YOU’LL probably recognise Hexclad pans: they’re used by almost every foodie influencer on TikTok.
They’re also endorsed by Michelin-star chef and generally hard-to-please bloke Gordon Ramsey.
So as a keen home cook, I jumped at the chance to do a Hexclad review.
I tested out Hexclad’s 13-piece set, which includes seven pans and six lids[/caption]
Hexclad claims to make “The Only True Hybrid Cookware”, bringing together the “performance of stainless steel, the durability of cast iron, and the convenience of nonstick”.
In theory, this sounds perfect; I own and use a cast iron skillet but am put off by the amount of maintenance they require, love the idea of stainless steel pans but worry about how hard they are to clean and cook with, and while I have used non-stick pans, their limited lifespan puts me off.
If Hexclad can deliver what it claims, it’ll justify the cost of its pans, but that’s no easy task; the 13-piece set I tested costs a whopping £729.
Pros
- Good all-round pan set that should suit most home cooks
- Really easy to clean
- More durable than typical nonstick
- Oven-safe
- Dishwasher safe
- Super sleek design
- Lightweight
- Lifetime warranty (although this has limits)
- Stay-cool handle
Cons
- Heinously expensive
- They do have a shelf life
- While they are better all-rounders than cast iron, stainless steel or non-stick, they’re not as good at specialist tasks
- Silver detailing is a bit hard to clean
- Can’t be used above 260°C because of non-stick coating
Rating: 6/10
How I tested Hexclad
I’ve been testing Hexclad for over a year[/caption]
13pc Hybrid Cookware Set, £729 from Hexclad
As a prolific home cook and professional product reviewer, it’s safe to say that I’ve put my Hexclad pans through their paces.
I’ve been using them almost every night for well over a year now, cooking hundreds of different meals.
The frying pans have been used the most, whether that’s for hungover fried eggs or a perfectly-cooked steak.
However, I’ve also used the saucepans and the wok enough to get a good impression of how good they are.
I certainly haven’t treated them delicately, either; they’ve been thrown around, beaten up and put in the oven and dishwasher on multiple occasions.
Hexclad makes a big deal about how you can use metal utensils with its pans, too, so I’ve not been scared of giving them a good scrape.
Hexclad review: Quickfire Q&A
How much are Hexclad pans? To put it bluntly, bloody expensive. The seven pan, six lid set I received is £729, and individual frying pans start at around £130. However, Hexclad does run semi-regular sales, which can save you up to 30%.
Who are they best for? People who want a versatile, durable set of almost non-stick pans and don’t mind spending good money. These are also a great option if you’re after a set of pans that are out on display; they look amazing.
Is Hexclad non-toxic? I’ve explained this in more detail below, but the simple answer is yes — to a point. You’ll be completely safe as long as you don’t use them at mega high heats.
What we loved: They’re good all-rounders, they look amazing, they’re far more durable than typical non-stick pans, and they’re super easy to clean.
What we didn’t: The price. And while they are pretty good at most tasks, they don’t excel in any particular area.
Hexclad review: full review
First impressions
The set arrived neatly packed into a big black box[/caption]
13pc Hybrid Cookware Set, £729 from Hexclad
My 13-piece Hexclad set arrived, rather unsurprisingly, in a big and very heavy cardboard box.
Each pan was individually bagged, which I think is a nice touch.
I’ve seen a few other reviewers complain about the quality of these bags, and I do understand their point — they’re made from the same material as those unflattering paper pants you get given at massage parlours — but it’s unlikely you’ll be storing them in these long term anyway.
Each pan is individually bagged, which is a nice touch[/caption]
Upon decanting the pans from their panty bags, my initial reaction was one of pure wonderment; they look amazing.
The brand, and part-owner Gordon Ramsay, have gone to great lengths to position these as high-end pans, and they certainly look the part.
If you squint, the signature Hexclad design makes the surface of the pans look like carbon fibre, and the stainless steel accents contrast beautifully with the grey-black cooking surfaces.
Whoever was tasked with designing how these pans look has hit their brief; they look expensive, sleek and hi-tech.
The box also contains a set of paper instructions, which an old-fashioned part of me likes in a world full of QR codes.
The instructions themselves are straightforward; it’s simply a mini-booklet with easy-to-follow directions on how to season and clean your pan.
Do they deliver?
I’ve been fairly satisfied with the performance of my Hexclad pans.
I’ve been using them for well over a year now, and have made eggs, steaks, chicken, fried rice, and a whole smorgasbord of other foods that have tested the pans’ non-stick and searing capabilities.
I’ve even cooked a full chicken in the biggest frying pan, using the non-stick capabilities to get a good sear on the skin before transferring it to the oven to roast.
The 30cm pan is big enough to cook a large chicken in[/caption]
30cm Hybrid Pan with Lid, £199 from Hexclad
The biggest revelation for me has been Hexclad’s versatility; it’s great to have a version of non-stick that I can use with metal utensils and that stands up to the level of chaos accompanying me when I’m in the kitchen.
However, I think it’s important to emphasise that this is a version of non-stick.
In my experience, at least, you can’t get away with not using oil when cooking with Hexclad. As the test pictured below illustrates, cooking an egg without oil results in nothing but a split yolk.
Unfortunately, the pan wasn’t non-stick enough to fry an egg without oil[/caption]
That’s not personally an issue for me — I like to fry my eggs in hot oil so the edges go lacy, and scramble eggs in enough butter to start a small dairy — but if you’re a nonstick devotee, then this might take some adjustment.
This is the only test where the Hexclad outright failed, though, and I was mostly happy with its performance everywhere else.
I’ve especially come to love the 30cm frying pan, which is big enough to make a meal for four people while getting a proper sear on meat (often, if you try and pack loads of meat into a frying pan, it’ll steam rather than fry).
Heat distribution is also impressive, and all the meat I’ve cooked has cooked evenly.
And while the pans aren’t exactly featherlight, I’ve been surprised at how easy it is to pick them up and toss food, considering they feature two layers of stainless steel.
It helps that the handle doesn’t get super hot, allowing you to pick up the pan with ease. And as someone who has burned their hand picking up hot cookware more times than I care to disclose, this is a feature I’m thankful for.
The only thing I don’t love it for is searing steak.
For the purpose of this review I have done it once, but I like to cook steak quickly at the highest heat my gas hob can reach, which risks damaging the non-stick surface.
I did manage to get a pretty good sear at a slightly lower heat, but I find cooking steak stressful enough without worrying that I’m destroying an expensive pan while doing so.
I seared two steaks as part of my testing[/caption]
I was able to get a good sear on steaks without having to use a super high heat, but in future, I’ll probably stick to my cast iron to avoid stress[/caption]
In the future, I’ll probably stick to my cast iron, which gets a perfect sear and can withstand super-high heat.
For the same reason, I’ve found myself only rarely using the wok. Woks are usually designed to cook quickly over very high heat, so having one that can’t withstand high temperatures limits how much I can use it.
Is Hexclad non-toxic?
Here, we’ve reached something of a controversial topic.
Hexclad does claim that its pans are non-toxic, and they do not contain PFOA, a substance that used to be popular in non-stick cookware and has been proven to be harmful to human and environmental health.
In recent years, there has been increasing opposition to PFAs — the family of chemicals PFOAs belong to, which are considered “forever chemicals”.
There isn’t currently any legislation banning them in the UK, but there is in the US, and our government is under pressure to prohibit PFAs. Many manufacturers have proactively moved away from using them.
The non-stick coating that sits within each of the tiny stainless steel hexagons on Hexclad pans contains a substance called polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), which is also used in Teflon products.
The signature Hexclad hexagons are filled with a nonstick substance containing PTFE[/caption]
The use of PTFEs has also raised questions, and as is the case with the discourse around many things these days, people find it difficult to agree on their safety.
The answer comes down to the heat you use.
Government agencies such as the USA’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) tend to agree that cookware containing PTFEs is safe to use up to around 260 degrees.
At this heat, the non-stick coating begins to break down, releasing toxic chemicals, which when consumed can lead to mild symptoms often nicknamed “Teflon flu”.
In summary, Hexclad is safe to use as long as you are careful with the heat you’re using; don’t put it into an oven above 260 degrees (my oven doesn’t go that high) and be careful when using your hob on a really high heat.
What is Hexclad made of?
Hexclad pans are impressively constructed, although this is the minimum I’d expect considering their price point.
Their makeup comprises a “tri-ply” structure; there is a layer of aluminium, which is the element of the pan that conducts heat, sandwiched between two sheets of stainless steel, which distributes the heat evenly across the pan.
You might think that this would make them extremely heavy, but the heaviest item in the 13-piece set I tested, a 30cm wok, only weighs 2kg. I had no issue picking it up and tossing food, and I’m not particularly strong.
The surface of the pan itself is dominated by the eponymous slightly raised hexagon pattern, which is made from steel and protects the non-stick layer from becoming scratched or damaged.
I noticed a couple of surface scratches on the 30cm pan, which is the piece of cookware I’ve used the most, but Hexclad assures in its FAQs that these are purely cosmetic and don’t affect the pan’s performance.
I’ve seen a few marks appear on my pan but it hasn’t affected performance[/caption]
How to clean a Hexclad pan
Another huge upside of Hexclad pans is how easy they are to clean.
Even a year after first use, they’re the easiest pans to clean that I’ve ever encountered.
Unlike most non-stick pans, you can feel free to have at them with a Brillo Pad or steel wool, and Hexclad even says you can use abrasive stain removers like Barkeeper’s Friend.
I’ve not had to use such drastic methods to clean my pans; I’ve found the rougher side of a normal dish sponge is the most violent method of cleaning I’ve had to use.
My only small complaint is that the silver detailing on the frying pan gets easily stained by spitting oil, but this isn’t too hard to keep on top of.
How much are Hexclad pans?
Let’s not beat around the bush; they’re very expensive. The 13-piece set I reviewed costs a cool £729.
While Hexclad claims that’s a £300-odd saving on buying each pan individually, it still works out at over £100 per pan and lid.
However, Hexclad does run semi-regular sales, so if you pick the right time to shop, you should be able to find a significant discount.
Last Black Friday, for example, we saw the 13-piece set go as low as £499. While that’s certainly not cheap, it’s a hefty saving.
If you’re after an individual pan rather than a set, you’ll find that prices are somewhere between £100 and £200. My favourite pan, the 30cm frying pan with lid, costs £199.
Again, though, you should be able to get around a third off that once Black Friday or another shopping event rolls around.
Where to buy Hexclad
While it’s available from selected third-party sites, including Amazon, the best place to buy Hexclad is directly from its official website.
There, you’ll find discounts on bundles and semi-regular sales that can save you hundreds of pounds.
Hexclad alternatives
Sun Shopping is currently in the process of testing the Our Place Titanium Always Pan Pro, which one of Hexclad’s main rivals[/caption]
The way Hexclad pans are designed puts them in their own little corner of the cookware market, but there are certainly a few alternatives to explore.
The first that comes to mind is the Always Titanium Pan Pro, which, like Hexclad, advertises itself as a non-stick pan without the hassle.
In fact, the Titanium Always Pan Pro doesn’t use any non-stick coating at all, instead opting for a patented “Lotus” design that is pressed into the surface of the pan, which its manufacturer, Our Place, claims makes it naturally hydrophobic, creating a non-stick effect.
I’m currently in the process of testing out the Always Pan Pro, and will make sure to update this review when I’m finished.
Here’s another idea worth considering, if you’ve got the space: for the price of a single Hexclad pan, you could buy a decent stainless steel pan, a cast iron skillet and a non-stick.
Part of me thinks that you’d be better off doing that if you have the space.
You could get a Ninja non-stick, Procook stainless steel pan and Lodge Collection cast iron for less than one Hexclad 30cm pan.
Hexclad review: The Verdict
In summary, here’s what I think of Hexclad pans:
- If you have the money to spare and you’re after a set of non-stick pans that are more durable than most, I’d recommend these. If you are going to buy a set, I’d do it during a sale period.
- If you want to try out Hexclad but don’t want to splash out on a full set, I’d tell you to buy the 30cm pan with a lid, which I have found myself using more than any other piece in the set.
- If neither of these situations applies to you, I would probably save your money and buy a good cast iron, stainless steel pan and non-stick separately.
- Shop Hexclad Cookware – here
