If you’ve spent any time on FoodTok or followed food influencers on Instagram over the past few years, you’ve probably seen an ad for Our Place’s Always Pan. When it launched in 2019, it practically broke the internet thanks to its combination of trendy colors, clever marketing, relentless omnipresence, and a bold promise: This is a pan you will use…always. For every meal.
The multifunctional ceramic-coated nonstick pan was designed to replace multiple traditional cookware pieces. According to the marketing, it could “braise, sear, steam, strain, sauté, fry, boil, bake, roast, and serve.” With a color-drenched body and matching lid, built-in spatula rest, and a nesting steamer basket, it offered an all-in-one solution for low-maintenance weeknight cooking. PFAS-free, it was poised to appeal to shoppers who were looking to ditch their Teflon at a time when public conversation about toxic "forever chemicals" was at a fever pitch.
To be completely transparent: I wasn’t ready to like this pan. I owned the first-generation Always Pan, which scorched and scratched easily and lost its nonstickiness quickly. In 2023, Our Place released the Always Pan 2.0, an upgraded version that promised to address the issues of the first iteration. Naturally, I was curious to see if this new model lived up to the hype.
After cooking with the Always Pan 2.0 for the past five months, I’m a convert. I never thought I’d want another nonstick pan after tossing the first-gen model (I’ve been using heavy-duty, well-seasoned cast iron for my nonstick-needing tasks ever since), but I haven’t taken this upgraded version off my stovetop since it arrived.
Here are my thoughts on the Always Pan 2.0: what worked, what didn’t, and who it’s good for.
What I cooked
I tested the Always Pan 2.0 across a variety of meals over the last five months, using it for most of my cooking whenever possible. I steamed soup dumplings, reheated frozen potstickers from Trader Joe’s, meal-prepped a beef burrito bowl, seared snap peas and shrimp, scrambled eggs, and even made a one-pot pasta. I cooked with it when sleep-deprived and delirious after late-night flights and on slow Saturday mornings with nothing but brunch on my mind.
What I like about the Always Pan 2.0
Going into this review, I thought, I test kitchen gadgets for a living. I know chefs don’t like nonstick. Using this pan is pointless because I only need stainless steel or cast iron. And I was wrong. Despite my loyalty to stainless-steel and cast-iron pans, I found myself reaching for the Always Pan more often than I expected.
It is—hands down—the nonstick-iest pan I’ve ever used. Teflon included. It feels like magic. Our Place calls the cookware's coating “Thermakind,” a proprietary, PFAS-free surface that’s now 50% longer-lasting than the version used for the Always Pan 1.0.
Now, sautéeing is a breeze thanks to the pan's even heat distribution. The design is also lightweight enough to maneuver with one hand. Eggs slide right out at a tilt of the wrist, potstickers pop free with a gentle nudge. Plus, cleaning is nearly effortless. It is technically dishwasher-safe (although we don’t recommend putting your nonstick pans in the dishwasher), but even when washing by hand, it wipes clean with little scrubbing.
When you’re exhausted after a long day, this pan is clutch. You don’t need to wait for a stainless-steel skillet to preheat to the perfect temperature, and less babysitting of your food is required since it’s so nonstick.
Meal prep is also easier with the Always Pan. Finish browning the ground beef, wipe it clean, switch to vegetables or eggs—done. No scrubbing burnt-on bits and no need for extra pans.
What I didn’t like
The lid has a safe-to-touch top, but the area where it connects to the pan gets very hot, so you have to watch out for that; however, the stainless-steel handle has a “stay-cool effect” that didn't give me any trouble. Some people may not like the rectangular handle, and I admit it’s not the most ergonomic when you’re trying to flip, say, an over-easy egg, but I do like how the shape allows it to double as a spoon rest.
I found the steamer basket to be useful, but the legs are quite short, so you can’t add a ton of water. When steaming soup dumplings, the water evaporated quickly, leaving a slight burnt residue—but again, it wipes away instantly thanks to the nonstick surface.
You also can’t push this pan to extremely high heat. The Always Pan 2.0 is oven safe up to 450°F (an upgrade from the original), but because ceramic coatings naturally degrade over time, the best way to preserve the pan is to cook on medium heat. That means I didn’t get a char on skin-on chicken thighs, perfectly seared veggies, or the deepest flavor when frying aromatics for a coconut red curry soup.
In my tiny NYC apartment, my main oven is mostly for storage, and I rely on a mini countertop convection oven for cooking. Even though the Always Pan 2.0 is technically oven safe, the 10-inch model didn’t fit in my appliance because of its long handle. The 8-inch version likely would, and anyone with a standard-sized oven won’t have this issue.
Who is the Always Pan 2.0 good for?
The Always Pan 2.0 is the pan you’ll grab when convenience matters most. When I’m tired and want to make meal prep a breeze, I'm whipping up eggs or quesadillas, or can't bear a lengthy washing-up time, I’ll reach for the Always Pan. When I want to make chicken thighs with perfectly rendered skin, seared veggies, or ultra crispy rice, I’ll reach for stainless steel, cast iron, or carbon steel.
The Always Pan is perfect for cooking the basics: one-pot pastas, refried beans, scrambled eggs, and frozen favorites. It’s a great starter pan for a new cook, and if you already own a nonstick pan, this is a nontoxic, ultra-nonstick upgrade. Grab the 8-inch model if you want to add a nonstick pan to your collection, or the 10-inch hits the sweet spot for everyday cooking.