Hexclad

noway2

noway2

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My parents, for last Christmas, bought us a a couple of boxes of Hexclad pans. A search showed little info about them, except a thread from @C-doodle mentioning that @Shortcake323 likes them.

They’re basically, two layers of carbon steel that had been etched with aluminum in the middle. You need to season them like cast iron, and they form a patina like carbon steel pans. They conduct heat very well and usually a low to medium heat is enough. They get better the more you use them, and my only complaint so far is with the “stainless” rim that if you get anything on, it burns and darkens and looks like crud.

Compared to the anodized aluminum pans I’ve used, they heat A LOT faster. They do take a bit of oil. but are virtually non stick and get better with use. So far, I’m really impressed and would recommend. Try have performance better than cast iron and if they hold out, unlike the aluminum, they will be fabulous for years.

My only complaint is to absolutely use a mitt or hot pad when grabbing the handle or pot lid, they DO get hot.

Edit : fixed typos.
 
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Diana wants some hexclad. Don’t tell her but she’ll probably get some for her birthday
 
C-doodle said:
We only have one of them but would like a few more. It's been great.
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What do you have? What have you used it for? Sauce pan or frying pan? One thing I’ve noticed with the sauce pots, e,g. spaghetti sauce, they don’t super heat and then bubble up and burst as bad. There are some differences.
 
I’ve seen ads for them. Might try based on this thread. We desperately need some new pans. Thanks.

Edit: Just realized this is the company I bought our pepper grinder from. Excellent build quality. Best pepper grinder I’ve ever used.

Definitely willing to take a risk on a pan or two!
 
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My wife bought the frying pan about two years ago. It had a spot on it that looked bad so she called them and told them. They sent us a brand new frying pan and didnt want the old one back so now we have two. They are both going strong and we love them.
 
We have the large wok style one. I think it's a twelve inch. We use it for all sorts of stuff.

Probably gonna get a set of them next time they have a big sale. They had pretty good deals on Black Friday.
 
When i say it had a bad spot on it this is what it looked like. Had no bearing on cooking with the pan.17137566569865319412352285072246.jpg
 
What’s the deal with hexclad? Not familiar with them… All-Clad and Le Creuset in my kitchen… I do have a dope griddle from Smithey Ironware I got for Christmas…
 
I've been thinking about getting a set of hex clad pans. Are these the ones sold by Gordon Ramsey or are there others now?
 
I've seen them advertised on Instagram by Gordon. I automatically assumed they were junk since they were being advertised so hard on Insta... But, I might give one a try.

I primarily used castiron pans in my kitchen.

Like @Get Off My Lawn said... If I don't know what is made of, I'm not using it. If I see a break down of the actual materials and it's not toxic, I might try one.

Do they sell them at Walmart?
 
I had 2 10” fry pans. Used one for a year and threw it in the recycle bin, gave the other away nib.

They don’t seer as well as steel, and they aren’t as non-stick as non-stick.

Never tried a pot because the rest of the technology is the same as allclad which I have and I don’t need half non-stick in a pot.

Just one man’s experience, the king has no clothes.
 
Alabamacoastie said:
Like @Get Off My Lawn said... If I don't know what is made of, I'm not using it. If I see a break down of the actual materials and it's not toxic, I might try one.
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The outer layers are carbon steel with aluminum sandwiched in between them for better heat conductivity. My understanding is that the surface is the steel surface, it isn’t a coating like teflon.

No, they’re not as non stick as coated pans and you do need to use some oil in them. Before you use them the first time, you want to season them with a small amount of high temperature oil and heat it to the smoke point, which is where the oil polymerizes. Over time, this will happen more as you use them and the non stick properties improve.

Generally, they heat very well and no more than medium is usually required. If they’re too hot, that can also cause them to stick.

When I made spaghetti sauce (twice now) they don’t seem to superheat and splatter after you stir it, but instead simmer.
 
noway2 said:
They get better the more you use them, and my only complaint so far is with the “stainless” rim that if you get anything on, it burns and darkens and looks like crud.
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If you have the powder form of Barkeeper's friend you can mix it into a paste and scrub with a scrub daddy or sponge and it will make any stainless pans look like new. It works well on stainless coffee mugs like the yeti ones that always end up coffee stained.
Just be careful of the teflon, I imagine the BKF could take some of that off and that's no good.
I've been interested in trying the hexclad but I've switched to cast iron/carbon steel and stainless almost exclusively now. The teflon stuff has been linked to lower sperm counts, etc and I don't wanna jeopardize my chance of having kids in a few years anymore than necessary.
 
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Desron23 said:
If you have the powder form of Barkeeper's friend you can mix it into a paste and scrub with a scrub daddy or sponge and it will make any stainless pans look like new
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I read the other day that it works really well for cleaning ovens too, including the glass door.
 
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noway2 said:
I read the other day that it works really well for cleaning ovens too, including the glass door.
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I'll have to try it, my oven looks like a there was a war waged with molten cheese
 
My Hexclad has become my just about everything pan- as C-doodle said, we have the 12in work style- I figured it would be the most versatile for just buying one pan to give it a try.
I have been very happy with it! I love that if someone else uses it- I don't need to worry about what utensils they will reach for. It seems nothing sticks, or if it does- it isn't difficult to clean off. I use it for homemade sausage gravy, fried rice, fried cabbage, eggs... I even find myself reaching for this over my cast iron to sear meat now.
I'm definitely interested in getting a full set at some point, or at least a sauce pan and a regular style skillet.
I will agree that even just being on the range, the handles do get pretty hot... Yet I still haven't learned and always try to grab them without the hot pad first. 🤣
 
Shortcake323 said:
I will agree that even just being on the range, the handles do get pretty hot... Yet I still haven't learned and always try to grab them without the hot pad first. 🤣
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I was running cold water on my (left) hand from doing that last night.

I still have bandages covering the burn blisters on a couple of fingers on my right hand from last Tuesday, but that didn't involve the Hexclad pan. I put an oven mitt on and pulled a baking sheet out of the oven and got a 2nd degree burn through the mitt (and I am certain it wasn't wet).
 
noway2 said:
I put an oven mitt on and pulled a baking sheet out of the oven and got a 2nd degree burn through the mitt (and I am certain it wasn't wet).
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I put on an oven mitt and then grabbed the pan with the other hand once, but just once.
 
 
This style pan says it is ceramic coated. I really don't know what it is but it seems to work well. I bought a set to try at home and then bought another set for the mountain cabin. I only use it for breakfast cooking but my wife still likes them for other things. Most of the stuff stuck rinses off with water so cleanup is super simple. I still love my cast iron and carbon pans but these things are so much easier for a quick meal with easy cleanup.


 
Variable said:
There is a dude on Youtube who tests things head-to-head. Hexclad did not fare too well. Overpriced

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Do you buy guns based off YouTube videos? Not trying to start a fight but YouTube videos are a dime a dozen and mostly bullshit.
 
Variable said:
There is a dude on Youtube who tests things head-to-head. Hexclad did not fare too well. Overpriced
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I watched the video and I have a few issues with some of the methodology and assumptions. When it comes to carbon steel and Hexclad in particular the first thing to remember is that they are not "nonstick" cookware as most think of it. Nonstick cookware is something that came about in the 80s with the push to make everything low fat and is made my applying a coating, often times Teflon, to the pan to minimize or negate the need for oil. Carbon steel is a lot like cast iron in that it requires a proper seasoning to polymerize oil on the surface, which is what creates the nonstick like surface. From the video I am assuming that he did not season the pan as the instructions call for. Wiping it with an oil infused paper towel is insufficient. Before using them, you need to apply a small amount of high temperature oil to the pan and let it heat up to the smoke point, which is where the polymerization occurs. From what I can tell, none of this was done. When you do this, you will see a faint copper / brown patina start to form on the pan and the more you use it, the better this patina gets.

Second, again as stated in the instructions, you need to add a small amount of oil to the pan when using it. The tests in the video didn't do this, and again, wiping it with a paper towel doesn't count (or work). Instead, he basically used the (unseasoned) pan dry with a pancake and a piece of cheese and the results should have been obvious. Note, I found it interesting that the Hexclad and regular carbon steel. Taking one out of the box and comparing it to a "nonstick" pan isn't exactly a fair comparison.

Lastly, I don't get the point about scraping it with chisels of varying degree of hardness. It's middle school science to know that a harder material will mar and gouge a softer one. I suspect that he was trying to demonstrate some sort of analog about how long the material will last before it become junk, but I find scraping it with a tool to be a poor way to determine this.
 
noway2 said:
I watched the video and I have a few issues with some of the methodology and assumptions. When it comes to carbon steel and Hexclad in particular the first thing to remember is that they are not "nonstick" cookware as most think of it. Nonstick cookware is something that came about in the 80s with the push to make everything low fat and is made my applying a coating, often times Teflon, to the pan to minimize or negate the need for oil. Carbon steel is a lot like cast iron in that it requires a proper seasoning to polymerize oil on the surface, which is what creates the nonstick like surface. From the video I am assuming that he did not season the pan as the instructions call for. Wiping it with an oil infused paper towel is insufficient. Before using them, you need to apply a small amount of high temperature oil to the pan and let it heat up to the smoke point, which is where the polymerization occurs. From what I can tell, none of this was done. When you do this, you will see a faint copper / brown patina start to form on the pan and the more you use it, the better this patina gets.

Second, again as stated in the instructions, you need to add a small amount of oil to the pan when using it. The tests in the video didn't do this, and again, wiping it with a paper towel doesn't count (or work). Instead, he basically used the (unseasoned) pan dry with a pancake and a piece of cheese and the results should have been obvious. Note, I found it interesting that the Hexclad and regular carbon steel. Taking one out of the box and comparing it to a "nonstick" pan isn't exactly a fair comparison.

Lastly, I don't get the point about scraping it with chisels of varying degree of hardness. It's middle school science to know that a harder material will mar and gouge a softer one. I suspect that he was trying to demonstrate some sort of analog about how long the material will last before it become junk, but I find scraping it with a tool to be a poor way to determine this.
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I agree that his methodology isn't perfect, he's definitely not a pro chef. I do however think it gives some idea of the quality and performance of the pans especially for *most* people who just cook on stuff with no special care and just don't want stuff to stick.
I believe I remember him saying he "conditioned" the carbon steel per manufacturer's recommendations. That does not mean it or the hexclad is gonna be non-stick when cooked on the same way as a teflon pan, you're right there, they are much better served as a comparison point imo, even though I can cook an omelet in my CS pan and come out with minimal eggs stuck.
I liked the chisel part, I swear I've scratched some *nice* teflon pans with wooden utensils before and that leaves a pretty bad taste in my mouth. I think it gives a good idea of how rough you can be or if someone uses a metal utensil in the non-stick pan as a one-off time you don't have to chunk it.
 
noway2 said:
I watched the video and I have a few issues with some of the methodology and assumptions. When it comes to carbon steel and Hexclad in particular the first thing to remember is that they are not "nonstick" cookware as most think of it. Nonstick cookware is something that came about in the 80s with the push to make everything low fat and is made my applying a coating, often times Teflon, to the pan to minimize or negate the need for oil. Carbon steel is a lot like cast iron in that it requires a proper seasoning to polymerize oil on the surface, which is what creates the nonstick like surface. From the video I am assuming that he did not season the pan as the instructions call for. Wiping it with an oil infused paper towel is insufficient. Before using them, you need to apply a small amount of high temperature oil to the pan and let it heat up to the smoke point, which is where the polymerization occurs. From what I can tell, none of this was done. When you do this, you will see a faint copper / brown patina start to form on the pan and the more you use it, the better this patina gets.

Second, again as stated in the instructions, you need to add a small amount of oil to the pan when using it. The tests in the video didn't do this, and again, wiping it with a paper towel doesn't count (or work). Instead, he basically used the (unseasoned) pan dry with a pancake and a piece of cheese and the results should have been obvious. Note, I found it interesting that the Hexclad and regular carbon steel. Taking one out of the box and comparing it to a "nonstick" pan isn't exactly a fair comparison.

Lastly, I don't get the point about scraping it with chisels of varying degree of hardness. It's middle school science to know that a harder material will mar and gouge a softer one. I suspect that he was trying to demonstrate some sort of analog about how long the material will last before it become junk, but I find scraping it with a tool to be a poor way to determine this.
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One main performance characteristic especially of a frying pan I would be concerned with is even heating. The cheaper China crap seems to be “thinner” on the bottoms. I have seen a couple where the bottom deforms to a point where the pan does not sit flat on the stove top after some usage.

Sure the non-stick pans are a little easier to upkeep and will heat up quicker but how many of us have Grandma’s cast iron frying pan that is still going strong and cooks pretty damn well after decades of use?
 
NCFubar said:
Sure the non-stick pans are a little easier to upkeep and will heat up quicker but how many of us have Grandma’s cast iron frying pan that is still going strong and cooks pretty damn well after decades of use?
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Back in the day, before Teflon pans became a thing, a product called Revere Ware, stainless steel pans with a copper bottom, were quite popular. I still have some from when I was a kid that are likely 40-50 years old. I also have some ceramic bowls and a few other items that, believe it or not, belonged to my great grandmother (who was born sometime in the later 1800s) that are older than I am.
 
noway2 said:
I watched the video and I have a few issues with some of the methodology and assumptions. When it comes to carbon steel and Hexclad in particular the first thing to remember is that they are not "nonstick" cookware as most think of it. Nonstick cookware is something that came about in the 80s with the push to make everything low fat and is made my applying a coating, often times Teflon, to the pan to minimize or negate the need for oil. Carbon steel is a lot like cast iron in that it requires a proper seasoning to polymerize oil on the surface, which is what creates the nonstick like surface. From the video I am assuming that he did not season the pan as the instructions call for. Wiping it with an oil infused paper towel is insufficient. Before using them, you need to apply a small amount of high temperature oil to the pan and let it heat up to the smoke point, which is where the polymerization occurs. From what I can tell, none of this was done. When you do this, you will see a faint copper / brown patina start to form on the pan and the more you use it, the better this patina gets.

Second, again as stated in the instructions, you need to add a small amount of oil to the pan when using it. The tests in the video didn't do this, and again, wiping it with a paper towel doesn't count (or work). Instead, he basically used the (unseasoned) pan dry with a pancake and a piece of cheese and the results should have been obvious. Note, I found it interesting that the Hexclad and regular carbon steel. Taking one out of the box and comparing it to a "nonstick" pan isn't exactly a fair comparison.

Lastly, I don't get the point about scraping it with chisels of varying degree of hardness. It's middle school science to know that a harder material will mar and gouge a softer one. I suspect that he was trying to demonstrate some sort of analog about how long the material will last before it become junk, but I find scraping it with a tool to be a poor way to determine this.
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I find videos like those to be annoying and insulting. Just like the videos which show people being an absolute klutz about handling/using some product and then proclaiming their own Brand Ultimax as the best thing since sliced bread in comparison.

And stop with the BS "tests" that no sane person puts their stuff through in the first place. Like who the eff scrapes their cookware with chisels, for crying out loud?

Show things being prepared and used the way they're SUPPOSED to be used. If you have to make Brand X look bad in order to make your own brand look good, I'm not interested.
 
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