Pioneer Woman Cookware Set is it any good? Pioneer woman got her start as a food blogger. As her fame grew, so did her products. Now her cookware is one of the most popular sets in America. However, usually these celebrity usually endorse or make horrible cookware. Some exceptions do exist, like the one from thomas Keller or the one by Rachel Ray. This review will take a closer look at the design and features of Pioneer Woman Cookware Set.

Pioneer Woman Cookware Set Review Quick Summary

Categories	Pioneer Woman Cookware Set
Performance	Good
Compatibility	Gas, Electric, Halogen, Glass Top, Induction (Only Cast Iron Skillet)
Colors	Range of Colors
Warranty	Unspecified
Brand Awareness	America
Country of Manufacturer	Cant find information probably China.
Thoughts	Pioneer Woman Cookware Set offers a surprising value for what you pay. They did not try to cut cost on the shape and design of the cookware. The only issue is the PFOA nonstick coating. Those tend to not last as long as traditional nonstick coating.
Reviewed Cookware	The Pioneer Woman Vintage Speckle & Cast Iron 10-Piece Non-Stick Cookware Set

Check Best Price

Who is Pioneer Woman?

Pioneer woman or Ann Marie “Ree” Drummond originally started as a food blogger in 2006. However, due to her success and ingenuity, she managed to change and become a tv personality. Currently, she stars in her own tv program the Pioneer Woman on the food network. Aside from that, she is an author having written many cookbooks, children books and autobiography. She was even listed as number 22 of Forbes top web celebrities.

Pioneer Woman Cookware Set Design

This section will discuss the features and design of Pioneer Woman Cookware Set. We will go over handle, shape and general construction and performance.

Handle

The handle on Pioneer Woman Cookware Set uses a metal handle with a silicone covering. It is soft, comfortable and stays cool to the touch. However, the main issue with these type of handle is that there is usually an upper limit on the oven safe temperature. Interesting enough, the cookware still have a fairly high oven safe temperature of 400 degree Fahrenheit. Quite high by nonstick cookware standard. The cast iron skillet can withstand 500 degree Fahrenheit. However, the glass lid only has a 350 degree Fahrenheit. Overall, fairly impressive even with a silicone handle.

How the handle is attached is via rivets. These rivets are better than the screw on type of handle. Those handle get loose overtime and some manufacturer even put on tamper resistance screw. It’s always better to get riveted one.

Shape

The shape of the cookware set is pretty good. The nonstick skillet has a flaring sidewall that promotes the evaporation of liquids. It also has a rolled lip so that liquid can be poured easier. The cast iron skillet sports a butterfly on the helper handle and it has two pouring lip on either side. Very much like how Lodge design their skillets. For the pots, it is a standard pot. Although it can be improved on if it was made wider. The saute and dutch oven are designed pretty well also. It does not have a sharp corner like other pots. Overall, the design is pretty impressive. They did not cheap out like other manufacturer. Sometimes they would make the base really narrow or the top smaller.

Aluminum and Porcelain Enamel

The base construction of the cookware is aluminum and porcelain enamel. Aluminum is widely used in the cookware industry because its light, cheap and conducts heat well. The only issue is that it is reactive to acidic food. They got around this by using a nonstick coating.

The exterior is made of porcelain enamel. If I am correct, this should be the same thing as Enamel Coating on cast iron cookware. Which is a powdered glass. While it is nice to look at, these enamel coating are poor conductors of heat. It should degrade how fast the pans heat up, but not by much.

While I personally do not like the speckle look everyone is different. Luckily, there seems to be a variety of color to choose from. I am sure that you can find one that suits your taste.

Pioneer Woman Cookware Set Nonstick Coating

The nonstick coating uses a PFOA free design. PFOA is a environmental hazard that can cause a wide array of issue such as cancer or other illness. However, it is only used during manufacturing. They rarely if ever ends up on your cookware. Since they did not specify the type of nonstick they use, I imagine its teflon or ptfe. While teflon isnt really bad, the pfoa helps nonstick coating last longer. I would not be suprised if the coating flakes after one year of daily use. Nevertheless, there are some ways you can extend the life of the nonstick coating.

1) Never use a metal utensils. Little nicks and tears will cause the coating to degrade rapidly. I would also avoid the dishwasher and the nylon scrubber.

2) Do not overheat the pan. Overheating the pan is the quickest way to destroy it. At temperature of 572 degree fahrenheit and above, it can release fumes that causes flu like symptoms. This is known as the Teflon Flu. Teflon Flu has been known to kill small birds but it is unlikely to kill humans.

Induction Capability

Induction cookware needs to be magnetic for it to work. Since the cast iron one is the only one that is magnetic, you can expect only that to work. The rest of the set is made of aluminum so that wont work. Some manufacturer will stick a stainless steel bottom to make it work, but that adds extra cost.

Pioneer Woman Cookware Set Pieces

The ten piece set comes two skillet, two sauce pot a dutch oven and a saute pan. More than enough to do your average home cooking. However, the lids count as individual pieces. Manufacturer likes to do this so that it seems like you are getting a better value. Although for the price that they are asking for, its not bad.

Lids

The lids are made of glass with a vented hole. While its great to be able to look in while cooking, once steams start forming, you wont be able to see anything. A glass one would be better since they are not prone to shattering. They did add a metal ring to try and reinforce it. But I will still be cautions while using it.

Thoughts

Overall, I am fairly impress by Pioneer Woman Cookware Set. The overall shape, design and construction is pretty good. The stuff in the set gives you pretty much what a average home cook need and you get a cast iron skillet. Quite impressive to say the least. The only downside in the nonstick coating, I do not think it will last as long as the others. Although if you think the PFOA free is worth it, then it might be good for you.

Check Best Price

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