I’ve Been Using This Super-Popular Nonstick Pan for More than a Year — Here Are My Honest Thoughts

When I received my Coated Pan from Material in October 2019, I had no idea just how much I’d be using it over the course of the coming year. After staying home and cooking more than ever before, I can safely say I’ve put this nonstick skillet through its paces — and then some.

Now, more than a year later, I want to share my honest thoughts on the Coated Pan with you. Is it just a pretty face? How well does it hold up to the (many! Many!) dishwasher runs it’s gone through? Is it truly nonstick? Let’s find out.

Material is a direct-to-consumer cookware brand that marries form and function — all at a reasonable price point. The brand’s Coated Pan is notable because it does not use Teflon, and it’s not a ceramic pan (like many other nonstick pans); in fact, the company purports that it lasts up to 37 times longer than ceramic pans. It’s made from stainless steel alloy built around a copper core, which means you can expect fast, even heat. It’s nontoxic (no lead, no fumes), oven-friendly, and dishwasher-safe, and it comes in an emerald green or sandy dune color. The 10.5-inch pan feels sturdy and substantial in your hand, but it’s not so heavy that it’s cumbersome to lift.

Buy: The Coated Pan, $95

I will spare you the suspense and say right away that I am still incredibly happy with my Coated Pan. Over the course of this last year I’ve used it on an almost-daily basis to make eggs of all kinds (including frittatas, as the pan can go into a 500-degree oven), pan-fried tofu, pancakes, sautéed cinnamon-butter apple slices (my son’s favorite), quesadillas, and more.

For my first few forays into cooking with the pan, I wanted to see how it performed without the addition of oil, as I know that is why some people are interested in nonstick cookware. I cracked eggs right into it and got to frying; in all instances, the eggs slid out with ease, and there were no bits of stuck-on food to scrape out of the pan afterwards. After my no-oil experiment, though, I quickly started using the pan in a way that felt more natural to my style of cooking — with a generous pour of olive oil, coconut oil, or butter — and that, as you can imagine, yielded the same impressive results, just with even more delicious flavor.

In the spirit of true transparency, I will also say that I haven’t been a perfect nonstick-pan owner. There have been times, in a pinch, where I’ve used the wrong utensil (read: metal) to flip eggs or stir ingredients. I’ve also never hand-washed this pan; for each time I’ve used it, it’s gone in the dishwasher after. While the pan is technically dishwasher-safe, I often question if that’s true for my particular brand of (obsessive) dishwasher use. My pan definitely looks a little more dinged-up now compared to the smooth surface it had when I first got it, but its performance has not been affected at all. So if you are like me and throw everything in the dishwasher with abandon, you don’t have to worry.

If you are looking to add a high-quality, nontoxic, nonstick pan to your kitchen, I absolutely recommend the Coated Pan. At $95, it is an investment, but it does what it sets out to do, and it’s a joy to cook with. And, most importantly, it holds up — even after a year of cooking like no other.