Ceramic non-stick pans are believed to be healthier than Teflon-coated pans because they don’t release harmful fumes when overheated.
The problem is, ceramic non-stick pans are notorious for their lack of durability.
In some cases, the non-stick coating can fail after just a few months. Some brands admit to this limitation, while others claim their coating is the strongest, longest-lasting coating ever.
To get to the truth and find out which brands are the best, I tested 6 of the most popular ceramic non-stick pans on the market: Made In CeramiClad, Caraway, GreenPan Valencia Pro, GreenPan GP5, Our Place Always Pan, and Carote.
I cooked with each pan right out of the box. Then, I put them through a series of stress tests to simulate months of use in just a few days. After that, I cooked the same foods again to see how the wear and tear impacted each pan.
The results were surprising, to say the least. Some pans aced the tests, some performed okay, and others failed miserably.
In this comparison, I show you which pans are worth your money and which you should never buy.
Key Takeaways
If you’re short on time, here’s a quick summary of my comparison of Made In CeramiClad, Caraway, GreenPan Valencia Pro, GreenPan GP5, Our Place Always Pan, and Carote ceramic non-stick pans.
Initial Cooking Tests: I tested each pan right out of the box by cooking eggs, cheese, and chicken. Made In, Caraway, and Our Place Always Pan had the slickest surfaces initially; the eggs slid around easily when I tilted those pans. I needed to nudge the egg to move it on the two GreenPan and Carote pans. The egg didn’t stick to Caraway, but it flowed to the side of the pan where the cooking surface was uneven. Skip ahead to see the full test results.
Stress Tests: To simulate months of use, I put the pans through a series of tests:
- Scraping with a 5-pound weighted wooden spatula 150 times
- Dropping a 2-pound steel saucepan on the surface 20 times
- Using a stand mixer to scrape the surface with a coated beater for 2 minutes
- Simulating washing with a sponge in soapy water for 5 minutes
- Thermal shock testing (heating to 400°F and submerging in 65°F water).
Post-Stress Cooking Tests: I cooked eggs, cheese, and chicken again to assess performance after the stress tests. The cheese and chicken didn’t stick to any of the pans. The egg tests revealed some performance declines, with GreenPan GP5 showing the most significant drop. Skip ahead to see the full test results.
Our Place Always Pan: This is the most expensive pan of the group. While its tall sides and slick surface were impressive at first, the square handle was uncomfortable, and the non-stick performance declined after stress tests.
Made In CeramiClad: This pan is made from 5-ply stainless steel. It has a solid build and the most comfortable handle. It showed visible damage during the stress tests but maintained decent non-stick performance overall. It’s a durable option but comes at a high price.
GreenPan GP5: Although GreenPan claims this pan has its most advanced ceramic coating, it showed the worst non-stick performance after stress tests. The beater from my test scratched the surface more than the other pans.
GreenPan Valencia Pro: This pan performed well in some areas, but its non-stick properties declined after stress tests. It’s a lightweight and more affordable option, but it didn’t hold up as well as others after the stress testing.
Caraway: Caraway is known for its stylish appearance and thick construction. The pan performed well initially but has an uneven cooking surface, causing food to pool at the edges. Over time, the shiny exterior tends to chip.
Carote: Despite its popularity on TikTok, the Carote pan was the thinnest and lightest of the group. It feels cheap and flimsy, and I don’t trust the spring-operated detachable handle in the long term.
Bottom Line
Made In CeramiClad and Caraway were the best-performing pans I tested. GreenPan Valencia Pro performed slightly worse, but it’s lighter and less expensive. I recommend avoiding GreenPan GP5 (poor non-stick performance), Our Place Always Pan (overpriced), and Carote (thin construction).
Learn more about each pan and compare current prices at the links below:
Use the links below to navigate the comparison:
- Comparison Chart
- Our Place Always Pan
- Made In CeramiClad
- GreenPan GP5
- GreenPan Valencia Pro
- Caraway
- Carote
- Initial Tests
- Stress Tests
- Results
- Bottom Line: Which Ceramic Non-Stick Pan Is the Best?
Comparison Chart
Swipe to view the entire chart on mobile.
| Frying Pan | GreenPan Valencia Pro | Caraway | GreenPan GP5 Stainless | Made In CeramiClad | Our Place Always Pan | Carote |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $$ (Amazon) | $$$ (Caraway) | $$$ (Amazon) | $$$ (Made In) | $$$$ (Our Place) | $ (Amazon) |
| Where It’s Made | China and Italy | China | China and Italy | USA | China | China |
| Base Material | Hard-anodized aluminum | Aluminum | 5-ply stainless steel | 5-ply stainless steel | Aluminum | Aluminum |
| Non-Stick Coating | Ceramic non-stick coating (Thermolon™ Advanced) | Ceramic non-stick coating | ceramic non-stick coating (Infinite8) | Ceramic non-stick coating | Ceramic non-stick coating | Ceramic non-stick coating |
| Diameter Rim to Rim (in) | 10.5 | 10.3 | 10.4 | 11.25 | 10.6 | 10.7 |
| Diameter Flat Cooking Surface (in) | 8 | 7 | 8.75 | 8.5 | 8 | 8 |
| Wall Height (in) | 1.9 | 2.4 | 1.8 | 1.8 | 2.7 | 2.2 |
| Weight (lb) | 1.9 | 2.8 | 2.7 | 2.5 | 2.8 | 1.7 |
| Thickness (mm) | 3.6 | 3.9 | 2.9 | 3 | 2.8 | 1.9 |
| Handle Length (in) | 7.8 | 8.1 | 7.8 | 8.3 | 8.0 | 6.5 |
| Oven Safe Temp | 600°F | 550°F | 600°F | 550°F | 450° F | 482°F |
| Induction Compatible | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Top Reason to Buy | Lightweight and affordable | Thick, heavy construction and attractive appearance | Metal-utensil safe | Solid 5-ply construction, comfortable handles | Tall sides provide more capacity | Inexpensive |
| Top Reason to NOT Buy | Non-stick performance declined after stress tests | Uneven cooking surface (dip at the edge) | Worst non-stick performance after stress tests | Expensive, showed visible damage in stress tests | Uncomfortable square handle, expensive | Thin, flimsy, and unsafe detachable handle |
Our Place Always Pan
Before I get into the testing, let’s take a quick look at the contenders. For consistency, I used the 10-inch frying pan from each brand.
The Our Place Always pan is the most expensive pan I tested. It’s marketed as a 10-in-1 all-purpose pan, and this brand claims the non-stick coating is 50% longer lasting. Longer lasting than what? Their website doesn’t say, but it doesn’t matter because we’re going to test it.
Made In CeramiClad
Made In CeramiClad is the next most expensive pan I tested. This pan just hit the market, and the big selling point is that it’s one of the few non-stick pans made in the USA. Also, instead of aluminum, the base is thick 5-ply stainless steel. They claim this pan has the highest-performing ceramic coating on the market.
GreenPan GP5
GreenPan is credited with inventing ceramic non-stick cookware, and GP5 is their most premium collection. This pan has their most advanced non-stick coating called Infinite8, which they claim is metal utensil safe. We’ll see how it holds up in a minute.
GreenPan Valencia Pro
I also tested GreenPan Valencia Pro. This pan is less expensive than GP5 and has a different non-stick coating called Thermolon Advanced, which, according to GreenPan, isn’t as durable as Infinite8. America’s Test Kitchen named this the best ceramic non-stick pan. We’ll see if my test results agree.
Caraway
Caraway’s marketing is more focused on colors and health than durability. In fact, they ran an ad campaign admitting their non-stick pans won’t last forever. I’ve been testing Caraway for years, so I know this pan well. However, I used a brand new pan for the tests I ran for this comparison.
Carote
Lastly, I tested the Carote pan with a detachable handle. This brand has recently gone viral on TikTok because it’s cheap, and it was one of the first cookware brands on TikTok shop. Hundreds, maybe thousands of people have been making videos about it, trying to sell it to you. Unlike those people trying to make a quick buck, I’m going to tell you the truth about this brand.
Initial Tests
After unboxing the pans and giving them a quick rinse, I conducted three tests to measure the initial non-stick performance.
First, I heated each pan until it reached 300°F, then I added a half teaspoon of oil and spread it evenly with a paper towel. Then I added an egg.
Made In, Caraway, and Our Place Always Pan had the slickest surfaces. When I tilted those pans, the eggs slid around easily.
However, I noticed with the Caraway pan that part of the egg quickly flowed to the edge of the cooking surface. When I looked closer, I realized why. The edge of the cooking surface dips down slightly right before the wall.
It’s hard to see in photos, but if you run your finger back and forth over the area where the flat part meets the side wall, you can feel a dip.
I thought this was a flaw with this one pan, but I had another Caraway pan from years ago and it has the same issue.
The egg didn’t stick to the GreenPan and Carote pans, but I needed to nudge it with the spatula to get it to move. It didn’t slide easily when I tilted the pans.
After the eggs, I heated each pan until the surface was 350°F, then I added a slice of cheddar cheese. Fortunately, the cheese didn’t stick to any of the pans, and there was no noticeable difference in performance.
I also cooked a piece of chicken breast in each pan after heating them to exactly 350°F and using the same amount of oil (1/2 teaspoon), and again, there was no difference in performance between the brands.
Stress Tests
This is where the fun begins. I put all six pans through a series of stress tests to simulate several months of use.
First, I attached a 5-pound weight to the handle of a wooden spatula and rubbed it across each pan 150 times. I used the 5-pound weight, so the same amount of pressure was applied to each pan.
You can see faint rub marks from the spatula on each pan, but surprisingly, there were no deep scratches.
Next, I took a 2-pound steel saucepan and dropped it on the surface of each pan from about 1 inch high 20 times. My goal was to simulate the damage that can occur when storing and stacking pans in your cabinets over several months. I know pan protectors exist, but most people won’t use them consistently.
The impact from the saucepan caused noticeable marks and a small chip on the Made In pan. The other pans didn’t show signs of damage, but as you’ll see later, that doesn’t mean they weren’t damaged.
After that, I conducted another scraping test using a stand mixer to make sure the impact was consistent. I propped up each pan so the mixer’s beater made full contact with the cooking surface. Then, I set the mixer on low speed and let it run for exactly 2 minutes. I rotated the pan halfway through to ensure even coverage.
The beater caused a rub mark in the shape of a Venn diagram on all pans. These marks were more prominent than the ones from the wooden spatula test but still didn’t cause deep scratches.
However, the GreenPan GP5 was an exception. For some reason, the beater scratched this pan much deeper than the others. When the beater started rotating, I immediately saw material being scraped off the surface, which wasn’t the case with the other pans.
I repeated this test, but instead of scraping the pans with the beater, I added a drop of soap and a fourth cup of water, and I placed a sponge between the beater and the pan with the rough side down.
I let it run for five minutes and rotated the pan halfway. The goal of this was to simulate the impact of washing each pan dozens of times. Five minutes may not seem like a long time, but these pans start off so slick that you can usually clean them by hand in seconds.
Finally, I heated each pan on my grill to 400°F and immediately submerged it in cool water. To maintain a consistent temperature, I added ice to keep the water around 65°F. The point of this test was to measure each pan’s warp resistance.
Most people know they’re not supposed to rinse a hot pan in cool water, but when you’re busy in the kitchen, it happens. Fortunately, none of the pans showed any signs of warping.
Results
After all of this wear and tear, I went back and repeated the exact same egg, cheese, and chicken tests. I wanted to see if my abuse on the coating affected each pan’s non-stick properties.
Surprisingly, it had no impact on the cheese or chicken tests. All six pans release those foods with no issues, just as they had before.
However, the egg test was a different story. The eggs didn’t stick to the Carote, Made In, or Our Place pans, but the surfaces weren’t nearly as slippery. I needed to nudge them with more force to get them to slide.
The Caraway pan had a similar minor decline in performance, and again, the egg flowed to the edge of the pan where the surface is lower.
GreenPan Valencia Pro had a more pronounced decline in performance. I had to scrape it hard with the spatula to flip it, and small bits of egg were still stuck.
The GreenPan GP5 showed the most dramatic decline in performance. The egg stuck so firmly to the surface that I couldn’t move it without tearing it apart.
I was so surprised by this result that I cooked a third egg in this pan. It didn’t stick as much as the second egg but still stuck more than the other pans.
Bottom Line: Which Ceramic Non-Stick Pan Is the Best?
The performance of the non-stick coating is one thing, but there’s more to consider when choosing the right pan for your kitchen.
Over the weeks following these tests, I continued to use each pan and looked at factors like heat conduction and retention, construction, and ease of use.
Taking all of this into account, I put these six pans into two categories: never buy and worth considering.
I put GreenPan GP5 in the never-buy category. I like the flush rivets and the wide cooking surface that’s almost an inch larger than most 10-inch pans, but it failed the egg test and is more expensive than other options that performed better.
The second pan in the never buy category is the Our Place Always Pan. It performed well in my stress tests, but the square handle is uncomfortable and the lid allows steam to escape directly on the handle. On top of that, it’s the most expensive pan of the six.
The third pan you should never buy is Carote. It’s the thinnest and lightest pan by far, and it feels cheap and flimsy.
Because of the thin walls, the temperature is difficult to control. The worst part is the detachable handle. Not only is the handle almost two inches shorter than the others, but it also jiggles and doesn’t feel secure, even when it’s attached properly.
It operates on a spring mechanism, which I would not trust long term to support a pan full of hot, heavy food. If you see people promoting this on TikTok or other platforms, be very skeptical.
Made In CeramiClad is a pan worth considering. It has comfortable handles, flared rims, and the same solid 5-ply construction as their stainless steel pans. The downside is that it’s the second most expensive pan of the six, and although it passed the cooking tests, the white coating showed the most signs of damage when I dropped the saucepan on it.
Caraway is another decent pan with pros and cons. It has thick, heavy construction and is one of the best-looking pans out of the box. However, the shiny blue exterior will chip and flake over time, and the issue I talked about earlier with the lower edge of the cooking surface can ruin the shape of your eggs.
GreenPan Valencia Pro didn’t ace the egg test but didn’t perform much worse than Made In and Caraway. And over time, those pans will degrade too. If you’re looking for a pan that’s lightweight and more affordable, this is a pretty good option.
Related Topics
- Ceramic Cookware Pros and Cons
- Ceramic vs. Teflon Cookware: What’s the Difference?
- Hard-Anodized vs. Ceramic Cookware: What’s the Difference?
- Caraway Cookware: An In-Depth Review (With Pictures)
- Caraway vs. Our Place (Always Pan): Which Cookware Is Better?
- The 6 Best Frying Pan Materials (With Comparison Chart)
- Ceramic vs. Enameled Cookware: What’s the Difference?
