Caraway Cookware Honest Review

This is a Caraway Cookware honest review. I was gifted the pans but have been using them and wanted to provide an honest assessment of how they cook and hold up over time

Earlier this year I was given a set of Caraway cookware to test and I wanted to share the things I love about it and the things I don’t love in case you’re thinking of purchasing. This is a Caraway cookware honest review based on my experience with the pans. I hope this helps you make a decision on whether or not they’re for you.

Caraway Cookware Honest Review

Pros: Here’s what I love about Caraway Cookware

First: Let’s start with my favorite part: Caraway cookware is non-toxic.

Caraway Cookware is modern, ceramic cookware that is naturally smooth and contains no synthetic materials like Teflon. For me this is one of the biggest bonuses because for a long time we had pans that did include Teflon. I prefer not to have chemicals in my food.

Second: Caraway Cookware is truly non-stick.

True non-stick cookware is like a godsend to me. With as much as I cook, and with as many pans that promise to be non-stick, finding that this one truly is was very refreshing. I could cook an egg in the pan without olive oil and even my egg wouldn’t stick.

Third: Caraway Cookware supports my love of olive oil.

I cook with a lot of olive oil. In fact, most of the time it is the first thing that goes into the pan when I cook anything. Over the years I’ve found that some non-stick pans actually burn the olive oil and then it forms this impossible to remove stain/coating on the pans. This is frustrating when you’ve paid a lot of money for a pan and then you can’t even get it clean.

Fourth: That brings me to this point, they clean really well.

I’ve found that often you need to just use some soap and water to get them like-new clean. Caraway does recommend using a non-abrasive sponge on them or in other words, nothing with a scratchy surface. Because most sponges come with an abrasive side, I’ve found this to be something I just have to keep in mind when washing them.

Fifth: Stovetop to oven and induction

When I’m cooking, I need to make sure that the pans I’m using can be versatile. That means, I often want to go from the stovetop to the oven. Caraway Cookware is made of heavy-gauge aluminum with a steel induction plate and is oven safe up to 500 degrees. The Caraway Cookware is really versatile. Plus, Caraway Cookware is induction safe. It meets my needs for pans that work with induction in my YouTube videos.

sixth: I love the look of the cookware and design aesthetic.

Maybe some people wouldn’t consider the look of cookware to be important, but I do. I like to cook with cookware that feels like me and I love that they offer a variety of color choices for people to please different tastes. Also, the pans themselves are not completely flat on the bottom. When you’re cooking something greasy this allows some of the grease to fall away to the sides instead of being soaked in the grease. The only time I can truly see this being an issue is if you’re cooking something like pancakes, which I have yet to do in my pans.

Neutral: Here’s things I find similar to other ceramic cookware

First: You need to use softer utensils.

You can’t use stainless steel utensils on Caraway Cookware. For me this isn’t a huge deal because almost all other ceramic cookware has the same conditions attached to it. I’m used to using wooden spoons or silicone when I cook now.

Second: Caraway recommends that you don’t go over medium heat.

Some people might see this as an issue, but most things are meant to be cooked on medium unless you’re trying to sear it or wanting to boil something. That’s how I ended up putting this in the neutral category. It’s something I don’t mind overall. Most ceramic cookware has this same rule and I’m used to seeing that guidance. However, unless you’re searing something every day I don’t know that this is a big issue. The more likely pain point would be for boiling water or soup, which I do often. It will be interesting to see how the Dutch oven will hold up over time since this is what I will be using for cooking pasta or soups. I recently made my vegetable soup in it and everything seems fine so far.

Third: The price point

For the set, the Caraway Cookware {HERE} sells for $395 – $545. Right now the main set is being advertised for $395. This is a pretty good price for a non-toxic, non-stick set of pans. At first it sounds expensive but when comparing it to other brands and what you get for the money, Caraway Cookware is on par with its peers. The set that I have in the photos with the gold fixtures is a Limited Edition {HERE} and it is being sold for $595. Again, for a Limited Edition, which it seems like a lot of cookware brands are doing with the gold handles, Caraway Cookware is aligned with the market.

Caraway Cookware Honest Review

The Cons: Here’s what I haven’t loved

First: Caraway recommends not using the dishwasher

So, I have children and sometimes (or all the time) I don’t have time to hand-wash my cookware. We cook often and the idea of not being able to put the cookware in the dishwasher because it can wear away at the surface over time is a bit off-putting. I do put other ceramic dishes in the dishwasher and they seem to be fine. However, so far, it hasn’t been too bad. Since the pans are so easy to clean, I haven’t felt like I truly needed the dishwasher with them. Plus, my dishwashers (Yes, I have two) are both kind of awful.

Second: Excessive packaging frustrates me.

I’ve been paying a lot of attention to how things are packaged since we have moved to the farm because we attempt to do things more sustainably. I prefer to buy from brands that use more sustainable forms of packaging and don’t go overboard when using packaging. The Caraway Cookware comes in cardboard packaging, so that is great. There isn’t a bunch of plastic included. However, there is SO much cardboard. I also completely destroyed the box because I couldn’t get into it. It was excessive and I found myself frustrated by it. This is probably just a personal preference thing. Most people would appreciate all the thought that’s gone into the slotted spaces for each pan. I would have preferred a smaller box with a piece of cardboard protecting each pan.

THIrd: The extras

So in the set of Caraway Cookware, there are three pans and one Dutch oven. That makes four total. However, there’s only three lids because the lid for the larger pan also fits the Dutch Oven. This is pretty common when buying cookware sets, but it’s still something that bothers me.

Additionally, the pan lids are meant to be hung in a canvas lid holder on the back of your cabinet door. This did not fit my cabinet door, and I’ve seen that other reviewers had the same issues. I have pretty standard sized cabinets. Caraway could benefit from rethinking the size of this piece.

Lastly, the Caraway Cookware comes with magnetic pan racks that are a really cool feature. Maybe they would work for someone, but they don’t work for me. However, I probably have more pans in my cabinet that the average person. Storing the pans in this fashion doesn’t work for my space. If this is going to be your only set of pans or even if you want two of these sets, you’ll be fine. It just didn’t work for me.

Caraway Cookware Honest Review: Would I buy the pans if it were up to me?

Yes, I would purchase the Caraway Cookware just for the non-toxic and non-stick factors alone. For the price, the set is functional, beautiful and safe for your whole family. My biggest gripe is about the dishwasher, but like I said, since they clean so easily the dishwasher really isn’t needed. Again, click {HERE} to find the Caraway Cookware Collections and {HERE} to find my Limited Edition Collection.