This Hybrid Cookware Is $108 Less Than HexClad

You might’ve noticed futuristic-looking cookware popping up everywhere. A standard black nonstick pan, but with a raised pattern of stainless steel dots or diamonds all over the surface. That’s hybrid cookware, a new category popularized by HexClad cookware and British chef Gordon Ramsay. The high-end brand integrated stainless steel into a ceramic-coated surface, which allows you to use the pan for nonstick cooking and high-heat searing.

This modern change lets you avoid a big issue with nonstick cookware. Those delicate nonstick coatings can contain PFAS, or “forever chemicals,” a group of man-made substances that includes PTFE, or polytetrafluoroethylene, also known as Teflon. Ceramic cookware is one common nonstick alternative typically made without PFAS, but newer hybrid cookware has the extra advantage of stainless steel throughout the surface for superior performance. HexClad cookware might be “the best pans of the market,” according to reviewers, but the $150 price for a 10-inch frying pan doesn’t make it the most affordable option. If HexClad is out of your budget, savvy shoppers have found a high-quality “good alternative” from Blue Diamond that might even be “better than HexClad” and is currently $108 cheaper on Amazon.

Blue Diamond Hybrid Nonstick Stainless Steel 10-Inch Frying Pan

Blue Diamond’s hybrid cookware features two layers of durable ceramic coating, one of which is infused with diamonds, laid over a laser-etched stainless steel surface. The stainless steel itself completely surrounds an aluminum core to create a fully clad pan with excellent heat conduction, yet it isn’t too heavy. Even better, the sturdy construction means Blue Diamond’s hybrid cookware can withstand heat up to 850 degrees Fahrenheit. 

While the Blue Diamond design is beautiful, the performance is where the construction really shines. As with any nonstick pan, eggs are the true test, as one five-star reviewer said, and the Blue Diamond hybrid pan is a winner. “My eggs just slide off the pan onto my plate,” said another egg-loving reviewer, while another shopper has begun using it daily for their morning eggs. Safe to say, you won’t be wishing for your old nonstick pan. 

The stainless steel pattern also excels on the stovetop. “I mainly use this pan for searing meats, and it is the best pan I ever had for that,” said this five-star reviewer, while another happy shopper put it to the test with pan-fried chicken and steak. Another consistent highlight among the reviews is how comfortable the stay-cool handles are, and that the nonstick coating makes this effortless to wash by hand, though it is dishwasher-safe.

Blue Diamond’s hybrid cookware is also available as an 8-inch frying pan, a small saucepan with a lid, and a 4-quart sauté pan. While there isn’t a 12-inch version of the frying pan, Blue Diamond does make a 12-inch wok with a tempered glass lid, which would be an excellent option for the reviewer who wished they’d gotten a bigger size. Of course, Blue Diamond and HexClad aren’t the only options for hybrid cookware; Cuisinart, GreenPan, and T-fal also have their own takes on the ceramic-and-stainless-steel category. 

Shop More Non-Toxic Hybrid Cookware on Amazon

HexClad Hybrid Nonstick 8-Inch Frying Pan, Set of 2

Blue Diamond Hybrid Nonstick Stainless Steel 8-Inch Frying Pan

Cuisinart FusionPlus Nonstick Stainless Steel 10-Inch Skillet

GreenPan Hybrid 10-Inch Nonstick Stainless Steel Frying Pan

Blue Diamond Hybrid Nonstick Stainless Steel 12-Piece Cookware Set

T-fal HybridMesh Tri-Ply Stainless Steel 10.25-Inch Frying Pan

At the time of publishing, the price was $42.