I’ve Been Using This Do-Everything Pan Every Day for Two Years — and It’s on Major Sale for Prime Day

published Oct 8, 2024
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Credit: Our Place

I have been cooking since I was in middle school, and until recently I was not passionate about the nonstick pans I was using (which is primarily what I cooked with then and still largely cook with now). When I struck out on my own after college, I was using what was affordable, which often meant I was cooking with pans that were prone to falling apart quickly. But that all changed when I was introduced to Our Place’s Mini Always Pan

The Mini Always Pan single-handedly changed my outlook on nonstick pans. I can now recognize that I didn’t care about them much before because most of the ones I used previously were just not high-quality. But this one is different, in part because of the brand’s ThermaKind nonstick coating that is incredibly durable. Is it pricey? Yes, at $120 the Mini Always Pan is more expensive than some of the other comparable options you could grab off Amazon. And while I do think the cost is worth it — given that I have cooked with my pan daily for over two years, and it still performs — you can snag it for just $90 today as part of Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days sale. 

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What Is the Our Place Mini Always Pan 2.0?

Meet the Mini Always Pan: The little sister to Our Place’s beloved Always Pan. The most obvious and important difference between the two is the size. The Always Pan is 10.5 inches, while the mini is 8.5 inches, making it ideal for whipping up eggs, searing shrimp, and cooking up smaller portion sizes of sautéed veggies, pancakes, and more. Like the Always Pan, the mini comes with a matching lid and a wooden spatula (that I admittedly abandoned because caring for it was a little too much of a task for me). 

What really makes the Mini Always Pan (as well as the OG pan) special, though, is the nonstick coating on it. This one is truly different from any other nonstick pan I’ve ever used (and I’ve used quite a few), and that’s because the ThermaKind coating on it is totally unique to the brand. Not only is it nontoxic, but I can also confirm that it is the most durable nonstick pan I’ve ever encountered (which is to say the coating hasn’t worn off, started peeling, or gotten chipped or scratched in the over two years I’ve been cooking with it). 

Now, I should point out that the Mini Always Pan I have is the original version the company launched in 2022. In 2023, Our Place released 2.0 versions of the Always Pan and the mini, which have replaced the original version (so it’s the one you would purchase now). Nic Dobija-Nootens reviewed the Always Pan 2.0 for us when it came out, writing: “This newer model looks and works very much like the original one, although it has some key upgrades that make it even more useful and more durable.”

Credit: Micki Wagner.

Why I Love the Our Place Mini Always Pan

For years now, I have been eating eggs in some form or another every day for breakfast. Typically, I’ll scramble them or make them over-easy, but every so often I’ll indulge myself and make an omelet loaded up with cheese and whatever other fixins look good in my fridge. Upon getting the Mini Always Pan, I immediately made it my go-to for those daily eggs. And now I don’t even think twice about using it. In fact, it lives on my stovetop; I’ve never put it away. Beyond its exceptional durability, one thing I love about this pan is how stylish it looks on my stovetop. There are six colors available (and on sale!) on Amazon right now — including the lavender shade that the brand is discontinuing. I have the Spice shade — which is a salmon pink color — and I love it so much. But truly, you can’t go wrong with any of the brand’s gorgeous, muted tones. 

I will say, though, that while my pan hasn’t chipped, peeled, or scratched, it has gotten stained both on the outside and in a little spot on the inside over the course of the last couple of years. I have tried scrubbing the stained areas with dish soap and warm water to no avail, but I haven’t tried anything more heavy-duty for fear of compromising the nonstick coating. That said, the staining doesn’t particularly bother me from an aesthetic standpoint.

Although there are plenty of nonstick pans you could buy off Amazon alone, I genuinely believe that the Mini Always Pan is the one you should be buying during Big Deal Days if you’re looking for a durable, stylish egg pan that can really go the distance. 

Buy: Our Place Mini Always Pan 2.0, $90 (normally $120)