HexClad's pitch is having it both ways: steel searing with nonstick cleanup, via raised stainless hexagons laser-etched over PTFE valleys. On induction the pans work well — the clad base couples cleanly and heats evenly — and the steel ridges genuinely do protect the coating from metal utensils better than any plain nonstick pan. Costco regularly sells the 7-piece set around $320, well under HexClad's own pricing, and the pans are oven safe to 500°F, though the lids only take 400°F. Now the honest part. It is not actually nonstick in the way buyers expect: without fat, food grabs the exposed steel ridges, and high heat — the thing steel is for — makes sticking worse while degrading the PTFE below. The coating in the valleys wears like any coating, just more slowly, so this is cookware with a lifespan, not an heirloom. And in 2025 HexClad settled a $2.5 million class action over marketing PTFE pans as non-toxic and PFAS-free — claims it agreed to stop making. It ranks eighth in our induction lineup because a compromised coating cannot out-value bare steel or enamel; it stays on the list because for cooks who refuse to learn stainless technique, it is the most durable version of that refusal.
Clad base couples evenly and reliably with induction hobs Steel ridges shield the coating from metal utensils Frequently discounted to around $320 for the 7-piece at Costco 500°F oven rating beats typical nonstick Not truly nonstick — needs fat, and high heat causes sticking PTFE valleys wear out, giving the pans a finite lifespan Settled a $2.5M class action in 2025 over non-toxic and PFAS-free claims