{"id":1899925,"date":"2023-07-13T12:51:36","date_gmt":"2023-07-13T17:51:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tasteofhome.com\/?p=1899925"},"modified":"2025-03-03T05:56:26","modified_gmt":"2025-03-03T11:56:26","slug":"anolon-x-cookware-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tasteofhome.com\/article\/anolon-x-cookware-review\/","title":{"rendered":"I Tried the New Anolon X Cookware and It’s Sear-iously Amazing"},"content":{"rendered":"When buying quality cookware, you're ideally looking for something you'll use for years to come. Some of our favorite brands, like HexClad<\/a> and Made In<\/a>, are backed with lifetime warranties. Others, like Smithey cast iron<\/a>, claim heirloom status. And yet, the cookware industry keeps innovating. Purportedly new and improved pans arrive on store shelves with claims that they're changing the game.\r\n\r\nRecently, stalwart brand Anolon introduced a new line called Anolon X<\/a>, with technology that the company claims is the next great evolution in nonstick cookware. I knew I had to see for myself.\r\n\r\n[SINGLE_AFFILIATE_PRODUCT superlative=\"We Tried It\" product_name=\"Anolon X Cookware\" short_description=\"This nonstick pan is perfect for searing meat, frying and sauteing.\" image=\"2083816\" image_credit=\"VIA MERCHANT\" pr_name=\"Anolon\" pr_url=\"https:\/\/go.skimresources.com?id=131817X1598243&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fanolon.com%2Fproducts%2Fanolon-x-10-inch-hybrid-nonstick-frying-pan%3Fvariant%3D40142449147950&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fanolon.com%2Fproducts%2Fanolon-x-10-inch-hybrid-nonstick-frying-pan\" pr_display_text=\"Shop on Anolon\" retailers_2_name=\"Wayfair\" retailers_2_url=\"https:\/\/go.skimresources.com?id=131817X1598243&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.wayfair.com%2Fkitchen-tabletop%2Fpdp%2Fanolon-x-hybrid-nonstick-induction-frying-pan-skillet-bbnt1140.html%3Fpiid%3D71198169&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.wayfair.com%2Fkitchen-tabletop%2Fpdp%2Fanolon-x-hybrid-nonstick-induction-frying-pan-skillet-bbnt1140.html\" retailers_2_display_text=\"Shop on Wayfair\" retailers_3_name=\"Walmart\" retailers_3_url=\"https:\/\/go.skimresources.com?id=131817X1598243&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.walmart.com%2Fip%2FAnolon-X-Hybrid-10-inch-Nonstick-Induction-Frying-Pan-Graphite%2F1566083150&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.walmart.com%2Fip%2FAnolon-X-Hybrid-10-inch-Nonstick-Induction-Frying-Pan-Graphite%2F1566083150\" retailers_3_display_text=\"Shop on Walmart\" \/]\r\n

What is Anolon X cookware?<\/h2>\r\nNonstick pans, such as ceramic marvels from Caraway<\/a>, Our Place<\/a> and Green Pan<\/a>, are ultra slippery. This, for the most part, is a good thing. However, they're so<\/em> slippery that cooking oil tends to slide to the sides of the pan, which isn't ideal for browning, searing and frying.\r\n\r\nAnolon X cookware<\/a> attempts to solve this problem with its exclusive SearTech technology, which embeds a stainless-steel mesh into the pan's base to prevent oil from drifting to its edges. By keeping hot oil directly underneath the food, the pan distributes heat more evenly. Therefore, you end up with the sort of browning and caramelization of which dreams are made.\r\n

Anolon X Features<\/h2>\r\nThe most notable feature of Anolon X cookware is the signature SearTech technology, which creates a shiny diamond pattern etched across the pan's matte black nonstick surface. The stainless-steel grooves keep cooking oil from sliding toward the pan's edge. Between the grooves is a triple-layer of ultra-durable, PFOA-free nonstick coating, which ensures that food will cleanly release when it's time to flip it over.\r\n\r\nOne of the most impressive parts of this pan, in my opinion, is the handle, which makes it easy to lift and balance. Typically, I sear things in my cast-iron pan, which does a dynamite job but is too heavy and bulky to lift with a single hand. The Anolon X frying pan delivers the same searing abilities but at a fraction of the weight. Its easy maneuverability is ideal for making pancakes or omelets.\r\n\r\nAnolon X cookware has thick rims for extra strength and durability, as well as flat rivets that make them easier to stack and store. It's suitable for gas, electric and induction cooktops, and is oven safe up to 500 degrees. And if you're not in the mood to scrub out your pan by hand, you'll be happy to learn it's dishwasher-safe, too.\r\n\r\nIn addition to the 10-inch skillet<\/a> that I tested, Anolon X is available in many cookware configurations, including a 10-piece set<\/a>. The collection includes two saucepans, a large stockpot, a saut\u00e9 pan, two frying pans and the corresponding lids.\r\n

How We Tested It<\/h2>\r\nI've been testing the 10-inch Anolon X skillet<\/a> since June 2023. In that time I've used it extensively for a variety of cooking tasks.\r\n

Oiling<\/h3>\r\nBefore I cooked anything in my new 10-inch Anolon pan, I made sure it did, in fact, prevent oil from awkwardly pooling or drifting from the middle to the sides of the pan. I drizzled a few tablespoons of olive oil<\/a> into a cold pan, and it worked as advertised!\r\n\r\nOil sits as naturally at the bottom of this pan as it does a cast-iron skillet, saut\u00e9 pan or any other piece of cookware without a nonstick coating.\r\n

Searing<\/h3>\r\n\"steak\r\n\r\nThe Anolon X frying pan's main selling point is its ability to sear, so what better way to test it than with a big hunk of red meat? Without a deep brown crust, beef can't live up to its full flavor potential. And without searing, beef tastes boring.\r\n\r\nTo put the new Anolon pan to the test, I grabbed a large slab of chuck roast<\/a> to make braised shredded beef nachos. We stick to a mostly vegetarian diet at home, so on the odd occasion I do cook meat, I don't mess around. Before my beef braises, I want it to be as brown as possible.\r\n

I coated the bottom of my Anolon pan with a thin layer of cooking oil and let it sit over high heat. I patted both sides of the beef dry because any excess moisture trapped between the meat and pan will turn into steam and prevent browning. After sprinkling the meat with a generous amount of kosher salt,\u00a0I gently laid it in the pan. Then I turned down the heat to prevent burning and left it untouched for five minutes.<\/p>\r\nWhen I flipped the meat, there was excellent caramelization with large swaths of charring. The scent that filled my kitchen was so powerful that it drove my cats toward the edge of madness.\r\n\r\nThe only issue I had with the pan was that it was a bit too small for my cut of meat; it would be a tight fit for any significant cuts of steak<\/a>. To get the most out of this pan, I'd recommend investing in the 12-inch skillet<\/a>.\r\n\r\nAs for the final result, the braised beef was spectacularly delicious, full of the sort of big beefy flavor you should demand from all red meat. The sear was intense enough that you could still taste its notes of caramel and char after an hour in the Instant Pot with other ingredients.\r\n

Cleaning<\/h3>\r\n\"Img\r\n\r\nThe downside, however, is cleanup. The nonstick portions of this pan easily returned to like-new condition with a simple sponge, soap and water. But the etched grooves, despite their shallowness, held onto the mess my meat left behind. A gentle scrubbing helped some, but I found getting the pan back to pristine condition impossible.\r\n\r\nSharp metal utensils scraped away the nonstick in my attempt to loosen the debris, despite Anolon's claims. Although I remain impressed by many of this pan's attributes, I would suggest using nonstick utensils<\/a> if possible.\r\n

Pros<\/h3>\r\n