HestanNanoBond Titanium Stainless Steel 8.5" Open Skillet

No more unhealthy black nonstick pans for this girl!

I inherited my mother’s old pans, many of them All-Clad with Teflon-lined interiors. To me, All-Clad was always the epitome of quality—until I took a deep dive into the world of cookware. I started researching saucepans, sauté pans and frying pans and learned that even high-quality stainless steel cookware, including brands like All-Clad and Made In, can release small amounts of nickel into food, particularly acidic foods such as tomato sauce. Then there were the PFAS chemicals associated with Teflon-style nonstick coatings. Given my history of breast cancer at 38, I decided I simply wasn't comfortable continuing to use them. My first thought was ceramic-coated cookware. It seemed like the obvious solution for a safer nonstick experience. But the more I read, the less appealing it became. Ceramic coatings can lose their nonstick properties relatively quickly, and some experts recommend treating them as relatively short-term cookware—particularly once the surface becomes scratched. That didn't sit well with me. The idea of buying a pan that might need to be thrown away after a few years, only to add more waste to an already overflowing landfill, was hardly the sustainable solution I was looking for. Eventually, my research led me to the Hestan Culinary NanoBond line. This cookware uses a Titanium cooking surface that is designed to be exceptionally durable and with a high heat threshold, while avoiding the traditional nonstick coating altogether. And, frankly, it's beautiful. But could it really be that good? I ordered a set of two pans and decided to put them to the test. I had just gotten rid of all my Teflon pans, so I needed something to cook with anyway. The verdict: I am amazed. Full disclosure: I am no cook. But I have a boyfriend who would like me to become one, so I figured I'd start simple. My first experiment with the 11-inch frying pan was a grilled cheese sandwich. The first attempt got a little burnt—definitely user error. The next time, I lowered the heat, and voilà: perfect grilled cheese. Cleanup wasn't quite as effortless as with traditional nonstick, but it wasn't appreciably harder, either. And because these pans are far too nice to let them get dingy, I decided I would clean them carefully after every use. The cleaning “sauce” that came with the set brought them right back to their original gleaming brilliance. So, what's the upshot? If you can afford the upgrade, I say go for it. In my opinion, the Hestan NanoBond is in a different league from All-Clad and Made In cookware. Yes, it's expensive. But I believe this is the kind of cookware you buy once and keep for a lifetime—and with a little care, it can look like a million bucks while you're doing it. And perhaps best of all, you get to skip the part where your supposedly “sustainable” cookware eventually ends up in the garbage. Buy once. Cook for years. And give your conscience—and the landfill—a break. :-)