I tried the famous GreenPan to see if it really made cooking and cleanup easier than ever—and wow! I was definitely impressed.
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I Tried the Viral GreenPan and Dinner Cleanup Is So Much Faster Now
The hunt for the best nonstick frying pan has been one of my passion projects for years. I cook almost all my meals at home and feed a small army each evening. Friends and family members kept raving about ceramic-coated GreenPans that are both non-stick and affordable, so I decided to give them a try and ordered a set of two. My GreenPan ceramic cookware left me shocked—how had I lived without these nifty pans for so many years?
TMB STUDIO
We Tried It
GreenPan Valencia Pro Cookware
For extra durability and endless possibilities, look no further than this duo.
What is GreenPan?
GreenPan cookware is made from tough, multilayer stainless steel and then finished with the brand’s ceramic nonstick coating. Much like its far more expensive competitor, Caraway Ceramic Cookware, the GreenPan ceramic cookware boasts a nonstick coating that is both PTFE and PFO-free, as well as devoid of heavy metals that can seep into your foods as they cook. Those chemicals are often found in Teflon-coated cookware and are fueling the major surge in ceramic cookware popularity.
Ceramic cookware also heats more evenly, and the duo of bestselling pans in this set is safe for all cooktops (including induction). You can even pop it directly in the oven or broiler at temperatures up to 600 degrees. If you read our frying pan guide, you know a pan that can transition from the stove to the oven at high temperatures is hard to find!
GreenPan Product Features
One of the best things I learned during my GreenPan review was that I’ve been using too much oil and butter all this time. I was coating all sorts of pans with the best olive oils and creamy butter, but with nonstick pans that are truly as slick as these, the extra fat just isn’t necessary. GreenPan recommends using a tiny amount of oil or butter if necessary but avoiding spray oils to protect the finish. The high-temperature capacity and durability of these steel-and-ceramic wonders also really impressed me.
How We Tested GreenPan
I’ve had the GreenPan since February 2022. I’ve cooked everything from eggs to salmon and even shakshuka. Here’s how it holds up against each recipe, all of which are notorious for messing up my Teflon-based nonstick pans.
We fry a lot of eggs around here thanks to raising our own chickens and having farm-fresh eggs on the counter at all times. I figured eggs would be the best place to start testing. After all, eggs are the perfect litmus for the true nonstick capabilities of any pan. And no GreenPan review is complete without trying to figure out just how much scraping is necessary. Time after time, the eight-inch GreenPan allowed eggs of all styles to slip effortlessly out of the cookware and onto the plate with little more than a flick of the wrist.
I also tried the bigger 10-inch pan to make an especially cheesy family shakshuka recipe. The combination of eggs, tomatoes and melty cheese is sure to mess this pan up. At least, that’s what I thought. But to my surprise, everything slid right off the pan’s surface and wiped clean with just soapy water and a typical sponge. Even the burnt bits of cheese that cooked too long came off easily!
The test that sold me, though, was cooking a piece of salmon with little more than a bit of salt and pepper. I am notoriously bad at cooking fish, and I always manage to get bits of expensive fillets to stick on pans, grills and other surfaces. Somehow I didn’t screw up the salmon fillets in the eight-inch GreenPan. They cooked perfectly! And that’s what convinced me that these otherwise ordinary-looking pans were worth every dollar.
Product Testing Team Tests
Our Product Testing Team has ample experience testing everything from the best toasters to the best food processors, so we enlisted their help to find the best cookware of every type. We re-tested GreenPan ceramic cookware to see how it compares to competitors’ ceramic cookware, using a sliding egg test (with and without oil), a searing test with chicken tenderloin and a crepe test to determine how evenly it cooks. In the Product Testing Team’s evaluation, GreenPan offered the best overall performance of all the ceramic pans tested, earning high marks across the board.
“If you’re looking for a quality pan that sears like a dream, the GreenPan Valencia is a solid option with an effective non-stick finish and induction-compatible magnetic base,” says Product Testing Team Member Dylan Fischer.
Pros
- Competes with expensive ceramic cookware pans at a more affordable price
- Sturdy multilayer steel construction coated in ceramic
- No harmful Teflon chemicals or heavy metals seeping into food
- Distributes heat evenly
- Works with all types of cooktops
- Safe for use in the oven and broiler
Cons
- Nonstick factor has dissipated a little within six months of use
- The bundle doesn’t come with lids
Why You Should Trust Us
Bryce Gruber knows what he is talking about when it comes to gift-giving and shopping at Taste of Home. She has collaborated with e-commerce businesses, women’s lifestyle magazines and publications and has been featured on TV shows for her advice, making her an ideal candidate to review GreenPan.
Alexandra Mantella, Content Updates Editor at Taste of Home, updated and contributed research to this piece. She has over five years of experience in product testing, research and commerce writing. Previously, she served as a commerce content update editor at Bob Vila.
FAQ
Are GreenPans worth the money?
Yes, GreenPans are worth the money. They come with a budget-friendly price point, feature a nonstick ceramic coating and come with a warranty in case of any damage or malfunctions.
Which country is GreenPan from?
GreenPan originated in Belgium in 2007 and was among the first companies to introduce PTFE-free nonstick coatings to the cookware market.
Is GreenPan cookware safe to use?
GreenPan ceramic cookware is safe to use thanks to its chemical-free construction, made without the use of PTFEs or “forever chemicals”.
Can you use olive oil on a GreenPan?
Much like cast iron cookware, GreenPan’s line of ceramic pots and pans can be used with olive oil, butter and other cooking oils to achieve the ideal results you are looking for.
Is GreenPan made of Teflon?
No, GreenPan does not use Teflon to make their cookware. The nonstick ceramic coating on this cookware comes with the brand’s patented Thermolon technology which is completely PTFE and PFAS-free.
GreenPan vs. Our Place vs. Lodge
Again, the GreenPan is a wallet-friendly alternative to high-end ceramic cookware. But how does it compare to the nonstick Our Place Always Pan and tried-and-true Lodge cast iron skillet?
Similar to the Our Place Pan, the GreenPan is 100% free of potentially toxic nonstick ceramic coatings (think PFOAs, PTFEs, other PFAs, lead and cadmium to name a few). And thanks to the diamond-infused nonstick ceramic, it differs from the Lodge cast-iron skillet because, well, it’s not made of cast iron. It’s similar, however, in the sense that you’ll hold onto this pan for years. It’s just that good. Speaking of quality cookware, have you seen our best Dutch oven picks?
Final Verdict
Frying pan-purists and budget-minded home chefs will absolutely love these pans. My GreenPan review showed me the ceramic-loving light and reigned in my olive oil habit.
Full transparency, I have found the nonstick quality does dissipate a little. Overall, it’s held up nicely against almost daily use. Wash this pan with the soft side of a kitchen sponge though, because more abrasive surfaces tend to leave it a little worn-out looking.
It has also held up far better than any of my old Teflon-based nonstick pans. I used to have to replace my black-coated nonstick pans annually, but I’m confident my GreenPan will hold up for at least a few years without worry.
If you rely on just a few key cookware pieces in between your arsenal of microwave-safe bowls (like these Anyday Cookware winners) and slow cookers, the GreenPans are a must-buy. They’re easy to use, even easier to clean and made me feel good about not using pans loaded with potentially toxic chemical coatings.
Where to Buy the GreenPan
TMB STUDIO
We Tried It
GreenPan Valencia Pro Cookware
For extra durability and endless possibilities, look no further than this duo.
If the promise of a frying pan without burnt-on bits sounds exciting, you’ll be happy to know you can buy the bestselling bundle for $145 on the brand’s website. It includes an eight-inch and a 10-inch frying pan in a soft gray tone that matches most modern kitchens. You can find the pans on many retailers, including Sur La Table, Amazon and Wayfair. This way to easier, healthier cooking!
