How to Cook With HexClad Pans

To cook with HexClad, wash and season a new pan, start on low to medium heat, and use oil or butter rather than expecting the surface to work without cooking fat. The key is controlled heat, not a long, smoking-hot preheat. Here’s how to prepare your pan, cook common foods, troubleshoot sticking, and handle oven use and cleanup.

How HexClad Cooks Differently

Treat HexClad as a hybrid cooking surface, not a promise of oil-free cooking.

HexClad combines a stainless-steel pattern with nonstick areas. That makes it different from a skillet with an uninterrupted nonstick coating: the way you move food still matters.

For everyday cooking, think in terms of three things:

Heat: Adjust based on what the food is doing.
Coverage: Spread cooking fat across the area where food will touch the pan.
Release: Give foods you want to brown enough uninterrupted contact to form a crust before turning them.

Seasoning helps condition the surface, but it does not replace those habits. Nor does seasoning HexClad mean building the thick, dark layer associated with cast iron.

How to Cook With HexClad, Step by Step

Step 1: Wash and Dry the Pan

Wash new cookware with warm water, dish soap, and a soft sponge. HexClad cookware is hand polished before leaving the factory, so this first wash removes residue from manufacturing and handling.
Rinse thoroughly.
Dry the interior and exterior before putting the pan on the stove.

For a pan you already use, begin with a clean cooking surface. A sticky film of old oil or leftover food can interfere with your next meal even if the pan otherwise looks clean.

Step 2: Season a New HexClad Pan

Season a new Hybrid pan before cooking, using HexClad’s stovetop seasoning method:

Place the dry HexClad pan over medium-low heat for about 30 seconds.
Add about 1 teaspoon of neutral oil, such as vegetable, avocado, or grapeseed oil. Spread it into a thin film around the interior.
Raise the heat to medium. Let the oil heat for 1 to 2 minutes.
Watch for a slight shimmer, not smoke, then turn off the burner.
Allow the pan to cool enough to handle safely, then wipe away excess oil.

Seasoning is a surface-conditioning step, not an attempt to burn oil onto the pan. If the oil starts smoking before the stated time has elapsed, turn off the burner rather than continuing to heat it.

The pan is now ready for cooking or storage.

Step 3: Choose the Heat and Add Cooking Fat

Start everyday cooking in your HexClad pan on low to medium heat. Use the gentler end for eggs and other delicate foods; move toward the higher end when you want browning.
Adjust recipes written for other cookware. Medium heat on HexClad can perform similarly to medium-high heat on other cookware, according to HexClad. Treat the recipe’s burner setting as a starting point, not something you must copy exactly.
Warm the pan, add your cooking oil or butter, and spread it across the food’s contact area. For sautéing or searing, look for oil that flows readily across the surface; for gentle egg cooking, look for melted butter that has not begun to darken.
Increase heat only if the food is not cooking or browning as intended. If the fat smokes or food darkens too quickly, reduce the heat; move the pan off the burner briefly if necessary.

There is no single preheating time that fits every HexClad pan, burner, and food. In particular, the seasoning warm-up is not a universal preheating rule for cooking.

Choose how you will handle the food before adding it to the pan:

Food	Before It Goes In	How to Handle It in the Pan
Fried or scrambled eggs	Distribute butter or oil across the cooking area	Let fried eggs set before lifting; fold scrambled eggs gently as curds form
Steak or chicken	Pat the surface dry	Leave the first side undisturbed long enough to brown before testing release
Fish fillets	Pat dry and choose a spatula that supports the fillet	Avoid repeated flipping; support the fish when turning
Fresh vegetables	Drain or dry after washing and leave space in the pan	Stir or toss as needed, allowing contact with the surface between movements

Step 4: Cook, Check Doneness, and Serve

Add the food carefully, without crowding the pan. If ingredients pile on top of one another, cook in batches when your goal is browning rather than steaming.
Watch the food as well as the burner setting. A steady sizzle is useful for browning; rapid scorching means the heat needs to come down.
Test release gently with a spatula. If a piece of meat resists immediately after you put it down, give it more time rather than scraping forcefully underneath it. If it is already burning, address the heat instead of waiting.
Finish cooking to an appropriate endpoint. Finish cooking meat and fish to an appropriate endpoint. Use a food thermometer when needed. Cook scrambled eggs until set, and fried eggs until the whites and yolks are firm. Cook vegetables to the tenderness your dish needs.
Transfer the finished food to a serving dish, allowing any required meat-resting time before slicing.

A browned exterior does not establish that the center is cooked. If the outside is ready before the inside, reduce the burner heat or finish in the oven using cookware with a suitable temperature rating.

Step 5: Cool, Wash, and Dry

Let the pan cool before washing. Do not put a hot pan under cold running water.
Wash with warm water, dish soap, and a soft sponge.
For stubborn residue, HexClad recommends soaking its pans in warm, soapy water for 10 to 15 minutes, then gently scrubbing with a soft sponge.
Rinse thoroughly and dry before putting the pan away.

HexClad’s care instructions prohibit steel wool. If food does not come away easily, soaking is a better next move than increasingly aggressive scrubbing.

Check the cooking surface after washing. It should feel clean rather than greasy, sticky, or crusted with residue.

Using HexClad in the Oven and Seasoning the Pizza Steel

A Hybrid frying pan and a Hybrid pizza steel are different products. Do not transfer an oven rating or seasoning procedure from one to the other.

Hybrid Pans in the Oven

HexClad rates its current Hybrid pans for oven temperatures up to 900°F. Confirm the exact rating on the product page for your specific HexClad item, particularly if you have an older pan; do not assume a lid has the same rating as the pan.

For a stovetop-to-oven meal:

Preheat the oven to the temperature your recipe requires, staying within the rating of every piece you are putting inside.
Complete the stovetop portion of the recipe.
Transfer the pan using oven mitts.
Check the food’s doneness before removing the pan from the oven, then place the pan on a heat-resistant surface.

Treat the handle as hot after oven use.

The maximum oven rating is a limit, not a recommended temperature for ordinary cooking.

Hybrid Pizza Steel Seasoning and Use

HexClad’s EU instructions for seasoning the pizza baking surface use an oven rather than a burner:

Wash the pizza steel with warm, soapy water and dry it.
Heat the oven to 400°F.
Spread 1 teaspoon of vegetable or avocado oil over the baking surface.
Put the pizza steel in the heated oven for 2 to 4 minutes.
Remove it with oven mitts and let it cool before placing fresh or frozen pizza on it. If you are storing it instead, let it cool, wash with warm, soapy water, and dry.

HexClad’s Hybrid pizza steel has a separate maximum rating of 480°F for oven or BBQ use.

Why Food Sticks to HexClad

Sticking does not automatically mean the pan is defective or needs more seasoning. First consider when the sticking happens, whether the cooking fat is overheating, and whether the surface is genuinely clean.

Use the food’s behavior and the pan’s appearance to identify the most likely starting point:

What You Notice	Likely Cause	First Adjustment
Eggs attach across much of the surface	Incomplete fat coverage or excessive heat	Coat the contact area and cook more gently
Meat resists turning soon after it goes in	A browned crust has not formed yet	Allow more contact time before testing release
Food catches on dark, sticky patches	Residue from an earlier cook	Clean away the film before cooking again
Oil smokes and food scorches quickly	Excessive burner heat	Remove the pan from the heat and reduce the setting
A clean, intact pan releases food less easily than before	The surface may benefit from re-seasoning	Use HexClad’s maintenance seasoning procedure

Correct Technique Before Adding More Oil

Pouring extra oil into an already scorched pan will not undo excessive heat. Likewise, seasoning over stuck-on food will not give you a clean cooking surface.

Start with the simplest correction that matches the problem: clean away residue, lower the burner setting, cover the cooking area with fat, or give a browning protein more time before turning. Change the factor that is going wrong rather than changing everything at once.

For vegetables, also check crowding. Water released into an overloaded pan can prevent browning, tempting you to turn up the burner more than necessary.

Re-Season a Clean Pan That Still Sticks

If a clean, undamaged HexClad Hybrid pan no longer releases food easily, use HexClad’s maintenance method:

Wash the pan with warm, soapy water, rinse, and dry thoroughly.
Place it over medium-low heat.
Add 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil and spread it across the interior.
Leave the pan on the heat for 1 to 2 minutes, without letting the oil smoke.
Turn off the burner, let the pan cool enough to handle, and wipe away excess oil.

Re-seasoning conditions the surface; it cannot repair peeling or other visible coating damage. If the cooking surface is peeling, flaking, or scratched through, stop using the pan and contact HexClad about the specific item.

How to Tell Your HexClad Routine Is Working

You do not need food to slide around the pan to confirm good performance. Look for these more useful signs:

Cooking fat stays below the smoking point during ordinary frying or sautéing.
Foods intended for browning develop color without immediately scorching.
Browned proteins lift with gentle spatula pressure rather than forceful scraping.
The cooled pan washes clean without leaving a tacky layer.
Results become predictable enough that you know when to adjust your burner.

Some browned residue after searing is normal and is not, by itself, evidence of a damaged pan. The important distinction is between residue that cleans away and damage to the cooking surface.

On your next cook, choose a familiar dish and pay attention to heat, fat coverage, and space in the pan. Adjust whichever is causing trouble rather than starting over with a different seasoning routine.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can You Use Metal Utensils on HexClad?

Yes, HexClad Hybrid cookware is designed to accommodate metal utensils during ordinary stirring and flipping. That does not make the surface scratch-proof: avoid digging in with sharp points, cutting food inside the pan, or forcefully scraping it. Wood and silicone are gentler alternatives.

Do You Need to Season HexClad Before Every Use?

No, HexClad does not require a separate seasoning treatment before every meal. Cooking with oil helps maintain the conditioned surface; the initial treatment prepares a new pan, while re-seasoning is useful if a clean pan starts releasing food less easily.

Can HexClad Go in the Dishwasher?

Yes, HexClad Hybrid cookware is dishwasher-safe. Hand-washing with dish soap and a soft sponge is also an approved routine and makes it easy to check for remaining food or oily residue. Whichever method you choose, put the pan away clean and dry.

How do you use a HexClad pan for the first time?

Before you cook with a new HexClad pan, rinse and dry it, then season it. For the initial seasoning, warm the dry pan over medium-low heat for about 30 seconds, then spread about 1 teaspoon of neutral oil across the interior. Raise the heat to medium and heat the oil for 1 to 2 minutes without letting it smoke, then turn off the burner. Let the pan cool enough to handle safely and wipe away excess oil.

Can you bake with HexClad cookware?

Yes, you can use a HexClad Hybrid pan in the oven at temperatures up to 900°F. That allows you to start a dish on the stovetop and complete it in the oven using the same pan.

What makes HexClad Hybrid cookware different?

HexClad Hybrid cookware uses stainless-steel peaks with ceramic nonstick valleys rather than a continuous nonstick surface. HexClad says this structure holds seasoning more effectively than traditional nonstick cookware.