applies to me perfectly. I burn seasonings, cook while drunk, etc. and HexClad has been awesome for me in that regard
@@Daniel-dj7fh I was also wondering this- I'm just an average-joe, cooking at home, but I really like cast iron. You seem to have to cook the oil into cast iron until it forms that black coating on it, so I'd assume that you would need to do the same here if it was "seasoning"- though that seems like it might just begin to degrade the teflon if you even tried it.
@@weeveferrelaine6973 with ceramic or teflon i wouldn't try burning oil onto the pan, messed up two pans because of accidentally getting olive oil too hot on mine.
I was very close to shelling out for Hexclad, but was convinced at the last minute to get a carbon steel pan for 40 bucks. So glad I did. I seasoned it and treat it like a cast iron and it works great. It can take high heat, metal utensils, and it gets really hot very fast. It sears great too. While it's not pure nonstick, when properly oiled and seasoned, nothing sticks.
This is exactly why cast iron dominates my kitchen. Great price point, it's damned near bomb proof, I don't have to worry about scratching or delaminating, and my grandkids will be able to use it, just like I'm using some from my grandmother.
@@djtrex4010 if you've had a carbon steel pan for long enough and keep seasoning it you get to a point you can cook some things with little to no oil and they won't stick. When you first get it you'll definitely need to use oil when cooking. At $40 price point you're probably looking at an 8" size or smaller 'de Buyer' or 'Matfer Bourgeat'. You can google either of those brands for good quality carbon steel pans. Personally I have multiple of every type of pan: stainless steel, carbon steel, cast iron, and hard anodized non-stick. Each different type of pan has pros and cons so each has a different preferred use in the kitchen.
I have several Carbon steel pans and woks. All for under $30 and three of them made in Japan, hand pounded and no rivets. Amazing workmanship. I bought the several years ago. The problem is I have not maintained them well, as recommended. I'll have to re-season them... at some point. Why? After cooking and washing off, you have to heat the Carbon steel cookware for a bit and wipe down with a bit of oil. True fans use exotic oils. I just use whatever oil I am cooking with it and neglect to wash etc. the same evening. In a wok or even a large pan, the top sides still have minute water droplets and that is how rust starts... now leading to re-seasoning. Also, never use acidic foods like cooking Vinegar and Chinese cooking wines in Carbon steel, it wears off the seasoning, I do, all the time 😀. If cleaned off immediately, it may not be a problem. But then I put it off till the next morning...
I bought a set of these pans shortly before Gordon started pushing them. I knew they were not traditional non-stick, but more decent quality stainless with some non-stick properties. With what I use them for they perform very well. They heat very evenly, cook evenly, and have been very durable. I can cook things that would stick terribly on regular stainless without too much trouble. All that said, their marketing is absolutely misleading, and if you buy these pans expecting traditional non-stick you WILL be disappointed!
@edntz If taken care of properly a stainless pan can last for life. I have one which I've been using as a daily driver for years and I clean it with chemical lye when it gets real bad on the outside or something burns to the surface. Teflon? Never had it last more than a year or two before getting scuffed up, and I've owned $150-a-piece teflon pans. Now I just get the cheapest teflon I can which suits my needs. My biggest gripe with the hex clad is that they have the weaknesses of both pans, rather than combined advantages.FWIW, I'm a daily cook at home and I cook professionally. The only advantage I see to hex clad over traditional nonstick is that, being stainless, when the pan eventually dies you can sandblast the remaining teflon off and you have a micro-textured stainless pan with even heating.
I love this review! I'm considering a Hexclad 10' skillet recommended by a cook I follow on Twitter but I'm an annoying "research before you buy" person. This has really helped. I love cooking, but I also love learning anything about the science and/or art of cooking. You have a new subscriber.
I own and use every day and I'm sure a lot of people, like myself, don't have to worry about a French omelet sticking because it's not for breakfast around here, not that their is anything wrong with it. It's been perfect for the blue collar who cooks every night and maybe watches TV and has one to many while cooking cause it's even temperature and ease of cleaning makes it a great choice if you want to upgrade your cookware and cool looking on top of that
Go for it! I'm the same with the research and think about it. I have them and absolutely love them. The knives, too! If you heat them correctly, use butter or oil, it comes out perfect every time. I have never burnt anything on mine. I've had them for a few years, still in perfect condition. I only hand wash because it's so easy. Rinse with super hot water and a little soapy brush right away; you're done. I cook on gas. I've used them on electric too, same perfect results.
I thought these pans were just a magic texture on steel and didn't know they were Teflon. I'll stick with my cast iron and stainless steel. Thank you for the info! If anyone out there is having trouble cooking eggs on stainless steel heat your pan without oil and throw some water on it, if the water skitters around and doesnt stick and evaporate immediately then you're ready for oil and eggs.
Just picked up a set at Costco (impulse buy!), but upon unpacking I was disappointed to find that the 12" lid would not sit flush onto the 12" pan, but rather 'rocked' up & down up to ~1/4", depending on the rotational position. Turns out both the pan & lid are warped - which I verified by checking on a perfectly (sic) flat surface - my granite countertop. So I checked the 10" pan - and THAT'S slightly warped as well! Certainly not what I would expect from several $100's worth of supposedly 'high-end' cookware. Also, the Costco sales guy lead me to believe the non-stick coating was 'ceramic-based', NOT Teflon - I assume to imply it would be much more robust over time. Needless to say the set, which has never been used & only out of the box for an hour, was re-packed & will be returned this week. And I shall stick with my Lodge Cast iron, and purchase yet another non-stick OXO for the stubborn stuff. The moral of the story? Beware the impulse buy.
@@seanlarge4094 tl;dr this guy is frustrated about a dumb buy he made and wants to dump his feelings on a barely related comment instead of seeking a diary
I wish this were true. I have tried countless times to use good quality stainless steel cookware with oil and everything sticks to it no matter the variance in timing, temp, or oil.
This is the best review I've seen on Hexclad. I made the decision to choose stainless steel cookware. It took a little practice, but Im happy I did it. I was almost convinced by Hexclad marketing tactics, but I got sick and tired of cookware coatings wearing out. Your video was the icing on the cake for my decision. No coated cookware will last forever.
@@Matweaver7 You need to properly preheat stainless steel pans before adding any oil. Then things like chicken pieces won't stick when you put them in.
@@Matweaver7I know, what you mean, I was convinced to try steel cookware but disappointed at one of my first uses where I burnt what I tried to cook in it. First of all, if you burnt something in it and it seems like it is permanent, remember it isn't. Soak the pan in water and don't be afraid to scrub it hard, including with steel wool. It's steel, so it can take it. If that still doesn't work, buy "bar keeper's friend" and it will clean it up easily. Before you cook with the pan, make sure to season the pan with oil on low to medium heat, making sure you covered the entire pan.
I’m a Hexclad owner and I love it. I still use butter/oil because I never trust a naked pan and I never use metal utensils because I don’t fully trust their marketing, but they’re awesome. I’ve never had an issue with eggs sticking to it and it gives a steak a mean sear. It even keeps some of the “burnt” bits when searing, allowing you to deglaze to make a sauce as you would with a steel pan. As a home chef, if you take care of these pans (by pretty much ignoring some of their marketing) and still use oil and never use metal utensils, they’ll last you a long time
I did not expect to be so impressed with the review and explanation. I'm an ok home cook, but also a bioorganic chemist, so this was pure joy for me to watch.
I think that the video leaves a lot of unanswered questions. As an example, if hexclad is just a more durable less non-stick version of teflon, why don't I just use the traditional go to options in that niche that already exist? A high carbon steel pan costs $40-$80 (compared to $130), is insanely durable, will handle high temperatures, and is pretty nonstick if the user knows how they work.
@@hypothalapotamus5293 And if you know where to look (like restaurant supply stores) you can get good quality pans for even less. Buddy of mine got a 9" CS pan from a supply store for $8 10 years ago, and it's still a daily driver for him.
This is really one of the best reviews I've ever seen. It's straight to the point and very balanced. No personal agenda is in the way of a fair evaluation of the product. And he treats the manufacturer with more respect than it probably deserves. Excellent!
this was sorta how news was when I was a kid. Like you give the bad guy as much credit for the good stuff because there is some redeeming build quality. Just shitty promises.
@@psoriasis9096 nonsense. The Manufacturer is paying the advertising team. If you think that team is doing something the Manufacturer doesn't want them to, you don't really understand the process at all. If I employ you to do something for me. You do as instructed, or you get sacked. This is literally no different. The owner of the company is responsible for what their employees do. That's how it works.
@@psoriasis9096 To break it down here is how it works; The designers look at this is the goal and what we want it to do (The Moon Goal) The Engineers look at what the designers specs and go this is how we can do that and some alternatives (May be space is ok) Manufacturer Looks at what the engineers put out and go what cheaper we only have the budget for Earth at the selling point to make money (We stay on the ground) The Advertisement department has to make it sell (Gives you the Earth with talk of the Moon) So in the end you get the cheapest product they can make and still sell to you. Quality is based on who the Manufacturer is and how much profit is needed.
Ever since I got a carbon steel wok, I have been extremely impressed by how non stick it becomes when seasoned well. My plan for when my regular non stick pan needs to be replaced is to get a cast iron or carbon steel pan for general cooking, and maybe a small non stick for things like scrambled eggs. I realize that is kind of cheating to get several pans, but ultimately you have to realize that there is no single perfect pan.
Misen makes a really nice carbon steel pan for a reasonable price. I love them. I only avoid using them for really acidic things that need to simmer in the pan, because that can strip the seasoning.
I confess: Having purchased and discarded many Teflon pans over the years, I am still using heavy-gauge stainless steel with an aluminum core that I purchased long, long ago the year they were made--specifically, Aristocraft made by West Bend in 1968. These pans perform as well today and look as good as they did 56 years ago. My only complaint is that they didn't include a good omelet pan in the set; the skillets are too deep. Dry cooking relies on direct contact between the food an the metal. I like to cook with clarified butter. It can take the heat and in addition to preventing food from sticking, it distributes the heat to the food and tastes great. Teflon is a marvelous coating for re-entry vehicles carrying nuclear weapons; and that it where it belongs.
I own a set of HexClad, and I love them. That said, I was at least mildly disappointed in their non-stick performance, but I find as long as I add butter or oil to the pan, they work very well for my uses. Other than that, they're beautiful, great to cook with, and do a fantastic overall job and I'm even considering getting a couple more. I do agree that they should not advertise them in the way they do, though. It is misleading.
They are well made and work great for oven cooking but for non stick they get a big fat Zero in my book. PLUS THEY ARE JUST TOO EXPENSIVE FOR WHAT THEY ARE.
@@akita96th dry non-stick performance is not good in these, no. but, as said, just a little oil or butter and they perform very well, and less of that I feel than my other pans is needed. I don't know if I agree that they're too expensive for what they are, I think our expectations of cost are probably skewed with cheap overseas labor driving costs down, but these should last a very long time compared to just about anything that's not cast iron.
Cheap non-stick pans do not last, My wife uses non-stick spray which damages the coating fast. They warp, so when you pan sear something the oil is not even in the pan and they also do not heat evenly from the center to the edge. So if you buy two pans a year versus one that lasts 3 years? I bought a 14-in Analon and it works great!
@@lennardeberling6896 because cheap ones don't perform as well overall (even the non-stick aspects of cheap ones isn't great), and I don't have to buy replacements every year or two (or suffer through progressively worsening pans trying to make my money's worth). At the end of the day, they're expensive, but if you can afford them, they work great and will last. If you can't, then maybe getting a decent Lodge cast iron and overseasoning it is a better choice for you
About a year ago my wife woke up and decided it was time to replace our set of non-stick pans. We did an inventory. The only pans not damaged were the cast iron, which were staying regardless. Before conducting my research, we discussed the "requirements" and she identified Durability, Non-Stick, Ability to go into the dishwasher occasionally and Ease of Cleaning. I raised the fact that everyone but me continuously used metal utensils in the pans, causing damage time and again over 20 years. After researching, and watching videos, HexlClad seemed to be the best fit for the family. Agree fully that they are not perfect non-stick pans, but more than good enough for most tasks, and with some added butter or oil good enough for the eggs we cook normally. One year in, they have been a great compromise although I might have chosen something different personally. They are performing very well, and everyone likes them. Chris, Glad to see your making more videos and looking forward to receiving the thermometers!
Have to agree. We picked them up on the spur of the moment at Costco. I had read about them before and they seemed interesting. We had used the same couple of pans almost everyday and they were pretty worn through and it was time to replace them. Had them for 1.5 years or so and they are great. Yep they are not as non stick, but we don't have to worry about damage from metal utensils etc. And i can keep just one non stick pan on hand for when i really need non stick.
Yup, this is us. The wife really wants non-stick pans, but we're pretty rough on them. My mother-in-law loves to cook delicious food, but she's super hard on the cookware (metal utensils, dishwasher, etc). We have a couple of kids who are beginning to cook. We have one hexclad pan that already does better with less fat than what we had, and we are waiting for the rest of the set to arrive in a week. I'm looking forward to years of mostly non-stick use and me not cringing when pan-care-protocols are not followed.
I like the pans because they have incredible heat transference compared to many of my other pans. They just perform excellent in comparison to some of my nonstick pans.
My cast iron pans were made in the 1950's and when I cook with them - even eggs don't stick, and I've made the french omlette without it sticking. It's all about proper care and the seasoning of the pan, and making sure it's up to the right temp before cooking. They've lasted 70 years and are still going strong, and I'll probably hand them down to my kids when I am done with them.
I massively prefer cast iron pans, i even put them into the dish washer sometimes. No problem, burned in oil coal coating is not dissolved by detergent. The only "bad" thing is you cannot clean them outside to the experience of some women ;-) And they are somewhat heavy.
As a chef with over 40 years experience, l have to say that your comments are spot on. Just make sure you drum your knowledge into your kids brains and that they really hear you!
@@andyking957 I really love my old cast iron from Parents and Grandparents. As I fell more in love with cast iron, well - I actually married a cast iron pan. I know, I know, that is outside the bounds of most churches. I just have to understand why you can't 'wash them outside'?
Thank you for the up front and honest review! I've seen enough of these commercials to wonder, but I know when it comes to non stick, you don't get the best of both worlds. I use a combination of stainless steel and old school (pre 40's) cast iron, and I have one non stick that I use for the delicate stuff. everything else is steel or iron, and I've never had issues.
Didn't expect this video to be so detailed on the science of Teflon in cookware in addition to HexClad's construction. Well done! I personally am happy with my cast iron/carbon steel + seasoning but the occasional Teflon pans will always have a use in my kitchen.
This guy worked on Modernist Cuisine. Those books are absolutely phenomenal! The history and science in them make for just a captivating read, and I have learned so much I didn't even know I didn't know.
I absolutely love my cast iron. Second to that are my All-Clad Teflon pans. I’ve had them for years and with proper care, I expect to have them many more
I'm also a lover of cast iron. When used properly, it can be just as non stick as Teflon. In general, I only use our Teflon cookware when cooking something acidic. It's all about using the right tool for the job.
This is a thoughtful review. I have been using my stainless and carbon steel pans for a a few years now. I am OK with having to add oil to the pan to keep it from sticking and not having to replace pans every few years. A little sticking is fine for me and easy to clean up. This is a great channel!
@@thesaltmerchant4564 I was gonna say the same. Forget this hexclad and other gimmicks. Just buy castiron and you'll be fine. I use cast iron for maybe 80-90% of my cooking, to include baking and it never fails me.
I swear that the key to nonstick durability is to never heat it without anything in the pan, at least some oil. It's when I used to let pans heat up on the burner dry before adding anything that nonstick would wear out quickly.
Cast iron rules. If you take care of it and keep it properly seasoned and oiled, food doesn’t stick and cleanup is just a quick scrape and wipe. I use bacon or pork fat, tallow and ghee and never have sticking.
Having been the student of Josephine Araldo, and worked at the Fairmount Hotel Kitchen for two years in San Francisco, I prefer and use almost exclusively the same cookware these Original Cordon Blue Chefs trained me, and that is antique cast iron pans that have acquired multiple layers of carbon. They are "almost" as viable as a pure Teflon surface with oil or butter, they do not break, wear out, environmentally safer, and are significantly less costly.
Nah, cast iron sucks for most applications. Poor thermal characteristics, very heavy, and it's the oil doing the non stick in your anecdotes rather than the pan. It's not bad enough that it'll ever limit you from doing something and there are techniques that really mask its weaknesses (eg searing), but it's really not good at anything besides being cheap. Most people will be much happier if they have a non stick for eggs (though tbf cast iron is shockingly good at eggs even though it's bad at other sticky things) and stainless for basically everything else.
I recall an America's Test Kitchen episode, probably well over a decade ago, that covered non-stick pans. The general advice that has stuck with me was to treat them as disposable, and spend accordingly. We usually get the cheap aluminum Teflon pans and live a risky life. But for the most part we use regular tri-ply and cast iron, and save the Teflon pans for eggs, pancakes, other sorts of sticky things. Good review, answered a lot of questions about these pans!
@@kuma_score7536 Ceramics scratch easier and don't last as long as Teflon. Ceramics are also more dangerous than Teflon. Teflon has one of the strongest single bonds, and in fact Teflon lined containers are the only way to store fluoroantimonic acid. Which is the world's strongest acid, and is 20 quintillion times stronger than pure sulphuric acid.
@@lordgarion514 guess our teflon pans must be a lot cheaper then cause they're scratched to all hell but the ceramic pan is good as new. I also can't find anything stating ceramic to be dangerous but I can find a lot stating tefflon to be toxic.
@@kuma_score7536 You absolutely can NOT find an actual scientific site saying Teflon is toxic..... Sites by idiots yes, NOT science. Teflon is one of the least reactive molecules in organic chemistry. It's bonds are so strong that Teflon is the only way to store fluoroantimonic acid, which is the strongest super-axid, and is 20 quintillion times stronger than pure sulphuric acid. Your body does NOT break it down, and stop listening to people who live in their parent's basement. And yes, Teflon is so safe, they even put it inside of people during some surgeries......
I personally didn't see the commercials before buying. I bought them at a Costco after watching there in store demo. The salesperson never claimed they where non stick and was very forthright with what the pans could and could not do. Personally I love the ease of cleaning and am happy with the quality and there semi-nonstick abilities.
Hey if you can find one look for a carbon steel pan they're like cast iron but are much thinner and smoother giving a very good nonstick with oil just season them
If they were that honest in their marketing, people wouldn't have problems. But what's the difference between a HexClad and a carbon steel seasoned pan?
@@facepunch0122 Yeah, i just got a carbon steel. I've been using mostly teflon, stainless steel and a cast iron for my cooking. But the cast iron is it a lot harder to clean and season plus the seasoning wears out easier so I wasn't using it as much. Got a carbon steel 1 month ago -- I'm in love with it. It cooks just about as good as a cast iron for high heat but it's lighter and afterwards due to the smooth surface, the food is easy to scrape off if anything sticks. And it's super easy to just do a light season ever other time I cook or after I had food that got stuck and had to scrub a little harder. I actually don't even know now why I would use a cast iron. This hexClad basically sounds like a carbon steel with maybe a little more non-stick.
I bought a hexclad when it first came out, and it was expensive, over $100 as i recall. Has the price come down since then? Typical teflon pans can cost anywhere from $10-$50 ish. I think the hexclad is great for cooking meats and sauteed vegetables. Terrible for cooking eggs and anything with egg in the mix, and cheeses. The hexclad is also much heavier than teflon pans, and my wife doesnt like using it because it hurts her wrists. Because of the heavy weight, and the shape of the handle, it can be awkward to hold the pan in one hand.
Just use a dirt cheap teflon pan for eggs and switch it out every couple years (depending on use intensity) and a stainless, cast or carbon steel pan for everything else. There's no magic. Most of the time there's no need for nonstick anyways.
I use cast iron for sunny side up eggs, no stick every time. There is a method that you have to follow though. Well seasoned cast iron must be wiped or rinsed clean after each use, and a thin layer of olive oil applied. When I fry the eggs, I heat up the pan, butter the pan and when the heat is just right, pour the eggs into the pan. The eggs will slide right off the pan when they are done. Rinse and wipe, apply a thin layer of olive oil, done. The best part about it is, those cast iron pans with proper use will outlast the average human.
@@Ambient-spirits But is the difference in taste because of the non-stick pan itself, or because of the lack of butter used in the nonstick because no oils are needed?
I bought my son in law a HexClad pan for Christmas and told him to report back to me how it works. I’m skeptical of any claims made by these nonstick pans. I worked for a wonderful cook who owned a greasy spoon 40 years ago and he taught me an important lesson in cooking with stainless steel pans. He had seasoned stainless pans and when I asked him the secret of how his fried eggs slid right out of his pans. His answer was simple: hot pan, cold oil. You preheat your stainless (or cast iron) pan and then add the oil. It works.
That's so not true, you can absolutely season stainless steel! Not only does saying "stainless can't be seasoned” not stand up to any kind of scientific analysis, but I literally have seasoned stainless pans in my kitchen. What, you think adding a bit of nickel to carbon steel suddenly gives it magical properties where oil won't polymerize and bond with the surface?!? You're out of your gourd man... 🤣
@@donaldkasper8346 You can. All the seasoning is doing is creating a polymer out of the oil. It is a crap polymer admittedly, barley held together chemically and not well bonded to the underlying metal, which is why you need to re season such pans frequently and apply multiple layers of seasoning when they are new. But it is doing the same job as teflon in the same way - reducing opportunities for protein to bind to the underlying surface. Theoretically you could season any pan made of any metal with almost any fat or cooking oil.
@@donaldkasper8346 a simple google search would disprove your statement that ‘stainless steel pans can’t be seasoned’. In a day where all the information is at our finger tips, here you are spreading wrong information. Now go season those stainless steel pans in your cabinet, they probably need it 😅
@@ramoslegacy360 F- googleismo. Get a brain. I have a dozen stainless steel pans and can say from experience the concept of seasoning such a pan is bullshit. The only way to keep food from sticking to that kind of pan is to add water.
I've used hexclad pans for years and really enjoy them. They are indeed not pure non stick but the clean up is always insanely easy. I've thrown them in the dishwasher countless times and they still look and perform like new. However I do not use metal utensils with them because I can't stand the scraping sounds.
@@phillipawrightful so are my demeyere stainless steel pans. then it begs the question why you need teflon with extra steps if you can achieve non stick with stainless steel
I went to an airbnb and they had nothing but stainless-steel pans. My bacon stuck to the stainless as well as the eggs! I eventually had to add water to the stainless steel pans and cook my bacon that way. What's the secret? @@yuriib5483
@yuriib5483 did you buy the set used? New sets these days run 2-3 times what hexclad is offering so, unfortunately, it's hard to justify your comment when they're achieving the same result 😅
@@ImOriginulldemeyere? we got new on sale at zwilling store near me. comparing cost is kind of silly when hexclad I'm reading has so many manufacturing issues and deceptive warranty. I'll end up paying more over time... it's just like vitamix and ninja blenders, friends over the course of 8 years changed 3 ninjas, I'm on the same vitamix using it daily
Great review. I had been considering buying a Hexclad pan because of all the commercials. But after watching your video, I think I will just stick with my T-Fal non-stick pans. They are cheap enough that I can replace them if I need to and they work great. I do store them with felt pads between them to keep them from being scratched and I don’t use metal utensils in them. Works well for me and I do cook a lot.
I'm not entirely sure how I ended up on this video since I am not a cook in any sense of the word and I've never heard of a French omelette, but you made everything interesting and understandable to even the most novice viewer, so I really enjoyed it! Thank you for the great video!
Yep you said everything I was thinking and I'm going to continue to use my worn out non-sticks Teflon putting oil in there and I only have one other thought about this whole thing I'm just wondering how much Teflon I've eaten in my life because it's going somewhere
Yup, I'm in the same boat. I couldn't prepare cold cereal without burning it but somehow landed here. The host's talent as a communicator/videographer kept me watching the whole time!
Many people in the US love to attach country names to food items, such as Belgium waffles and Danish ice cream. I would not be surprised, if the French do not even know anything about French omelettes.
I have a bit of a unique view on this because I think because I went to their factory in China and met with the owners and got a tour. I was originally part of a campaign to try and promote cookcell and hexclad in other parts of Asia. I was gifted a set of pans to use and try (total of 8 different sizes skillets and pans) and while I do think they are durable and overall decent pans, they don't perform as well as advertised. They really wanted to push the egg blowing thing when they asked me to try, it kept failing. They wanted to sell it as a pan where no oil was needed. However, that's simply not something the pans are capable of doing. The pans do heat up really quick and they retain heat quite well. They are sturdy and overall good pans. When I make burgers and cheese melts on the pan, yeah it gets pretty caked on but if you soak the pan for a while, yes, everything that was stuck on will slide off. But if you're buying this and want to take oil out of cooking then that's just a bad idea. They look so sleek when they're brand new but after using it a few times, some of the pans have some brown marks on them now and they're near impossible to get off. I've tried almost every hack and still nothing gets those marks out. It still works but looks not so great. In the end I dropped out of the project because as much as I believe these pans are decent, I didn't want to be a part of a campaign that falsely advertises the capabilities of their products.
I just got a new set because it was used by some of the online chefs I follow but don’t promote the pans. I also took advantage of the Black Friday sale and after reading comments and seen reviews, I’m having second thoughts (very concerned) I have some Heritage Steel pans which I love but they are very expensive. Thank you for your honesty and your comment.
@@Lin_crew4I've owned a set for about 3 years now. I would recommend stainless steel or cast iron and save yourself some money and a serving of forever chemicals.
I clean the dark spots on mine, which are from burned oil, with Barkeeper's Friend, the same as I do my stainless steel pots and pans. Unless you mean it's on the cooking surface. I've been using my Hexclad daily for two years and the cooking surface looks the same as when I got them.
I stopped using PTFE (Teflon) coated cookware many years ago. Dug out the old Wagner, Erie, Griswold pans and began the process of reeducating myself on what my grandmother had taught many years ago. Sure, cast iron is not nearly as convenient as a PTFE coated pan and requires more attention to heat control but what I've learned over the years form working with PTFE in the industrial space has led me, in part, to make the lifestyle choice.
They are more high maintenance than other pans but if you give cast iron some love they do the job and do them well. Plus they make your forearms stronger.
Cast iron, carbon steel, stainless steel and glass pans are all 100x better than those gimmick teflon and other gimmick pans. These teflon gimmick pans won't last 10 years, let alone 100+ like these metal pans will. And they cook the food so much better too, as you ain't poisoning yourself with teflon.
@@strikerj4810We'll all eventually die regardless of what we use to cook our foods with. It's better to stay away from processed foods and sugar than it is to cook with Teflon. If you stay away from bad foods and cook using non Teflon cookware, it's the best combination.
@@saysoun752 No it isn't. You think the chemicals to use to make teflon that leeches out into your food is safer than bad foods? How about not use teflon and not eat bad foods? Teflon pans are trash, 100%.
My mother got me one of these as a gift some time ago. I cook way, way more than her, so I decided to put it through its paces and use it as a daily driver pan. It was... okay. It was a pan. Nothing special. It wasn't any more "nonsticky" than any other random nonstick pan. After about 6 months it started to show signs of wear, and was noticeably less non-stick. I don't trust it as a non-stick pan at all at this point.
Carbon steel, cast iron (both non-stick with seasoning) or stainless steel if you want your cookware to last. Nothing against Teflon coated pans, just be prepared to have to replace them.
as a chef of 17 years i can agree that my cast iron i've used for over ten years no problem. my carbon steel i don't use as much but they are just as old. i can keep a teflon pan for about 1.5-2 years depending on how many times my wife uses it with metal tongs and spatulas lol.
@@jcara8960 I'm back at my parents' house as an adult and we have basically separate everything, and my non-stick pans last YEARS longer than theirs. With them using metal utensils, even cutlery, and using the full blast of the stove, they ruin em so quick. I never max temp and only use wood or silicone utensils. Mine is still OK after 5+ years now.
Sounds like yet another person using Teflon pans the same way they would cast iron or steel. Also, teflon pans are really made to be used alongside induction stoves, which is the norm here, so they work great and easily last up towards 10 years if treated right. But a gas burner or any kind of harsh utensil, yeah... that'll ruin them alright.
This is one of the most enjoyable videos I’ve watched on TH-cam in awhile. I really appreciated the methodical approach, the well-paced and executed explanations throughout, and the genuine care that was put in to the entire video. Keep up the great stuff!
Your analysis is right-on. I have a ceramic (cheapie) where NOTHING sticks… but those have short life-spans. My Hexclad set are admittedly not slide-off-the-pan stick-free buuuut, perhaps I cook at a too high a temperature. That said, I absolutely LOVE the set! Truly durable. Extremely easy clean anything that DOES stick and yes, look brand new after four or five years of use. I just bought another piece and would do so again. Thanks for your informative and non-biased report. Truly appreciated.
That sober good reply to the hype! I love this! I am a cast iron guy ! Thinking this could be worth the money learned what seasoning a pan? Bought a cast pan 50 years ago and use it every day by most chefs too. The weight you can beat, the cost of using you can't, or health issues of the pan itself in good use. I love to cook and love science in the content of this. Thank you.
I switched to stainless steel and just use the spot seasoning technique a few years back. This video just convinced me that spot seasoning is definitely worth the effort and I'm never going back to teflon no matter what form it's in
I've had an entire set of Hexclad pans for about 18 months. I'm happy-ish with them. However, this video is spot on. I would say about them that they are great, high quality pans and are marginally more non-stick than stainless or carbon steel. The nice thing about them compared to my carbon steel skillet or cast iron is that I can cook acidic things in there without jeopardizing the seasoning of the pan. They are NOT even close to as non-stick as a pure non-stick pan. (and yes, I help them out with a generous dolop of oil). I've noticed that I no longer cook eggs that often though they can cook eggs provided you put plenty of oil in for them to float on. I'm not really noticing them show signs of much wear but I do treat them a little gently compared to my steel pans but not as gently as I would teflon.
Thanks, I appreciate review for products after it had been used a while. Do not buy IKEA wood counter tops. They stain and will grow black mold around the sink.I have to sand and refinish the wood to keep it looking sanitary, have to hope it actually is.
I just bought some, though they haven't arrived yet. I'm a novice cook, really only started about 2 years ago using HelloFresh and now Blue Apron for meal prep delivery. I think I fall into the category that will (hopefully) be satisfied, as I really am looking for durable non-stick pans that are easy to clean.
@@jhoughjr1 Bruh you should have seen my face my first time cooking eggs after resurfacing a cast iron pan with sand paper and seasoning. The smooth sanded surface instead of the "pre season" allowed the egg to slide around the pan effortlessly. I was shocked and thrilled.
@@ziggybender9125 Sounds like a Lodge cast iron skillet. I did the same thing to my lodge carbon steel pans, and cast-iron pans. What a difference, sand them smooth redid the seasoning, nothing sticks ,in comparison to there rough factory finish. Well worth the efforts!!!
Chris, you're awesome. It's so refreshing to see a TH-camr who has the education and background to know what he or she is talking about. This was a *perfect* review, dispassionate, methodical, and fairly rigorous. He didn't exactly bash HexClad, but pointed out that they basically were lying in their commercials. Lastly, is Gordon Ramsey so broke he needs to debase himself by shilling for semi-reputable products now?
I have a hexclad 12” pan and everything you said is correct. Its not as non-stick as a pure non-stick pan, but it is significantly more non-stick then any steel, aluminum, or cast iron pan. For that reason I do love it and highly recommend it to most people. A little non-stick spray or oil in the pan has it performing like non-stick and I get just as a good a sear on steaks as in my cast iron pan. Its very well constructed and feels like a quality piece as well. I like it a lot. Your review was spot on though.
I'm glad that your experience matches mine. I get why folks will like these, but I fall into the camp of wanting a pure Teflon pan for specialty tasks and carbon steel and cast iron as my day-to-day driver. One thing I do like about the Hexclad is the lighter weight from the aluminum core. Like a lot of chefs, years of jerking around heavier steel pans have given me some amount of carpal tunnel pain.
@@ChrisYoungCooks I purchased the 10 inch pan for my mom because she was constantly replacing her nonstick pans due to my dad using metal utensils on them and overheating them. So she loves it. But yeah, they are not as nonstick. I am also not afraid of butter or olive oil, so I don’t mind using a bit to help the pan out. Awesome review though.
@@ChrisYoungCooks Pure Teflon pans only last for a little over a year before they lose their non-stick. Hexclad are the longest lasting non-stick pans that I've ever used.
This was a well done video, and I am someone that has had HexClad for almost two years now. These have been well used and in one very bad case abused and is still in great shape. The one abuse case was a 10" that was way over heated on my stove when zero turned out to be eleven. So short story is I burned the heck out of this pan and it is still as good as new. I can go burner to stove and even sear with these and compared to others they have not changed one bit from the unboxing. No they are not the most nonstick thing out there but but they are far better for the cost than any other I have had. If you need the one pan that is 100% nonstick then get that ten dollar pan just for eggs that you clean with the lint free cloth after each egg.
Great information here, thanks. Personally, I cook with carbon steel and stainless steel. I know those pans will never wear out. I was curious about this hybrid cookware, though.
The thing nobody seems to mention is using teflon on a gas burner. Butane can go up to 2000 celsius. Sure, an average stove cant make that possible, but it can still reach far north of 250 and thatll add the delicious seasoning of fluorine to all your food. Yum. Stick to cast iron and carbon steel when cooking on any kind of real flame.
Very well constructed video. I appreciate how you clearly identified the advertised merits of the pan and then addressed them in turn. Your style of presentation works for me. You've earned a sub. I bought a very nice set of pans from a reputible maker. I love every single pan aside from their nonstick clad pan. Their coating pales in comparison to what t-fal is putting out on $20 pans. It's a shame because of the effort they put into the foundation of what would normally be a lifetime pan underneath the coating. I've learned my lesson in that respect. Now I know why we only used cheap non-stick pans in the kitchen a decade ago.
I have been contemplating buying the Hexclad Roasting (comes with rack) pan for a month. Pros - 1. INDUCTION ready- can use it with the bridge function (double burners) on my induction stove top. Takes place of a double griddle - make eggs, bacon breakfast. . 2. Use in OVEN. 3. Use in the BBQ at 900 degrees. 4. Can use metal utensils. Thought that roaster would be a multi-use tool - a cooks dream come true! After watching this review, Im not too sure about spending the $200.
I'll continue sticking with cast iron skillets. They require maintenance but I've had eggs lift out with a spatula and made breads and pineapple upside down cake with them. Even after maybe five to 6 years, they're still working good.
@@fortunateson6070 When it starts to look dull, I'll heat it up put a little bit of canoloa or bacon grease in it and wiped it with a cloth. Then good as new.
This is great stuff. I would love it if you did a whole series absolutely roasting (no pun intended) the marketing BS of ALL of the non stick pans out there (Food Ninja, Blue Diamond, Red Copper, etc). I got a full set of stainless steel pots/pans from Costco a few years ago and never looked back... Mostly.
I also swapped to mostly stainless, but I still keep a couple teflon pans for the usual suspects, crepes and omelettes, normal scrambled eggs can be done just fine on stainless (granted they are properly pre-heated) I have tried making crepes on stainless and have succeded like once or twice. also teflon doesn't last no matter how careful you are with them
@@radamanthys0223 Teflon may always wear out eventually, but there are definitely things people do that will drastically shorten the lifespan! When I see people talk about how they have to replace their nonstick pans every couple years, they're either buying really cheap pans, or just beating the crap out of them.
@@radamanthys0223 my grandma allways makes crepes on a castiron pan. first time i saw it i was amazed. she told me: that is how i've allways done it. the crepes were better(thin, no tears, even colour) than the ones i made on my teflon pan :D
I don't know Food Ninja's claims, I just ended up with one of their pans because it was the only one available on Shipt from Target and it was twenty bucks off. TBQF, it's a great pan for some things but for me it's TOO non-stick. It's very, very weird but I have dishes I make in it specifically, things that are wet and might stick like sauces. I don't use it for eggs, etc. It doesn't work right. I'm a good cook. I grew up in the restaurant business, all my cookware is either high quality or restaurant quality. So I know what's decent.
I almost bit the bullet for Hexclad… then I saw from other videos, the little metal bits were falling off. Ive since learned to cook better with stainless cookware.
Great review ... of a product I'd never heard of until YT recommended this video to me. I had not been looking for cookware at all and have no idea why these things happen. The thumbnail was enticing and the fact it turned out to be genuine (as far as I can tell) is a nice bonus. I'm still using 25 year-old high-street grade Tefal pans which don't have much of their coatings left, but did buy a new Tefal frying pan, with Jamie Oliver branding, a few years back and it's great. CoolStoryBob
I wanted to have them because i think they are pretty. Then I spent a day researching their claims, and then I decided against buying them, because it feels like endorsing a scam. Learnt a lot about coatings tho, so it wasn’t a waste of time :3
I just have to applaud the professional way this whole video was laid out. The content was presented with a level of classic respect for the viewer that only education can provide. I almost feel like this was too good to be on TH-cam and there needs to be a platform for the level if intellect in videography.
The point that sold it for me was when he made the omelette. Classic french style is no colour and by jove there was no colour on that omelette at all.
Nebula is such a platform Also tho, there is a Ton of really fantastic educational content (of similar quality) on TH-cam. Despite its flaws, TH-cam is still The video platform.
Thank you for this review. I was considering the Hexclad, but had a feeling they were overhyped. You put it straight up. I would rather buy cheaper pans repeatedly as they burn out then put my faith in limited lifetime warranty. I put most of my life and about 10 years in restaurant cooking and have yet to find that magic pan for how I like to cook. Sometimes I like that high temp sear which damages most non stick, so I use an older pan that has lost some it's glamour to do this. The gentler cooking I use the newer non stick pans for, including ceramic, which ages quite fast.
Thank you for this. As a chef who purchased and quickly returned hexclad pans I was going crazy seeing that these were so popular and backed by many renowned chefs. There should be repercussions for dishonest sales like this.
I have been using a hexclad for a month now and while YES they lied about the non-stick effect that as if it's as Teflon. However, it still is not as "sticky" as a regular stainless steel. It washes off really easy and still looks pristine. Searing is amazing and would never get a good sear with a non-stick pan that is as good here. I wouldn't use it for eggs though. It's a middle-of-the-road pan.
I have had hexclad for a year now and everything you said in this video is true. It isn’t great for cooking any eggs that are more delicate than basic scrambled eggs. With the design I wasn’t too surprised when over easy eggs didn’t come off as well as I would like. I’ve been very happy with them, but you also described my exact preferences at the end of the video when you said who you expected would be happy with them. They clean up easily and they have a great balance of durability and nonstick properties. I still use silicone or other soft kitchen tools to go easy on them even though they say you can use metal, I see no reason to tempt fate there.
I'm in the same boat! I love my hex clad set. They were a gift. I like that it's a mix of stainless steel and non stick. I still use oil and silicone tools, because it needs oil still, but they're sturdy pans in general and i haven't seen any damage. I prefer using oils or butter anyway for flavor so the less non-stick factor isn't a big deal.
I have Hexclad and love them. It seems that Price point vs. Quality is their first judgement. I love the fact that I can bake using the pans in the oven. And eggs is a big problem for most reasons for not purchasing. Really people, is that all you cook is eggs? Have a pan of choice just for eggs. And I do not ever use metal utensils even though the warranty says you can.
@@kahwana1604 You can put most types of pans in the oven, so how is that a positive for hexclad? And why the hell would you get a pan with teflon if it can't do eggs. Carbon steel is reasonably nonstick, can go in the oven, and can easily take metal utensils. What you're describing is carbon steel, except worse and 5x the price.
@@aolson1111 Evidently you did not comprehend my comment. I ask you...have you ever had a "Dutch Baby"? It consists of 3 eggs. I made it in my hexclad pan. Baked in oven. Easy release. If eggs are that important to you, by all means have a pan of your choice just for eggs. You do you, and I will do me! To each their own. Why worry about the price point, I enjoy every dollar I spent with each use. I'm not here to convince anyone. I just responded to a slanted review from the start.
A very straight forward anlysis of HexClad, I particularly appreciated your approach when comparing traditional non-stick to HexClad with the one thing most non-stick pan manufacturors dread the EGG challenge.
I've owned a cast iron skillet for years that I've been trying to season into a non-stick surface. Every time I use it I allow it to cool slowly before rinsing it with hot water with no soap as I scrub the surface clean with a non-metallic brush. Then I heat it on the stove until the residual moisture has evaporated before applying thin coat of oil before storing it back in the cupboard. I've done it a hundred times but the thing just refuses to become non-stick. I occasionally follow the seasoning advice of heating it in the oven at 450 degrees F with an oil coating for 30 minutes and then letting it slowly cool down with the oven. I don't know what I'm doing wrong! It's got the usual bumpy cast surface and I wonder if that might be the problem. I'm very tempted to grind and sand it smooth but I'm afraid of overdoing it. Some say that a bit of texture is what that allows the seasoning to adhere. Would you care to weigh in?
What I've found to work best for me as non-stick pans is ceramic. It's very easy to work with, and safe for my pet birds. Teflon releases a certain gas that is relatively harmless to humans but extremely toxic to birds. I also don't like the fact that I'd have to replace my teflon pans every couple of years, I'm a bit stingy when it comes to throwing stuff out.
thank you for the info pen ceramic. my bird is why I cannot use non stick and was thinking about these no treaswizing they are teflon. thanks for warning about birds. some are not informed.
Honestly, I'm impressed with how far traditional Teflon pans have come. They're far, far more durable than they were 30 years ago. The coating now feels like it's part of the metal surface, even though it's not.
I have some cheap tfal pans I got 20 years ago that I still use. I have some old all-clad style(stainless/copper, copper core, stainless) pans and half a dozen cast iron. I love my good pans but I use the cheap ones much more.
My favorite are the discontinued Ccalpheon Unison pans. The non-stick coating works very well and holds up fairly well, but will get destroyed by metal tools (don't use them)
Really nicely done review. I received a HexClad set as gift, so the cost of the pans did not heavily influence my opinion of them. I'm not a fan of non-stick pans - every non-stick pan I've owned over the last 30 years has been a disappointment. I agree with other commenters that non-stick pans should be treated as disposable, which I hate. No non-stick pan remains that way as far as I'm concerned, even with exceptional care in both use and maintenance. My HexClad set is about 3 years old and I use them regularly. I use a varying amount of oil or butter with these pans, the volume dependant on the likelihood that that cooked food may stick. Without oil, forget about it, which I think is true of even the best non-stick. And never, ever use propellent-driven cooking spray because the propellent has a tendency to burn onto the pan and reduce the non-stickiness. These pans used with oil almost never stick. Even a small amount of oil dramatically improves how well food releases from the pan. I also tend to keep the temperature a little lower when using these pans because they conduct heat quite well. The biggest advantage of these pans is how well they clean up with very little effort. I have never had to hard-scrub these pans. Because of the small channels in the cooking surface, water fairly easily seaps in under the charred bits on the pan and then easily wash away with a nylon scrubbing brush. That said, the pans do stain easily, mostly up the sides. The stains remain somewhat hidden due to the coloring on the pans surface, but if stained surfaces bother you alot, you will be disappointed with these pans. 3 years in and these are still my go-to pans and they're performing now exactly as well as they did when they were new. Just for background, I also use cast iron (Le Crueset, Lodge), carbon steel (Misen) and tri-ply stainless steel (Cuisinart Pro) regularly. Now, as to cost, they're too darn expensive to pay full price. With discounts, they're more moderately expensive, but a worthwhile addition to a well outfitted kitchen. If you're a pan collector, and not particularly cost-sensitive, you should buy them to see if they fit into your kitchen routine. They work well for me.
Chris, I love your videos! They are so informative and interesting. I like how you explain the science behind things, but do it in a way that is understandable, and not overwhelming. I thought it was pretty cool to find you invented the Joule sous vide! I use mine all the time! Helps me make AMAZING food, and I've never overcooked anything (because the Joule won't let me!). Thanks.
We bought these plant pans recently at Costco and love them so far. The ease of cooking and cleaning is huge. I don’t think I ever thought it was 100% nonstick let alone for life but I love the way to heat the spread out so that you don’t have a pocket it’s burning all the rest is cooking well.
Speaking of Costco, I don't recommend the KitchenAid nonstick set they sell. I'm on month 4 of owning them and the non-stick layer is peeling off. It looks kinda rubbery.
Oh, you're one of the co-authors of Modernist Cuisine? That is an absolutely fantastic series of books. I didn't much care for cooking until I read the first volume of Modernist Cuisine a few years ago. You've earned a subscriber just from that alone. Of course, this video gets a like for being a simple and short yet sufficiently extensive look into an overly advertised pan. It's great to see the quality of those books transfers into your video format.
Thanks for the test. Funny enough, I was considering this pan just 2 weeks ago. But after so many die non stick pans, especially with a husband who loves to burn the pans, I had decided to go for carbon steel. After this video, I’m even more happy with my choice lol
I found nothing but hate for hexclad immediately after receiving a large bundle I had bought and got a bit of buyers remorse. This video, combined with my attempt to use the skillet to make a few eggs, has me feeling pretty safe in my purchase. I also got them on sale, so I probably got them for the price they should have been. I really appreciated learning from this video, and I hope you continue to be this unbiased in your reviews.
You described it perfectly. I've been using hexclad for almost a year now, using them multiple times a week. They heat extremely fast and evenly enough. They're non-stick enough when even a small amount of oil is used. That's all I ever need them to do and I'm completely happy with them. I cook because it's cheaper than the alternative, so I'm no fancy chef. I think they're great for the average person, but if you need the same level of non-stick as pure teflon, you might be disappointed.
You probably switched from Teflon. If you had switched to good stainless steel instead of Hexclad, your experience would have been the same, I would bet.
Home cook here who still uses my grandmother's cast iron frying pan and my grandfather's cast iron Dutch oven. I've seen these HexClad pans at Costco and have hesitated, and now I know why. I'm SO glad I found your channel! For eggs and fish, I have found the Green Pan frying pans do perfectly fine for my uses. Never did have a 'Teflon' pan, just because I had no real use for it. Not afraid of a little butter for the eggs or fish, plus, it adds flavor. New subscriber, and look forward to your postings!
I feel like nonstick surfaces in general are a scam. Well-seasoned cast iron is already nonstick, and you can season cast iron in like 5 minutes. I can wash my cast iron with Dawn and fry an egg on it right after. I like the nonstick trays in my air fryer because there's no mixing going on in there, nothing to really scrape the Teflon away. But I also can't help but think how much more awesome the air fryer would be if the trays were cast iron.
>> But I also can't help but think how much more awesome the air fryer would be if the trays were cast iron. Cast iron is quite brittle. That's why it's usually thick when in a form of a pan. Being thick, it has higher heat capacity which helps to distribute the heat more evenly and retain the heat after taking the pan off the fire. Air fryer trays are much thinner because the food is supposed to be cooked quickly, with little to no preheat or residual heat. The heat comes from the air rather than the tray surface. Thick cast iron would be stealing the heat from the food for no reason, increasing the cooking time.
Which gets to some of the drawbacks of cast iron. It's heavy, so you can't do some of the pan work you can with a lighter pan. It doesn't change temperature quickly, so techniques that rely on cooling or heating a pan quickly can't be accomplished. There is no one tool for all jobs.
Do they also put Teflon on the bottom/exterior of their pans or is that just a metal pattern? If it’s the same as on the interior that makes no sense since any Teflon there will be in direct contact with the flame or heating element ensuring faster deterioration.
@@ChrisYoungCooks - Thanks for the reply and, yes, that makes zero sense. The Teflon on the bottom/exterior will easily heat above 500F if using a direct flame and gas off toxic fumes. But I guess it looks very nice.
According to Serious Eats review, updated Nov 2024, HexClad no longer uses PTFE (which they were using at least through most of 2023). They changed to a proprietary ceramic coating they call TerraBond. Perhaps it is more heat resistant.
As always, a great video. I am a retired chef and do primarily private chef work now. Pans in my house: All Clad, they are almost 25 years old and still look brand new and I use them a lot. I would have to wonder what these Hex Clad pans will look like and work like after 25 years of constant use. My All Clads are in the will lol! Using stainless steel pans and keeping food from sticking to them is basically a technique thing. Having said that I do have a couple of Teflon pans that I use for eggs because it just makes things easier. And frankly I always will have some whole butter or clarified butter in the Teflon pan first because cooking eggs without butter is almost like a day without sunshine 😊. I have a client that owns these pans, and they are as described in the video, quite acceptable for use. One thing I would like to point out is that the price of these pans is what they are because they are in fact manufactured in China which allows a significant amount of markup as well as what is a probably exorbitant amount of money that was paid to Chef Ramsay (and don't get me wrong I have a great respect for that man!). As far as my Teflon pans are concerned, I treat them gently and will just replace them when they look like they are starting to wear a bit. The price of Teflon pans is so inexpensive it makes that easy to do.
you're kidding right? these start peeling or chipping after a few months. whenever i see gordon's face on a commercial i run the other way. he cant even make poached eggs correctly without yelling or screaming. as a chef, this is the first thing you would be taught. stainless steel, carbon steel, and cast iron are the only real pans that last a lifetime.
@@jamesgarner2103 Didn't he also try making fireplace grilled cheese sandwiches with a protein heavy, low fat cheese at one point? I mean, you can do that but you need a lot of extra heat and he was using a thick block of the stuff.
Carbon steel and cast iron (and stainless for acidic foods) are the way to go for me. I've always hated teflon, the way it really just boils the food rather than searing it because it doesn't want to bind to anything like Chris explained, and of course the limiting factors mentioned in the video which cause it to be disposable. A well cared for carbon steel or cast iron pan will last for generations, cook beautifully, and remain nonstick without all the limiting factors of teflon. They're so much more versatile and get better with age.
But it is much less convenient to use. I prefer stainless steel and pop it in the dishwasher when dirty. Much easier than having to clean stuff by hand when times are busy.
@@sjakie49i love my stainless steel pans and pots as well. They have lasted for many years, they're very easy to season and make non stick, and are so easy to clean
I own cast iron. 2 that belong to my grandmother. She has been gone since 1985. Would not trade them from anything. They are just hard on glass top stoves. But I do agree with you on the greatness of cast iron.
Excellent article. I must admit, I watched it just to see your approach. I swore off Teflon many years ago. I have found that I can get the nonstick performance I need from well-seasoned and well-maintained carbon steel and stainless steel. It seems you raised some important aspects of this Hexclad cookware. Thanks for that. I look forward to seeing more of your work. I particularly enjoyed the clear explanation of the technical side of things (home cook, but PhD engineer by training, so I've got a bit of a bias toward the technical side of things).
I am a chemist and in my opinion although Teflon is inertI don't see how you can make it stick to the pan anymore successfully then having food not stick to it., therefore it's going to wear off. Get a cast iron pan and season it well, use a stainless pan seasoned well - don't worry about a little sticking, most of it will release if you just wait a few minutes. I have my grandmother's cast iron 9 inch skillet - you could melt sugar in it and peel it off and then fry and egg with no fat......you just have to keep seasoning it (oil/heat/oil/heat/oil/heat) -
Interesting video, I appreciate the detail about these pans as I was looking into getting one. But, I'm surprised no one else has commented on your use of a metal fork on your nonstick pan! 😮
Ya know, I started experimenting with premium non-stick cookware (like Caphalon, ceramic and some celebrity chef junk) and found that I am best off just replacing my non stick egg/seafood cooking pans with cheap T-fal every 5-7 years (and even those havent seem to be lasting as long).
The only reason I'm not still using the nonstick skillets I got from the commercial kitchen section at sam's club years ago (95% sure they are rebranded tramontina pro line) is because I replaced my 40 year old resistive electric cooktop with induction. The ptfe coating held up extremely well even with me regularly throwing them in the dishwasher, using them under the broiler and occasionally using metal utensils on them. They were shockingly durable and very heavily built for an alu pan.
I loved the review and thank you for your honest and detailed tests and explanations. I bought my mother a set for Christmas last year as her old no-name non-stick pans were wearing out. So far she loves them and swears by them. Yes, as a traditional cook she still uses oil, but she said she uses a lot less now. She also loves the fact that she can use metal utensils on her "non-stick" pans now. I think it is perfect for the situation's your review pointed out. It has all of the benefits she wants, and none of the drawbacks she hates. Also for her age it is great that she is cooking with less oil for her and my father's health. I would consider that a win-win. Just to point out, she cleans it with hot water, soap, and a sponge not something crazy like steel wool. I would love it if you would give a review of all of the top pans out there just so I know what to buy for my family. The pluses, minuses, and thoughts about usage as you did in this review. Thank you for your honest review as I am now subscribed, and would love to learn more cooking related things from you.
Thanks for this! I’ve been intrigued about this cookware. I will say, I was surprised you took a fork to your non-stick. I’ve had an Anolon Nouvelle Cooper non-stick set for 10+ years and the coating is still great - I never use metal utensils on them and I cook a lot. I did lose a couple to non-stick spray damage at one point but even the Zwilling/Henkle pans i replaced them with have held their coating nicely for a number of years.
Hey! Now I remember you from Hestons various TV shows, this almost felt like a reunion to the days when I first got interested in more advanced cooking! Great to see you have done so well for yourself, and I genuinely found this video good. You could be a full-time content creator if you so wished 👌 Look forward to future geeky stuff!
Hexclad is definitely for me. I want durable first, and 'as non-stick as possible' second. Additionally, i like the induction-capable. I think you are right that they mislead about non-stick, but I think this will be exactly the pan for me (and I can oil up or use an actual non-stick if needed). Thanks for the video.
So you like toxic Teflon in your food. Gotch ya. Can’t even trust Gordon Ramsey anymore. Stainless steal, ceramic, cast iron. Those are the only three options
Might be better to get carbon steel or cast iron and season them properly, I still use teflon pans for eggs but anything else is either carbon steel or cast iron pan. They are pretty non-stick and if cared for will last for a lifetime.
lmao. Non-stick pans require much more oil than standard carbon steel or aluminum. Not using oil because "it's already nonstick" just means the teflon won't stay on your pan for long, but in the air of your house, and lungs. Stay safe
I’ve had it for a month or so and not a fan, but don’t hate it. I just don’t see the value for the price. My Target Teflon pan was better for a fraction of the price. The first time I cooked with it, I sent a video I was so happy the way the egg floated to my partner. Now I’m lucky to get an egg not to break not even a month in. Like this guy said, it does seem to be durable. My other problem, I washed as directed and the second or third time after cooking I wiped dry with a paper towel and there was a silver coating on my paper towel. They said it was their seasoning when I asked. Another response from HC stated a bit more concern. When I replied that I wanted to return, no response. This is a perfect review in my opinion. Had I seen this before, I would have saved a few hundred dollars. Great review.
Thank you for the review. I purchased the pans so I would eat a home more often. I consider myself as a beginner cook and purchased these pans mostly because of the marketing and few friends use them. There isn't anything wrong with HexClad and they are durable pans for lasting more than the average pans. It all comes down to preference and for the penny pinchers stay away and buy what you want.
I want more of the chemistry of cookware! I remember reading in college about heat diffusivity and specific heats while working at REI selling camp cookware.
@@darkee03 Wow, all that from a single word-- and not even a curse word! Diffusivity, while applicable to metals and other solids, is most often of practical use when dealing with fluid dynamics. I'm not sure what made it in vogue with cooking enthusiasts, but it can be misleading as values for conductivity tied together with capacity is kind of pointless for small volumes/areas. I recommend - looking past the uncalled for abuse you went straight for - reading Athanasius's post on stackexchange (or D. Gritzer's piece on Serious Eats) for a fuller picture, but in the meantime, consider the following: Heat a copper pan and a cast iron pan such that they hold precisely the _exact amount_ of heat in joules. Now hover your hand over each pan at the same height. Go on, try it-- it is *very different* and diffusivity will not account for the difference. It's emissivity, and that is why professional cooks prefer baking sheets that have darkened with use-- look it up! My point is don't combine terms that are best handled as analytic separates per application. You know the saying: keep it simple, stupid!
Thank you! I'm a Ramsay fan but have always been a tad skeptical of the Hex-clad claims. While I'm just a home/amateur "hobbyist with a tummy" chef, I also typically make myself a French classic style omelette in the mornings, so of course when you ventured into that territory my interest was immediately piqued. I've never been dissatisfied with my "decent quality" membership warehouse Teflon, understanding that every 3-4 years, I'll be replacing them. With Hexclad running an average of $120 a pan, I'll replace my $20 Teflon pans (which work better anyway) 6 times, or around 20 years, before I'd even hit the cost of a single small Hexclad set. Seals the deal, sticking with what's cheap and works perfectly.
I’m not remotely sad I bought the Hexclad skillet. It’s preforming great and my eggs don’t stick. If you know how to cook you won’t have problems. I love a good soft cooked omelette but his “Classic omelette” was runny. I prefer my omelette cooked.
@@Arknsawdave He didn't simply call it a "classic omelette" . It's a classic French omelette. French omelettes are like that and they require more technique and practice to get right. You keep the egg moving ensuring small curds until you are ready to let it set up. Once you do that you remove it from the heat allowing the residual to continue the cooking, but much slower. Then you fold it and flip it. The interior is supposed to be a little runny and creamy. That's what a French omelette is. They're not for everybody. It's not the sort of omelette that you're going to fill with other stuff like meat and veggies. You can do that, but it's a lot harder to do and won't hold as much without falling apart.
I’ve settled on using my well seasoned cast iron for everything. I use chain mail to scrub it clean and oil it after drying. It’s perfect and will last longer than me 😂. Yes It does omlettes🙂
Great! I've been saying this to my friends who insist I buy this HexClad pan... obviously you say it much better than I can. Now, instead of wasting time trying to argue with them, I'm just going to forward your video. Thanks a lot
Thank you for a detailed review. I wish I found this 3 months ago, yet I think I still fall within the usage you mention. I use a small amount of oil most times and I needed something easy to clean and use. I wish their marketing didn’t mislead me into thinking this was a lifetime Teflon cooking experience, and time will tell if they get much worse. I’d be interested to know their response to this video.
They will not respond to this video. The only thing they would accomplish is getting more attention towards it which is the opposite of what they want.
I have had my Hexclad for over two years, use it almost daily, and it still has the same surface as the day I got it. In that time I have tossed two Teflon pans and just use Hexclad now. I make French omelets in them with no problem, either.
It's good to know that Kenji's "Why Cheap Nonstick Skillets Are Best" is correct. I'm interested in the performance of the hexclad compared to a well seasoned carbon steel pan since carbon steel seems to be between teflon and stainless steel while also being lighter than traditional cast iron.
@@ChrisYoungCooks I would watch a silly long video from you. Eagerly awaiting my Double Barrel Bundle and would like some even rediculously long videos on all the ways I will be able to use it.
"Best" in terms of performance, yes, but not for the environment. And I say this as someone who worries very little about climate change. Adam Ragusea has recently made another video about non-stick coating, which I think would be a very worthy inclusion in the links in the description. He has changed his mind on whether to get cheap nonstick pans and treat them as disposables.
My family went through multiple replacements from Hexclad. The black coating was coming off all of them in and around the one year mark of using them. We no longer will use them. Not impressed at all.
I find that they are not exactly non stick, but….excellent in many other ways. I only own one piece, the chicken fryer. Owned it for about 3 years, and absolutely love it. It’s got a big footprint, but heats very well, right to the edges on my induction hob. Most larger cookware won’t do that on my range. It’s heavy, perfectly flat, and simmers really good. I don’t use metal utensils, use it twice a week, and it looks like new still today. I see no need to upgrade to a whole set, but I’m very happy with its performance and quality. The lid fits really well too. I’m steaming a head of cabbage in it as I write. When that’s done, I’m throwing in some corned beef, onions, potatoes, and garlic, and sauté the whole works up for dinner.
To be honest, just use silicone utensils when cooking a nonstick pans and they will last a lot longer. Also If possible, try only having designated pans for designated foods. This will also help the pan last twice as long.
Every time I see someone put anything metal into their non-stick pans... I cringe. There is literally NOTHING you are cooking in a non-stick pan that you need a metal utensil for. Use wood, plastic, or silicone - there is no drawback, and frankly it just seems like common sense. Of course the manufacturers want you to use metal in their pans, advertising that it is ok... they want to sell more pans!
yea but no matter what you do, if used it will get damaged. From my experience i stop buying expensive teflon pans or ceramic. Granted they last 2x as cheap ones but sadly are 3-4x more expensive so its more cost effective to buy new cheap pan every year. Because of that i dich teflon and use only cast iron. But i get why iron is not as wide spread as teflon. Its heavy, sensitive about moisture, cant tolerate acidic foods (like tomatoes), for beginner its quite steep learning curve and it takes loth of time to build up proper seasoning. Also if using oil its nightmare to clean but when using animal fat the seasoning build up even slower. But after 2 years it seasoned and you can make French omelete or crepes. (only you have to have polished/sanded pan surface, by using reusable sand for mold the casting is more rough then old ones)
@@scasny you hit the secret to making cheap cast-iron perform really well. When it is brand new, walking through the grits with a flap wheel and an angle grinder until it is mirror polished, then seasoning it well makes cheap stuff from the hardware store work like a nice antique.
we did! Silicon utensils only. Few highly advertised brands. Not cheap. They all failed in about a year or two. And we cook every day, tree times a day. Like in good all days. :)
I bought them and yes they aren't traditional non-stick but they are far better than regular pans and worn out non-stick pans. For a regular cook at home they are awesome, and extremely easy to clean.
Thank you so much for your review. As an expat living in Poland, I have to think long and hard before purchasing high-end products. (I live in the world of the Polish zloty which means that whatever price you pay in dollars, I pay 4 times more.) Those pans are sold here for 650 zloty- to put that in perspective, that would buy groceries for 1 1/2 months. Your review made me realize that I don't have to save up for that expensive new toy, but can carry on with what I have. Again, I appreciate your review. Thank you.
This review is not how non Stick works. The more you cook with it the more the layer forms. Takes a little bit of time for to build up. I’ve seen plenty of reviews like this, so I said you know what let me go to the manufacturers website and follow their directions. None of these reviews follow the correct directions. It’s the best Pan I’ve ever owned but the nonstick aspect builds up overtime it’s like a cast-iron.
Holy shit! I was seriously considering buying HexClad thinking the surface touching the food is 100% stainless steel. Funny how all the advertising failed to mention they use Teflon. I didn't mind sacrificing some non-stick ability for safety and durability. Thanks so much for this video.
As someone who cooks often and hates throwing away old cookware I've learned that I trust oil a lot more than I trust pans.
I'm the same. 2 tbsp of avocado oil is healthy enough and turns any "non-stick" pan into "extra non-stick"
@@sambanks3189 yes. Use a high smoke point oil to create a coating before cooking. You're not adding fat to food. You're making the pan better to cook with 👍
Yup. Nothing like oil on a good copper lined stainless pan.
I have a spray bottle that I refill with avocado oil exactly for that purpose.
We have hexclad for 3 years and it’s a god send compared to other non-stick.
I had a Hexclad pan and after a couple of years, the surface started to show scratches and food started to stick. I contacted Hexclad and they asked me to send in some photos of the pan with scratches. They actually honored the lifetime warranty and sent me a new pan. I have been using this new pan for another two years now and so far so good.
He’s just showed it’s a scam. No one uses non stick, it’s for simpletons and dangerous.
@@swordfish356dt cast iron and ceramic are non toxic options just be weary of deceptive marketing. Don't get the ceramic coating, get the SOLID ceramic option
@@swordfish356dtEven many commercial kitchens use nonstick for fish and eggs and the danger to health has more to do with manufacture than use.
And yet she just showed that they honeyed the warrantee explain the scam?
Also at the end of the video literly said there good for this and that
To clarify this is kind of true for any nonstick pan you don’t use metal on it. if you have scratches on your nonstick pan you were using it wrong to begin with. you should only use wooden or rubber/silicon spatulas tongs or whatever else would ever touch your pan. I don’t own a hex clad so I’m not one of their fanboys. what I’m saying is it’s just a universal truth if your nonstick pan has scratches on it you fucked up from the start
Plastics Engineer here. Unbiased, credit given where due, and extremely accurate material science information tailored to the masses. Incredibly well said Chris, feels like I'm back in school again...
🙏
How do you exactly become a plastics engineer? What would I need to study, what sort of jobs does it open up to?
@@PneumaticFrog probably studying Chemical engineering in university and then doing a postgrad in polymer science.
It opens up the same jobs as any other ChemE and Polymer science degree: Mostly as an advisor, rarely as an R&D Researcher.
@@PneumaticFrog Agreed with @JustinKoenigSilica. Did my undergrad in ChemE (doing polymer research and extra courses along the way) and then a Master's in Chemistry that focused exclusively on Polymer Science. There are some universities that will offer official polymer science degrees and certifications for undergrad, though from my experience employers tend to like advanced degrees in an R&D setting unless you have a ton o experience. I'm happy to answer any other questions you might have if you want to DM!
@@PneumaticFrog Depends on what university you go to, but I would imagine Mechanical, Chemical or Material engineering.
I'm one of those who always tries to take exceptional care of their teflon cookware. I never take it above 500deg, and never use metal utensils in it, or scrub it with abrasives. It has always been frustrating to watch the coating break down and start to peel after about 2 years though, and I wondered if I was doing something wrong. Thanks for explaining the different expansion rates of teflon and metal, and the inevitable failure that results from it. That explains so much.
I do as you. Over 500°, Teflon expels a poisonous gas (I read long ago) and plastic, nylon or silicone utensils are all that should EVER touch it!
Go to a thrift store and look at the old tossed-out teflon pans for a laugh.
On this season of Hells Kitchen they swapped all the nonstick pans for Hexclad and on a recent episode there was a big problem with the scallops sticking. Ramsey was very careful not to trash his brand deal while also not being able to come up with a solution lol.
gold
Carbon steel
Wrong heat level, probably burned up the oil.
Yeah that didn’t happen.
I remember wondering why they used these pans when everyone was having issues with them all season
I think the core of the problem is that people don’t want to admit that nonstick pans are basically disposable products with a limited lifespan. So the thought process is that if you spend a load of cash then maybe it will last longer. Really I think we just need to be less afraid of using oil because a sufficient amount isn’t that terrible for you.
How hard is it to just have a small heat proof silicone or plastic bowl to pour out any extra oil
Probably carbon steel? It requires maintenance though but it can become nonstick if you treat it.
Truth. Price aside, I kept screaming "put some bloody oil into it" cuz i never cook or fry without oil or butter.
And if oil helps, regarldess of pan - why wouldnt you use it?
At some point I feel like the marketing is towards people that dont want to use fat in food, but still encourages to use oil to season the pan.
Any chef worth his salt wouldnt think twice of using oil to being with.
Agreed. I keep a cheap, but decent, nonstick pan around to cook eggs and the occasional delicate seafood. I went with a Tramontina that's around $30 and does the job. My daily cookers are stainless All-clad with the occasional (about as often as nonstick) cast iron for stuff that benefits from it. Nonstick just isn't great as a daily use, every meal, kind of pan unless you want to replace it very often.
@jessicaneloms9219 Carbon steel and cast iron. They will last generations and become non stock with use.
Amazingly, TH-cam *stuck* the ad for Hexclad pans before this video started!
lol
😂😂😂 it did
guess you never heard of uBlock Origin
Ads are often related to the videos you watch. If the videos you watch tag products that have ad deals with TH-cam, those products are usually advertised on those videos.
HAHA, nice.
I had my Hexclad for almost 5 years and it started to flake. I called and was sent a brand new one. I showed them a few pictures and they didn't hesitate. Great customer service!
For that price you can buy a new proper non-stick pan every other year for 10 years and still have spent less.
@@xnoreq this is a proper non-stick pan! They are wonderful and their customer service is amazing. We love our hexclad
@@BlakeA3636 How? It combines the disadvantages of both stainless steel and PTFE pans.
The food literally rests on stainless steel, only in the crevices and holes does it come in contact with PTFE. And when it overheats you get the toxic fumes.
@@xnoreq I love it. Thanks for your concern
@@xnoreqit's like he's been indoctrinated... you won't be able to change his mind
I'm a HexClad owner, the comment you made at the end "reasonably non-stick, easy to clean and durable enough for misuse" applies to me perfectly. I burn seasonings, cook while drunk, etc. and HexClad has been awesome for me in that regard
As a carbonsteel user, Isn't seasoning supposed to be burnt in? 🤔🤔
@@Daniel-dj7fh I was also wondering this- I'm just an average-joe, cooking at home, but I really like cast iron. You seem to have to cook the oil into cast iron until it forms that black coating on it, so I'd assume that you would need to do the same here if it was "seasoning"- though that seems like it might just begin to degrade the teflon if you even tried it.
I think he meant he burns spices/etc that he throws in his pan while cooking - not the "seasoning" that is done with oils.
"cook while drunk, etc." hahaha... got me
@@weeveferrelaine6973 with ceramic or teflon i wouldn't try burning oil onto the pan, messed up two pans because of accidentally getting olive oil too hot on mine.
I was very close to shelling out for Hexclad, but was convinced at the last minute to get a carbon steel pan for 40 bucks. So glad I did. I seasoned it and treat it like a cast iron and it works great. It can take high heat, metal utensils, and it gets really hot very fast. It sears great too. While it's not pure nonstick, when properly oiled and seasoned, nothing sticks.
This is exactly why cast iron dominates my kitchen. Great price point, it's damned near bomb proof, I don't have to worry about scratching or delaminating, and my grandkids will be able to use it, just like I'm using some from my grandmother.
"Properly oiled" do you mean using oil to cook with or oil seasoned? Link to pan plz
@@djtrex4010 if you've had a carbon steel pan for long enough and keep seasoning it you get to a point you can cook some things with little to no oil and they won't stick. When you first get it you'll definitely need to use oil when cooking. At $40 price point you're probably looking at an 8" size or smaller 'de Buyer' or 'Matfer Bourgeat'. You can google either of those brands for good quality carbon steel pans. Personally I have multiple of every type of pan: stainless steel, carbon steel, cast iron, and hard anodized non-stick. Each different type of pan has pros and cons so each has a different preferred use in the kitchen.
I have several Carbon steel pans and woks. All for under $30 and three of them made in Japan, hand pounded and no rivets. Amazing workmanship. I bought the several years ago. The problem is I have not maintained them well, as recommended. I'll have to re-season them... at some point.
Why? After cooking and washing off, you have to heat the Carbon steel cookware for a bit and wipe down with a bit of oil. True fans use exotic oils. I just use whatever oil I am cooking with it and neglect to wash etc. the same evening. In a wok or even a large pan, the top sides still have minute water droplets and that is how rust starts... now leading to re-seasoning.
Also, never use acidic foods like cooking Vinegar and Chinese cooking wines in Carbon steel, it wears off the seasoning, I do, all the time 😀. If cleaned off immediately, it may not be a problem. But then I put it off till the next morning...
What's the difference between stainless steel and carbon steel?
I bought a set of these pans shortly before Gordon started pushing them. I knew they were not traditional non-stick, but more decent quality stainless with some non-stick properties. With what I use them for they perform very well. They heat very evenly, cook evenly, and have been very durable. I can cook things that would stick terribly on regular stainless without too much trouble. All that said, their marketing is absolutely misleading, and if you buy these pans expecting traditional non-stick you WILL be disappointed!
@edntz If taken care of properly a stainless pan can last for life. I have one which I've been using as a daily driver for years and I clean it with chemical lye when it gets real bad on the outside or something burns to the surface. Teflon? Never had it last more than a year or two before getting scuffed up, and I've owned $150-a-piece teflon pans. Now I just get the cheapest teflon I can which suits my needs. My biggest gripe with the hex clad is that they have the weaknesses of both pans, rather than combined advantages.FWIW, I'm a daily cook at home and I cook professionally.
The only advantage I see to hex clad over traditional nonstick is that, being stainless, when the pan eventually dies you can sandblast the remaining teflon off and you have a micro-textured stainless pan with even heating.
You got scammed. Stainless will always be the best.
@edntz Plus, good quality SS pans are getting cheaper. Gone are the days where only All Clad was acceptable as a good pan.
Super easy to clean too
Spot on. Disappointed here for sure
I love this review! I'm considering a Hexclad 10' skillet recommended by a cook I follow on Twitter but I'm an annoying "research before you buy" person. This has really helped. I love cooking, but I also love learning anything about the science and/or art of cooking. You have a new subscriber.
I do love mine. Just season it and oil it before use 😘
I own and use every day and I'm sure a lot of people, like myself, don't have to worry about a French omelet sticking because it's not for breakfast around here, not that their is anything wrong with it. It's been perfect for the blue collar who cooks every night and maybe watches TV and has one to many while cooking cause it's even temperature and ease of cleaning makes it a great choice if you want to upgrade your cookware and cool looking on top of that
You saw a company full of marketing nonsense and want to give them money. Truly, why bother.
Go for it! I'm the same with the research and think about it. I have them and absolutely love them. The knives, too! If you heat them correctly, use butter or oil, it comes out perfect every time. I have never burnt anything on mine. I've had them for a few years, still in perfect condition. I only hand wash because it's so easy. Rinse with super hot water and a little soapy brush right away; you're done. I cook on gas. I've used them on electric too, same perfect results.
Don’t waste yer $
That fork scraping the teflon pan gives me an anxiety attack.
“My pans are wearing out” scrapes them with a fork. Yeah dumbass metal scratches Teflon
Yes, it's killin me inside 😅
Beware the Uncle Roger reaction ...
I felt the same...😂
I watched dark waters and my blood ran cold.
I thought these pans were just a magic texture on steel and didn't know they were Teflon. I'll stick with my cast iron and stainless steel. Thank you for the info! If anyone out there is having trouble cooking eggs on stainless steel heat your pan without oil and throw some water on it, if the water skitters around and doesnt stick and evaporate immediately then you're ready for oil and eggs.
Thanks for the suggestion! I hate having to throw cookware so cast iron and stainless steel pans are perfect for me
Just picked up a set at Costco (impulse buy!), but upon unpacking I was disappointed to find that the 12" lid would not sit flush onto the 12" pan, but rather 'rocked' up & down up to ~1/4", depending on the rotational position. Turns out both the pan & lid are warped - which I verified by checking on a perfectly (sic) flat surface - my granite countertop. So I checked the 10" pan - and THAT'S slightly warped as well! Certainly not what I would expect from several $100's worth of supposedly 'high-end' cookware. Also, the Costco sales guy lead me to believe the non-stick coating was 'ceramic-based', NOT Teflon - I assume to imply it would be much more robust over time. Needless to say the set, which has never been used & only out of the box for an hour, was re-packed & will be returned this week. And I shall stick with my Lodge Cast iron, and purchase yet another non-stick OXO for the stubborn stuff.
The moral of the story? Beware the impulse buy.
@@seanlarge4094 tl;dr this guy is frustrated about a dumb buy he made and wants to dump his feelings on a barely related comment instead of seeking a diary
I wish this were true. I have tried countless times to use good quality stainless steel cookware with oil and everything sticks to it no matter the variance in timing, temp, or oil.
@@seanlarge4094I've heard that the warped bottom is supposed to be intentional, it will flatten out once heat has been applied
This is the best review I've seen on Hexclad. I made the decision to choose stainless steel cookware. It took a little practice, but Im happy I did it. I was almost convinced by Hexclad marketing tactics, but I got sick and tired of cookware coatings wearing out. Your video was the icing on the cake for my decision. No coated cookware will last forever.
What are your secrets. I just bought one to try it out and everything sticks.
@@Matweaver7 You need to properly preheat stainless steel pans before adding any oil. Then things like chicken pieces won't stick when you put them in.
@@Matweaver7 Google "stainless steel pan glide method"
heat it up first, then oil. @@Matweaver7
@@Matweaver7I know, what you mean, I was convinced to try steel cookware but disappointed at one of my first uses where I burnt what I tried to cook in it.
First of all, if you burnt something in it and it seems like it is permanent, remember it isn't. Soak the pan in water and don't be afraid to scrub it hard, including with steel wool. It's steel, so it can take it. If that still doesn't work, buy "bar keeper's friend" and it will clean it up easily.
Before you cook with the pan, make sure to season the pan with oil on low to medium heat, making sure you covered the entire pan.
I’m a Hexclad owner and I love it. I still use butter/oil because I never trust a naked pan and I never use metal utensils because I don’t fully trust their marketing, but they’re awesome. I’ve never had an issue with eggs sticking to it and it gives a steak a mean sear. It even keeps some of the “burnt” bits when searing, allowing you to deglaze to make a sauce as you would with a steel pan. As a home chef, if you take care of these pans (by pretty much ignoring some of their marketing) and still use oil and never use metal utensils, they’ll last you a long time
I did not expect to be so impressed with the review and explanation. I'm an ok home cook, but also a bioorganic chemist, so this was pure joy for me to watch.
I think that the video leaves a lot of unanswered questions. As an example, if hexclad is just a more durable less non-stick version of teflon, why don't I just use the traditional go to options in that niche that already exist? A high carbon steel pan costs $40-$80 (compared to $130), is insanely durable, will handle high temperatures, and is pretty nonstick if the user knows how they work.
@@hypothalapotamus5293 And if you know where to look (like restaurant supply stores) you can get good quality pans for even less. Buddy of mine got a 9" CS pan from a supply store for $8 10 years ago, and it's still a daily driver for him.
@@hypothalapotamus5293 Don't use Teflon anything just use cast iron or stainless
Surely as a bioorganic chemist you don't use Teflon coated pans right?
He’s an incredibly smart guy not just a pleasure to watch.
This is really one of the best reviews I've ever seen. It's straight to the point and very balanced. No personal agenda is in the way of a fair evaluation of the product. And he treats the manufacturer with more respect than it probably deserves. Excellent!
this was sorta how news was when I was a kid. Like you give the bad guy as much credit for the good stuff because there is some redeeming build quality. Just shitty promises.
Fully concur. I could listen to Chris all day long.
Tbf the manufacturer, designers, engineers etc. Likely have no say at all in what the advertisement team does.
@@psoriasis9096 nonsense. The Manufacturer is paying the advertising team. If you think that team is doing something the Manufacturer doesn't want them to, you don't really understand the process at all.
If I employ you to do something for me. You do as instructed, or you get sacked.
This is literally no different. The owner of the company is responsible for what their employees do. That's how it works.
@@psoriasis9096 To break it down here is how it works;
The designers look at this is the goal and what we want it to do (The Moon Goal)
The Engineers look at what the designers specs and go this is how we can do that and some alternatives (May be space is ok)
Manufacturer Looks at what the engineers put out and go what cheaper we only have the budget for Earth at the selling point to make money (We stay on the ground)
The Advertisement department has to make it sell (Gives you the Earth with talk of the Moon)
So in the end you get the cheapest product they can make and still sell to you. Quality is based on who the Manufacturer is and how much profit is needed.
Ever since I got a carbon steel wok, I have been extremely impressed by how non stick it becomes when seasoned well. My plan for when my regular non stick pan needs to be replaced is to get a cast iron or carbon steel pan for general cooking, and maybe a small non stick for things like scrambled eggs. I realize that is kind of cheating to get several pans, but ultimately you have to realize that there is no single perfect pan.
Dunno that I'd call that cheating. That's just using the right tool for the job at hand.
This is what I do. Non stick for eggs, cast iron for everything else
There is a reason chefs love cast iron and carbon pans.
My small cast iron is perfect for eggs. You have to surface them well, but they can be fantastic.
Misen makes a really nice carbon steel pan for a reasonable price. I love them. I only avoid using them for really acidic things that need to simmer in the pan, because that can strip the seasoning.
I confess: Having purchased and discarded many Teflon pans over the years, I am still using heavy-gauge stainless steel with an aluminum core that I purchased long, long ago the year they were made--specifically, Aristocraft made by West Bend in 1968. These pans perform as well today and look as good as they did 56 years ago. My only complaint is that they didn't include a good omelet pan in the set; the skillets are too deep.
Dry cooking relies on direct contact between the food an the metal. I like to cook with clarified butter. It can take the heat and in addition to preventing food from sticking, it distributes the heat to the food and tastes great.
Teflon is a marvelous coating for re-entry vehicles carrying nuclear weapons; and that it where it belongs.
I own a set of HexClad, and I love them.
That said, I was at least mildly disappointed in their non-stick performance, but I find as long as I add butter or oil to the pan, they work very well for my uses.
Other than that, they're beautiful, great to cook with, and do a fantastic overall job and I'm even considering getting a couple more.
I do agree that they should not advertise them in the way they do, though. It is misleading.
They are well made and work great for oven cooking but for non stick they get a big fat Zero in my book. PLUS THEY ARE JUST TOO EXPENSIVE FOR WHAT THEY ARE.
@@akita96th dry non-stick performance is not good in these, no. but, as said, just a little oil or butter and they perform very well, and less of that I feel than my other pans is needed.
I don't know if I agree that they're too expensive for what they are, I think our expectations of cost are probably skewed with cheap overseas labor driving costs down, but these should last a very long time compared to just about anything that's not cast iron.
But why do you prefer these to a non sticky cheap one. What are the positive aspects that you need to put oil or butter?
Cheap non-stick pans do not last, My wife uses non-stick spray which damages the coating fast. They warp, so when you pan sear something the oil is not even in the pan and they also do not heat evenly from the center to the edge. So if you buy two pans a year versus one that lasts 3 years? I bought a 14-in Analon and it works great!
@@lennardeberling6896 because cheap ones don't perform as well overall (even the non-stick aspects of cheap ones isn't great), and I don't have to buy replacements every year or two (or suffer through progressively worsening pans trying to make my money's worth).
At the end of the day, they're expensive, but if you can afford them, they work great and will last. If you can't, then maybe getting a decent Lodge cast iron and overseasoning it is a better choice for you
About a year ago my wife woke up and decided it was time to replace our set of non-stick pans. We did an inventory. The only pans not damaged were the cast iron, which were staying regardless. Before conducting my research, we discussed the "requirements" and she identified Durability, Non-Stick, Ability to go into the dishwasher occasionally and Ease of Cleaning. I raised the fact that everyone but me continuously used metal utensils in the pans, causing damage time and again over 20 years. After researching, and watching videos, HexlClad seemed to be the best fit for the family. Agree fully that they are not perfect non-stick pans, but more than good enough for most tasks, and with some added butter or oil good enough for the eggs we cook normally. One year in, they have been a great compromise although I might have chosen something different personally. They are performing very well, and everyone likes them. Chris, Glad to see your making more videos and looking forward to receiving the thermometers!
Have to agree. We picked them up on the spur of the moment at Costco. I had read about them before and they seemed interesting. We had used the same couple of pans almost everyday and they were pretty worn through and it was time to replace them. Had them for 1.5 years or so and they are great. Yep they are not as non stick, but we don't have to worry about damage from metal utensils etc. And i can keep just one non stick pan on hand for when i really need non stick.
I found the same. My pan is a “HexClad”, but from WMF and is working great. I also like that it can be used for high temperatures.
Yup, this is us. The wife really wants non-stick pans, but we're pretty rough on them. My mother-in-law loves to cook delicious food, but she's super hard on the cookware (metal utensils, dishwasher, etc). We have a couple of kids who are beginning to cook. We have one hexclad pan that already does better with less fat than what we had, and we are waiting for the rest of the set to arrive in a week. I'm looking forward to years of mostly non-stick use and me not cringing when pan-care-protocols are not followed.
I like the pans because they have incredible heat transference compared to many of my other pans.
They just perform excellent in comparison to some of my nonstick pans.
My cast iron pans were made in the 1950's and when I cook with them - even eggs don't stick, and I've made the french omlette without it sticking. It's all about proper care and the seasoning of the pan, and making sure it's up to the right temp before cooking. They've lasted 70 years and are still going strong, and I'll probably hand them down to my kids when I am done with them.
I massively prefer cast iron pans, i even put them into the dish washer sometimes. No problem, burned in oil coal coating is not dissolved by detergent. The only "bad" thing is you cannot clean them outside to the experience of some women ;-) And they are somewhat heavy.
As a chef with over 40 years experience, l have to say that your comments are spot on. Just make sure you drum your knowledge into your kids brains and that they really hear you!
Yeah okay
@@andyking957 I really love my old cast iron from Parents and Grandparents.
As I fell more in love with cast iron, well - I actually married a cast iron pan.
I know, I know, that is outside the bounds of most churches.
I just have to understand why you can't 'wash them outside'?
@@packrat9433 haha, that comment made my day. I had the same question for Andy as well - why can't they be "washed outside"?
Thank you for the up front and honest review! I've seen enough of these commercials to wonder, but I know when it comes to non stick, you don't get the best of both worlds. I use a combination of stainless steel and old school (pre 40's) cast iron, and I have one non stick that I use for the delicate stuff. everything else is steel or iron, and I've never had issues.
Didn't expect this video to be so detailed on the science of Teflon in cookware in addition to HexClad's construction. Well done! I personally am happy with my cast iron/carbon steel + seasoning but the occasional Teflon pans will always have a use in my kitchen.
This guy worked on Modernist Cuisine. Those books are absolutely phenomenal! The history and science in them make for just a captivating read, and I have learned so much I didn't even know I didn't know.
I absolutely love my cast iron. Second to that are my All-Clad Teflon pans. I’ve had them for years and with proper care, I expect to have them many more
I'm also a lover of cast iron. When used properly, it can be just as non stick as Teflon.
In general, I only use our Teflon cookware when cooking something acidic.
It's all about using the right tool for the job.
I have a small one that basically gets used for eggs and other really delicate stuff. Otherwise, I use my nice stainless set.
Too bad Hexclad doesn't use Teflon products.
This is a thoughtful review. I have been using my stainless and carbon steel pans for a a few years now. I am OK with having to add oil to the pan to keep it from sticking and not having to replace pans every few years. A little sticking is fine for me and easy to clean up. This is a great channel!
Yeah cast iron really performs well once it’s seasoned and it’s very versatile all you gotta do is keep it oiled after each use
If you stop using metal cookware in your teflon pans and switch to wood spoons and nylon spatulas, they last much longer.
@@donaldkasper8346you wouldn’t get more than a month out of a Teflon pan if you used metal lol I don’t think that’s their issue
@@dakotareid1566 About 7 uses with metal knives. You can actually scrape it off into your food.
@@thesaltmerchant4564 I was gonna say the same. Forget this hexclad and other gimmicks. Just buy castiron and you'll be fine. I use cast iron for maybe 80-90% of my cooking, to include baking and it never fails me.
I swear that the key to nonstick durability is to never heat it without anything in the pan, at least some oil. It's when I used to let pans heat up on the burner dry before adding anything that nonstick would wear out quickly.
Cast iron rules. If you take care of it and keep it properly seasoned and oiled, food doesn’t stick and cleanup is just a quick scrape and wipe. I use bacon or pork fat, tallow and ghee and never have sticking.
Having been the student of Josephine Araldo, and worked at the Fairmount Hotel Kitchen for two years in San Francisco, I prefer and use almost exclusively the same cookware these Original Cordon Blue Chefs trained me, and that is antique cast iron pans that have acquired multiple layers of carbon. They are "almost" as viable as a pure Teflon surface with oil or butter, they do not break, wear out, environmentally safer, and are significantly less costly.
There is something magical about a good cast iron pan that just keeps on getting better :-)
Who is this Araldo guy
Nah, cast iron sucks for most applications. Poor thermal characteristics, very heavy, and it's the oil doing the non stick in your anecdotes rather than the pan. It's not bad enough that it'll ever limit you from doing something and there are techniques that really mask its weaknesses (eg searing), but it's really not good at anything besides being cheap. Most people will be much happier if they have a non stick for eggs (though tbf cast iron is shockingly good at eggs even though it's bad at other sticky things) and stainless for basically everything else.
@@Mezmorizorzskill issue, not the pan
I recall an America's Test Kitchen episode, probably well over a decade ago, that covered non-stick pans. The general advice that has stuck with me was to treat them as disposable, and spend accordingly. We usually get the cheap aluminum Teflon pans and live a risky life. But for the most part we use regular tri-ply and cast iron, and save the Teflon pans for eggs, pancakes, other sorts of sticky things. Good review, answered a lot of questions about these pans!
we use ceramic pans for things like pancakes and it works great for that.
Hexclads are nothing like traditional non-stick. I stopped using my cast iron. The food quality was noticeably better with the Hexclad.
@@kuma_score7536
Ceramics scratch easier and don't last as long as Teflon.
Ceramics are also more dangerous than Teflon.
Teflon has one of the strongest single bonds, and in fact Teflon lined containers are the only way to store fluoroantimonic acid.
Which is the world's strongest acid, and is 20 quintillion times stronger than pure sulphuric acid.
@@lordgarion514 guess our teflon pans must be a lot cheaper then cause they're scratched to all hell but the ceramic pan is good as new.
I also can't find anything stating ceramic to be dangerous but I can find a lot stating tefflon to be toxic.
@@kuma_score7536
You absolutely can NOT find an actual scientific site saying Teflon is toxic.....
Sites by idiots yes, NOT science.
Teflon is one of the least reactive molecules in organic chemistry. It's bonds are so strong that Teflon is the only way to store fluoroantimonic acid, which is the strongest super-axid, and is 20 quintillion times stronger than pure sulphuric acid.
Your body does NOT break it down, and stop listening to people who live in their parent's basement.
And yes, Teflon is so safe, they even put it inside of people during some surgeries......
I personally didn't see the commercials before buying. I bought them at a Costco after watching there in store demo. The salesperson never claimed they where non stick and was very forthright with what the pans could and could not do.
Personally I love the ease of cleaning and am happy with the quality and there semi-nonstick abilities.
Same
Ditto. This is an everyday cooking pan for me, not for making crepes or omelets, and it does just fine.
Hey if you can find one look for a carbon steel pan they're like cast iron but are much thinner and smoother giving a very good nonstick with oil just season them
If they were that honest in their marketing, people wouldn't have problems. But what's the difference between a HexClad and a carbon steel seasoned pan?
@@facepunch0122 Yeah, i just got a carbon steel. I've been using mostly teflon, stainless steel and a cast iron for my cooking. But the cast iron is it a lot harder to clean and season plus the seasoning wears out easier so I wasn't using it as much. Got a carbon steel 1 month ago -- I'm in love with it. It cooks just about as good as a cast iron for high heat but it's lighter and afterwards due to the smooth surface, the food is easy to scrape off if anything sticks. And it's super easy to just do a light season ever other time I cook or after I had food that got stuck and had to scrub a little harder. I actually don't even know now why I would use a cast iron.
This hexClad basically sounds like a carbon steel with maybe a little more non-stick.
I bought a hexclad when it first came out, and it was expensive, over $100 as i recall. Has the price come down since then? Typical teflon pans can cost anywhere from $10-$50 ish. I think the hexclad is great for cooking meats and sauteed vegetables. Terrible for cooking eggs and anything with egg in the mix, and cheeses. The hexclad is also much heavier than teflon pans, and my wife doesnt like using it because it hurts her wrists. Because of the heavy weight, and the shape of the handle, it can be awkward to hold the pan in one hand.
Just use a dirt cheap teflon pan for eggs and switch it out every couple years (depending on use intensity) and a stainless, cast or carbon steel pan for everything else.
There's no magic. Most of the time there's no need for nonstick anyways.
I use cast iron for sunny side up eggs, no stick every time. There is a method that you have to follow though. Well seasoned cast iron must be wiped or rinsed clean after each use, and a thin layer of olive oil applied. When I fry the eggs, I heat up the pan, butter the pan and when the heat is just right, pour the eggs into the pan. The eggs will slide right off the pan when they are done. Rinse and wipe, apply a thin layer of olive oil, done. The best part about it is, those cast iron pans with proper use will outlast the average human.
There is also a distinct difference in taste in fried eggs from a teflon pan or a pure metal pan.
@@Ambient-spirits But is the difference in taste because of the non-stick pan itself, or because of the lack of butter used in the nonstick because no oils are needed?
@@Sembazuru Now thats the question.........
You need nonstick for seafood as well, and if you make starchy foods
I bought my son in law a HexClad pan for Christmas and told him to report back to me how it works. I’m skeptical of any claims made by these nonstick pans. I worked for a wonderful cook who owned a greasy spoon 40 years ago and he taught me an important lesson in cooking with stainless steel pans. He had seasoned stainless pans and when I asked him the secret of how his fried eggs slid right out of his pans. His answer was simple: hot pan, cold oil. You preheat your stainless (or cast iron) pan and then add the oil. It works.
Oil runs around in stainless, does not spread out. Second, you can season cast iron but not stainless steel.
That's so not true, you can absolutely season stainless steel! Not only does saying "stainless can't be seasoned” not stand up to any kind of scientific analysis, but I literally have seasoned stainless pans in my kitchen. What, you think adding a bit of nickel to carbon steel suddenly gives it magical properties where oil won't polymerize and bond with the surface?!?
You're out of your gourd man... 🤣
@@donaldkasper8346 You can. All the seasoning is doing is creating a polymer out of the oil. It is a crap polymer admittedly, barley held together chemically and not well bonded to the underlying metal, which is why you need to re season such pans frequently and apply multiple layers of seasoning when they are new. But it is doing the same job as teflon in the same way - reducing opportunities for protein to bind to the underlying surface. Theoretically you could season any pan made of any metal with almost any fat or cooking oil.
@@donaldkasper8346 a simple google search would disprove your statement that ‘stainless steel pans can’t be seasoned’. In a day where all the information is at our finger tips, here you are spreading wrong information.
Now go season those stainless steel pans in your cabinet, they probably need it 😅
@@ramoslegacy360 F- googleismo. Get a brain. I have a dozen stainless steel pans and can say from experience the concept of seasoning such a pan is bullshit. The only way to keep food from sticking to that kind of pan is to add water.
I've used hexclad pans for years and really enjoy them. They are indeed not pure non stick but the clean up is always insanely easy. I've thrown them in the dishwasher countless times and they still look and perform like new. However I do not use metal utensils with them because I can't stand the scraping sounds.
I think this is an important point Chris missed. The hexclad pans are still very easy to clean.
@@phillipawrightful so are my demeyere stainless steel pans. then it begs the question why you need teflon with extra steps if you can achieve non stick with stainless steel
I went to an airbnb and they had nothing but stainless-steel pans. My bacon stuck to the stainless as well as the eggs! I eventually had to add water to the stainless steel pans and cook my bacon that way. What's the secret? @@yuriib5483
@yuriib5483 did you buy the set used? New sets these days run 2-3 times what hexclad is offering so, unfortunately, it's hard to justify your comment when they're achieving the same result 😅
@@ImOriginulldemeyere? we got new on sale at zwilling store near me. comparing cost is kind of silly when hexclad I'm reading has so many manufacturing issues and deceptive warranty. I'll end up paying more over time... it's just like vitamix and ninja blenders, friends over the course of 8 years changed 3 ninjas, I'm on the same vitamix using it daily
Great review. I had been considering buying a Hexclad pan because of all the commercials. But after watching your video, I think I will just stick with my T-Fal non-stick pans. They are cheap enough that I can replace them if I need to and they work great. I do store them with felt pads between them to keep them from being scratched and I don’t use metal utensils in them. Works well for me and I do cook a lot.
I'm not entirely sure how I ended up on this video since I am not a cook in any sense of the word and I've never heard of a French omelette, but you made everything interesting and understandable to even the most novice viewer, so I really enjoyed it! Thank you for the great video!
🙏
Yep you said everything I was thinking and I'm going to continue to use my worn out non-sticks Teflon putting oil in there and I only have one other thought about this whole thing I'm just wondering how much Teflon I've eaten in my life because it's going somewhere
Same. I've seen Gordon Ramsay support this pan so I was curious. And the dude made me subscribe haha.
Yup, I'm in the same boat. I couldn't prepare cold cereal without burning it but somehow landed here. The host's talent as a communicator/videographer kept me watching the whole time!
Many people in the US love to attach country names to food items, such as Belgium waffles and Danish ice cream.
I would not be surprised, if the French do not even know anything about French omelettes.
I have a bit of a unique view on this because I think because I went to their factory in China and met with the owners and got a tour. I was originally part of a campaign to try and promote cookcell and hexclad in other parts of Asia. I was gifted a set of pans to use and try (total of 8 different sizes skillets and pans) and while I do think they are durable and overall decent pans, they don't perform as well as advertised. They really wanted to push the egg blowing thing when they asked me to try, it kept failing. They wanted to sell it as a pan where no oil was needed. However, that's simply not something the pans are capable of doing. The pans do heat up really quick and they retain heat quite well. They are sturdy and overall good pans. When I make burgers and cheese melts on the pan, yeah it gets pretty caked on but if you soak the pan for a while, yes, everything that was stuck on will slide off. But if you're buying this and want to take oil out of cooking then that's just a bad idea. They look so sleek when they're brand new but after using it a few times, some of the pans have some brown marks on them now and they're near impossible to get off. I've tried almost every hack and still nothing gets those marks out. It still works but looks not so great. In the end I dropped out of the project because as much as I believe these pans are decent, I didn't want to be a part of a campaign that falsely advertises the capabilities of their products.
I just got a new set because it was used by some of the online chefs I follow but don’t promote the pans. I also took advantage of the Black Friday sale and after reading comments and seen reviews, I’m having second thoughts (very concerned) I have some Heritage Steel pans which I love but they are very expensive. Thank you for your honesty and your comment.
I want to thank you for your most honest review. Most useful.
@@Lin_crew4I've owned a set for about 3 years now. I would recommend stainless steel or cast iron and save yourself some money and a serving of forever chemicals.
Moronic comment
I clean the dark spots on mine, which are from burned oil, with Barkeeper's Friend, the same as I do my stainless steel pots and pans. Unless you mean it's on the cooking surface. I've been using my Hexclad daily for two years and the cooking surface looks the same as when I got them.
I stopped using PTFE (Teflon) coated cookware many years ago. Dug out the old Wagner, Erie, Griswold pans and began the process of reeducating myself on what my grandmother had taught many years ago. Sure, cast iron is not nearly as convenient as a PTFE coated pan and requires more attention to heat control but what I've learned over the years form working with PTFE in the industrial space has led me, in part, to make the lifestyle choice.
They are more high maintenance than other pans but if you give cast iron some love they do the job and do them well. Plus they make your forearms stronger.
I know the Griswold family personally. I grew up right next door to them in Fairview, PA.
Cast iron, carbon steel, stainless steel and glass pans are all 100x better than those gimmick teflon and other gimmick pans. These teflon gimmick pans won't last 10 years, let alone 100+ like these metal pans will. And they cook the food so much better too, as you ain't poisoning yourself with teflon.
@@strikerj4810We'll all eventually die regardless of what we use to cook our foods with. It's better to stay away from processed foods and sugar than it is to cook with Teflon. If you stay away from bad foods and cook using non Teflon cookware, it's the best combination.
@@saysoun752 No it isn't. You think the chemicals to use to make teflon that leeches out into your food is safer than bad foods? How about not use teflon and not eat bad foods? Teflon pans are trash, 100%.
Great video!.. Indeed, I tried HexCrap.. it sticks. These made-in China pans are a joke. Very sad.
My mother got me one of these as a gift some time ago. I cook way, way more than her, so I decided to put it through its paces and use it as a daily driver pan. It was... okay. It was a pan. Nothing special. It wasn't any more "nonsticky" than any other random nonstick pan. After about 6 months it started to show signs of wear, and was noticeably less non-stick. I don't trust it as a non-stick pan at all at this point.
I have had exactly the same experience.
@@MattyJohnson06 at that point why wouldn't I just buy a cast iron or carbon steel pan instead of some foofy middle aged white women nonsense?
Carbon steel, cast iron (both non-stick with seasoning) or stainless steel if you want your cookware to last. Nothing against Teflon coated pans, just be prepared to have to replace them.
as a chef of 17 years i can agree that my cast iron i've used for over ten years no problem. my carbon steel i don't use as much but they are just as old. i can keep a teflon pan for about 1.5-2 years depending on how many times my wife uses it with metal tongs and spatulas lol.
@@jcara8960 I'm back at my parents' house as an adult and we have basically separate everything, and my non-stick pans last YEARS longer than theirs. With them using metal utensils, even cutlery, and using the full blast of the stove, they ruin em so quick. I never max temp and only use wood or silicone utensils. Mine is still OK after 5+ years now.
Sounds like yet another person using Teflon pans the same way they would cast iron or steel. Also, teflon pans are really made to be used alongside induction stoves, which is the norm here, so they work great and easily last up towards 10 years if treated right.
But a gas burner or any kind of harsh utensil, yeah... that'll ruin them alright.
This is one of the most enjoyable videos I’ve watched on TH-cam in awhile. I really appreciated the methodical approach, the well-paced and executed explanations throughout, and the genuine care that was put in to the entire video. Keep up the great stuff!
Your analysis is right-on. I have a ceramic (cheapie) where NOTHING sticks… but those have short life-spans. My Hexclad set are admittedly not slide-off-the-pan stick-free buuuut, perhaps I cook at a too high a temperature. That said, I absolutely LOVE the set! Truly durable. Extremely easy clean anything that DOES stick and yes, look brand new after four or five years of use. I just bought another piece and would do so again. Thanks for your informative and non-biased report. Truly appreciated.
That sober good reply to the hype! I love this! I am a cast iron guy ! Thinking this could be worth the money learned what seasoning a pan? Bought a cast pan 50 years ago and use it every day by most chefs too. The weight you can beat, the cost of using you can't, or health issues of the pan itself in good use. I love to cook and love science in the content of this. Thank you.
I switched to stainless steel and just use the spot seasoning technique a few years back. This video just convinced me that spot seasoning is definitely worth the effort and I'm never going back to teflon no matter what form it's in
What is "spot seasoning?"
I've had an entire set of Hexclad pans for about 18 months. I'm happy-ish with them. However, this video is spot on. I would say about them that they are great, high quality pans and are marginally more non-stick than stainless or carbon steel. The nice thing about them compared to my carbon steel skillet or cast iron is that I can cook acidic things in there without jeopardizing the seasoning of the pan. They are NOT even close to as non-stick as a pure non-stick pan. (and yes, I help them out with a generous dolop of oil). I've noticed that I no longer cook eggs that often though they can cook eggs provided you put plenty of oil in for them to float on. I'm not really noticing them show signs of much wear but I do treat them a little gently compared to my steel pans but not as gently as I would teflon.
Thanks, I appreciate review for products after it had been used a while. Do not buy IKEA wood counter tops. They stain and will grow black mold around the sink.I have to sand and refinish the wood to keep it looking sanitary, have to hope it actually is.
For eggs pure teflon is still king imo.
I just bought some, though they haven't arrived yet. I'm a novice cook, really only started about 2 years ago using HelloFresh and now Blue Apron for meal prep delivery. I think I fall into the category that will (hopefully) be satisfied, as I really am looking for durable non-stick pans that are easy to clean.
@@jhoughjr1 Bruh you should have seen my face my first time cooking eggs after resurfacing a cast iron pan with sand paper and seasoning. The smooth sanded surface instead of the "pre season" allowed the egg to slide around the pan effortlessly. I was shocked and thrilled.
@@ziggybender9125 Sounds like a Lodge cast iron skillet. I did the same thing to my lodge carbon steel pans, and cast-iron pans. What a difference, sand them smooth redid the seasoning, nothing sticks ,in comparison to there rough factory finish. Well worth the efforts!!!
Chris, you're awesome. It's so refreshing to see a TH-camr who has the education and background to know what he or she is talking about. This was a *perfect* review, dispassionate, methodical, and fairly rigorous. He didn't exactly bash HexClad, but pointed out that they basically were lying in their commercials. Lastly, is Gordon Ramsey so broke he needs to debase himself by shilling for semi-reputable products now?
I have a hexclad 12” pan and everything you said is correct. Its not as non-stick as a pure non-stick pan, but it is significantly more non-stick then any steel, aluminum, or cast iron pan. For that reason I do love it and highly recommend it to most people. A little non-stick spray or oil in the pan has it performing like non-stick and I get just as a good a sear on steaks as in my cast iron pan. Its very well constructed and feels like a quality piece as well. I like it a lot. Your review was spot on though.
I'm glad that your experience matches mine. I get why folks will like these, but I fall into the camp of wanting a pure Teflon pan for specialty tasks and carbon steel and cast iron as my day-to-day driver. One thing I do like about the Hexclad is the lighter weight from the aluminum core. Like a lot of chefs, years of jerking around heavier steel pans have given me some amount of carpal tunnel pain.
@@ChrisYoungCooks I purchased the 10 inch pan for my mom because she was constantly replacing her nonstick pans due to my dad using metal utensils on them and overheating them. So she loves it. But yeah, they are not as nonstick. I am also not afraid of butter or olive oil, so I don’t mind using a bit to help the pan out. Awesome review though.
@@ChrisYoungCooks Pure Teflon pans only last for a little over a year before they lose their non-stick. Hexclad are the longest lasting non-stick pans that I've ever used.
We feel the same. Pretty much the perfect pan for everything but eggs. We keep one teflon pan around for eggs.
Never had my eggs sticking to my cast iron like shown in this video for the hexclad. So no, it isn't significantly more non stick than cast iron.
This was a well done video, and I am someone that has had HexClad for almost two years now. These have been well used and in one very bad case abused and is still in great shape. The one abuse case was a 10" that was way over heated on my stove when zero turned out to be eleven. So short story is I burned the heck out of this pan and it is still as good as new. I can go burner to stove and even sear with these and compared to others they have not changed one bit from the unboxing. No they are not the most nonstick thing out there but but they are far better for the cost than any other I have had. If you need the one pan that is 100% nonstick then get that ten dollar pan just for eggs that you clean with the lint free cloth after each egg.
Great information here, thanks. Personally, I cook with carbon steel and stainless steel. I know those pans will never wear out. I was curious about this hybrid cookware, though.
Well seasoned Carbon steel and cast iron are far superior than the hexscam
though what?
As soon as i learned out was s hybrid with plenty of steel cooking surface, i realized it was a gimmick
The thing nobody seems to mention is using teflon on a gas burner. Butane can go up to 2000 celsius. Sure, an average stove cant make that possible, but it can still reach far north of 250 and thatll add the delicious seasoning of fluorine to all your food. Yum. Stick to cast iron and carbon steel when cooking on any kind of real flame.
Very well constructed video. I appreciate how you clearly identified the advertised merits of the pan and then addressed them in turn. Your style of presentation works for me. You've earned a sub.
I bought a very nice set of pans from a reputible maker. I love every single pan aside from their nonstick clad pan. Their coating pales in comparison to what t-fal is putting out on $20 pans. It's a shame because of the effort they put into the foundation of what would normally be a lifetime pan underneath the coating. I've learned my lesson in that respect. Now I know why we only used cheap non-stick pans in the kitchen a decade ago.
I have been contemplating buying the Hexclad Roasting (comes with rack) pan for a month.
Pros -
1. INDUCTION ready- can use it with the bridge function (double burners) on my induction stove top. Takes place of a double griddle - make eggs, bacon breakfast. .
2. Use in OVEN.
3. Use in the BBQ at 900 degrees.
4. Can use metal utensils.
Thought that roaster would be a multi-use tool - a cooks dream come true! After watching this review, Im not too sure about spending the $200.
I'll continue sticking with cast iron skillets. They require maintenance but I've had eggs lift out with a spatula and made breads and pineapple upside down cake with them. Even after maybe five to 6 years, they're still working good.
Cast Iron is the real lifetime warranty, you just have to reapply the nonstick if you damage it.
@@fortunateson6070 When it starts to look dull, I'll heat it up put a little bit of canoloa or bacon grease in it and wiped it with a cloth. Then good as new.
This is great stuff. I would love it if you did a whole series absolutely roasting (no pun intended) the marketing BS of ALL of the non stick pans out there (Food Ninja, Blue Diamond, Red Copper, etc). I got a full set of stainless steel pots/pans from Costco a few years ago and never looked back... Mostly.
I also swapped to mostly stainless, but I still keep a couple teflon pans for the usual suspects, crepes and omelettes, normal scrambled eggs can be done just fine on stainless (granted they are properly pre-heated) I have tried making crepes on stainless and have succeded like once or twice.
also teflon doesn't last no matter how careful you are with them
@@radamanthys0223 Teflon may always wear out eventually, but there are definitely things people do that will drastically shorten the lifespan! When I see people talk about how they have to replace their nonstick pans every couple years, they're either buying really cheap pans, or just beating the crap out of them.
@@radamanthys0223 my grandma allways makes crepes on a castiron pan. first time i saw it i was amazed. she told me: that is how i've allways done it.
the crepes were better(thin, no tears, even colour) than the ones i made on my teflon pan :D
I don't know Food Ninja's claims, I just ended up with one of their pans because it was the only one available on Shipt from Target and it was twenty bucks off. TBQF, it's a great pan for some things but for me it's TOO non-stick. It's very, very weird but I have dishes I make in it specifically, things that are wet and might stick like sauces. I don't use it for eggs, etc. It doesn't work right.
I'm a good cook. I grew up in the restaurant business, all my cookware is either high quality or restaurant quality. So I know what's decent.
@@Highlander77 also, regularly using them at anything over medium heat wears them out faster.
I almost bit the bullet for Hexclad… then I saw from other videos, the little metal bits were falling off.
Ive since learned to cook better with stainless cookware.
Great review ... of a product I'd never heard of until YT recommended this video to me. I had not been looking for cookware at all and have no idea why these things happen. The thumbnail was enticing and the fact it turned out to be genuine (as far as I can tell) is a nice bonus. I'm still using 25 year-old high-street grade Tefal pans which don't have much of their coatings left, but did buy a new Tefal frying pan, with Jamie Oliver branding, a few years back and it's great. CoolStoryBob
I wanted to have them because i think they are pretty. Then I spent a day researching their claims, and then I decided against buying them, because it feels like endorsing a scam. Learnt a lot about coatings tho, so it wasn’t a waste of time :3
What did u go for cause I'm stuck lol
^ what he said, what do you recommend? I’m looking mostly for non toxic
@@SiiNTi why not just get a cast iron pan?
I just have to applaud the professional way this whole video was laid out. The content was presented with a level of classic respect for the viewer that only education can provide. I almost feel like this was too good to be on TH-cam and there needs to be a platform for the level if intellect in videography.
The point that sold it for me was when he made the omelette. Classic french style is no colour and by jove there was no colour on that omelette at all.
I came here to say this. I never thought I would learn this much from a review video! Amazingly well done and informative.
Nebula is such a platform
Also tho, there is a Ton of really fantastic educational content (of similar quality) on TH-cam. Despite its flaws, TH-cam is still The video platform.
TH-cam is that platform now.
Thank you for this review. I was considering the Hexclad, but had a feeling they were overhyped. You put it straight up. I would rather buy cheaper pans repeatedly as they burn out then put my faith in limited lifetime warranty. I put most of my life and about 10 years in restaurant cooking and have yet to find that magic pan for how I like to cook. Sometimes I like that high temp sear which damages most non stick, so I use an older pan that has lost some it's glamour to do this. The gentler cooking I use the newer non stick pans for, including ceramic, which ages quite fast.
Thank you for this. As a chef who purchased and quickly returned hexclad pans I was going crazy seeing that these were so popular and backed by many renowned chefs. There should be repercussions for dishonest sales like this.
Good objective video
@@i0li0il0ino, they don't work, did you watch the video? It's exactly as non stick as a stainless steel pan.
Agree 100% starting with that chef that comes out in their commercial.
@@Repetoire Thats not true as they don't brown as well as a stainless steel pan.
I have been using a hexclad for a month now and while YES they lied about the non-stick effect that as if it's as Teflon. However, it still is not as "sticky" as a regular stainless steel. It washes off really easy and still looks pristine. Searing is amazing and would never get a good sear with a non-stick pan that is as good here. I wouldn't use it for eggs though. It's a middle-of-the-road pan.
I have had hexclad for a year now and everything you said in this video is true. It isn’t great for cooking any eggs that are more delicate than basic scrambled eggs. With the design I wasn’t too surprised when over easy eggs didn’t come off as well as I would like.
I’ve been very happy with them, but you also described my exact preferences at the end of the video when you said who you expected would be happy with them. They clean up easily and they have a great balance of durability and nonstick properties. I still use silicone or other soft kitchen tools to go easy on them even though they say you can use metal, I see no reason to tempt fate there.
I'm in the same boat! I love my hex clad set. They were a gift. I like that it's a mix of stainless steel and non stick. I still use oil and silicone tools, because it needs oil still, but they're sturdy pans in general and i haven't seen any damage.
I prefer using oils or butter anyway for flavor so the less non-stick factor isn't a big deal.
I have Hexclad and love them. It seems that
Price point vs. Quality is their first judgement. I love the fact that I can bake using the pans in the oven. And eggs is a big problem for most reasons for not purchasing. Really people, is that all you cook is eggs? Have a pan of choice just for eggs. And I do not ever use metal utensils even though the warranty says you can.
@@kahwana1604 You can put most types of pans in the oven, so how is that a positive for hexclad? And why the hell would you get a pan with teflon if it can't do eggs.
Carbon steel is reasonably nonstick, can go in the oven, and can easily take metal utensils. What you're describing is carbon steel, except worse and 5x the price.
@@aolson1111 Evidently you did not comprehend my comment. I ask you...have you ever had a "Dutch Baby"? It consists of 3 eggs. I made it in my hexclad pan. Baked in oven. Easy release. If eggs are that important to you, by all means have a pan of your choice just for eggs.
You do you, and I will do me! To each their own. Why worry about the price point, I enjoy every dollar I spent with each use. I'm not here to convince anyone. I just responded to a slanted review from the start.
I bought the Wok and its amazing for stir fry.
A very straight forward anlysis of HexClad, I particularly appreciated your approach when comparing traditional non-stick to HexClad with the one thing most non-stick pan manufacturors dread the EGG challenge.
I've owned a cast iron skillet for years that I've been trying to season into a non-stick surface. Every time I use it I allow it to cool slowly before rinsing it with hot water with no soap as I scrub the surface clean with a non-metallic brush. Then I heat it on the stove until the residual moisture has evaporated before applying thin coat of oil before storing it back in the cupboard. I've done it a hundred times but the thing just refuses to become non-stick.
I occasionally follow the seasoning advice of heating it in the oven at 450 degrees F with an oil coating for 30 minutes and then letting it slowly cool down with the oven. I don't know what I'm doing wrong!
It's got the usual bumpy cast surface and I wonder if that might be the problem. I'm very tempted to grind and sand it smooth but I'm afraid of overdoing it. Some say that a bit of texture is what that allows the seasoning to adhere. Would you care to weigh in?
What I've found to work best for me as non-stick pans is ceramic. It's very easy to work with, and safe for my pet birds. Teflon releases a certain gas that is relatively harmless to humans but extremely toxic to birds. I also don't like the fact that I'd have to replace my teflon pans every couple of years, I'm a bit stingy when it comes to throwing stuff out.
thank you for the info pen ceramic. my bird is why I cannot use non stick and was thinking about these no treaswizing they are teflon. thanks for warning about birds. some are not informed.
Honestly, I'm impressed with how far traditional Teflon pans have come. They're far, far more durable than they were 30 years ago. The coating now feels like it's part of the metal surface, even though it's not.
I have to agree my eggs only decent teflon pan took 4 years till teflon started to scrape off.
I have some cheap tfal pans I got 20 years ago that I still use. I have some old all-clad style(stainless/copper, copper core, stainless) pans and half a dozen cast iron. I love my good pans but I use the cheap ones much more.
@@mybrotherjames8579
Why do you use your cheap pans more? Are they better?
My favorite are the discontinued Ccalpheon Unison pans. The non-stick coating works very well and holds up fairly well, but will get destroyed by metal tools (don't use them)
@@MrLanternland
Are you mybrotherjames?
Really nicely done review. I received a HexClad set as gift, so the cost of the pans did not heavily influence my opinion of them. I'm not a fan of non-stick pans - every non-stick pan I've owned over the last 30 years has been a disappointment. I agree with other commenters that non-stick pans should be treated as disposable, which I hate. No non-stick pan remains that way as far as I'm concerned, even with exceptional care in both use and maintenance. My HexClad set is about 3 years old and I use them regularly. I use a varying amount of oil or butter with these pans, the volume dependant on the likelihood that that cooked food may stick. Without oil, forget about it, which I think is true of even the best non-stick. And never, ever use propellent-driven cooking spray because the propellent has a tendency to burn onto the pan and reduce the non-stickiness. These pans used with oil almost never stick. Even a small amount of oil dramatically improves how well food releases from the pan. I also tend to keep the temperature a little lower when using these pans because they conduct heat quite well. The biggest advantage of these pans is how well they clean up with very little effort. I have never had to hard-scrub these pans. Because of the small channels in the cooking surface, water fairly easily seaps in under the charred bits on the pan and then easily wash away with a nylon scrubbing brush. That said, the pans do stain easily, mostly up the sides. The stains remain somewhat hidden due to the coloring on the pans surface, but if stained surfaces bother you alot, you will be disappointed with these pans. 3 years in and these are still my go-to pans and they're performing now exactly as well as they did when they were new. Just for background, I also use cast iron (Le Crueset, Lodge), carbon steel (Misen) and tri-ply stainless steel (Cuisinart Pro) regularly. Now, as to cost, they're too darn expensive to pay full price. With discounts, they're more moderately expensive, but a worthwhile addition to a well outfitted kitchen. If you're a pan collector, and not particularly cost-sensitive, you should buy them to see if they fit into your kitchen routine. They work well for me.
Chris, I love your videos! They are so informative and interesting. I like how you explain the science behind things, but do it in a way that is understandable, and not overwhelming. I thought it was pretty cool to find you invented the Joule sous vide! I use mine all the time! Helps me make AMAZING food, and I've never overcooked anything (because the Joule won't let me!). Thanks.
We bought these plant pans recently at Costco and love them so far. The ease of cooking and cleaning is huge. I don’t think I ever thought it was 100% nonstick let alone for life but I love the way to heat the spread out so that you don’t have a pocket it’s burning all the rest is cooking well.
Speaking of Costco, I don't recommend the KitchenAid nonstick set they sell. I'm on month 4 of owning them and the non-stick layer is peeling off. It looks kinda rubbery.
@@d3vastat0r89, Throw those out and get a good made in the USA stainless steel pan. With those non-stick pans that you have, you are eating toxins.
Nothing is completely non-stick. Hello
@@d3vastat0r89 return that shit then. they'll take it back
Oh, you're one of the co-authors of Modernist Cuisine? That is an absolutely fantastic series of books. I didn't much care for cooking until I read the first volume of Modernist Cuisine a few years ago.
You've earned a subscriber just from that alone. Of course, this video gets a like for being a simple and short yet sufficiently extensive look into an overly advertised pan. It's great to see the quality of those books transfers into your video format.
Thanks for the test. Funny enough, I was considering this pan just 2 weeks ago. But after so many die non stick pans, especially with a husband who loves to burn the pans, I had decided to go for carbon steel. After this video, I’m even more happy with my choice lol
which carbon steel pan would you suggest?
Yes! Carbon steel is the best, once you start cooking with it it's rare you need anything else.
@@abhi4ifyUhm, I thought i reply to you but somehow it is not showing here. I got the BK carbon steel 30cm frying pan
I found nothing but hate for hexclad immediately after receiving a large bundle I had bought and got a bit of buyers remorse. This video, combined with my attempt to use the skillet to make a few eggs, has me feeling pretty safe in my purchase. I also got them on sale, so I probably got them for the price they should have been. I really appreciated learning from this video, and I hope you continue to be this unbiased in your reviews.
You described it perfectly. I've been using hexclad for almost a year now, using them multiple times a week. They heat extremely fast and evenly enough. They're non-stick enough when even a small amount of oil is used. That's all I ever need them to do and I'm completely happy with them. I cook because it's cheaper than the alternative, so I'm no fancy chef. I think they're great for the average person, but if you need the same level of non-stick as pure teflon, you might be disappointed.
You probably switched from Teflon. If you had switched to good stainless steel instead of Hexclad, your experience would have been the same, I would bet.
"If you expect this pan to perform as advertised, you'll be dosappinted"
Home cook here who still uses my grandmother's cast iron frying pan and my grandfather's cast iron Dutch oven. I've seen these HexClad pans at Costco and have hesitated, and now I know why. I'm SO glad I found your channel! For eggs and fish, I have found the Green Pan frying pans do perfectly fine for my uses. Never did have a 'Teflon' pan, just because I had no real use for it. Not afraid of a little butter for the eggs or fish, plus, it adds flavor. New subscriber, and look forward to your postings!
Cast iron works perfect for eggs and fish. Plus you know that cast iron will last hundreds of years unlike those gimmick trash teflon pans.
I feel like nonstick surfaces in general are a scam. Well-seasoned cast iron is already nonstick, and you can season cast iron in like 5 minutes. I can wash my cast iron with Dawn and fry an egg on it right after. I like the nonstick trays in my air fryer because there's no mixing going on in there, nothing to really scrape the Teflon away. But I also can't help but think how much more awesome the air fryer would be if the trays were cast iron.
>> But I also can't help but think how much more awesome the air fryer would be if the trays were cast iron.
Cast iron is quite brittle. That's why it's usually thick when in a form of a pan. Being thick, it has higher heat capacity which helps to distribute the heat more evenly and retain the heat after taking the pan off the fire.
Air fryer trays are much thinner because the food is supposed to be cooked quickly, with little to no preheat or residual heat. The heat comes from the air rather than the tray surface. Thick cast iron would be stealing the heat from the food for no reason, increasing the cooking time.
Which gets to some of the drawbacks of cast iron. It's heavy, so you can't do some of the pan work you can with a lighter pan. It doesn't change temperature quickly, so techniques that rely on cooling or heating a pan quickly can't be accomplished. There is no one tool for all jobs.
Do they also put Teflon on the bottom/exterior of their pans or is that just a metal pattern? If it’s the same as on the interior that makes no sense since any Teflon there will be in direct contact with the flame or heating element ensuring faster deterioration.
It appears to be the same coating on the exterior. And, yes, I agree it’s a puzzling decision.
@@ChrisYoungCooks - Thanks for the reply and, yes, that makes zero sense. The Teflon on the bottom/exterior will easily heat above 500F if using a direct flame and gas off toxic fumes. But I guess it looks very nice.
According to Serious Eats review, updated Nov 2024, HexClad no longer uses PTFE (which they were using at least through most of 2023). They changed to a proprietary ceramic coating they call TerraBond. Perhaps it is more heat resistant.
As always, a great video. I am a retired chef and do primarily private chef work now.
Pans in my house: All Clad, they are almost 25 years old and still look brand new and I use them a lot. I would have to wonder what these Hex Clad pans will look like and work like after 25 years of constant use. My All Clads are in the will lol!
Using stainless steel pans and keeping food from sticking to them is basically a technique thing. Having said that I do have a couple of Teflon pans that I use for eggs because it just makes things easier. And frankly I always will have some whole butter or clarified butter in the Teflon pan first because cooking eggs without butter is almost like a day without sunshine 😊.
I have a client that owns these pans, and they are as described in the video, quite acceptable for use. One thing I would like to point out is that the price of these pans is what they are because they are in fact manufactured in China which allows a significant amount of markup as well as what is a probably exorbitant amount of money that was paid to Chef Ramsay (and don't get me wrong I have a great respect for that man!).
As far as my Teflon pans are concerned, I treat them gently and will just replace them when they look like they are starting to wear a bit. The price of Teflon pans is so inexpensive it makes that easy to do.
you're kidding right? these start peeling or chipping after a few months. whenever i see gordon's face on a commercial i run the other way. he cant even make poached eggs correctly without yelling or screaming. as a chef, this is the first thing you would be taught. stainless steel, carbon steel, and cast iron are the only real pans that last a lifetime.
Coated pand are a scam, just get a good pan and it will last a lifetime and longer, throw away the toxic trash pans.
@@jamesgarner2103 Didn't he also try making fireplace grilled cheese sandwiches with a protein heavy, low fat cheese at one point?
I mean, you can do that but you need a lot of extra heat and he was using a thick block of the stuff.
Carbon steel and cast iron (and stainless for acidic foods) are the way to go for me. I've always hated teflon, the way it really just boils the food rather than searing it because it doesn't want to bind to anything like Chris explained, and of course the limiting factors mentioned in the video which cause it to be disposable. A well cared for carbon steel or cast iron pan will last for generations, cook beautifully, and remain nonstick without all the limiting factors of teflon. They're so much more versatile and get better with age.
But it is much less convenient to use. I prefer stainless steel and pop it in the dishwasher when dirty. Much easier than having to clean stuff by hand when times are busy.
@@sjakie49i love my stainless steel pans and pots as well. They have lasted for many years, they're very easy to season and make non stick, and are so easy to clean
I own cast iron. 2 that belong to my grandmother. She has been gone since 1985. Would not trade them from anything. They are just hard on glass top stoves. But I do agree with you on the greatness of cast iron.
Excellent article. I must admit, I watched it just to see your approach. I swore off Teflon many years ago. I have found that I can get the nonstick performance I need from well-seasoned and well-maintained carbon steel and stainless steel. It seems you raised some important aspects of this Hexclad cookware. Thanks for that. I look forward to seeing more of your work. I particularly enjoyed the clear explanation of the technical side of things (home cook, but PhD engineer by training, so I've got a bit of a bias toward the technical side of things).
I am a chemist and in my opinion although Teflon is inertI don't see how you can make it stick to the pan anymore successfully then having food not stick to it., therefore it's going to wear off. Get a cast iron pan and season it well, use a stainless pan seasoned well - don't worry about a little sticking, most of it will release if you just wait a few minutes. I have my grandmother's cast iron 9 inch skillet - you could melt sugar in it and peel it off and then fry and egg with no fat......you just have to keep seasoning it (oil/heat/oil/heat/oil/heat) -
Interesting video, I appreciate the detail about these pans as I was looking into getting one. But, I'm surprised no one else has commented on your use of a metal fork on your nonstick pan! 😮
This comment!!!
My thoughts exactly! Metal on teflon pans is like nails on a chalkboard: instant visceral reaction.
I cringed. Does that count? I don't even use metal on my metal pans!
I saw that and my Cringer almost broke. Who DOES that???
You’re supposed to be able to use metal utensils with Hexclad - but on Teflon? -big no no. I didn’t know teflon was even being used anymore.
Ya know, I started experimenting with premium non-stick cookware (like Caphalon, ceramic and some celebrity chef junk) and found that I am best off just replacing my non stick egg/seafood cooking pans with cheap T-fal every 5-7 years (and even those havent seem to be lasting as long).
NSF pans from Smart and Final. cheap and better than anything else. omelet pans are about $14-20, but often on sale
non stick pans are only good for making omeletes, you can do much more with stainless steel and cast iron and those will last a lifetime
@@tyroneboboo8576 take your stainless in your divorces. they will out last most marriages
@@Theaverageazn247 no marriage for me
The only reason I'm not still using the nonstick skillets I got from the commercial kitchen section at sam's club years ago (95% sure they are rebranded tramontina pro line) is because I replaced my 40 year old resistive electric cooktop with induction. The ptfe coating held up extremely well even with me regularly throwing them in the dishwasher, using them under the broiler and occasionally using metal utensils on them. They were shockingly durable and very heavily built for an alu pan.
I loved the review and thank you for your honest and detailed tests and explanations. I bought my mother a set for Christmas last year as her old no-name non-stick pans were wearing out. So far she loves them and swears by them. Yes, as a traditional cook she still uses oil, but she said she uses a lot less now. She also loves the fact that she can use metal utensils on her "non-stick" pans now. I think it is perfect for the situation's your review pointed out. It has all of the benefits she wants, and none of the drawbacks she hates. Also for her age it is great that she is cooking with less oil for her and my father's health. I would consider that a win-win. Just to point out, she cleans it with hot water, soap, and a sponge not something crazy like steel wool. I would love it if you would give a review of all of the top pans out there just so I know what to buy for my family. The pluses, minuses, and thoughts about usage as you did in this review. Thank you for your honest review as I am now subscribed, and would love to learn more cooking related things from you.
Well, it's good for her health until you consider the fact that teflon is still incredibly poisonous
Thanks for this! I’ve been intrigued about this cookware. I will say, I was surprised you took a fork to your non-stick. I’ve had an Anolon Nouvelle Cooper non-stick set for 10+ years and the coating is still great - I never use metal utensils on them and I cook a lot. I did lose a couple to non-stick spray damage at one point but even the Zwilling/Henkle pans i replaced them with have held their coating nicely for a number of years.
Hey! Now I remember you from Hestons various TV shows, this almost felt like a reunion to the days when I first got interested in more advanced cooking! Great to see you have done so well for yourself, and I genuinely found this video good. You could be a full-time content creator if you so wished 👌 Look forward to future geeky stuff!
Hexclad is definitely for me. I want durable first, and 'as non-stick as possible' second. Additionally, i like the induction-capable. I think you are right that they mislead about non-stick, but I think this will be exactly the pan for me (and I can oil up or use an actual non-stick if needed). Thanks for the video.
So you like toxic Teflon in your food. Gotch ya. Can’t even trust Gordon Ramsey anymore. Stainless steal, ceramic, cast iron. Those are the only three options
Might be better to get carbon steel or cast iron and season them properly, I still use teflon pans for eggs but anything else is either carbon steel or cast iron pan. They are pretty non-stick and if cared for will last for a lifetime.
@@ugabuga1361 Carbon steel is king.
lmao. Non-stick pans require much more oil than standard carbon steel or aluminum. Not using oil because "it's already nonstick" just means the teflon won't stay on your pan for long, but in the air of your house, and lungs. Stay safe
@@ugabuga1361so you’re blasting someone for liking a product that’s perfectly safe? Ok kiddo
This was a really good review… not just for this pan, but in general. Bravo.
I’ve had it for a month or so and not a fan, but don’t hate it. I just don’t see the value for the price. My Target Teflon pan was better for a fraction of the price. The first time I cooked with it, I sent a video I was so happy the way the egg floated to my partner. Now I’m lucky to get an egg not to break not even a month in. Like this guy said, it does seem to be durable. My other problem, I washed as directed and the second or third time after cooking I wiped dry with a paper towel and there was a silver coating on my paper towel. They said it was their seasoning when I asked. Another response from HC stated a bit more concern. When I replied that I wanted to return, no response. This is a perfect review in my opinion. Had I seen this before, I would have saved a few hundred dollars. Great review.
Thank you for the review. I purchased the pans so I would eat a home more often. I consider myself as a beginner cook and purchased these pans mostly because of the marketing and few friends use them. There isn't anything wrong with HexClad and they are durable pans for lasting more than the average pans. It all comes down to preference and for the penny pinchers stay away and buy what you want.
I want more of the chemistry of cookware! I remember reading in college about heat diffusivity and specific heats while working at REI selling camp cookware.
*emissivity
@@sloftyWrong and arrogant at the same time? Are you from twitter?
@@darkee03 Wow, all that from a single word-- and not even a curse word!
Diffusivity, while applicable to metals and other solids, is most often of practical use when dealing with fluid dynamics. I'm not sure what made it in vogue with cooking enthusiasts, but it can be misleading as values for conductivity tied together with capacity is kind of pointless for small volumes/areas.
I recommend - looking past the uncalled for abuse you went straight for - reading Athanasius's post on stackexchange (or D. Gritzer's piece on Serious Eats) for a fuller picture, but in the meantime, consider the following:
Heat a copper pan and a cast iron pan such that they hold precisely the _exact amount_ of heat in joules. Now hover your hand over each pan at the same height. Go on, try it-- it is *very different* and diffusivity will not account for the difference. It's emissivity, and that is why professional cooks prefer baking sheets that have darkened with use-- look it up!
My point is don't combine terms that are best handled as analytic separates per application. You know the saying: keep it simple, stupid!
@@darkee03 Give this a try: th-cam.com/video/X1DsYE7yHeo/w-d-xo.html
Lol this guy's voice reminds me of a materials science prof. from ages ago.
Thank you! I'm a Ramsay fan but have always been a tad skeptical of the Hex-clad claims. While I'm just a home/amateur "hobbyist with a tummy" chef, I also typically make myself a French classic style omelette in the mornings, so of course when you ventured into that territory my interest was immediately piqued. I've never been dissatisfied with my "decent quality" membership warehouse Teflon, understanding that every 3-4 years, I'll be replacing them. With Hexclad running an average of $120 a pan, I'll replace my $20 Teflon pans (which work better anyway) 6 times, or around 20 years, before I'd even hit the cost of a single small Hexclad set. Seals the deal, sticking with what's cheap and works perfectly.
Yes, this exactly. Since I use non-stick pretty much only for eggs, even fairly inexpensive pans remain non-stick for many years.
To be honest, I think HexClad pays Gordon Ramsay to say it's a good product.
I’m not remotely sad I bought the Hexclad skillet. It’s preforming great and my eggs don’t stick. If you know how to cook you won’t have problems. I love a good soft cooked omelette but his “Classic omelette” was runny. I prefer my omelette cooked.
@@Arknsawdave He didn't simply call it a "classic omelette" . It's a classic French omelette. French omelettes are like that and they require more technique and practice to get right. You keep the egg moving ensuring small curds until you are ready to let it set up. Once you do that you remove it from the heat allowing the residual to continue the cooking, but much slower. Then you fold it and flip it. The interior is supposed to be a little runny and creamy. That's what a French omelette is.
They're not for everybody. It's not the sort of omelette that you're going to fill with other stuff like meat and veggies. You can do that, but it's a lot harder to do and won't hold as much without falling apart.
Immediately after he said you need to season it I understand. I cook eggs on restored cast iron. If you have a good seasoning it's great@@Arknsawdave
I’ve settled on using my well seasoned cast iron for everything. I use chain mail to scrub it clean and oil it after drying. It’s perfect and will last longer than me 😂. Yes It does omlettes🙂
Great! I've been saying this to my friends who insist I buy this HexClad pan... obviously you say it much better than I can. Now, instead of wasting time trying to argue with them, I'm just going to forward your video.
Thanks a lot
Thank you for a detailed review. I wish I found this 3 months ago, yet I think I still fall within the usage you mention. I use a small amount of oil most times and I needed something easy to clean and use.
I wish their marketing didn’t mislead me into thinking this was a lifetime Teflon cooking experience, and time will tell if they get much worse. I’d be interested to know their response to this video.
They will not respond to this video. The only thing they would accomplish is getting more attention towards it which is the opposite of what they want.
I have had my Hexclad for over two years, use it almost daily, and it still has the same surface as the day I got it. In that time I have tossed two Teflon pans and just use Hexclad now. I make French omelets in them with no problem, either.
It's good to know that Kenji's "Why Cheap Nonstick Skillets Are Best" is correct. I'm interested in the performance of the hexclad compared to a well seasoned carbon steel pan since carbon steel seems to be between teflon and stainless steel while also being lighter than traditional cast iron.
So I did that test, but adding it made this video silly long. In short Teflon >> we’ll seasoned steel/cast iron > HexClad as far nonstick goes.
@@ChrisYoungCooks I would watch a silly long video from you. Eagerly awaiting my Double Barrel Bundle and would like some even rediculously long videos on all the ways I will be able to use it.
"Best" in terms of performance, yes, but not for the environment. And I say this as someone who worries very little about climate change.
Adam Ragusea has recently made another video about non-stick coating, which I think would be a very worthy inclusion in the links in the description. He has changed his mind on whether to get cheap nonstick pans and treat them as disposables.
The annoying thing no one knows how to season properly - manager at a cookware company
My family went through multiple replacements from Hexclad. The black coating was coming off all of them in and around the one year mark of using them. We no longer will use them. Not impressed at all.
I find that they are not exactly non stick, but….excellent in many other ways. I only own one piece, the chicken fryer. Owned it for about 3 years, and absolutely love it. It’s got a big footprint, but heats very well, right to the edges on my induction hob. Most larger cookware won’t do that on my range. It’s heavy, perfectly flat, and simmers really good. I don’t use metal utensils, use it twice a week, and it looks like new still today. I see no need to upgrade to a whole set, but I’m very happy with its performance and quality. The lid fits really well too. I’m steaming a head of cabbage in it as I write. When that’s done, I’m throwing in some corned beef, onions, potatoes, and garlic, and sauté the whole works up for dinner.
To be honest, just use silicone utensils when cooking a nonstick pans and they will last a lot longer. Also If possible, try only having designated pans for designated foods. This will also help the pan last twice as long.
Every time I see someone put anything metal into their non-stick pans... I cringe. There is literally NOTHING you are cooking in a non-stick pan that you need a metal utensil for. Use wood, plastic, or silicone - there is no drawback, and frankly it just seems like common sense. Of course the manufacturers want you to use metal in their pans, advertising that it is ok... they want to sell more pans!
yea but no matter what you do, if used it will get damaged. From my experience i stop buying expensive teflon pans or ceramic. Granted they last 2x as cheap ones but sadly are 3-4x more expensive so its more cost effective to buy new cheap pan every year. Because of that i dich teflon and use only cast iron. But i get why iron is not as wide spread as teflon. Its heavy, sensitive about moisture, cant tolerate acidic foods (like tomatoes), for beginner its quite steep learning curve and it takes loth of time to build up proper seasoning. Also if using oil its nightmare to clean but when using animal fat the seasoning build up even slower.
But after 2 years it seasoned and you can make French omelete or crepes. (only you have to have polished/sanded pan surface, by using reusable sand for mold the casting is more rough then old ones)
@@scasny you hit the secret to making cheap cast-iron perform really well. When it is brand new, walking through the grits with a flap wheel and an angle grinder until it is mirror polished, then seasoning it well makes cheap stuff from the hardware store work like a nice antique.
we did! Silicon utensils only. Few highly advertised brands. Not cheap. They all failed in about a year or two. And we cook every day, tree times a day. Like in good all days. :)
@@jong2359 I've done it, I'm ashamed to say. Even when silicone and wooden versions were a step away. Habits are very sticky things.
I bought them and yes they aren't traditional non-stick but they are far better than regular pans and worn out non-stick pans. For a regular cook at home they are awesome, and extremely easy to clean.
Thank you so much for your review. As an expat living in Poland, I have to think long and hard before purchasing high-end products. (I live in the world of the Polish zloty which means that whatever price you pay in dollars, I pay 4 times more.) Those pans are sold here for 650 zloty- to put that in perspective, that would buy groceries for 1 1/2 months.
Your review made me realize that I don't have to save up for that expensive new toy, but can carry on with what I have. Again, I appreciate your review. Thank you.
This review is not how non Stick works. The more you cook with it the more the layer forms. Takes a little bit of time for to build up. I’ve seen plenty of reviews like this, so I said you know what let me go to the manufacturers website and follow their directions. None of these reviews follow the correct directions. It’s the best Pan I’ve ever owned but the nonstick aspect builds up overtime it’s like a cast-iron.
Holy shit! I was seriously considering buying HexClad thinking the surface touching the food is 100% stainless steel. Funny how all the advertising failed to mention they use Teflon. I didn't mind sacrificing some non-stick ability for safety and durability. Thanks so much for this video.