The Our Place Always Pan blew up on Instagram before half its buyers knew what it actually did. It’s the pastel skillet in every influencer’s kitchen, the one that promises to replace eight pieces of cookware with a single good-looking pan. But aesthetics sell the first one, and performance decides whether you keep reaching for it. This Our Place Always Pan review covers what it does well, where it frustrates people, and whether it deserves the counter space.
The Always Pan 2.0 is a 10.5-inch nonstick skillet with a few tricks built in. It’s got a ceramic nonstick coating (free of PFAS, PFOA, and other “forever chemicals”), a pour spout on each side, a built-in spatula rest, and a steamer basket that nests inside. Our Place markets it as a do-everything pan that braises, sears, steams, fries, and bakes. It runs around $150 and comes in a wall of trendy colors like Spice, Sage, and Char.
What the Always Pan Gets Right
The first thing you notice is that it’s genuinely pretty, and that matters more than purists admit, because a pan you like looking at is a pan you’ll actually use. The ceramic coating is slick out of the box, so eggs slide right off and cleanup takes a wet cloth. Because it skips PFAS and PTFE, you’re not worried about scratched Teflon getting into food, which is the whole reason a lot of people buy it.
The design touches are smart, too. The dual pour spouts make draining pasta water or pouring off a sauce easy from either hand. The steamer basket nesting inside turns it into a quick setup for dumplings or vegetables. And the flat, wide base with tall-ish sides means it really does handle more than a standard skillet, from a stir-fry to a shallow braise. For a small kitchen, replacing a few pans with one is a real win.
Where It Falls Short
Here’s the honest part. Ceramic nonstick doesn’t last like the marketing implies. With regular use, the slick coating starts to lose its magic somewhere between one and two years, and once it does, food begins to stick no matter how careful you’ve been. That’s the trade-off for skipping traditional nonstick chemicals, and Our Place doesn’t make it obvious up front.
The handle is the other common gripe. The 2.0 did add a small helper handle across from the long one, but it’s slim and hard to grab with an oven mitt, so lifting a full pan still feels front-heavy and awkward. The ceramic also genuinely performs best on low to medium heat. Crank the burner to get a hard sear on a steak, and you’ll both disappoint yourself and shorten the coating’s life. People expecting cast-iron searing power will be let down.
Who Should Actually Buy It
The Always Pan makes the most sense for a specific person. If you cook mostly eggs, vegetables, grains, fish, and weeknight one-pan meals on low to medium heat, it’s a joy to use and easy to clean. It’s great for small apartments, new cooks, and anyone downsizing their cookware drawer. The look also makes it a popular wedding or housewarming gift, since it photographs well and feels like an upgrade.
It’s the wrong pan for high-heat cooking and for people who beat up their cookware. If you sear steaks hard, reach for metal utensils out of habit, or want something that lasts a decade, traditional stainless steel or a cast iron skillet will serve you better and cost less. The Always Pan is a lifestyle pan first and a workhorse second.
Always Pan vs. Caraway and Cast Iron
The closest competitor is the Caraway Fry Pan, which uses a similar PFAS-free ceramic coating and comes with a lid. Caraway runs a bit more and looks just as good, but it lacks the Always Pan’s pour spouts and nesting steamer. For pure cooking, they’re close. For versatility in one piece, though, the Always Pan edges ahead because of the extras.
Against a $30 Lodge cast iron skillet, it’s a different conversation. Cast iron sears better, lasts a lifetime, and costs a fifth of the price, but it’s heavy, needs seasoning, and isn’t nonstick for delicate foods. A lot of people end up owning both, using the Always Pan for everyday low-heat cooking and cast iron when they want a real crust. That combo honestly covers most of what a home cook needs.
Our Place Always Pan Review: The Verdict
So is it worth it? This Our Place Always Pan review lands on a qualified yes. If you cook gentle, everyday meals and you’ll genuinely use the steamer and pour spouts, it’s a pleasure to own, and the non-toxic coating is a real selling point. Just go in clear-eyed that the nonstick won’t last forever and the pan hates high heat.
If you want one pan to last ten years and sear like a restaurant, this isn’t it, and you’ll be happier with stainless or cast iron. But for the right cook, the Always Pan earns its hype as a beautiful, capable everyday skillet, as long as you treat it gently. For more kitchen and home picks, browse the home and garden category.
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