Hexclad Cookware is a relatively new cookware company with a unique nonstick coating. They have advertisement plastered all throughout social media. It features a guy who uses things such as blenders and knife right on the pan. Supposedly this new and unique hexclad design allows you to abuse the pan without any damage. But how does it really work? Is their cookware any good? What about the price? This review will take a closer look at the design and construction of Hexclad cookware. We will see how its made and whether it deserves a spot in your kitchen.

Hexclad Cookware Review Quick Summary

Categories	Hexclad Cookware Pan
Performance	Acceptable
Compatibility	Gas, Electric, Halogen, Glass Top, Induction
Colors	Silver
Warranty	Lifetime Warranty
Brand Awareness	America
Country of Manufacturer	Cant find information probably China.
Thoughts	A pretty good pan, however, they are overpriced. They also look like one of those mass produced Chinese cookware. The only difference that I can see is the branding. You can even find those Alternative on Amazon, for a lot less.
Reviewed Cookware	Hexclad Hybrid Nonstick Cookware 12″ Frying Pan, PFOA Free, Metal Utensil Safe, Induction Ready

History of Hexclad

The Hexclad company is relatively new with press information dating to 2019. However, I found some reports that they were around since 2016. The company is currently located in Los Angeles, CA. As of now, their CEO is Daniel Winer. You can see him do demos on the product on youtube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fuS5oxBvlao

The product line up from Hexclad looks like generic products that are imported from China. Amazon are filled with these company where a single person imports something from China and makes very minor changes. Research and Development is rarely done by these individuals and changes tend to be minor. Sometimes these company get lucky and become big.

Hexclad Cookware Design

This section will discuss how hexclad cookware is designed. We will go over construction, performance and general construction.

Handle

The handle is an made of stainless steel. At the base of it, there is a heat choke to prevent the travel of heat. On the stove top, it is unlikely for it to get hot. However in the oven, the handles will get hot so a glove is always recommended.

The great thing about a metal handle is the higher oven safe temperature. These cookware have a oven safe temperature of 500 degree Fahrenheit. Plastic Handles on the other hand wont get hot in the oven, but they also have a lower oven safe temperature. Usually those are only rated to 350-400 degree Fahrenheit.

In terms of ergonomic, it is pretty comfortable. It has a slight curve and contours to the shape of your hand. However, it is also angled perpendicular to the pan. A slight angle upward will reduce the amount of strain on your wrist. It also makes the pan feel lighter since its easier to tilt and maneuver.

Shape

The shape of the skillet is pretty good. It has a wide base with low flaring side. This promotes the evaporation of liquid and makes its easier to turn food with a spatula. Other frying pan that has tall sidewalls perform more like a saute pan and they tend to get in the way. The rolled lip also helps in pouring liquid. Pans with straight lip cause liquid to roll down the side. Overall, the shape is pretty good.

Tri Ply Construction

Tri ply cookware are where different metal are sandwiched together. You get the best properties of different metal. In this case, it would be two layers of stainless steel with an aluminum core. Aluminum is a fantastic conductor of heat. It is light, cheap and strong. However, it reacts with acidic food. Because of this, stainless steel is used on the interior and exterior of the pan. The problem with stainless steel is that they are poor conductor of heat. By combining these different metal, you get the best properties of each metal. The thickness will also be uniform from the base to the rim giving it a uniform heat distribution.

This triply or fully cladded design was actually invented by All Clad. They held the patent for quite some time until it expired. Today, most major cookware manufacturer will use some form of this design. This goes to show you how good it is. In the past, manufacturer would use disc bottom cookware. Those had horrible heating issues and they tend to delaminate where the disc is welded or glued on.

Lid

The lid is made of glass and it also cost 30-50 dollar. A little bit overpriced in my opinion. Glass lids are horrible, they will shatter and break if you subject it to temperature shock. As such, you need to be careful when using it. While you can look inside initially, once it heats up, you cant see anything. An all metal lid would have been a much better choice.

Hexclad Cookware Nonstick Coating

This is where it gets interesting. On their website, they claim that their cookware if PFOA Free. PFOA is an environmental containment that can cause cancer and a wide range of other issues. However, rarely if ever will the chemical be in the final product. As such, your health will not affected by this. The issue with PFOA free nonstick is that they simply do not last as long as traditional nonstick.

Their cookware also uses ptfe. PTFE is generally nontoxic until you over heat it. At temperature of 572 degree Fahrenheit and above, it starts to release fumes. This fumes is know to cause flu like symptoms in human. While it is deadly to birds, humans are unlikely to die. You can read more about it in Wikipedia.

Chinese Version?

While they claim that their product in manufactured in “Asia”. I am going to assume that its China. Looking up Alibaba, I found a very similar looking pan from the handle to even the shape. In fact, almost all their lineup is on there.

They call their nonstick coating “Honeycomb Cubic Nonstick Technology”. How it works is that the stainless part of the cookware is raised. The nonstick portion is in a lower portion of the valley. When you run a knife or metal utensil through it, it wont reach the bottom. Which is why its metal utensil safe.

Who Copied Who?

I will say this, China is notorious for copying other people work. So I cannot say who made what first. However, I do know that most nonstick coating is made by Chemical Company and not by cookware manufacturer. Usually, its not worth it for them to do their own product development. You guys should use your own judgement.

Stains and Seasoning

Per their website, they stated that the cookware needs to be seasoned. Stainless Steel Cookware much like cast iron can be seasoned. They turn black over time and develop a nonstick coating. Because the nonstick coating is not on the entire surface of the pan, it wont perform as well as a traditional nonstick. To get around this, you need to season the stainless steel portion.

Overtime, the nonstick coating can and should wear out so I question how long it will last. However, the stainless steel one should pretty much last forever. You can kind of think of this pan as training wheels for cooking in stainless steel cookware.

Hexclad Cookware Review Thoughts

Overall, the cookware is not bad. The triply design gives it a good even heat distribution. Handle design is good and the nonstick finish is pretty good. The only issue is the price and whether its worth it. I am still unsure of who really came up with the design of the pan, but you can find cheaper and very Similar Alternative on amazon. Those are literally a fraction of what HexClad charges. Or you can import it yourself, just expect to have a bunch of pans.

I hope you enjoyed this Hexclad Cookware Review. If you would like to see more, please visit our Pots and Pans Review page.