Hestan Nanobond 8-1/2” Nonstick Pan

WHAT IT DOES

If James Bond had to work undercover as a chef, he’d be given away in a heartbeat, because he wouldn’t be using the $50 commercial cookware of a pro kitchen. He’d push a button and have a dozen of these beauties deploy on to the rangetop.

These are pans that can be both shaken, and stirred.  They will totally upend your worldview of high-end cookware.  Available only through William-Sonoma, they are worth every penny.

Hestan’s NanoBond™ technology is a patented, multilayer structure that plys stainless steel with titanium-based alloys using a surprisingly environmentally sound,  chemical-free process. The result is thousands of superdense nano layers on the cookware surface that will take everything that you can throw at them:  Metal utensils; high heat; and salt pitting. They’re the Superman of skillets!

Like the Man of Steel, these Nanobond beauties have their own krytonite: Ingredients can, and will cause the surface to discolor in the cooking process, BUT, fear not! A few drops of Hestan’s cleaner, which smells a lot like Crest toothpaste, wiped on the surface turns it back to new, like a magic trick!

These are lifetime pans. You can hand them over to your kids. A great wedding gift!

The Cook’s Tour

Pros:

• 20% added cooking surface area;
• NanoBond™ is a proprietary alloy that includes ultralight titanium, that is super strong;
• Finish won’t wear off, unlike other “hybrid material”  pans;
• Doesn’t scratch like ceramic pans;
• Aluminum core serves up 35% greater heat conductivity than AllClad or Caphalon;
• Sealed rims are encapsulated in stainless steel to prevent delamination;
• Safe for use with metal utensils;
• Price should seem like a “con,” but with the rugged construction, it is a 20-30 year pan, not a 1-5 year one. Pay more, ultimately spend less.
• Made in Italy.

Cons:

• Rainbowing – The pan’s surface can temporarily discolor, based on whatever acids or other elements hit it, during cooking.  The condition is remedied using Hestan’s cleaner, or Barkeeper’s Friend, although Hestan’s is a no-brainer in the easy;
• Cleaner cost – Cleaner is a small additional cost.

MY TAKE

I’ve used a lot of different pans, including a range of the latest-greatest fad, the ceramic pan. As much as I love my ScanPans, I have to say that Hestan’s Nanobond pans are in a class unto themselves.  With the one thing that you need their cleaner, to keep them looking like the day that you bought them, these are the perfect pan. I can’t give seven stars, but I would happily do it if I could.