I Tried the Cult-Favorite Always Pan and I'm Officially a Convert

Test Drive: Cooking with the Always Pan

I cannot emphasize enough how excited I was when the best-selling Always Pan arrived. I've had my eye on the pan for quite a while, so I was thrilled to finally get the opportunity to use it and review it.

The unboxing experience was in line with the design of the pan itself, thoughtfully packaged to minimize waste while keeping the pan safe in transit. It also came with a straightforward (and pretty!) little care card that highlighted a few dos and don'ts to help ensure that the pan lives a long and happy life in your kitchen.

When I pulled it out of the box, the first thing I noticed was that the pan was even prettier in person. Its matte finish and beautiful hue instantly looked great on our stovetop. But the pan really showed what it was made of when I cooked with it for the first time.

I started with something simple—vegan burgers that I've made too many times to count on our traditional frying pan. Ordinarily, I spend a good few minutes scraping burger remnants off the bottom of the pan when I'm finished cooking them, no matter how much oil I use. When I used the Always Pan? Literally not even a crumb was left on the bottom. The burgers slid around and flipped with ease, immediately selling me on how great the pan is.

My partner and I have since cooked a wide variety of meals with it, from curries to pancakes, and we've been genuinely impressed with the results every time.

My partner and I have since cooked a wide variety of meals with it, from curries to pancakes, and we've been genuinely impressed with the results every time. One important note, though: you should only ever touch the long handle when cooking. The short handle on the other side gets extremely hot. Despite the sticker on the handle warning me not to touch it, when I was in the middle of cooking, I grabbed it without thinking (in my defense, it does look grabbable!), and I gave myself a nice burn. So, the moral of the story is: read the warnings.

Another important note is that some reviewers have mentioned that the Always Pan loses some of its nonstick power over time. We haven't had it long enough to experience that problem, but Our Place (the Always Pan brand) recommends cooking on low to medium-low heat whenever possible to help prolong its life. However, they say that the occasional sear is completely fine. According to Our Place, the pan's aluminum body heats so quickly and evenly that you won't typically need to cook at temperatures higher than medium. The brand also recommends cooking with oils that have high smoke points (think olive, coconut, peanut and avocado oils).

Our Place also recommends using non-aerosol, high-smoke oils and fats, like coconut and avocado oil, to help keep the nonstick coating in great shape.