HexClad Cookware Review: Is It the Rolls-Royce of Pans?

Gordon Ramsay calls HexClad the Rolls-Royce of pans. And with its unique hexagonal design, it certainly looks the part. But are these pans just a marketing gimmick with a celebrity chef pitchman or are they actually worth buying?

In this review, I tell you the truth about HexClad. After putting it to the test, I explain what I like about it the flaws that nobody’s talking about.

Full disclosure, HexClad sent me these pans but this is not sponsored video and they are not paying me anything to make it. Without further ado, let’s get into the pros and cons.

The lifespan of most non-stick cookware is 2-5 years, and if you scratch the coating with metal utensils, it can be even shorter. HexClad’s hybrid design solves this problem.

Instead of having a smooth non-stick coating, the surface has raised stainless steel peaks and non-stick valleys. If you rub your hand over the hexagonal lines and dots, you can feel the texture.

The idea behind this design is that the steel peaks don’t allow spatulas, tongs, and forks to ever touch the non-stick coating, so you can use whatever utensils you want and the non-stick coating will stay intact for longer.

Another thing I really like about HexClad is its versatility. It cooks more like non-stick cookware but since the surface isn’t completely smooth, it grips food and sears meat better than most traditional non-stick pans.

I’ve used it to cook crispy bacon, brown and roast chicken, and fry chicken cutlets, and it performs similar to stainless steel. It heats up quickly, maintains a stable temperature and delivers consistent results.

The bacon came out perfectly crispy and the chicken seared nice and even. I also used it to saute vegetables, cook pancakes, and fry eggs. Although the surface isn’t as slippery as non-stick, I had no issues with eggs sticking

as long as the surface was greased with plenty of oil or butter. I’ll show you how it performs without much oil in a minute. With every cookware brand I review I conduct a simple test to measure how quickly and evenly

it heats. I pour two cups of water in the pan and set the burner to high. HexClad performed well, not only were the bubbles uniform across the cooking surface

which indicates even heating, but it was one of the fastest pans to boil the water. Once the water began boiling, I pulled the pan off the heat and set it on the counter. After five minutes, water in the HexClad pan measured 120°F and after ten minutes it was

102°F. As you can see in the results, HexClad’s heat retention is above average and better than brands like Calphalon, Hestan, and All-Clad. Another benefit I want to highlight is how easy Hexclad is to clean.

It cleans up like a typical non-stick pan. Unless you really scorch it, a quick rinse with soap and water will do the trick. HexClad claims its pans are created to last a lifetime and they back that statement up

with a lifetime warranty. But if you look at the fine print, it seems as though the warranty only covers manufacturer defects.

In other words, if the pan arrives damaged, you can get a new one for free. I was a little confused about the wording in the warranty, so I reached out to HexClad for clarification.

They confirmed that the warranty covers any manufacturing defect out of the box, whether it affects performance or not. They also said, “Our warranty is a performance warranty.

Any problems that affect performance, we cover.” So, if the non-stick coating gets scratched after 5 years and that scratch causes food to stick, you’re covered.

Not a bad deal. I talked earlier about how I had no issue cooking eggs when the pan is greased, but if you don’t preheat the pan properly or use enough oil or butter, delicate foods like

eggs will stick. As you can see, a traditional non-stick pan doesn't need much oil, if any, to prevent eggs from sticking.

With HexClad, you need at least some oil. HexClad handles are relatively short. The handle on the 12-inch fry pan is 8 inches long.

For comparison, All-Clad Non-Stick handles are 9 inches. Your hand will be a bit closer to the heat, and while the end of the handle stays cool on the stove, it starts to get hot about 2 inches past where the handle forks.

The handles are round which makes them comfortable but I’ve noticed my hand slipping several times as I slid food onto a plate. If your hands are greasy or wet, or you’re holding a towel or pot holder, there’s a

high risk that the handle will rotate. The round handles work fine for most cooking, but you’ll need to be extra careful when tilting the pan.

The last thing I’ll mention about the handles is that the steel is polished. This looks great at first, but the shiny finish quickly gets smudges and fingerprints all over it.

You’ll need to regularly buff the handle to keep it looking new. HexClad is made in China. While this is not necessarily a bad thing, plenty of great products are made in China,

it’s worth mentioning. If you prefer cookware made in America, I recently made a video on that topic which I’ll link to in the description.

Lastly is the cost. HexClad is significantly more expensive than most non-stick options on the market. However, the higher price can be justified by the fact that it’s more versatile and

will last longer. So I wanted to give you a heads up about something unusual with HexClad. Right when I opened the package, I noticed the cooking surface wasn’t completely flat.

Instead, it curved upwards in the center. I was surprised to see this because fully-clad steel pans like these typically don’t warp. I reached out to HexClad because this type of thing is covered under the warranty.

And they confirmed that “The pans are designed to be concave out of the box. As heat is added to the pan, it flattens out. If the pan was created flat from the start, it would end up becoming convex.”

And they were right, after the first or second time using the pan, the bottom flattened out. I’ve never noticed this with any other pans I’ve tested, but it seems to be intentional with HexClad.

So if you think your pans are warped when they arrive, cook with them a few times and they should flatten out. If not, this is covered under the warranty.

Based on my experience testing HexClad, it’s not a gimmick at all. This cookware can sear better than most non-stick pans and releases food better than stainless steel.

It’s convenient and versatile and its unique hexagonal design allows you to use metal utensils without scratching the non-stick coating. But that doesn’t mean everyone should buy HexClad.

If you’re looking for a true non-stick pan to cook eggs with little oil, or a stainless steel pan that you can use to broil and cook at extremely high temperatures, you’ll be disappointed with HexClad.

If you’re looking for a pan that releases food and cleans easier than stainless steel but lasts much longer than traditional non-stick, you’ll love these pans. It’s also a great option if you have limited space in your kitchen and you're looking to consolidate

your cookware. With HexClad, you don’t need separate pans for each task. If you want to learn more, I’ll link to websites that sell HexClad in the description

of this video. Those are affiliate links so I’ll earn a commission if you click and buy, but at no extra cost to you.

If you found this video helpful, check out this video where I reveal the truth about Caraway cookware. And don’t forget to click the logo to subscribe to the channel.

Thanks for watching, we’ll see you in the next video.