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Our Place Always Pan 2.0 (10.5-inch Ceramic Nonstick) Review: Is It Worth It?
The Instagram-viral pan that replaces a fry pan, sauté pan, saucier, steamer, skillet, saucepan, spatula, spoon rest and colander — in gorgeous ceramic-coated colors.
Quick answer: The Our Place Always Pan is the pretty, well-made, one-pan solution it advertises — for the right kitchen. Small apartments, minimalist setups, and design-conscious buyers should absolutely consider it. Larger households and heavy cooks need more than one pan and should look at a Caraway set instead. Treat the ceramic coating gently and it repays you for years.
Product image from the Amazon listing.
Our verdict
The Our Place Always Pan is the pretty, well-made, one-pan solution it advertises — for the right kitchen. Small apartments, minimalist setups, and design-conscious buyers should absolutely consider it. Larger households and heavy cooks need more than one pan and should look at a Caraway set instead. Treat the ceramic coating gently and it repays you for years.
The short version
The Always Pan built its viral reputation on a smart idea: one deep, curved pan that genuinely does the job of eight kitchen tools. The 2.0 version is heavier-bottomed than the original, uses a nontoxic ceramic nonstick coating (PFOA/PTFE-free), comes with a nesting steamer basket and a beechwood spatula, and lives on the stovetop in one of a dozen gorgeous colors. It's not indestructible cast iron — the ceramic coating will wear down eventually — but for everyday sautéing, one-pan dinners, small pasta or eggs, it's a real quality-of-life upgrade over a mismatched cheap set.
Pros & cons
Pros
- Deep 10.5-inch design covers frying, sautéing, simmering, steaming, boiling
- Ceramic nonstick coating is PFOA-, PTFE-, PFAS-, and lead-free
- Comes with a nesting steamer basket and matching wooden spatula
- Beautiful design and 12+ colors — countertop-worthy
- Lid included, oven-safe to 425°F
- Better weight and stability than the 1.0 version
Cons
- Ceramic nonstick wears down over 12-24 months of daily use (needs replacing eventually)
- Not induction compatible in the base version (buy the induction model separately)
- Premium price for a single pan — full cookware sets are cheaper per piece
Why people love it
One pan, many jobs
The deep curved shape means it can boil pasta water, sauté vegetables, sear a steak, simmer a sauce, steam broccoli, and fry eggs — replacing a small mix of separate pans.
Nontoxic ceramic coating
A sand-derived ceramic nonstick surface means eggs slide and cleanup is fast — with no PFOA, PTFE, PFAS, or lead-based chemicals in the coating.
Steam, sauté, serve
The included nesting steamer basket turns the pan into a steamer for veg or dumplings, the matching beechwood spatula stores on the handle, and the pan looks good enough to leave on the stove.
Who it's for
- Small-kitchen apartment dwellers
- New homeowners and wedding-registry buyers
- Anyone downsizing from a chaotic cookware collection
- Those avoiding PTFE (Teflon-family) coatings for health reasons
Our Place Always Pan 2.0 review: is the viral pan actually worth it?
The Always Pan went viral on social media in 2020 and stayed there for a reason: it's genuinely a smart product for a specific person. That person is someone with a small kitchen (studio apartment, first apartment after college, small older kitchen with little storage), who cooks mostly single-pan dinners for one or two, and who values design as much as function. For them, replacing three or four pans with one gorgeous 10.5-inch deep sauté pan is a real quality-of-life upgrade — less clutter, easier cleanup, prettier stovetop.
Where the hype is oversold is for larger households and heavy cooks. A 10.5-inch pan holds two chicken breasts, four eggs, or a modest stir-fry — not a full family dinner for four. Serious cooks will still want a cast iron for searing, a stainless steel for browning, and a large stockpot for pasta water. The Always Pan doesn't replace those; it replaces a small cheap nonstick and a cheap sauté pan. If your kitchen already has good cookware, the value proposition is design-driven, not functional. For someone starting fresh in a small kitchen — including as a wedding registry gift for a first apartment — it's an easy recommendation.
Our Place vs Caraway vs GreenPan: which nontoxic ceramic cookware should you buy?
Three legit brands compete in the modern ceramic-cookware category. Our Place is the design-first brand — most beautiful colors, best individual-pan experience, coordinating dinnerware, magazine-ready. Priced highest per piece. Caraway is the value-set brand — the four-piece cookware set costs about the same as one Always Pan and gives you a saucepan, sauté pan, fry pan and Dutch oven. Slightly less polished aesthetics but similar ceramic performance. GreenPan is the widest lineup — cheaper individual pieces, sold everywhere, ranges from budget to premium.
For a wedding registry or setting up a new kitchen from scratch, Caraway's set is the smartest value pick. For a small kitchen that mostly needs one great pan, Our Place is the design-winner. For replacing individual pans one at a time on a tighter budget, GreenPan's individual pieces at Target or Amazon are fine. Ceramic cookware from all three lasts 1-3 years before recoating is needed — none last decades like cast iron. Plan for that.
How to actually keep a ceramic nonstick pan working for years
Ceramic nonstick failure is almost never the pan — it's how you use it. Five habits triple pan life. First: cook only on medium or medium-low heat. Ceramic degrades quickly above 400°F/200°C, which happens fast on high burners. Second: use only wooden, silicone or bamboo utensils — even 'nylon-safe' spatulas will scratch ceramic with pressure. Third: never use aerosol cooking spray. The propellants leave a residue that permanently ruins ceramic; use a small dab of butter, oil from a bottle, or a Misto pump sprayer instead.
Fourth: hand-wash only, with a soft sponge and dish soap. Dishwashers degrade ceramic coatings through heat and harsh detergents. Never use steel wool or Comet-type abrasives. Fifth: re-season occasionally. When food starts to stick more than it used to (usually around month 12-18), rub a thin layer of neutral oil (grapeseed or canola) over the cooled clean pan surface with a paper towel, heat it on medium for 2-3 minutes, wipe off excess, and cool. This restores the slick surface for a few more months. Do all five and a $150 Always Pan can last 3-4 years of daily use rather than 12 months.
See Our Place Always Pan on Amazon
Check the latest price, photos and buyer reviews on Amazon.
Check Price on Amazon →Sold and shipped by AmazonFrequently asked questions
Our Place Always Pan vs a regular ceramic sauté pan from GreenPan or Caraway: is it worth the premium?
The Always Pan is best-in-class for design and quality-of-life extras (nesting steamer, wooden spatula, spoon-rest handle, gorgeous colors) — it's the reason it went viral. Underlying nonstick performance is roughly equivalent to Caraway's ceramic pan and slightly better than GreenPan's cheaper lines. If you want the best-designed one-pan solution and love the aesthetic, Our Place is worth the ~$150. If you want maximum cookware for the money, buy a Caraway 4-pan set for less per piece.
Is the ceramic coating actually safe? What about PFAS?
Yes. The Always Pan uses a sol-gel ceramic coating (sand-derived silica compound) with no PFOA, PTFE, PFAS or lead. That's a real health upgrade over classic Teflon (PTFE) pans, especially if you cook at high temperatures or scratch pans regularly. The tradeoff: ceramic coatings wear out faster than PTFE — expect 12-24 months of great performance before eggs start sticking, and 2-4 years of usable life. You're trading long-term durability for a safer surface.
Is the Always Pan induction compatible?
The standard Always Pan 2.0 is NOT induction compatible — it works on gas, electric coil, and glass-ceramic stovetops but not induction. Our Place sells a separate 'Always Pan 2.0 for Induction' with a magnetic base — buy that model if you have an induction cooktop. Verify at checkout — both are on Amazon and the packaging looks similar.
How do I extend the life of the ceramic nonstick coating?
The ceramic coating is the whole game — treat it well and it lasts 3-4x longer. Cook on medium or medium-low heat (ceramic degrades faster on high). Never use metal utensils; the beechwood spatula that comes with it or silicone utensils only. Hand-wash with a soft sponge and gentle soap — no dishwasher, no abrasive scrubbers, no cooking spray (aerosol propellants leave residue that ruins the coating). Season occasionally with a thin layer of neutral oil rubbed in with a paper towel. Do these five things and you'll double the pan's life.
Can I put the Always Pan in the oven?
Yes, up to 425°F. That covers most oven finishing (frittatas, cornbread, seared-then-baked chicken thighs, roasted vegetables). Do not use under the broiler or above 425°F — the handle uses materials that degrade at higher heat, and the ceramic coating can fail. Use potholders — the handle gets hot in the oven and is not stay-cool during oven use.
Is the Our Place Always Pan actually better than a $30 cheap ceramic pan on Amazon?
For daily performance, marginally — a $30 ceramic pan from a decent brand cooks eggs and sautés vegetables just fine. Where Our Place wins is (1) design integration — the nesting steamer, matching spatula, and spoon-rest handle are genuinely useful daily; (2) the aesthetic — it lives on your countertop looking like art, which cheap pans do not; (3) build quality — the 2.0 is heavier and warps less than $30 pans; and (4) the perch on the handle for a resting spatula. For the person who just wants a functional ceramic pan, cheap works. For someone building a curated modern kitchen, Our Place is worth the price.
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