TL;DR: Hand-made in Denmark with recycled aluminum, Scanpan Cookware is leading the industry in safer and more durable nonstick pans that are metal utensil-safe, oven-safe, and covered by one of the best cookware warranties in the industry.

Hey, I’m Jake, a Kitchen Expert here at Curated. I have over 20 years of experience in the restaurant industry. Normally, I’m a huge skeptic of nonstick cookware. While I still prefer cast iron or stainless pans, Scanpan has won my vote for high-quality nonstick cookware.

Why Choose Scanpan Cookware?

Founded in 1956 by the Bjerrum family, Scanpan hails from Denmark. The cookware company has remained committed to sustainability for their premium cookware by using all recycled aluminum. Alongside reducing their carbon footprint, Scanpan’s Stratanium is one of the most durable nonstick technologies on the market.

Now known to professional and home chefs as one of the world’s best nonstick cookware manufacturers, Scanpan limits their use of Teflon in Stratanium—a proprietary blend of titanium, ceramic, and PFOA-free Teflon, resulting in the highest durability on the market.

From frying pans to saucepans, to grills, dutch ovens, and woks, Scanpan has a range of nonstick cookware sets at different price points. However, because their products tend to be higher-end, their budget price point begins where most company’s high-end products begin. From hard-anodized aluminum to 5-ply stainless steel, all Scanpan products feature stay-cool handles, are oven-proof to 500°F, and fully safe for use with metal cooking utensils.

What Are the Scanpan Cookware Collections?

1. Classic

Fully oven-safe and lightweight, these pans are the most budget-friendly option available. While the plastic handle may be a turn-off to users who think it looks cheap, don’t let looks deceive you! The Scanpan Classic is a highly copied design but, unlike imitations, the handle and glass lids are fully oven-safe to 500°F. This line is also metal utensil-safe and covered with a lifetime warranty that includes the nonstick coating.

• Benefits
  • Best value in cost and durability
  • Easy-to-clean (hand washing preferred)
  • Good vessel sizes for a smaller/minimalist kitchen
• Keep in Mind
  • Basic design looks like low-cost cookware
  • Not compatible with induction, but there is a Classic Induction collection

2. Professional

Scanpan Professional takes the core aluminum pans from the Classic collection and adds rugged stainless steel handles and lids that can get knocked around in the kitchen without worrying about cracks and shatters, like you might with a glass lid. The metal utensil-safe nonstick coating, combined with durable lids and handles, makes this cookware perfect for home cooks who need their cookware to hold up and even some professional cooks. The full lifetime warranty also applies.

• Benefits
  • Elegant, simple, and durable
  • Lighter-weight than stainless steel
  • Best overall value
• Keep in Mind
  • The mid-range price is more expensive than the Classic collection
  • Might be too practical of a design for people who want a different aesthetic
  • Not compatible with induction (see PRO IQ below for alternative)

3. PRO IQ

Pro IQ is what happens when you combine the best of the Classic and Professional cookware sets, and then make them induction-compatible. The glass lids and stainless handles make this one of the best mostly-aluminum designs, making it lighter weight than the 5-clad stainless steel CTX and HAPTIQ sets that I’ll describe below.

• Benefits
  • Steam basket included
  • Oven-proof glass lids with stainless steel knobs
  • Great on all cooktops, including induction.
• Keep in Mind
  • Highest price point for an aluminum set
  • Design might look too conventional for some home chefs

4. CTX

With its clad 5-layer construction, the CTX collection has a durable stainless steel exterior and a stacked aluminum interior combined for durability and performance. Using the same Stratanium nonstick coating as all the previous options, CTX also features a rugged stainless steel lid rim with a section of glass in the center, where the glass is least likely to shatter in the event of falling to the floor, etc.

• Benefits
  • 5-layer construction is both durable and highly efficient
  • Oven-proof and metal utensil-safe non-stick interior
  • Lifetime warranty applies
  • Suitable for all cooktops, including induction
• Keep in Mind
  • More expensive than most cookware options on the market
  • Heavier construction can be difficult for some people to move around

6. HAPTIQ

The crown jewel of Scanpan is the HAPTIQ collection, blending a 5-ply mirror-polished stainless steel construction with Stratanium+, the most durable version of Scanpan’s nonstick coating. Stratanium+ is double-hardened and layered on extra thick, mirroring the durability, texture, and nonstick performance of cast iron, but without all the fuss. It’s perfect for everything from searing steaks to making eggs. The HAPTIQ collection cleans up easily with a sponge and can also be placed directly in the dishwasher.

• Benefits
  • Peak combination of ergonomics, aesthetic, and performance
  • Stratanium+ is the most durable nonstick available, fully metal utensil-safe, and oven-proof
• Keep in Mind
  • Most expensive nonstick cookware on the market, but also the highest performing and most durable
  • Could be more than what most casual cooks need for their kitchen, but great for enthusiasts

What to Consider When Buying Scanpan Cookware

What sizes and types of cookware do you need?

Each cookware set from Scanpan has slightly different sizes. The Classic set, for example, tends to have slightly smaller vessels, while the HAPTIQ and Professional lines are slightly larger. Almost all of the sets have a 10-inch skillet or something similar, but it’s good to take a look and see if a set will work for your kitchen.

How much should Scanpan cookware cost?

Scanpan cookware is one of the most expensive nonstick options available. Scanpan’s cookware is all very high quality, which unfortunately means it’s not budget-friendly for households used to paying only $200 for a whole set. Meanwhile, some of Scanpan’s 5-ply stainless steel pieces can cost nearly $200 each (but they’re so worth it, in my opinion!). However, it’s important to know that buying a full set can give you close to 30% in savings versus buying individually.

Features to Look for in Scanpan Cookware

Lifetime Warranty

Scanpan has the best warranty in the industry, hands down. Unlike almost every other nonstick manufacturer, the Scanpan lifetime warranty covers chipping, peeling, bubbling, pitting, and deep scratches. However, you need to know that you’re on the hook to cover shipping costs if you need to make a warranty claim, and fall damage will void the warranty.

Recycled Aluminum

While it’s becoming more common for cookware companies to use recycled materials in their products, Scanpan has been doing so since the 1950s. They process all of the aluminum in their Denmark factory for the highest standard of quality.

Stratanium and Stratanium+ Non-Stick Coating

Both nonstick coatings use a proprietary blend of titanium, ceramic, and PTFE (also known as Teflon) that makes for the most durable nonstick coating on the market (I’d still keep knives off the coating, though). While the two coatings are similar, Stratanium+ uses the latest technology and has the highest possible rating in performance and durability. Most Scanpan products use the baseline Stratanium (Classic, Professional, CTX ProIQ) while the Haptiq is the primary cookware line that features Stratanium+. With my professional insight and experience, I can say that Stratanium is way better than anything else in the world of nonstick technology development, so Stratanum+ simply extends that notion.

5-Layer Clad-Aluminum Construction

Some options from Scanpan like the CTX, HAPTIQ and CS+—all the higher-end lines—use a 5-ply stainless steel and aluminum clad design. This mixture of materials is the most durable, even-heating, and efficient construction available from Scanpan.

Induction Compatibility

Most Scanpan collections are compatible with induction cooktops. While all collections are fully compatible with an electric or gas stovetop, it’s important to check compatibility if you have or will have induction.

Stay-Cool Handles

For any collection, you’ll want to make sure you keep mitts handy for cookware you’re removing from the oven. But for just cooking on the stovetop, Scanpan’s handles are designed to dissipate heat before it sinks into the handle, leaving the ergonomic shape comfortable and cool to the touch.

Oven Safe

All Scanpan Cookware is oven-safe to 500°F, which is a standard feature for the brand that other nonstick brands cannot replicate. This means that you can rest easy knowing that your handles, lids, and nonstick surfaces will not be damaged inside your oven, letting you enjoy versatility in your culinary creations.

How to Choose the Best Scanpan Cookware for You

Scanpan happens to be the only nonstick company that I really endorse. So it tends to show up in every recommendation I make. To aid your search process, here are a few examples of different people I’ve helped.

Jamie

Needs: Looking for a new nonstick set to replace worn-out cookware. Small household but loves hosting dinner parties. Might switch to an induction stove in a couple years.

Features to look for: Durability, good warranty, and easy to clean

Products to consider:

• Scanpan ProIQ Set: The combination of glass lid, stainless steel handles, metal utensil-safe rating, and induction-ready base makes this one of the best values.
• All-Clad HA1 Set: Less durable than the Scanpan ProIQ, but also more cost effective. This set has distinctively-shaped vessels, but is not safe for use with metal utensils
• Viking Hard Anodized Set: I own some of this cookware and overall I like it. It’s about the same price as Scanpan, but slightly less durable. Induction-ready, but not safe for use with metal utensils.

Alyssa

Needs: Buying a set for her grandmother who loves to cook: she needs the pans to be as durable, lightweight, and easy-to-clean as possible.

Features to look for: Affordable, durable, ease of use, and lightweight

Products to consider:

• Scanpan Classic Set: This is easily the best value available for a lightweight and durable nonstick set. The metal utensil-safe rating, lifetime warranty, and oven-proof Bakelite handles make this set versatile and accessible for anyone.
• Cuisinart Chef’s Classic Set: Although it’s not nearly as durable as the Scanpan Classic, it is lightweight, easy-to-clean, and about half the cost. Definitely not metal utensil-safe, but overall a great value.
• All-Clad Essentials Set: The heaviest and maybe least cost-effective, but still a great nonstick option that brings premium quality without breaking the bank. Not induction compatible or metal utensil-safe, however.

Jason

Needs: Loves using cast iron but wants a cookware set that is easier to maintain, yet still durable.

Features to look for: High quality and ease of use

Products to consider:

• Scanpan HAPTIQ Cookware Set: The very best of nonstick cookware. The cooking surface’s texture is remarkably similar to cast iron but with easy searing and cleanup.
• Le Creuset Toughened Nonstick Set: This set is on par with the Scanpan Pro-IQ in that it’s metal utensil-safe, induction-ready, and has a lifetime warranty. While it’s not the best value and uses a mainly PTFE-based nonstick coating, it’s aesthetically more appealing than Scanpan (in my opinion!).
• Anolon X Cookware Set: Similar to well-known HexClad Cookware, Anolon X mixes stainless steel into the cooking surface to extend the durability of the product. This set uses a primarily PTFE-based nonstick coating, which is blended with a stainless steel mesh grid at the bottom of the cooking surface. The grid makes the cookware durable and keeps oils in the center of the pan.

Next Steps for Choosing the Right Scanpan Cookware

The world of nonstick cookware is overly-loaded with junk options that look nice but only last 2-4 years. Luckily, Scanpan is trying to change that dynamic by offering some of the most durable nonstick cookware on the market. I’m hoping this article helps you discern the differences between the sets, but don’t be hard on yourself if you still have questions. If you need some help deciding, please know you’re always invited to get professional insight from one of Curated’s Kitchen Experts!