Not-so-fun fact: Many of the nonstick coatings that sit atop your favorite pots and pans are… not great for your health. Sure, we’ve come a long way since Teflon, with many brands exploring new ways of creating cookware that’s easy to clean up minus any chemicals or toxins seeping into your food. The downside? They can’t stand high heat, and their nonstickiness tends to wear out in the long run. The alternatives, like stainless steel and copper, make wonderful cooking companions—if you know how to use and care for them correctly, that is. (I’m looking at you, cast iron.)
The solution? The new Our Place Titanium Always Pan Pro ($195), which combines the best of both worlds of nonstick and traditional cookware. The sleek, metal pan is completely nonstick, only there’s no coating. Instead, it features a proprietary “NoCo” titanium construction to, “bring a powerful fusion of high-performance materials to an entirely new nonstick experience,” per the website.
As someone who swears by her original nonstick Always Pan ($150), Our Place’s tall claims immediately got my attention. Was this new pan really nonstick without a coating? And how well did it hold up in the kitchen? Here’s what happened when I put it to the test. (Spoiler alert: it works.)
About the Titanium Always Pan Pro
The Titanium Always Pan Pro looks exactly the same as its ceramic predecessor, with a few key tweaks. The biggest is its hardy, fully clad, triple-ply construction, complete with aluminum core and titanium interior. The star of the show is that “NoCo” (short for “no coating”) titanium surface, which features teeny, tiny micro-textures pressed into the metal. Combined with ultra-hardened titanium, this surface becomes naturally hydrophobic and allows food that would normally stick it to slide around the pan with ease.
What I love
It’s stunning
In true Our Place fashion, the Titanium Always Pan Pro is beautiful. As mentioned, it sports the exact same silhouette as the original Always Pan but swaps the soft, candy-colored matte ceramic for shiny stainless steel. Think of it as the Always Pan but all grown up; the all-silver exterior is a little bit more serious than the colorful ceramic, while the Chrome/Gold version, which sports gold handles, is about as elegant as you can get.
I have the solid Chrome version and love the way it looks out on my countertops when I’m not cooking. However, I will note that, since it’s stainless steel, prepare yourself for fingerprints. Nothing a quick buff can’t handle but when they’re there, they’re there.
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It’s *super* easy to clean
Like most normal people I know, I hate doing dishes. Anything that can safely go in the dishwasher gets a big gold star from me, the pan included.
Despite my disdain for handwashing, I will say I don’t hate cleaning this one—it’s so easy to rinse. The titanium nonstick interior is a wonder at keeping even the stickiest sauces and stubborn bits of food off the edges. I recently cooked shakshuka—which is always a delicious mess to clean up—and watched in wonder as my tomato-y, egg-y, cheese-y mix effortlessly slid around the pan as it simmered. When it was time to clean up, I ran it under hot water and watched the bits that had stayed on slide off with ease. A quick scrub down with some dish soap, and it was as good as new in under two minutes.
Some caveats: You have to use oil when you cook with it, that’s how you activate the non-stickiness of the titanium “NoCo” interior. (This is pretty standard across stainless steel and other non-coated cookware). Our Place recommends “at least one teaspoon of high smoke oil” to get those nonstick juices flowing, per the brand’s website. Otherwise, you’re looking to whip up nothing but a scorched, stuck-on mess.
The other thing is that, since it is metal, it can rust when it’s not dried properly or has been exposed to moisture for a long stretch of time. That hasn’t happened to my pan yet, but if it does, a deep clean will be in order. The brand recommends using boiling water, a sprinkle of baking soda, and some steel wool (on the interior only—don’t use don’t he stainless steel as it can scratch!)
Its construction
The Titanium Always Pan Pro is a durable culinary powerhouse that cooks like a charm. The 3-ply construction allows for near-perfect heat retention and distribution, ensuring that every dish I cook comes out perfect, with no hot spots or uneven cooking. The aluminum heats up fast, so there’s no waiting around for the surface area to heat up. Best of all, it’s compatible with all cooktops—including induction stovetops—and is oven-safe to a whopping 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit (or 750 degrees if you have the gold/chrome combo).
I am by no means a professional chef, but I feel like the real deal every time I use my pan. For me, that gets a resounding, “Yes, chef.”
What I don’t love
The handle gets hot
There are some downsides, including the handles that get hot. I mean HOT—I forgot that the handle gets quite warm and burnt my fingers the other day out of habit. The lid gets super hot, too. Even though the brand’s website says that both the handle and lid won’t get hot, I urge you to use an oven mitt while you use it. Toasted fingertips are no fun!
It’s heavy
Compared to some of the other frying pans I’ve tested, the Titanium Always Pan Pro is on the heavier side. Weighing in at 3.4 pounds, it’s not as heavy as, say, my cast iron Dutch oven, but it’s still got some heft to it. My advice when you’re transporting a hot meal from stove to table: Use two hands! (And oven mitts!)
Final thoughts
Sorry to my original Always Pan—the new Titanium Always Pan Pro is my new cooking BFF. It’s a kitchen companion that adds style and convenience to your cooking routine, perfect for whipping up quick meals and longer, more elaborate dishes alike. Despite a couple of minor quirks, it lives up to its tall claims and makes a worthwhile investment for any home chef.
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