HexClad vs Caraway: Which Pan or Cookware Set to Buy

The listing, sold on Amazon by HexClad, describes a tri-ply pan with an aluminum core and a laser-etched hexagonal surface of stainless steel and TerraBond ceramic coating. It works on induction, is rated metal-utensil safe and dishwasher-friendly, and the pan is oven safe to 900 degrees Fahrenheit, with the included glass lid rated lower. HexClad gives the pan as about 12 inches across, 2 inches high and about 4 pounds, and asks owners to season it before first use.

Independent testing is split. America's Test Kitchen rated the 12 inch pan not recommended among nonstick skillets because eggs stuck, which it put down to the bare steel hexagons, though it seared meat well. Consumer Reports rated a HexClad hybrid very good at releasing eggs and excellent at surviving steel wool. Neither review states which version of the coating it tested.

Buy it if one durable pan for most jobs matters more than the slickest release. Skip it if eggs and delicate fish are most of what you cook; a smooth coated pan does that better.

Caraway describes its cookware as an aluminum body with a ceramic-coated cooking surface and stainless steel handles and base plate. The listing, sold by Caraway Home, says the coating is free of PTFE, PFOA, PFAS, lead and cadmium, that the pan works on induction, gas and electric, and that it is oven safe to 550 degrees Fahrenheit. This is the 12 inch pan sold with a glass lid; the same pan without a lid is about $135.

The rules matter more here than with the HexClad. Caraway's own care advice is to cook on low to medium heat, use a little oil or butter rather than none, avoid aerosol cooking sprays, and wash by hand only, because the dishwasher is hard on the coating. The listing does not rate it for metal utensils.

Buy it for eggs, pancakes, fish and vegetables, and for a pan that looks good on the stove. Skip it if you sear steaks at high heat, reach for a metal spatula, or want the dishwasher to do the work. Its one-year warranty is short for a $200 pan.

The set is what most people mean by Caraway. Per the listing it holds a 10.5 inch frying pan, a 3 quart saucepan with lid, a 4.5 quart saute pan with lid and a 6.5 quart Dutch oven with lid, plus four magnetic pan racks and a canvas lid holder. Everything is oven safe to 550 degrees Fahrenheit and works on induction. Caraway lists the 10.5 inch pan at 2.7 pounds.

The storage is a real advantage in a small kitchen. The limitation is that every piece is coated, so the same care rules apply to the stockpot as to the egg pan, and there is no bare steel pan for hard searing. A 12 inch skillet is not included.

The listing, sold by HexClad, includes 8, 10 and 12 inch pans with lids, 2, 3 and 8 quart pots with lids, and two silicone trivets. Every piece has the hybrid surface and tri-ply aluminum-core body, works on induction, and carries the same oven and dishwasher ratings as the single pan. HexClad recommends hand washing even though the pieces can go in the dishwasher.

It costs about $145 more than the Caraway set and includes a 12 inch skillet, which the Caraway set lacks. It has no storage system. The case for it is durability under careless use; the case against it is that a hybrid surface on a stockpot adds little, since soups and pasta water do not stick to bare steel either.

Valencia Pro is hard-anodized aluminum with an induction base and a ceramic coating GreenPan says is free of PFAS, PFOA, lead and cadmium. The listing rates it metal-utensil safe, dishwasher safe, and oven and broiler safe to 600 degrees Fahrenheit, with lids to 425. America's Test Kitchen named the 12 inch pan its winner among ceramic nonstick skillets and noted it runs hotter than traditional nonstick.

If the Caraway appeals because it is ceramic, this is the same idea with independent testing behind it, at a price that makes replacing it in a few years less painful.

D3 is All-Clad's original bonded tri-ply, stainless inside and out around an aluminum core. It is oven and broiler safe to 600 degrees Fahrenheit, works on induction, and America's Test Kitchen has named it its winner among stainless skillets.

Food sticks to bare steel until you learn to preheat and use fat, and it is hand wash only. Paired with an inexpensive ceramic pan for eggs, it covers everything either set attempts. Our All-Clad vs HexClad comparison sets it against the hybrid directly.