Strata Cookware Review: The Most Unique Pan Ever Made?

The Strata frying pan has a unique patent-pending design that makes it lighter than cast iron, more even-heating than carbon steel, slicker than stainless steel, and more durable than transitional non-stick pans. 

At least that’s what Gizmatic, the product development company that makes Strata cookware, wants you to believe.

I’ve tested over 50 pans across dozens of brands, and when something sounds too good to be true, it usually is. So, to find out if this is really the perfect pan, I put it to the test.

In this Strata frying pan review, I explain what I like about it, some potentially deal-breaking limitations, and whether it lives up to the claims.

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Use the links below to navigate the review:

• Heat Conduction
• Weight
• Food Release
• Design
• Heat Retention
• Maintenance
• Limitations
• Price
• Bottom Line: Is the Strata Pan Worth Buying?

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Heat Conduction

Before I get to the downsides, let’s start with the positives.

The Strata 12.5-inch fry pan is made up of three bonded layers, and I’ve never seen this combination before. The cooking surface is carbon steel, the core is aluminum, and the exterior is stainless steel.

One of the most significant issues with traditional carbon steel cookware, which is made from a single layer of metal, is that it doesn’t heat up evenly. Strata attempted to solve this issue by using aluminum for the core layer. Aluminum has a much higher thermal conductivity than carbon steel, so theoretically, it should heat more evenly. 

To find out if this is true, I conducted two tests. First, I heated the pan on medium and measured the temperature at the center of the pan after 2 minutes.

After letting the pan cool down completely, I heated it again and measured the temperature at the outer edge.

I conducted this test with three other carbon steel pans – Made In and two de Buyer pans – and as you can see in the results below, the Strata pan had the lowest temperature difference between the center of the pan and the outer edge.

Pan	Center	Edge	Difference
Strata Carbon Clad	455°F	397°F	58°F
de Buyer Mineral B Pro	501°F	423°F	78°F
de Buyer Blue Carbon Steel	500°F	421°F	79°F
Made In Carbon Steel	484°F	324°F	160°F

I conducted a similar test using a thermal camera. After 2 minutes, there was only about a 10-degree difference between the center and outer edge of the Strata pan.

The difference was much more significant with Made In and de Buyer carbon steel. 

For additional context, I tested a Smithey cast iron pan, which showed an even greater temperature difference. These results were unsurprising since cast iron pans are thicker and heat slower. 

All-Clad D3, a stainless steel pan with an aluminum core just like Strata, had the same minor difference in temperature between the center and outer edge. 

In real-world testing, I found that Strata does heat fast and evenly. When you cook a full pan of chicken, the pieces around the edge cook as evenly as the piece in the center, which is not the case with most cast iron and carbon steel pans. 

It’s the same when you cook pancakes in the Strata pan; they won’t have a dark spot in the middle since the temperature is relatively consistent across the entire pan.

Besides the cooking benefit, pans that heat evenly are less likely to warp, especially on electric and induction cooktops that tend to concentrate the heat at the center. When pans heat unevenly, different parts of the metal expand at different rates, creating stress that can warp the pan. With Strata, that’s not a concern.

Weight

One of the greatest benefits of this Strata pan is that it’s lightweight, especially compared to traditional carbon steel and cast iron. 

This Strata 12.5-inch frying pan weighs 3 pounds. Some thin carbon steel pans like Made In are also light (4.3 pounds), but many brands, like de Buyer Mineral B Pro (6.9 pounds) and Matfer Bourgeat (4.9 pounds), weigh significantly more. Cast iron pans like the Lodge Classic (8.1 pounds) weigh much more.

Since this pan is so lightweight, you can flip food with a quick wrist motion and toss vegetables without straining your arm. Moving the pan between burners or adjusting its position requires less effort too. You’ll feel the difference when washing, drying, and putting the pan away. 

Strata weighs less, not because it’s a thin, cheap pan, but because aluminum is less dense than carbon steel.

Food Release

Before testing this pan, one of my questions was: how is this different or better than a typical stainless steel pan? 

Both pans share similar specs: an aluminum core, 3 mm thickness, lightweight, and even heating.

The key difference is that since this Strata pan has a carbon steel cooking surface, you can season it, which creates a natural non-stick surface over time. Technically, you can season stainless steel, but I tested it recently, and it didn’t have the same positive effect.

Seasoning involves coating the surface with oil and heating it on the stove or in the oven until the oil bakes into the steel and creates a hard and smooth surface. 

After seasoning the Strata pan twice, I tested it against a stainless steel pan by cooking eggs with the same heat levels and fat. First, I preheated both pans to exactly 400°F and coated the cooking surfaces with a teaspoon of oil and 5 grams of butter. Both Strata and the stainless steel pan cooked the egg perfectly without sticking. 

Then I cooked another egg in both pans at the same heat level but with only half a teaspoon of oil and 2 grams of butter. This time, the egg stuck to the stainless steel pan and released easily from the Strata pan.

I’ve been using the Strata pan for several months, and I’ve noticed that as layers of seasoning develop, the non-stick properties get better and better. This ability to develop and maintain a reliable non-stick surface marks the main functional difference between Strata and stainless steel pans.

Design

Another thing I like about the Strata frying pan is its thoughtful design.

The pan offers generous cooking space. From rim to rim, it measures 12.8 inches, with a 10-inch flat cooking surface.

This gives you more usable area than most competitors – for example, de Buyer 12.5-inch pans only provide a 9-inch cooking surface. The extra space makes a real difference when cooking larger portions or multiple items at once.

The sloped walls make it easy to slide a spatula under food near the edge, and the flared rims make it easy to pour liquids and transfer food to a plate. Most carbon steel pans have angled walls and straight rims. 

I also appreciate the handle design. It’s flat on top with a slight groove to rest your thumb, so it won’t rotate in your hand when you tilt the pan, but the edges are slightly rounded, so they don’t dig into your hand.

It’s much more comfortable than the flat handles on most carbon steel pans (pictured below). It’s also hollow, which helps disperse heat and keeps the handle cool.

Heat Retention

So far, I’ve talked about all the good stuff, but there are four main downsides you need to know before buying the Strata pan.

The first downside is heat retention. I love that this pan heats fast and evenly, but it doesn’t retain heat well compared to traditional carbon steel pans, especially thick ones like de Buyer Mineral B. 

To quantify this, I heated the Strata pan to 400°F before taking it off the heat. After 5 minutes, I measured the temperature with a surface thermometer, which read 114°F.

I conducted this test with several other carbon steel pans, and Strata was one of the worst performers. The temperature of the de Buyer Mineral B carbon steel pan was 154°F after five minutes of cooling, and the de Buyer Mineral B Pro pan was 162°F.

Thermal camera footage clearly shows how much faster the Strata pan loses heat compared to the de Buyer Mineral B. This faster heat loss could affect your cooking, especially when searing meat or cooking multiple batches of food.

That said, Strata doesn’t have poor heat retention. It’s on par with other aluminum-core stainless steel pans like Hestan ProBond. But when you compare it to cast iron, carbon steel, or thick stainless steel like Demeyere Atlantis, it’s not even close. Below are the full results of all the pans I tested:

Pan	Temperature After 5 Minutes of Cooling (°F)
Carote 10-inch non-stick pan	102
de Buyer Inocuivre 12.5-inch	109
Made In Carbon Steel 12 inch	112
Strata Carbon Clad 12.5-inch	114
Hestan ProBond 12.5-inch	115
Made In Stainless Steel 12 inch	123
de Buyer Alchimy 3-Ply 11-inch	123
de Buyer Blue Carbon Steel 12.5-inch	126
Hestan ProBond TITUM 12.5-inch	127
Hestan CopperBond 12.5-inch	127
Made In Non-Stick 12-inch	127
All-Clad Copper Core 12-inch	128
All-Clad D3 12-inch	132
Hestan NanoBond 12.5-inch	134
de Buyer Prima Matera 12.5-inch	142
de Buyer Mineral B 12.5-inch	154
de Buyer Affinity 5-Ply 12.5-inch	154
Demeyere Altantis 12-inch	159
de Buyer Mineral B Pro 12.5-inch	162
Caraway 10-inch non-stick pan	166
Made In Enameled Cast Iron 12 inch	178

It’s still an excellent pan for searing and frying, but you need to pay closer attention because the heat isn’t as steady and will fluctuate as you add ingredients. 

Maintenance

Another downside is that this Strata pan needs to be seasoned just like any other carbon steel or cast iron pan. Carbon steel is prone to rust when exposed to water and oxygen. The seasoning creates a protective layer that minimizes the risk of rusting.

The good news is that since only the top layer of this pan is carbon steel, you only need to season the cooking surface, not the whole pan.

Traditional carbon steel pans require seasoning inside and out, which can be tricky on some cooktops. For example, if you have a flat electric or induction surface, seasoning a regular carbon steel pan becomes difficult because the oil on the pan’s bottom will burn onto your cooktop. 

You can season the Strata pan on any stovetop since the stainless steel exterior doesn’t need seasoning.

The stainless steel exterior also makes cleaning simpler. You can scrub and polish the outside without damaging a seasoned surface.

Another minor inconvenience is that you need to wash this pan by hand and dry it thoroughly. You can’t let it air dry on a rack. The dishwasher will damage the seasoning, and lingering moisture can cause rust, even if the pan is seasoned.

Limitations

This pan is compatible with all cooktops, oven-safe up to 600°F, and you can use it for almost any recipe. But it has one major limitation. Acidic foods like tomato sauce, barbecue sauce, wine, and vinegar can strip away the seasoning and react with the iron. 

A drop of lemon juice or a splash of vinegar won’t cause any damage, but simmering tomato sauce or braising beef in red wine for longer than 30 minutes will remove the seasoning and give your food a metallic taste.

You can always re-season the pan if this happens, but it’s a hassle that doesn’t exist with stainless steel, enameled cast iron, or non-stick pans.

Price

Another factor to consider is price. The 12.5-inch Strata pan is currently $149 on StrataCookware.com, which makes it more expensive than established brands like de Buyer, Made In, and Matfer Bourgeat carbon steel pans.

I’m surprised by Strata’s pricing, especially considering that these established brands produce their pans in Europe while Strata is made in China. 

While the three-layer bonded construction justifies a higher cost than single-layer carbon steel pans, Strata is still more expensive than many bonded stainless steel brands like Made In, Heritage Steel, Misen, and Goldilocks.

I suspect the higher price comes down to scale. Strata is a startup producing smaller quantities, which typically means higher costs per pan. Established brands like de Buyer spread their costs across much larger production runs, even while manufacturing in Europe.

Bottom Line: Is the Strata Pan Worth Buying?

Now that you know the pros and cons of Strata, the question is: who is this pan for, and is it worth buying?

The answer to the first question is simple. This pan is for someone who wants a lightweight pan that they can season and nurture over time to create a natural non-stick surface.

Traditional carbon steel pans are either thick and heavy or thin and prone to warping because they heat up unevenly. Strata’s unique bonded construction solves both problems.

The biggest argument against this pan is that it’s not much different from a traditional fully-clad stainless steel pan. And many stainless steel pans cost less and are made in the US, like Heritage Steel.

You may not get as slick of a surface, but my tests have proven that stainless steel pans can easily become non-stick with the right temperature and fat.

In the end, I’m a big fan of this Strata pan. It lives up to all its claims and is among the few brands innovating in the cookware industry. If you’re looking for a lightweight carbon steel pan, Strata is worth the money.

Visit StrataCookware.com to learn more and buy this innovative pan.