Is Zwilling a Good Cookware Brand? An In-Depth Review

Zwilling is one of the world’s largest and most respected cutlery manufacturers.

But is its cookware any good?

In this review of Zwilling cookware, you’ll learn about its design, materials, construction, performance, and price.

I’ll also share how it stacks up against competitors, review the downsides, and answer the most frequently asked questions.

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Use the links below to navigate the review:

• Design
• Materials and Construction
• Performance
• Zwilling vs. the Competition
• Price
• Downsides
• Zwilling Cookware FAQs
• Bottom Line: Is Zwilling Cookware Worth Buying?

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Design

Zwilling offers a mix of cookware with standout features — from the speckled aluminum of the Vitale collection to the brushed stainless exterior of Zwilling Spirit 3-ply.

This section will give you an up-close look at the Zwilling Motion collection. Motion is one of the brand’s most popular collections, and it’s designed by renowned Italian designer and architect Matteo Thun.

I’ll also highlight key design features of Zwilling’s other offerings.

Exterior

Motion offers a black matte, hard-anodized aluminum exterior. The 4mm-thick, heavy-duty aluminum provides scratch and dent resistance to keep it looking newer for longer.

The shape of Motion cookware is unique and unlike any other Zwilling offering. The top half of the pans flare outward, offering a wider mouth at the top.

On the bottom of the pan, you’ll find a recessed logo etched into the pan.

Other collections with a black exterior include Madura Plus and Carrara Plus. But these collections are standard aluminum, not hard-anodized aluminum.

The Madura Plus and Madura Plus Slate collections feature PTFE non-stick cookware with a flared rim.

Madura Plus Slate features a gray exterior, but otherwise, it is identical to Madura Plus.

If you’re looking for ceramic non-stick or stainless steel cookware with a flared rim, check out Spirit, Clad CFX, Carrara Plus, or Aurora 5-Ply.

The Vitale collection (pictured below) stands out. The aluminum body is coated in a light gray tone with black and white specks and a silver-colored outer rim. Visually, it offers the appearance of granite. This cookware is coated with ceramic non-stick material inside and out.

The Aurora 5-Ply, Spirit, Plus, Joy, and Clad CFX collections provide a stainless steel exterior. But Aurora features a polished finish, while the other options offer a brushed stainless steel exterior.

Interior

Motion has a black matte interior that is identical to its exterior. The multi-layer PTFE non-stick coating makes for easy food release and cleaning.

But, you’ll notice exposed stainless steel rivets in the pan — a spot notorious for food and oil to collect.

With Madura Plus, another non-stick option, you’ll get a rivet-free interior. Without rivets, there are no areas for food or oil to collect on the cooking surface.

Zwilling offers four ceramic interiors:

• Clad CFX offers a shiny black ceramic non-stick coating called Ceraforce XTREME.
• Carrara Plus features a white ceramic coating called CeraForce Ultra.
• Vitale uses Granitium, a gray speckled ceramic non-stick coating.
• Some Spirit pieces offer a blue-gray ceramic non-stick interior coating, while others feature stainless interiors.

Besides Motion, you’ll see PTFE non-stick interiors on Madura Plus and Madura Plus Slate.

And if you want a hybrid interior, Zwilling’s Joy collection offers a PTFE Permaresist Ultra coating with a raised stainless steel grid. This interior features a honeycomb pattern across the entire cooking surface.

The raised steel peaks protect the non-stick valleys from scratching, so the cookware lasts longer (this design is similar to HexClad).

Handles

Motion features a double-rivet, stay-cool stainless steel handle. Its construction provides a wide attachment to the side of the pan, offering good support.

It’s connected to the pan with a double V-shaped handle with an etched logo on its face. The handle is the only one of its kind from Zwilling.

Most Zwilling cookware offers V-shaped, double-riveted stainless steel handles. You can find them on Vitale, Aurora 5-Ply, Clad CFX, and Spirit collections.

Joy Plus does not offer a V-shaped handle. It is straight with a small opening at the pan connection to discourage heat transfer.

Other collections feature welded handles. For example, Madura Plus and Madura Plus Slate offer soft-touch welded handles, and Carrara Plus features plastic handles.

Lids

Most Zwilling lids are made from tempered glass and feature stainless steel rims and handles. Aurora 5-Ply pieces come with stainless steel lids. You’ll find the lid handles are either round knobs or trapezoid-shaped.

Some Zwilling collections don’t include lids, like Madura Plus, Madura Plus Slate, and Carrara Plus.

Materials and Construction

The materials and construction of Zwilling cookware vary by collection. And while the brand doesn’t offer cast iron or carbon steel, you’ll find other popular materials like stainless steel and hard-anodized aluminum.

Here’s a quick look at the materials and construction of each collection:

• Vitale – Offers a heavy-gauge (thick) aluminum body and a tri-layer Granitium non-stick coating. The coating is made up of ceramic particles that resist scratches and wear. View on Zwilling.com.
• Aurora – Features 5-ply stainless steel construction. It offers a 3-layer aluminum core, an 18/10 stainless steel interior, and magnetic stainless on the exterior. View on Zwilling.com or Amazon.
• Clad CFX – A collection with a 3mm aluminum core, an 18/10 stainless steel exterior, and a Ceraforce XTREME ceramic non-stick interior. The non-stick lasts 50% longer than Ceraforce Ultra (Zwilling’s previous non-stick). View on Zwilling.com or Amazon.
• Motion – The only hard-anodized aluminum collection, Motion cookware features a black, multi-layer PTFE non-stick coating. View on Zwilling.com or Amazon.
• Madura Plus and Madura Plus Slate – Both collections feature a 3-layer PTFE non-stick coating called DuraSlide granite non-stick coating and a forged aluminum body. View on Zwilling.com or Amazon.
• Spirit – A collection with 3-ply stainless steel construction and either ceramic non-stick or 18/10 stainless steel interiors. Spirit offers a 3mm-thick aluminum core. View on Zwilling.com or Amazon.
• Carrara Plus – This cookware features a cold-forged aluminum body and CeraForce Ultra ceramic non-stick coating. View on Zwilling.com or Amazon.
• Joy Plus – Features a hybrid PTFE-stainless steel cooking surface and a 3-ply Sigma Clad stainless steel construction with an aluminum core and magnetic steel exterior. The PTFE non-stick tri-layer coating is called Permaresist Ultra. The raised stainless steel honeycomb pattern on the surface protects the integrity of the non-stick layers beneath. View on Zwilling.com or Amazon.

Performance

I’ve been cooking with Zwilling pots and pans for several months. Here’s how they perform.

The Motion collection is thick and heavy. The hard-anodized aluminum base is sturdy, durable, and stays flat on the cooking surface.

The non-stick coating works as advertised. Food slides around and doesn’t stick, even if you turn the heat too high or don’t use enough oil.

I’ve used the Zwilling Motion pan to cook eggs, fish, steak, chicken, stir fry, pancakes, and more. It heats evenly and retains heat well. It looks, feels, and performs almost exactly like the Calphalon Contemporary collection.

The main downsides of the Motion collection are that it’s pretty heavy compared to other non-stick pans, and the three-prong handle design is a pain to clean. Oils and food bits splatter over the edges and get stuck where the handle meets the base.

I also tested Spirit stainless steel and non-stick pans. I’ve been vocal about the downsides of ceramic-coating non-stick pans (like Zwilling Spirit), and those downsides hold true with Zwilling. Food sticks to the surface and burns, even if you properly coat the surface with oil or butter. And the more you use the pan, the worse it gets.

The performance of the Spirit pans without ceramic non-stick coating was solid. They cook evenly and retain heat well. If you use the proper techniques, you can get a golden brown crust on meats without sticking.

The performance is similar to the All-Clad D3 collection, but I actually like the Zwilling Spirit handles better because they’re a bit wider and more comfortable.

Overall, Zwilling cookware performs well but not spectacularly. The non-stick (PTFE-coated) pans heat evenly, release food quickly, and are easy to clean. They look, feel, and cook similarly to brands like Calphalon.

Avoid Zwilling pans with a ceramic non-stick coating (Clad CFX, Spirit, and Carrara Plus collections) because food sticks and the non-stick coating won’t last.

Zwilling vs. the Competition

I conducted two quick tests to understand how Zwilling cookware compares to other popular brands.

First, I poured two cups of cold water into the Zwilling Motion pan. Then, I placed the pan on the stove and turned the heat to high. I set a timer to measure how long the water took to boil.

As the water began to bubble, I could see the pan heating evenly. The bubbles were uniform across the cooking surface.

When pans have hot spots or don’t sit flat on the stove, the bubbles concentrate on the edges and middle or show cold spots on the sides. That was not the case with Zwilling.

The first sign of bubbles appeared after one minute and 45 seconds, and the water came to a full boil after two minutes and 31 seconds.

I repeated the test with several other brands to see how Zwilling stacks up. As you can see in the results below, Zwilling was one of the fastest pans to boil the water.

Pan	Time to First Bubbles	Time to Boil
Made In fry pan	1 minute and 40 seconds	2 minutes and 21 seconds
Misen fry pan	1 minute and 50 seconds	2 minutes and 25 seconds
Anolon fry pan	1 minute and 55 seconds	2 minutes and 27 seconds
Zwilling fry pan	1 minute and 45 seconds	2 minutes and 31 seconds
T-fal fry pan	1 minute and 50 seconds	2 minutes and 32 seconds
Gotham Steel fry pan	1 minute and 58 seconds	2 minutes and 32 seconds
Rachael Ray fry pan	1 minute and 47 seconds	2 minutes and 36 seconds
Calphalon fry pan	1 minute and 45 seconds	2 minutes and 40 seconds
Hestan fry pan	1 minute and 52 seconds	2 minutes and 47 seconds
GreenLife pan	2 minutes and 11 seconds	2 minutes and 47 seconds
Circulon fry pan	2 minutes and 7 seconds	2 minutes and 55 seconds
All-Clad skillet	1 minute and 55 seconds	2 minutes and 55 seconds
Demeyere Industry fry pan	2 minutes and 3 seconds	3 minutes and 10 seconds
Ballarini fry pan	2 minutes and 15 seconds	3 minutes and 12 seconds
Demeyere Atlantis fry pan	2 minutes and 11 seconds	3 minutes and 25 seconds

I conducted another quick test to measure Zwilling’s heat retention. In general, cookware that holds heat well cooks more evenly. If the pan’s temperature drops significantly when you add ingredients, the food won’t cook evenly, and it will be difficult to achieve a proper sear on meat.

Once the water began boiling, I removed the pan from the heat and set it on the counter to cool.

After five minutes, the water was 121°F.

After ten minutes, the water was 103°F.

I conducted this same test with the other pans. As the results below show, Zwilling doesn’t have the best heat retention, but it’s better than several major (and more expensive) brands.

I’m not surprised by the results because the pan’s body is thick and thicker pans typically have superior heat retention.

Pan	Temperature After 5 Minutes	Temperature After 10 Minutes
Demeyere Atlantis fry pan	122.0°F	106.3°F
Made In fry pan	121.1°F	106.6°F
Misen fry pan	118.6°F	103.4°F
Zwilling fry pan	121.1°F	103.0°F
Rachael Ray fry pan	126.3°F	102.7°F
Circulon fry pan	133.3°F	102.0°F
Demeyere Industry fry pan	115.2°F	96.6°F
Calphalon fry pan	112.8°F	101.1°F
All-Clad skillet	111.6°F	100.9°F
Ballarini fry pan	120°F	99.9°F
Hestan fry pan	114°F	98°F
GreenLife fry pan	119°F	95°F
Gotham Steel fry pan	113°F	95°F
Anolon fry pan	112.7°F	90.9°F
T-fal fry pan	108.7°F	88.0°F

Price

Since the materials and construction of Zwilling cookware vary across collections, so does the price.

It’s not the most expensive cookware, but it’s not cheap. It’s more expensive than brands like T-fal and Anolon but less expensive than All-Clad, Hestan, and Demeyere. It’s comparable in price to brands like Calphalon and Made In.

For exact pricing, refer to the following chart. Click or tap a price to learn more about each cookware offering.

Downsides

Zwilling makes high-quality cookware, but there are some downsides.

Here are the main issues I’ve discovered through research and testing:

• Non-stick easily damaged – The non-stick coating, especially the ceramic coating, doesn’t last. It’s the number one complaint you’ll read about when browsing customer reviews.
• Uncomfortable handles – The handles are thick with a V-shape underneath. I prefer thicker handles, but many complain that they’re uncomfortable.
• Low oven-safe temperatures – Many Zwilling collections max out at low temperatures, which limits the types of meals you can make. For example, Madura Plus cookware is only oven-safe up to 300°F because of its plastic handles. However, other collections like Aurora, Plus, and Spirit can handle up to 500°F.
• Tempered glass lids have a low oven-safe temperature – The tempered glass lids can only withstand 400°F.
• Hard-anodized induction compatibility – Pay attention to the details if you have an induction cooktop. The Vitale collection is not compatible with induction. And although Zwilling claims Motion cookware is compatible with all cooktops, customers report poor performance on induction.
• Stainless steel made in China – Except for Aurora 5-Ply and Zwilling Plus collection, Zwilling’s stainless steel cookware is made in China. It doesn’t have the same quality standards as similar cookware made in countries like the United States, Germany, Italy, Belgium, or France.

Zwilling Cookware FAQs

Here are answers to the top questions people ask about Zwilling cookware.

Bottom Line: Is Zwilling Cookware Worth Buying?

Now that you know the pros and cons of Zwilling cookware, it’s time to decide if it’s the right brand for you.

Before I give you my opinion, let’s quickly recap the main points:

• Zwilling offers an array of constructions, and most are induction compatible.
• If you want non-stick, Zwilling offers PTFE, ceramic, and hybrid options. But the ceramic non-stick is less durable, and food tends to stick.
• Zwilling offers multi-ply stainless steel cookware that performs similarly to brands like Calphalon and All-Clad.
• Zwilling features mostly Y-shaped handles or welded handles with rivet-free interiors. People complain that the Y-shaped handles are uncomfortable.
• Zwilling’s maximum oven temperatures are on the low end. The Madura Plus collection tops out at 300°F.
• Based on my tests, Zwilling cookware heats fast and evenly and retains heat well. However, food sticks to the ceramic non-stick coatings on the Clad CFX, Spirit, and Carrara Plus collections.

Zwilling cookware is part of the Zwilling J.A. Henckels brand, a company with a long history of producing some of the world’s best cutlery. However, its cookware is secondary to its famous knives.

I’ve tested plenty of cookware brands, from high-end to budget buys. Zwilling cookware falls somewhere in the middle. It’s not the best-performing cookware I’ve tested, but it’s certainly not the worst.

Remember that each collection has a unique design and construction, so the design, performance, and durability vary.

Bottom line — Zwilling is a mid-range cookware brand with decent stainless steel, aluminum, and hard-anodized aluminum offerings. For about the same price as Zwilling, your money is better spent on Made In, Misen, or Heritage Steel cookware. All three offer high-quality cookware that performs exceptionally well and is built to last (learn more in my Made In and Misen reviews).

If you’re willing to spend more, there are even better options, like All-Clad and Demeyere. 

Still, if you’re in the market for a mid-range priced non-stick pan, Zwilling Motion is a solid option. It performed well in my tests and has a thick, hard-anodized aluminum base and a multi-layer non-stick coating.

Finally, skip Zwilling’s ceramic non-stick collections. Ceramic non-stick coating doesn’t last or perform nearly as well as traditional non-stick coatings. But if you want a solid ceramic non-stick option, check out GreenPan.

If you’re ready to buy or want to learn more about Zwilling cookware, check it out on Zwilling.com or Amazon.