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1. 0:00Misen claims their Carbon Nonstick Pan performs  like traditional nonstick but lasts forever. And
2. 0:06that bold promise led to $2 million in preorders  and made it the most talked-about pan ever. But
3. 0:12Misen isn't the only company making pans that  deliver nonstick performance without any coatings.
4. 0:18Strata and Anolon EverLast N2 are made with  similar materials and promise similar results.
5. 0:24To find out which of these three pans is  truly the best, longest-lasting alternative
6. 0:29to traditional nonstick, I ran a series of  tests. I scraped them with metal utensils,
7. 0:35simmered acidic foods, left them  wet overnight to check for rust,
8. 0:39and cranked up the heat on a powerful  induction cooktop to see if they'd warp.
9. 0:43To see which pan has better and  longer-lasting nonstick properties,
10. 0:47I cooked dozens of eggs in each pan, both  right out of the box and after months of
11. 0:52use. I also ran side-by-side tests where  I preheated each pan to the exact same
12. 0:56temperature and used the exact same amount  of fat. I also ran them through the same
13. 1:00heat conduction and retention tests that I've  done with over 60 other pans I've reviewed.
14. 1:05In this video, I show you the results  of my tests and give you a clear answer
15. 1:09on whether Misen is worth the hype or  if Strata or Anolon is a better buy.
16. 1:15Before I get into the test results, it's important  to understand that none of these pans have a
17. 1:19Teflon or ceramic nonstick coating. Misen is made  with three layers. The core layer is aluminum,
18. 1:26and the top and bottom layers are nitrided  carbon steel. Nitriding means the steel is
19. 1:31baked in a nitrogen-rich oven, which hardens  the surface, makes it more resistant to rust,
20. 1:36and gives it better food release than  raw carbon steel, even without seasoning.
21. 1:40Anolon EverLast N2 is also nitrided carbon  steel, but it's just a single layer with no
22. 1:47aluminum core. With Strata, the cooking surface  is regular carbon steel, the core is aluminum,
23. 1:53and the exterior is stainless steel, so  it doesn't need seasoning on the bottom.
24. 1:57As I walk through the tests,  you'll see how these subtle
25. 2:00differences in materials impact performance.
26. 2:03One of the biggest claims with these pans  is durability. Since none of them have a
27. 2:07nonstick coating, all three claim that you  can use metal utensils without worrying about
28. 2:12scratching the surface. To see if this  claim is true, I ran some serious tests.
29. 2:17Before I get into that, I want to quickly thank  Wayfair for sponsoring this video. Wayfair's
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32. 2:35excited about is cookware and bakeware. You can  get up to 60% off all types of cookware, including
33. 2:41stainless steel, cast iron, enameled cast iron,  carbon steel, and nonstick. There are also major
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40. 3:22So, I mentioned that Misen, Anolon, and Strata  all claim to be metal-utensil safe. To test that,
41. 3:27I attached a 5 lb weight to a metal  ladle and scraped it across each pan
42. 3:3250 times. Then I did the same thing  with a metal spatula. After that,
43. 3:36I set up a stand mixer so a whisk was in constant  contact with the cooking surface for two straight
44. 3:41minutes. All three ended up with some light scuff  marks, but no deep scratches or any real damage.
45. 3:47For comparison, I ran the same  tests on a Teflon-coated pan,
46. 3:51a ceramic nonstick pan, and a HexClad  pan. All three of those ended up with
47. 3:56visible scratches or coating damage.  I'll show you a little later in this
48. 3:59video whether those scuff marks had any  real impact on the nonstick performance.
49. 4:05Warping is another concern with carbon steel pans  like these, especially on induction cooktops that
50. 4:11heat extremely fast. When different parts  of the pan expand at different rates,
51. 4:15it creates stress in the metal and causes it to  warp. Since Anolon is a single layer of carbon
52. 4:21steel, it's more vulnerable to this issue.  Misen and Strata both have aluminum cores,
53. 4:26which in theory help spread heat  more evenly and reduce that stress.
54. 4:30To test it, I measured how flat each pan was, then  heated them to 425°F on induction for 2 minutes.
55. 4:38All three started out slightly concave, which is  common because manufacturers build in a little
56. 4:43curve to allow for expansion. After heating, none  of them showed any visible change. For context,
57. 4:49I've run the same test on other carbon steel  pans, and not all of them have held their shape.
58. 4:55One of the biggest differences between  these pans is how they handle seasoning
59. 4:59and rust. Misen and Anolon are  made of nitrided carbon steel,
60. 5:03and because of that, both claim you  don't need to season them. Strata,
61. 5:07on the other hand, has a regular carbon steel  cooking surface, which does need seasoning.
62. 5:11To see if Misen and Anolon's claims are true, I  got all three pans wet and left them overnight.
63. 5:17The next morning, none of them had any rust.  Next, I simmered crushed tomatoes in each pan
64. 5:22for 15 minutes. Acidic foods usually break down  seasoning, and that's exactly what happened with
65. 5:27Strata. Its surface went from dark and seasoned to  light and patchy. Misen and Anolon were unchanged.
66. 5:33After that, I repeated the overnight  water test. Again, Misen showed no rust,
67. 5:39but since the tomato sauce had stripped away  Strata's seasoning layer, it came back rusty.
68. 5:44The key point is that Misen and Anolon  are truly low-maintenance. With Strata,
69. 5:49you have to season it to prevent rust. And if you  cook acidic foods, that seasoning can break down.
70. 5:55Besides the extra maintenance, seasoned pans  like Strata are also not the best option for
71. 6:00liquid-heavy meals. To prove this point, I  poured clean filtered water into each pan,
72. 6:05boiled them for 10 minutes, and then poured the  water back into the glasses. The water from the
73. 6:10Misen and Anolon came out completely clear, but  the water from Strata was cloudy with a yellow
74. 6:16tint, which means bits of the seasoning layer  were breaking down and leaching into the liquid.
75. 6:20This is normal for seasoned carbon  steel or cast iron cookware,
76. 6:24but it highlights another advantage of  the nitrided surfaces of Misen and Anolon.
77. 6:29Another key factor is how fast and evenly  these pans heat and how well they hold
78. 6:34that heat. To test that, I heated each pan on  medium and measured the surface temperature
79. 6:38at the center and edge after 2 minutes.  Anolon was by far the fastest to heat,
80. 6:44but that means it's also very easy to  overheat. A few times during testing,
81. 6:48I had to stop, open a window, and start  over because the pan started smoking
82. 6:52before I could even add food. Strata didn't  heat as quickly, but it was the most even.
83. 6:57After 2 minutes, there was only a  3° difference between the center and
84. 7:01edge. And in real-world cooking, that evenness  held up. When I cooked a full pan of chicken,
85. 7:06the pieces around the edge browned just  as evenly as the one in the center,
86. 7:10which isn't always the case with cast  iron or traditional carbon steel pans.
87. 7:14To measure heat retention, I heated each pan  to exactly 400°F, removed them from the burner,
88. 7:20and measured the surface temperature after  5 minutes. These pans are designed to be
89. 7:23lightweight and easy to use. They're not optimized  for heat retention like thicker carbon steel or
90. 7:28cast iron pans, but within this group, Strata  held its temperature the best by about 10°.
91. 7:35Maybe the most important factor with these pans  is how well they release food and whether their
92. 7:39nonstick properties change over time. Strata  and Anolon both claim their surfaces become
93. 7:45naturally nonstick over time as the seasoning  builds. Misen goes further, saying it's nonstick
94. 7:50right out of the box and only gets better with  use. They've even branded their pan as nonstick.
95. 7:56To see how those promises hold up, I cooked  a variety of food with each pan for several
96. 8:01months. I cooked dozens of eggs, pancakes, fish,  vegetables, meats, and much more. Then, after
97. 8:09all that use and after running them through my  durability tests, I set up four controlled tests.
98. 8:15First, I preheated each pan to 325°F, added  exactly one teaspoon of oil and 5 g of butter,
99. 8:23and cooked an egg. All three passed  this test. The eggs slid around with
100. 8:27no sticking. The only issue was with Anolon  on my first try. Because it heats so quickly,
101. 8:33the pan got way too hot and the egg stuck.  When I preheated it slower, it worked fine.
102. 8:38Next, I cut the fat in half, using just a  half teaspoon of oil and 2 g of butter. Again,
103. 8:44all three pans handled it without sticking.  Then I tested pancakes with a light
104. 8:49layer of butter. Misen and Anolon released  cleanly, but Strata had some slight sticking.
105. 8:54I had to work the spatula under it,  but it still came out in one piece.
106. 8:58Finally, I cooked pancakes with no fat at  all. Anolon had just a little sticking, but
107. 9:03I was able to flip the pancake without breaking  it. Misen stuck badly. A thin layer of pancake
108. 9:08stayed glued to the surface, and I couldn't flip  it without tearing it. Strata had the same issue.
109. 9:13In my day-to-day, non-controlled cooking, I  haven't noticed a real difference in food release
110. 9:18between these three pans. Misen and Anolon were  both impressively nonstick right out of the box,
111. 9:24and they've stayed that way for months. They're  not as slick as a brand-new Teflon pan, but if
112. 9:29you don't overheat them and you use a little oil  or butter, food won't stick. I haven't noticed any
113. 9:35decline or change in their performance. The only  times I've had issues were when I overheated them.
114. 9:40Strata's performance is similar. As long  as you use some fat and manage the heat,
115. 9:45eggs, fish, and other foods release fine. The  main challenge with Strata is the seasoning.
116. 9:50If you apply too much oil or don't spread  it evenly before seasoning in the oven,
117. 9:54the surface can turn tacky and cause sticking.  You can always scrub it down and reseason,
118. 9:59but you need to season it correctly  to get the same results as Misen and Anolon.
119. 10:04Besides performance, there are a few design  differences worth mentioning. The biggest one
120. 10:09is the handles. Misen's handle is comfortable,  but because it's rounded, it can get slippery,
121. 10:15especially if you're wearing an oven mitt  or washing it with soapy hands. Anolon's
122. 10:19handle is flatter with a shallow groove  on top, which gives your thumb a place
123. 10:23to rest and makes it feel a little bit more  secure, although I wish it wasn't so thin.
124. 10:27Strata's handle is the best design of the three.  It's thicker and more substantial than Anolon,
125. 10:32and it's flat on top with a slight  groove so it won't rotate in your
126. 10:36hand. I also like the round hanging  loop instead of the usual oval.
127. 10:40The finishes are also different. Misen has  a dark matte surface that fades a little bit
128. 10:45with use. Anolon is shiny with a bluish tint that  develops a patina. And Strata starts out silvery
129. 10:51like stainless steel, but it turns golden brown as  the seasoning builds and it gets darker over time.
130. 10:57Finally, there are a few small differences in  dimensions. When comparing the 10-inch pans,
131. 11:02all three are under three pounds, so they're easy  to maneuver, but Misen has the widest cooking
132. 11:08surface and the lowest walls. The difference  is minor. When you move up to the 12-inch size,
133. 11:13the differences are more noticeable.  Strata and Misen both weigh about 3 lb,
134. 11:18while Anolon jumps to 4.3 lb. Some  of that extra weight comes from the
135. 11:23addition of a helper handle,  but it also has taller walls.
136. 11:27At that size, Anolon's walls are just under 2.25 in.
137. 11:30Strata's are just under 2 in,  and Misen's stay the same at 1.75 in.
138. 11:37So, after all that testing, which pan should  you buy? Before I give you my take, just a
139. 11:42quick heads up: I've linked to each pan in the  video description if you want to check them out.
140. 11:46To be totally honest with you, this was  one of the toughest reviews I've ever done
141. 11:51because all three pans perform really well,  and they're all priced pretty much the same.
142. 11:56The first decision you need to make is: do  you want to deal with seasoning? If not,
143. 12:02Anolon and Misen are your two options.  Both don't need to be seasoned, they
144. 12:06won't rust, both can handle acidic foods,  and both start nonstick and stay that way.
145. 12:12Between those two, I'd go with Misen. It's  the closest replacement to a traditional
146. 12:17Teflon-coated aluminum pan. It's light, easy  to handle, and perfect for the kind of quick,
147. 12:22everyday cooking most people use  nonstick pans for—especially eggs.
148. 12:27I'd argue Anolon is a nicer, more  elegant-looking pan with its polished
149. 12:32finish and curved handle. But when  you pick it up, it feels more like a
150. 12:35classic carbon steel pan because it's heavier  with taller walls. If that's what you want,
151. 12:40it's an excellent alternative to  brands like de Buyer and Matfer.
152. 12:44Strata is a fantastic pan, too. It heats more  evenly than the others. It's lightweight,
153. 12:49and the handle is the best design of the  three. But because it needs seasoning and that
154. 12:53seasoning can break down with acidic foods, it  requires more maintenance than Misen and Anolon.
155. 12:58So if you want the simplest,  most low-maintenance option,
156. 13:01I'd go with Misen. If you like the  idea of building seasoning yourself,
157. 13:05go with Strata. Anolon is solid all around,  but be aware that it's noticeably heavier.
158. 13:10This is truly a case where you cannot go  wrong with all three pans. If you
159. 13:15want to learn more, check out my deep-dive  reviews of Misen and Strata here and here.
160. 13:21And for more videos like this, click the logo to  subscribe to the channel. Thanks for watching.
161. 13:26We'll see you in the next video.