Hexclad 10” Pan
I’ve been in the kitchen since I was 12. My dad same to me on a Friday after school and said, “Your going to learn how to cook.”
I thought it was the stupidest thing to teach me at the time but it is one of my most venerated skills. I love to cook. I love to cook for others. And everyone loves a man who can cook. I know many who can barely boil water. It truly is a significant and absolutely valuable like skill.
Along with knowing how to cook comes having the right tools with which to cook. I have cooked with many pans—aluminum, ceramic, Teflon, cast iron, copper. And brands like Calphalon, ScanPan, and more.
Having seen Hexclad’s commercials and hearing the claims of nonstick but incredibly durable, I was curious (and skeptical). I have mostly purchased Calphalon Contemporary Series pans. They aren’t expensive but I cook so much that I tend to wear them out in a few years. I needed to replace my 10” Calphalon pan and thought I would upgrade my kitchen experience with a truly worthy pan. I decided on the Hexclad to see if it was really true or just a gimmick.
I got my Hexclad pan with the glass lid and that night I was ready to cook with it. Eager, I decide on steak. I put a tab of butter in the pan, heated it and laid the steak down. So far, so good. It was easily as nonstick as Teflon.
Hexclad gives some tips on how to cook—lower heat. The pan is designed to distribute heat well. Things can stick—as they can in Teflon too—but it is because the temperature is too high.
On medium, I was concerned that my steak would not get the nice crisp on the outside but my fears were unwarranted. It cooked like my cast iron skillet.
While my cast iron is ancient, my dad gave it to me, and extremely well seasoned, things would stick but mostly seasoning that was on the steak—pepper for example. In my Calphalon pans, a similar occurrence could happen but it was very easy to clean.
My Hexclad pan, however, nothing stuck at all. And cleaning it barely needed any effort. Very impressive.
In the morning, I cooked eggs. If one has seen the commercials, it is so nonstick that one can blow air on the edge of the omelette and the egg lifts off the pan. While I have not tried the “blow test” I did make scrambled eggs and they cooked beautifully. And cleanup was a breeze.
So far, the non-stick natures is isn’t very similar to my Calphalon pans in but only when they are new and never (!) would one use metal utensils. Hexclad’s claim to fame is that one can use any utensil, metal or otherwise, in these pans. Mind you, I mostly use wooden utensil because they are quiet—I dislike all the clanking metal on metal, but it is good to know, my metal tongs are now optional.
My Calphalon pans are Teflon and, in addition to not having the ability to use metal utensils, also wear out. The nonstick nature today is not as nonstick in a couple of years. I will need to see how these Hexclad pans workout over time but I am optimistic.
Hexclad, on the other hand, are engineered on a physical level to be nonstick. The honeycomb + dot pattern apparently is what makes all the difference. In other words, I imagine these pans will be nonstick for years to come.
I have been so impressed with this pan that I will definitely replace my 12” pan with Hexclad and perhaps my pots too. I usually do not need my pots to be nonstick but my pots are very old and the handles are wearing out.
It is an expensive endeavor to replace all these but I will do it over time. And having great cookware is always worth the price. There are some things you just should not go cheap on—cookware is one of them.
I look forward to having the whole Hexclad series and cooking with them for years to come.
Addendum: I waited several weeks to post this review. After every meal I’ve cooked, after every cleaning, I’ve said, “really impressive."
$150
