They Finally Made the PERFECT Pan (Or Did They?)

[@wozzinator]

I love your attention to detail! The IR camera is an excellent addition to your review of their claims.

[@PrudentReviews]

Thank you! Trying to look at all angles :)

[@brianfritz575]

I was a backer of Strata on Kickstarter. I bought a 10". I have a nice cast iron pan I love, but it is incredibly heavy. The cast iron is awesome for searing a steak. The Strata is for when I normally would use a nonstick pan. It heats evenly (most nonstick is thin, and has a pronounced hotspot, or is really expensive and since the Teflon coating will die in a couple years, is not a wise purchase.), is light, and that loses heat quickly, I find as a plus, it responds quickly when I change the burner temp, unlike thicker cast iron or carbon steel only pans. If you can cook with stainless, you will catch on to Strata very quickly. I like it so well, decided to also buy there smaller pan, It is I believe 8.5"... looking forward to it for omelet making. No more having to throw away a Teflon pan every two years. I really think stainless, cast iron and the Strata all have earned their place in our kitchen. With those in a couple select sizes, not much we cannot do perfectly.

[@nasigil5928]

I think it's a good concept and it's basically a ideal iteration of carbon steel pan for home cooks. It just still can't completely replace stainless steel pans because of the acidic food concerns

[@parm_is_coding]

i see the low heat retention as a plus, means it stays hot when you want it and cools down faster when you want to prevent burning

[@PrudentReviews]

There are definitely pros and cons. Pans that are responsive don’t retain heat well and vice versa.

[@susvortin]

I backed the project on Kickstarter. Opted for the bundle, and I must say that it's been living up to my expectations so far. Love that the exterior is SS and it's lightweight. I wouldn't sear a steak with it, but for eggs, sauteing and pancakes etc. it's perfect. Unfortunately, inside the handle of one of the pans has a tiny metal piece inside that drives me nuts when i flip or shake the pan (really not that big of an issue once the heat is on and the kitchen fan is running). A general downside I find particularly prominent is that with the De Buyer Pros of mine I can easily hover my hand above the cooking surface to feel how hot the pan is before putting the ingredients in. However, with my 2 Stratas I haven't quite got the feel yet because they do not extrude the heat in the same noticeable way.

[@CoolJay77]

Just curious why you don't sear steaks in a Strata?

[@susvortin]

@@CoolJay77 I mean, if that was the only pan I had, of course I wouldn't hesitate to use it for searing. However, as I do have other pans for that purpose with quite better heat retention I therefore prefer those.

[@quakerwildcat]

​​@@CoolJay77It would be fine for a reverse sear, where you heat the steak to nearly cooked before searing it; but if you put a cold steak in a hot carbon steel pan, the temperature is going to crash. That's the heat retention drawback.

[@CoolJay77]

​@@quakerwildcat That may not matter. There is a cold pan steak cooking technique as demonstrated by America's Test Kitchen cooking a steak over a thin nonstick pan, with a great crust, a method developed by Andrew Janjigian. I don't see why it can't be done on a carbon steel pan, but perhaps with the addition of some cooking oil.

[@CoolJay77]

@@susvortin There is an interesting blind taste test on Made In's page, cooking steaks on four different types of pans, carbon steel has won. If I am not mistaken, their carbon steel pans are not even as thick as Matfer and De Buyer.

[@Lasertrac]

I was one of those who crowd funded Strata. When they finally showed up, 2 of my 3 kids snatched them up (my son being a creative cook). I've carefully keep track of their satisfaction and can report their approval. I appreciate your well documented and reasoned reviews. Please keep up the great work.

[@aaronmccord1129]

I have the 10” version of this pan and it has quickly become one of my favorites. I also like the handle, and the wide cooking surface. I have also seen how quickly it cools off compared to some of my other CS pans, but it’s worth the trade off for how light and maneuverable it is!

[@PrudentReviews]

It’s easy to see why it’s a favorite. I’m really enjoying it so far.

[@EngineerMikeF]

I also bought the 10" & love it. I burnt oil in it, scraped, scrubbed & picked it off, reseasoned it by just cooking in it & it's back to great. The light weight & smooth curve to the sides make it a pleasure.

[@alexe6301]

Very well-explained review. I've been eyeing the pan, and this confirms it's about what I expected: lightweight and similar thermal performance to clad stainless, but with the benefits (and downsides) of seasoning. I think it's cool that there's a new type of pan out there.

[@PrudentReviews]

Thank you. Yes it’s nice to see something new hit the market that isn’t a gimmick.

[@charlottebush-z6k]

I own this pan, and I can tell you, its my favorite! I think its well worth the money, considering this pan will not wear out. My food taste better, my sauces heat evenly, its just a better pan to cook with.

[@paulstevens1493]

Love my 12" Strata, I give it a 10/10! It's easily my favorite pan, and I haven't touched my nonstick pans, cast iron pans, or stainless steel pans since I bought it (except to cook a tomato sauce).

[@briand2614]

Indeed it is a clever design. The negatives apply equally to carbon steel pans, and even cast iron.

[@Dan-ml8cz]

That's what I was thinking too.

[@quakerwildcat]

Great summary. I learned a lot. It's a tempting purchase if for nothing other than fish. (I'm pretty adept with stainless, but my track record of searing fish without sticking OR overcooking is spotty.) And I have no trouble maintaining a seasoned CS wok.

[@beecat4183]

One thing you got wrong is the heat retention. This is a feature, not a bug. Being able to change the temperature of a pan quickly is an incredible boon for many types of cookery. That is why chefs have both copper or aluminum pans and iron, for different purposes.

[@invisiblekid99]

The only time I want heat retention.....for a frying pan, is say cooking a couple of steaks. Essentially heat retention means it drops less in temp when adding food. Other than that, I want reactive pans. Its the reason copper pans are held in such high regard for higher end restaurants.

[@searchingfortruth619]

It's a balance, for sure. I think because they're trying to upsell this as an improvement on reg carbon steel, the fact that the heat retention is worse could be viewed as a negative to that crowd.

[@dantu5377]

If you want a pan to retain heat, that mean it hard to make the pan fluctuate temperature

[@Jeffery-o6i]

I ordered the 12" pan via their kickstarter. I liked it so much I ordered the 2 smaller ones. For me the main advantage is weight. I wanted something my GF would be more comfortable using. (+ I'm hoping to move her away from non-stick pans!) She had gotten used to cooking salmon in the carbon steel pan so I'm slowly winning her over!!!!

[@PrudentReviews]

Love it!

[@paulgraham2314]

I have both the 10 & 12 and am happy with them because of the more even heating. I hope they eventually make both a flat bottom wok and a second line that has a thicker aluminum layer. There should be a point where they match the heat retention of a cast iron pan but still be lighter weight.

[@redflag4781]

If you want it to heat quicker it will inevitably cool quicker also.

[@nyohaku]

A large and light carbon steel pan that heats evenly sounds great for delicate cooking that requires a quick response to temperature changes. Hope they come out with a version with tall curved sides.

[@PrudentReviews]

They have 3 fry pans right now but I’d expect more shapes and sizes to come out at some point

[@JacksonWalter735]

Great pan if you’re looking for a lightweight nonstick pan that will last forever and require even heat distribution. The stoves at the kitchen section on my floor or the portable induction cooktop that many of us use when we’re too lazy to leave our dorm room have tiny heating elements. Cast iron and traditional carbon steel pans are only heated in the middle for our situation so many students only use those stoves/portable induction cooktops to boil water, cook eggs, or heat soup. Either that or we get teflon/ceramic pans with an aluminum core but those don’t last. I’m waiting for my 10” strata pan to come in so I can do some real cooking in my dorm room after basically living off my air fryer/microwave for most of my meals lol.

[@filmaadin]

There is nothing like the one perfect pan. Like there is no one perfect shoe or car. There are different purposes of cooking (e.g. eggs, tomato sauce, meat, …) and each of them deserve a specific pan. Especially, if you want to avoid non-stick garbage. The Strata pan solves an important issue of traditional carbon steel pans: weight (and as you mention uneven heating). That is huge. Thanks for your investigation 👍

[@chongli297]

I also like that the handle is not too long and it doesn't slope upward at a very steep angle. Some pans do that and it makes them annoying to use in the oven, especially a toaster oven. There should be no reason at all for a 10 inch pan to not be able to fit into a countertop oven such as a Breville. 12 inch may be more of a tight squeeze, although cast iron should work due to the small handles on those (traditional ones anyway)

[@PrudentReviews]

Agree!

[@JustinHEMI05]

I see no reason to give up my all clad D3. Nice to see people trying to bring new products though.

[@rnparimore09]

Great review. One question on your heat retaining test: I am only assuming when you took the pans off the burner for the rest time, that you placed it on the granite counter top as it appears in the video. That can be a cold surface and steal away the heat. But also it looked like you placed the other 2 pans in the same spot during their rest time. My thought is, did the strada pan warm up the cold surface of the counter so that when the other pans were placed on, they had a warmer surface to rest on than the strada? Thus less heat loss??

[@PrudentReviews]

That’s a great question and you are right, the granite retains heat and would impact the results. Because of that, I always wait until the granite cools completely before testing another pan. In this case, the pans were tested on different days.

[@rnparimore09]

@PrudentReviews thanks!

[@redroverredrover5311]

I have gotten a Star-Gazer pan,I dont think its heavy,buy my 12 lodge is right to it,I happily cook on both,rinse with hot water after cook with scrub brush

[@criticalmass613]

Stellar review. Thanks!!

[@PrudentReviews]

Thanks for watching!

[@CoolJay77]

Great, helpful review. I'd been considering to get one.

[@Dracomies]

The low heat on the sides isn't a bad thing. That's a good thing. Sometimes you don't want something to cook as fast as something and to gradually get hotter rather than it be hot everywhere. ie maybe butter or garlic. Because garlic burns quickly and butter just becomes a disaster if overcooked. So you kinda have it go on less hot areas. So yeah, overall this isn't much better than an Allclad Stainless steel pan.

[@davidstephenson3615]

You need to test solidtecnics 100% wrought iron pans, no rivets, indestructible, just great. Very different to other pans.

[@MrX8503]

I wish pans with sealed edges were more common. The edges aren’t dishwasher safe and the sharp edges wear down your dish rack.

[@rockys7726]

If the pan heats up quick it means it will cool down quick. That's physics. I thought I bought the greatest pan in a Debuyer Pro. Now I'm not so enamored since it's started to warp and things slide outward. Also I've noticed it's much cooler towards the handle.

[@kaspervendler1726]

I would like to buy one, but the shipping to EU countries + VAT and customs is a big no for me unfortunately. Your review was so good however that it makes me reconsider!

[@Panholistic]

Yep I guess I would have bought it if Strata only could ship their pans without additional costs to consumers in the EU like Darto in Argentina and some other pans made in China do.

[@brettscott7770]

Great review thanks.

[@PrudentReviews]

Thanks for watching!

[@Apoz]

an infrared camera really would go a long way here, and some standardisation with your stove when comparing it with other pans

[@LeggoMyLamb]

There is a Black Friday sale currently. 12.5" pan is now $126.65.

[@rufus_the_cat]

I would be very interested in one of these in a small 8 or 9 inch for eggs

[@PrudentReviews]

They have 8.5-, 10.5-, and 12.5-inch pans

[@rufus_the_cat]

@ yea I saw you can pre order the little one this is a great way for me to stop using non stick

[@njonesx11]

How does it compare to a Hestan Nanobond?

[@PrudentReviews]

Both good, but two very different pans. Hestan NanoBond performs more like a traditional stainless steel pan - it doesn't need to be seasoned and you can cook acidic ingredients. Strata can become more non-stick overtime as the seasoning build and is about a half pound lighter when comparing the 12.5-inch fry pans. Hestan is made in Italy and is more than twice the price.

[@NoZenith]

Thanks for the question, came for PRECISELY THIS

[@NoZenith]

​@PrudentReviews thank you so much for responding. I Really want nanobond so I'm looking at everything cause it's all "budget" in comparison

[@billystpaul8907]

I would have a hard time with this pan cause of the acidic foods which I cook often. I stick with my All-Clads and Made In. Just pulled the plug on a Smithey Farmhouse skillet. I hope it justified buying it cause of the price for the pan. Over $300. And, there are very few reviews of them. And, I am very unsure about trying new brands. But, you have sold me on Made In.

[@PrudentReviews]

I’m testing the Smithey Farmhouse skillet and will have a review on it soon. FYI - in case you need other stainless steel pieces, Made In just launched a big sale.

[@krefcenz]

I have heard the Heston non-stick is guaranteed for life including normal wear and tear. That sounds too good to be true. What have you heard about the Heston lifetime guarantee for nonstick?

[@tibbified]

I would like to see its performance on an induction cook top.

[@sheilam4964]

Thx for doing this.

[@fabreezethefaintinggoat5484]

good tims,,very very detailed review thanks

[@PrudentReviews]

Glad it was helpful!

[@heirloomacres7445]

Nice concept. If it weren't made in China I'd buy it.

[@domenicpolsoni8370]

I still think cast iron is the way to go if you can handle the weight. I literally cook just about everything in my pan. I reserve pasta sauces for my stainless steel pots.

[@ThoughtFission]

What about Mauviel copper core pans?

[@godnyx117]

The heat retention is not a con for me. If anything, it's a pro. Better get hot fast and lose the heat fast. But in any case, nonstick ftw. I don't cook in very high temperature and I don't use anything that damages its surface.

[@shekharmoona544]

How does the carbon steel surface still look shiny?

[@corpsie-diytools38]

It's a very thin layer of seasoning.

[@Dan-ml8cz]

Pretty new pan he's using. Not much seasoning built up by the time of the video, just enough to cook with.

[@tibbified]

That was a ton of oil/butter. If the SS was used correctly, there is no way it should have stuck.

[@MrAnakin8888]

The table at 1:32 is incredibly wrong for all the celsius readings in the temp difference column, strata should have a 32C difference etc

[@PrudentReviews]

Good catch. You're right. I converted the difference in F to C. I should have just took the difference between the two C temps. My mistake! Doesn't change the point though.

[@paulinhomei]

I've been looking for a carbon steel pan with rounded edges for ommelet and this looks great, but really pricey! Do you know of any other brand that have rounded edges?

[@PrudentReviews]

Misen carbon steel is a similar shape and costs less

[@paulinhomei]

@@PrudentReviews Thanks! I"m checking their products

[@zrazieli]

Debuyer makes omelette pans with rounded edges, in both their Mineral B and their Mineral B Pro line. I just bought a 9.5" Pro version for eggs and it's working very well for me. Hope that helps.

[@paulinhomei]

@@zrazieli Thanks, I didn't notice they have a regular Mineral B option, 75 USD for the 9.5" is reasonable. Pro is priced like the Strata though.

[@missingpiece2071]

solid review

[@PrudentReviews]

Thank you for watching!

[@missingpiece2071]

@@PrudentReviews thank you for making content worth watching

[@rickbear7249]

Thanks, Patrick. I'll definitely be keeping an eye on Always Pan fixing those design defects with the lid & handle. Then I'll be investing in one.

[@gal6537]

I knew you’d come to the comments, good boy

[@shekharmoona544]

What about Merten and Storck?

[@Taras-Nabad]

I am not convinced enough to try it.

[@esoteridactyl]

Here I am thinking cast iron was supposed to heat MORE evenly.

[@rickbear7249]

How about reviewing the Titanium Always Pan® Pro from Our Place?

[@PrudentReviews]

I reviewed that recently. Here it is: kzbin.info/www/bejne/epXTiZWohc9jfbM

[@justmejk]

Black Friday sale is going on now: 15% off

[@refusalspam]

Why is heat retention a good thing? Thermal inertia is a poor substitute for even heating. Thermal inertia tries to mimic even heating by simply not letting any part of the pan change temperature quickly. This makes the whole pan slow to react. What you really want is a pan that quickly and evenly changes temperature with the control knob on the stove. Heat retention is only ideal when you have a stove that needs to cycle on and off to achieve low temps.

[@Travis_Varga]

Heat retention is good when you’re trying to quickly sear something.

[@TheWhale45]

Here we go again.

[@Maciej-g6r]

It’s not non stick if you have to use oil…

[@stevethea5250]

7:20

[@vansmith1738]

Nice review. Interesting but overpriced pan.

[@Elizabeth-d1n]

Great video, thanks. Innovative concept -- but, as someone who can taste and smell carbon steel, it's not on my shopping list.

[@Yazeed99]

This is a perfect non-stick replacement, more than a regular carbon steel. I can't believe no one thought of this before. I will personally wait for a company to copy this, hopefully made in Europe or the US

[@jstones9872]

how does it compare to the Demeyere pro line???

[@quakerwildcat]

Did you watch the video?

[@jstones9872]

@ yes. Wrote this before the end . Sorry , thanks

[@DavesRabbitHole]

There’s no such thing as a perfect pan, they all have their pros and cons, you just need to understand what yours are and allow for them when using them. Personally I have two frying pans, one non stick if I’m doing something that will strip the seasoning off, and one carbon steel debuyer mineral B carbon steel pan that I use for frying eggs, meat etc. my saucepans are all non stick but these are only ever used for boiling and simmering.

[@zporadik5651]

Rivets inside the pan. Instant no from me,i ain't cleaning around those MFs.

[@H4KnSL4K]

Thanks for your review of this interesting pan. The fact that you can't use it for certain foods, like tomato based sauces, is a bit of a killer. So unless you have lots of room in your kitchen (and budget) for yet another pan...

[@qwertymnbvc-k9x]

i tried seasoning steel, it stick as f... it's burned food. mirror polished stainless steel is wonderfull.

[@theredbar-cross8515]

The slight advantage in food release over a SS isn't worth it. IMO, carbon steel is only really worth it if you're stir-frying because you can't let the food rest and develop a sear causing natural release. The Western shape of the Strata means that you can't use it as a wok. If you're just searing large cuts of meat, then there's no reason not to use SS. SS is just so much easier to work with and maintain.

[@joerg_koeln]

Thanks for this helpful review. The price is more than ridiculous for a chinese product. At that price I‘ll get 2-3 pans from de Buyer here in Europe, where they cost less than in the US.

[@weiqi213]

Made in China? That's all I need to know.

[@Raul28153]

All the so called "Carbon Steel" stamped pans are cheap shit that cost next to nothing to make. THRESHOLD FACT: ALL steel is carbon steel. There is no Steel that isn't carbon steel. Stainless has chromium in it, Super alloys like inconel monel metal hastalloy etc., have nickel in them ( among other things) The phrase "carbon steel" IS pure marketing bullshit to bamboozle you into thinking you are getting something nice or special. It's not it's probably A 36 Steel the cheapest and most plentiful steel on the planet. The pans are stamped and the nicest thing about them is the handle. They are a waste of money, not because they are no good, but because not one made anywhere by anyone is worth more than $12.00 retail.

[@theAndromedaStrainiscoming]

My main concern is not addressed- I cook on an induction burner with two coils, so pan warping is a major problem, but it doesn’t happen overnight.

[@Eric-zs6rd]

Unfortunately overpriced. They make it in china and charge more than the established brands made in europe. This pumps their profit margins to the point where they are fleecing the consumer.

[@spooky_lights]

You still can’t acidic ingredients with it. Not as versatile as stainless steel.

[@PrudentReviews]

That's true, you can't beat stainless steel in terms of versatility. Strata is better if you want a pan to season and transform into non-stick over time.

[@peterl.104]

I assume they’re going for a product that is different to distinguish itself from existing options. Unless I have a need for a pan that heats evenly and can become nonstick, I will also skip this since I have too many pans already! 😅

[@mfman2]

Aluminum core, made in China, AND the most expensive of the bunch? Something is not adding up

[@corpsie-diytools38]

They're a small company with lots of expenses, especially if they're applying for a patent. Also, the idea is easily stolen, regardless of patents, so they have to try to recoup their expenses before the copy-cats steal the idea and ramp up production. Also, that's MSRP, and I'm guessing they're going to have sales that'll bring the price down just like all the premium brands do.

[@Dan-ml8cz]

And it's the first pan of its kind, with that set of layers. There are no other companies competing directly, it only competes against other technologies (the closest of which is carbon steel since that's the cooking surface). So I think it commands a market segment right now.

[@DamaDamage]

why Strata was visualized heated only to 160/150 and the others to even 450 degrees? If after 2 minutes it heats up only to 150/160, then it's a trash🚮

[@PrudentReviews]

The temps at 1:32 that I recorded with the surface thermometer are much more accurate. Reflective surfaces like Strata are difficult to measure with the thermal camera because of the low emissivity. The point of that was more so to see the heat visually and look at the difference between point 1 and point 2 rather than the absolute numbers. I should have explained that.

[@Amybnuy]

You can’t measure most stainless steel pans with your thermal camera without a coating. All your measurements with the camera are super wrong

[@PrudentReviews]

There are different emissivity settings for different surfaces (matte, glossy, etc) but I agree that it’s not the best way to measure the temp (the surface thermometer is much more accurate). That said, I think the camera is great to see how evenly the heat spreads and to see the relative difference between two points.

[@markburton5318]

Is that an infrared hob? What an awful way to cook! Especially with a shiny stainless steel base which will reflect the heat back into the hob. With gas and induction the heating would be much more even so the test is irrelevant to most people. Nobody serious about cooking has such an awful cooker.

[@corpsie-diytools38]

Gas would be much more even? hahahahahahahahahahahaha. Wrong.