Saw It On Social: The Our Place Always Pan

Jan 5, 2021

The Always Pan was, without question, the most requested review of 2020.  Because when someone tells you that there’s a single pan that can replace all of your other cookware, fry eggs that would make a French chef blush, and grant you three magical wishes, people want to know if those claims are real.  So I bought the pan that’s been filling up my Instagram feed for months…but the story does not end there.

The Always Pan from Our Place is billed as a “do-it-all wonder is designed to replace 8 traditional pieces of cookware.”  From a stay cool handle to the included spatula and steamer basket, the pan has a lot of bells and whistles.

You’ve probably seen the candy-colored pans on the feed of nearly every blogger with more than 25,000 followers. Influencers rave about the pan.  They use phrases like “all-in-one” and “near perfect.”  They claim they’ve never cooked so well or that cleanup has never been so easy.  But is it true?

I ordered The Always Pan in Steam (pale beige) on a Sunday night.  On Thursday, I received an email letting me know that the pans were significantly backordered and that I wouldn’t receive mine until late December.  It was November 12th.  Waiting has never been my strong suit, but things happen.

But when they started a holiday sale the next day (one that was promoted by every influencer in my feed), I began to wonder how they had enough stock to recover from a 4-8 week delay in order to deliver all those new orders by Christmas.  Answer: depending on what color you ordered you might have gotten your pan by December 25th, you might be getting it in February like my friend who loved the sage color a lot.

I received a tracking number for the pan on December 16th.  Then, it didn’t arrive.  I called.  I emailed.  I was told another pan could be sent in mid-January or early-February.  I skipped it and cancelled the order.

But as luck would have it, a friend had one she let me borrow for a week.  We made potstickers.  We made eggs and bacon.  We cooked fajita veggies and made skillet cookies.  And frankly, it’s a pan.  A very nice, very non-stick pan that does clean up very easily.  But, in my opinion, a pan.

The idea that it’s going to replace all of your cookware is a fallacy.  If you cook any reasonable amount or you cook for more than one person, you will either need more than one Always Pan to keep up with your meal prep or you’ll need your other cookware.

I liked the pan.  It doesn’t live up to all the hype (but that’s not the pan’s fault, the hype is huge), but it’s a solid non-stick pan.  I would buy one if the pan cost $75, but at $145, it’s a pass for me at full price.  The Great Jones makes a similar non-stick pan (no lid, bells or whistles) that I would buy over this, and for less than the Our Place pan I could buy two.

Bottom Line. If you don’t cook a ton or you have limited kitchen storage space, this pan is a nice option.  (I think it would also be a good option for someone going to college.  It heats evenly and the non-stick is great.  But the price is pretty high, the shipping delays are long, it doesn’t actually “replace” all your other cookware, and most of what you’re buying is the mystique of smiling women in your social feeds who probably got the pan for free.

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  1. Nadine says:

    Thank you for this. I have been so tempted by these ads. I cook a lot and have limited storage space, but I also already have decent pans. It’s nice to know I’m not missing out on anything.

  2. Danielle says:

    Thank you so much for this review! It’s so hard to tell how good the pan actually is. The FOMO from all of the influencing is real, and it’s great to save my money on this.

  3. Sooze says:

    I second the suggestion to try Great Jones.

    • Sam says:

      I ordered some items from Great Jones as Christmas gifts and was disappointed. Items promised by Christmas didn’t arrive and are still back ordered. The baking pans were scratched. Overall while the undamaged pieces were attractive but the quality was not equal to things I buy from restaurant supply stores. Customer service was responsive and apologetic.

  4. Eileen says:

    I bought the Always Pan in a moment of weakness, my weakness being coupon codes. The non-stick coating does perform well. For anyone buying it for looks (my other weakness is pretty colors), the painted exterior chips easily, so don’t bother.

  5. Christine S. says:

    “most of what you’re buying is the mystique of smiling women in your social feeds who probably got the pan for free”

    I’m dead. This is amazing and literally sums up a lot of influencer culture. Thank you (as always) for trying this so we don’t have to!!

  6. ashley says:

    I have been waiting for this review and you did not disappoint! Thank you for cutting through the spin and giving us just the straight facts (like always!)

  7. Sharon says:

    Thank you SO much for the honest review. I almost gave in to the hype but then saw that it would be valentine’s at a minimum before I received it so decided to wait. Now, I am happy that I did not buy into the hype!

  8. Lindsey says:

    Echoing many of the other comments, really appreciate your candidness. I too was intrigued – you’d have to almost be dead not to be. I’m almost ready for a couple of new sauté pans, but would rather by a long standing, reputable brand that I know will last me the next 10 years… especially for the price. Thanks for your honest review!

  9. Monica T says:

    At that price you can buy a workhorse All Clad D5 stainless steel pan! Hearing from other commenters that the exterior finish chips is just the icing on the cake. Thanks for such an honest review, I’ll continue in my belief that cast iron or stainless steel are the best pans for the money.

  10. Shari says:

    Thanks for review. I have to disagree slightly. I love this silly media hyped pan. The sides are high, the pan is nice and deep and holds a lot. I bought mine on the Black Friday special and received before Christmas. It heats nicely and cleans easily. It’s nice and light. We will see how it holds up but in first glance, I like it. The price was comparable to a very nice non stick pan of that size.

    • Emma says:

      I still love mine after one year of use. I do have a small chip starting at the rim of the pan. You can only see it when cooking. The pan and spatula are a little less nonstick. In my mind these are little things. I was an “early adopter” and got a great price. Plus I didn’t have unrealistic expectations from all the hype.

    • Jessica says:

      +1. Bought it on sale and have loved it the past 6 months. We will see how it holds up long-term, and I still definitely use my cast iron, but it’s one of the best pans I’ve ever purchased and replaces probably 4 pans (8? No.?

    • RAR says:

      Also +1. I bought this on sale and we absolutely love it. We use it multiple times a week and while it hasn’t replaced all of our other cookware, it’s easily the pan we reach for the most. We loved it so much we gifted it to to two family members for Christmas – they also love theirs!

  11. Caroline says:

    Ooo, thank you for this. Those Great Jones pans look intriguing.

  12. sara says:

    thanks for your review! I did hear from one influencer who was doing an instagram q&a back in december who reported that the pan didn’t hold up well after 9+ months of use (sorry, all, I can’t remember who it was)

    • Elizabeth says:

      I saw that, too. I personally wouldn’t buy a pan that expensive if it loses it’s non-stickyness in less than a year. Too bad, because the colors are so pretty! I’m such a sucker for pretty, useful things.

  13. Eleni says:

    Appreciate this post and your always honest reviews1

  14. Lauren says:

    This is why I continue to read Capitol Hill Style. Finally, an honest review on the pan that every single blogger is “obsessed” with and “can’t live without”. Appreciate your time in reviewing it.

  15. Heather says:

    I bought an Always Pan through Good Morning America’s Deals and Steals for like $86 after taxes and shipping. I LOVED it the first 3 times I used it- so slippery and non stick. I couldn’t believe all the negative comments I saw from other owners saying the pans are bad. I felt so smug. And then on my 4th day of cooking (low temp, cooked a basic mahi mahi filet in avocado oil for 3 min) and the non stick completely wore off, fish stuck to the pan, and the pan has brown splotches all over it that no amount of cleaning will get rid of. And after 4 uses, Always refuses to take my pan back. Haven’t used it since. Such a waste of $86!

    • Pam says:

      I had a really similar experience via that GMA sale! Felt smug about getting a great deal and then within a few weeks everything is sticking. I’m able to clean mine up with Barkeepers friend, but it definitely didn’t live up to the hype.

  16. Jenny says:

    In my experience, nonstick pans don’t lasts long time, and you don’t really want them to. The idea of fhe coating flaking off into whatever I’m cooking just disturbs me. I have a nice all-clad skillet, a cast iron, a dutch oven, and then I just get nonstick skillets from IKEA that I can replace every few years.

  17. Nancy says:

    THANK YOU as always for honest reviews. Its so hard to know if a blogger really likes something or is simply compensated ( or hopes to be) for a positiive review.

  18. JanE says:

    I love reading your honest reviews! I’m not a one-pan woman, but I was beginning to wonder if I’d missed out on some wondrous invention. That’s the power of influence for you.

    For anyone searching for a good non-stick pan, I’m loving my carbon-steel pans (I have Matfer and Mauviel brands), which seem only now to be catching on in the U.S. but have been a thing in Europe for awhile, apparently. It isn’t good for all heat types and requires seasoning, so both my mom and my local kitchen store owner (Hill’s Kitchen in DC) rave about Swiss Diamond pans. I plan to replace my large sauté pan with one this year.

  19. Cathy says:

    Thank you for your frank review. Always appreciated!

  20. RosannE says:

    Thank you for your cogent and realistic review. Influencer culture is the new midnight infomercial. How anyone who actually cooks might think a single pan is all they need…well, FOMO and pretty pictures clearly go a long way over common sense.

    If anyone is wondering, All Clad stainless pans are are really the only dishwasher safe pans that are truly worthwhile as investment cookware. They are virtually indestructible, gorgeous, functional, and have proven decades long history. Cast iron enamel are great, but heavy AF and are not dishwasher friendly.

  21. SS says:

    Echoing the comments from others – thank you for reviewing this pan and for your candor! I was definitely tempted by the Black Friday sale, but we have four ‘workhorses’ in our kitchen – a huge All Clad pan, a gorgeous Le Creuset pot, and two cast irons – and they do well, so I held off. Good to know I’m not missing out (and it really would have been disappointing to buy it and have to baby it so it doesn’t chip).

    My husband and I went to a Sur La Table cooking class in the before times, and fell in love with the Scanpan we were given to use in that class. It’s nonstick but not teflon, and that’s probably the way we’ll go when it’s time to upgrade one of our smaller skillets.

  22. Kirina says:

    Love this! I have been so tempted to buy this pan based on the onslaught of ads and editorials on it. Thank you for being the voice of reason and providing a real review that is relatable and honest.

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