Caraway Home Sauté Pan Review 2023 | Non-Toxic Cookware
We tried Caraway’s 4.5qt Sauté Pan for 3 months, and here’s what we thought…
The Top Line: IT IS DEFINITELY A BUY. We love Caraway’s 4.5qt Sauté Pan so much —that it has become our most-reached-for pan, even when we just need to fry 1 egg 😂. Others in the family (my husband, my mother when she stayed with us for a weekend) have commented on how beautiful it is. It is very non-stick (food slides right off!) and so very easy to clean. Most of all, we love that we don’t need to worry about PFOA or PFAS with this pan, and looking to slowly replace our existing cookware with Caraway! BUY BUY BUY!
The Breakdown:
Cost & Products: $145, and it comes in a variety of gorgeous colors 😍
How ‘Clean’ Is This? Features a non-toxic ceramic-coated interior that is free of PTFE, PFOA, PFAS, and Heavy Metals. The product is also not hard anodized (which has been very popular in making durable cookware), which poses an environmental risk due to potentially harmful manufacturing byproducts.
Packaging: Came in cardboard packaging!
Purchasing & Shipping: You can purchase on the Caraway Home website!
What’s Your Impact? Many traditional non-stick cookware contains PTFE, commonly known as Teflon®, is a synthetic chemical. When exposed to high temperatures, PTFE-coated pans can release toxic fumes known as “forever chemicals” that present mild to severe toxicity. A 1999 study found that 98% of people in the United States had PFOA in their blood. This was due to environmental exposure to the chemical. As a result, the US EPA put up a program to eliminate the use of PFOA by 2015.
The Experience
Context: Our cookware is pretty old (if it ain’t broke…) and most all are hard anodized or Teflon non-stick, as I have never liked cooking with stainless steel and dealing with food sticking to the pan.
Why We Decided to Try Caraway Home’s 4.5qt Sauté Pan
When we started hearing about PFOA, we started actively looking at cleaner options — which appears to be basically Cast Iron, Stainless Steel or Ceramic-Coated.
We did read online that Cast Iron or Stainless Steel may longest lasting, as ceramic coating can eventually wear down (like after many many years), but we really need the convenience of non-stick, so Ceramic-coated became our preferred option. We do have a few cast iron skillets and pots that we use for some recipes
We looked at a number of options for ceramic-coated, include Caraway, Our Place, Made In, Green Pan — and decided to try Caraway because of the beautiful design (and colors!) and range of cookware that seemed to suit our needs best long term, as we want to slowly transition our cookware to safer options
We decided we would start with Caraway’s 4.5qt Sauté Pan as it was the size of pan we use the most — perfect for making a family-sized meal, with a bit extra for leftovers
What We Thought
The pan itself is gorgeous. We got the Cream color, and got many comments from friends and family
The size of pan is very generous, a bit bigger (and heavier) than the previous Teflon saute pan, and it comes with a lid
The non-stick is VERY non-stick. Food just slides off! We are using much less oil to cook
SO easy to clean, and it comes with a cute little sponge (pictures below)
After pretty heavy usage, the pan looks like it is brand new
We have been using the Caraway’s 4.5qt Sauté Pan now for over 3 months, at least 2-3 nights a week, and it has become our most reached-for pan. Even when we’re just frying 1 egg and could probably use a smaller pan! It is just so easy to use and clean, looks so pretty — we’re now eyeing some of the other pans in their line-up.
The Cost
We compared the cost of Caraway’s 4.5qt Sauté Pan with a number of other clean Sauté pans by Made In, Le Creuset, GreenPan, and Our Place. Caraway’s pan is slightly larger and more affordable the the others out there, other than Lodge’s cast iron skillet.
Money Report: Caraway’s 4.5qt Sauté Pan is the most affordable non-stick option. From a design perspective, we think Caraway’s 4.5qt Sauté Pan is also the most aesthetically pleasing (our opinion, we know…) — Le Creuset’s would be the only other one we might covet, but it is significantly more expensive.
The Good:
✔ Non-stick (like really non-stick, food slides right off…)
✔ SO gorgeous, really one of the most aesthetically pleasing ones out there IMHO
✔ Non-toxic materials; free of PTFE, PFOA, PFAS, Heavy Metals
✔ Not hard-anodized, (which has been very popular in making durable cookware), which poses an environmental risk due to potentially harmful manufacturing byproducts.
✔ So easy to clean, looks like new despite pretty heavy usage for 3 months
The Bad:
✗ No complaints!!
Our Recommendation: IT IS DEFINITELY A BUY. We love Caraway’s 4.5qt Sauté Pan so much —that it has become our most-reached-for pan, even when we just need to fry 1 egg 😂. Others in the family (my husband, my mother when she stayed with us for a weekend) have commented on how beautiful it is. It is very non-stick (food slides right off!) and so very easy to clean. Most of all, we love that we don’t need to worry about PFOA or PFAS with this pan, and looking to slowly replace our existing cookware with Caraway! BUY BUY BUY!
We're on a mission to reduce our personal carbon footprint with small, hopefully easy, changes in our home to fight against climate change. This means we're looking for products that may be all natural, ideally zero waste, reusable or compostable -- while still being affordable!
