HexClad cookware sets

Which frying pan size, and the Dutch oven

HexClad gives each frying pan’s flat base: 7.5 inches on the 8-inch pan, 9.4 on the 10-inch, 11.4 on the 12-inch and 13.8 on the 14-inch, which has a second handle for lifting it full. Set that against your largest burner or induction zone before you choose: few home burners are 14 inches across. The six-piece frying pan bundle is the same three pans, each with a glass lid. The pans go in the oven to 900°F, the lids to 400°F. The 12-inch pan weighs 3.0 lb and its lid 2.3 lb. HexClad lists the 8-inch pan at 4.0 lb, more than the 12-inch, so we leave that figure out; its six-piece set page gives the same pan as 1.6 lb, which fits the other sizes.

Neither HexClad set includes a Dutch oven; the 5-quart is sold on its own. With its stainless steel lid it weighs 4.9 lb, against 13.29 lb for Lodge’s seasoned 5-quart. It goes in the dishwasher and, HexClad says, in the oven to 900°F, but HexClad gives no limit for the lid, and the inside is the same steel-and-ceramic nonstick surface as the pans, not bare or enameled iron.

For big batches HexClad also makes a 7-quart deep sauté pan, which it calls a chicken fryer, with a 12.6-inch flat base, a helper handle and a glass lid, and a 12-quart stockpot for boils, gumbo and chili for a crowd. The sauté pan weighs 4.4 lb and its lid 2.7 lb; HexClad gives no measurements or weight for the stockpot.

Questions before you choose