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(woman laughing)
- What? Are we tuning a piano?
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- Hi, my name is Haley Sprankle
and I work on the kitchen and appliance team for Wirecutter.
Today. We're going to be talking about the Always Pan.
Our place's Always Pan has been all over
everyone's news feeds.
If it hasn't hit yours yet, it probably will,
once you watch this video.
And you can't deny she's certifiably Insta-worthy.
So we decided to check in with our senior staff writer,
Leslie Stockton,
what makes this pan work? And what doesn't?
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- My name is Leslie Stockton,
and I am a senior staff writer,
in the kitchen section at Wirecutter.
Okay. So, the Always Pan.
This pan is for people who really liked the way it looks.
This is $145.
People are drawn to it by the promise of,
it can replace every piece of cookware, and then some.
Can do a one pot meal for two to three people.
You can do a rice dish.
You can make breakfast, you can cook eggs in here.
It can serve as an all-purpose pan.
I didn't really know about this pan,
other than like, people asking me about it.
And then I started looking into it, and then, boom,
the Instagram ads started.
Pop of color in the background,
fresh ingredients,
sparse styling,
everything is just beautiful.
It does make you want to buy the pan.
And that makes sense.
If you're trying to sell something,
you want it to look as beautiful
and as appealing as possible.
It does come with the steamer,
spatula,
and, inside, is the chic au courant, gray,
quote-unquote, ceramic coating.
It's called ceramic, but it's not.
It's sol-gel coating, short for solution gel.
It's a slick, nonstick coating that's made with silica.
Which basically is sand.
It's beautiful, and it works.
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Here's what I liked about this pan.
If I'm trying to wilt like, a bunch of greens, right?
I already have garlic and olive oil in here,
and then I just throw in a heap of greens.
I would just go.
Those greens would just go. (woman imitating wilting)
It gives you head room.
I don't hate this,
but I would never buy it with my money.
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- What didn't you like
when testing the Always Pan?
- If it's gonna replace all my cookware,
it must be able to go into the oven.
The biggest complaint about ceramic pans,
is that their nonstick properties don't last as long.
And it stops being nonstick.
I asked friends and family
how long their sol-gel cookware lasted,
and they all said about one year.
This pan is very lightweight.
It tells me that this is aluminum.
What's the surface gonna be like
once this starts to wear away?
Is it gonna be sticky, sticky, aluminum?
There's nothing wrong with aluminum.
It conducts heat very well.
However, it's also very soft and it's very malleable.
So if you drop it, it'll dent.
It's a very inexpensive material.
Aluminum pans should not cost $145,
unless there's something I don't know.
Quality of material should dictate how much
a pan should cost.
I don't recommend anybody ditch all their pans
after they buy this one.
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Just get yourself a couple of pieces of cast iron,
and treat them really well.
Season them,
and they will be mostly non-stick.
Stainless steel, aluminum, tri-ply, all-ply pan.
One, cause this thing is not gonna dent.
Two, very easy to clean.
This thing, can go on the stove top.
It can go in the oven.
It cleans up really well.
Although we haven't tested this particular pan yet,
it's similar to the Always Pan and it costs $180.
And it's also made by one of our favorite cookware brands.
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- Just because something looks expensive,
or fits your aesthetic,
doesn't mean that translates to how long it'll last.
- 99% of people buy the same 10 to 20 items
at the grocery store every week.
Are they gonna work in this pan?
How does this work for your life?
The powder coating will likely scratch.
The sol-gel, ceramic inner coating will not last.
But I think my major issue with this is,
you can't put this in the oven.
If you want this pan,
and you just love the color, and you love the idea of it.
If it makes you happy, buy it.
And I say, go for it.
It's beautiful!
It's finding joy in your everyday tools.
Just don't expect it to last forever.
That's it.
- Thanks for watching our video on the Always Pan.
For more of our cookware coverage,
be sure to go to wirecutter.com,
and don't forget to subscribe!