Copper Chef Pan Review: Does it Work?
• High heat threshold
• Versatile cooking options
• Excellent nonstick coating
• Not actually made of copper
• Expensive
• Up-selling salesmen
Copper Chef Pan is certainly a viable choice to add to your culinary arsenal. Be aware that it is not actually copper, and its price is seems high for a single pan made of aluminum. Shipping and delivery complaints should be weighed into your decision as well. Once it becomes available in stores, Copper Chef will be a more attractive option.
Copper Chef Pan
Copper Chef is a square nonstick pan which can be used on the stove or in the oven.
Claims & Features
- Works on all stove tops
- Heat resistant up to 850 degrees
- Non-stick coating
- Riveted handles
- 5 layer construction
- Dishwasher safe
- 4.5 quarts
- PFOA Free, PTFF Free
Cost & Availability
There are three sets currently being sold on the product set:
- A five-piece Copper Chef set is available for 3 payments of $24.99 with free shipping. This amounts to $74.97.
- The six-piece set is sold for 3 payments of $34.99 (also free shipping) which totals $104.97.
- A Deluxe 13 piece set is 3 payments of $49.99 (free shipping), or $149.97.
All of the sets include the Copper Chef Deep Square pan, glass lid, fry basket, steamer rack, and recipe book. The 6 piece includes a square fry pan, while the 13 piece set also includes utensils, a 10″ round pan with lid, and Titan Peeler (see our Titan Peeler review here).
There is a 60 warranty, but it will cost you about $15 to ship it back to them if you aren’t satisfied.
There are two websites which have been used in advertising for the product: getcopperchef.com, and copperchef.com.
Copper Chef Commercial
The TV commercial below was added to the Copper Chef YouTube channel in February 2016.
Transcript of the commercial above:
Are your kitchen drawers starting to look like a bad garage sale? Steamers, rice cookers, roasters, slow cookers, and just how many pots and pans does one kitchen really need? And every time you cook clean up is a disaster. Scraping, scrubbing, what a chore. What if you could replace all this with one single nonstick pan and what if this pan was innovative in design and made of the highest quality craftsmanship and what if you could cook with it on the stove and in the oven?
Introducing Copper Chef, the nonstick, all-round square pan with CeramiTech, it’s a breakthrough in technology. Copper Chef with extra deep sides replaces a roasting pan, a rice cooker, a steamer, a stockpot, a wok, and a baking dish. Even cook mac and cheese from dry right in its own sauce. Delicious! No more boiling and straining ever again.
What’s the secret? Copper Chef’s innovative stainless steel induction plate heats the pan quickly and evenly with no hot spots so you can sear meat in a flash. And watch this, Copper Chef is heat proof up to 850 degrees. Incredible. Copper Chef’s unique square shape means you can cook more food. You cant make this in a round pan. Plus your Copper Chef Pan features CeramiTech, a new generation of healthy ceramic nonstick technology. That means nothing will stick to your pan.
Watch, we burnt milk in the Copper Chef and a traditional steel pan. The steel pan was ruined but watch as the milk peeled right off the CeramiTech surface. Amazing.
Look, gooey cheese slides right off. Watch this egg slip and slide like its on ice skates and because you’re cooking with ceramic nonstick, you don’t have to add all that extra fat and butter. Air-popped popcorn without any oil or butter and no added calories.
CeramiTech’s coating is 100% chemical PTFE and PFOA free so it won’t chip, peel, or flake into your food. Best of all, cleanup is a breeze and your Copper Chef pan is dishwasher safe. Copper Chef’s stainless steel induction plate makes it perfect for any surface; electric, gas, ceramic, and induction. Now you can prepare, cook, and serve in one large capacity, family size pan.
Copper Chef Pan Reviews
Copper Chef has blanketed upper cable channels with late-night television infomercials in recent months. The advertisements extol the virtues of this square pan “that replaces most of your kitchen utensils.” The product is marketed by Tristar Products, Inc., one of the largest As Seen on TV marketers in the world.
About the Copper Chef Pan
With the ability to withstand temperatures up to 850 degrees, it is marketed as durable and able to replace a variety of other products. It features a square design with deep sides, which means it can function as a roasting pan, rice cooker, general use pot, wok, baking dish, and steamer. The inclusion of a stainless steel induction plate is said to distribute heat more evenly. Its 9.5 inch square shape allows it to hold more food than round pots.
This TV demonstration uses a blowtorch to show how well Copper Chef can handle heat. It may not be completely accurate, as blowtorches can reach over 2,000 degrees F, while Copper Chef maxes out at 850 degrees.
Nonstick Surface
Copper Chef is said to features Cerami-Tech, “a new generation of healthy ceramic non-stick technology.” The ads attempt to show how a Cerami-Tech coated pan outperforms traditional pans, and makes cleaning up easier. There is very little information available about what Cerami-Tech actually is, and this is further compounded by the fact that there appear to be other products and companies with the same or similar names (Cerama Tech, for example). It’s unclear what separates Cerami-Tech from other nonstick coatings. Because of its nonstick surface, you’ll want to be sure to use plastic or silicone utensils in order to avoid scratching the pan.
The commercial attempts to show how well the nonstick surface works by burning milk in this and another pan.
You may also want to keep in mind that some food items are not well-suited to a square nonstick pan. One Amazon user, for example, posted photos of how fried eggs looked, and the results were less than ideal. The egg did not stay together as it seemed to ooze around the pan. A small nonstick pan may have been better in that case.
It’s not actually copper
Although the name “Copper Chef” would imply to most consumers that pan is made of copper, the product FAQ clearly states that “The pan is copper colored, coated aluminum with a steel induction plate.” If you were hoping to find an actual copper pot, this is not the product for you. You may be interested in Foodal’s guide to selecting the best copper cookware. On the bright side, because it isn’t copper, you don’t have to polish it the way real copper cookware must be maintained.
The handle is hollow, which allows it to cool faster than the rest of the pan. Although hollow handles such as this do sometimes allow for it to be handled without an oven mitt, this isn’t always the case. We’d recommend an oven mitt or pot holder when handling Copper Chef.
Eric Theiss
Copper Chef Pan is promoted by celebrity chef Eric Theiss. He has also been featured in other As Seen on TV products such as the Power Pressure Cooker XL, and has also been seen pitching products on QVC. He is known for providing on-air demonstrations of culinary brands and has assisted in the development of products for other celebrity chefs such as Rachael ray and Paula Deen. Oddly, the commercial above doesn’t mention Theiss, who is prominently displayed on the official product website. It isn’t stated if Theiss actually helped develop the Copper Chef pan, or if he merely endorses it (the website implies the latter, reading “endorsed by Eric Theiss, chef and culinary expert”).
Does it Work?
It seems odd that so much discussion online has occurred among consumers who have not actually used the pan. Those impatiently waiting the arrival of their orders seem to be the most vocal group of consumers, but in many cases they don’t go back to update their negative review after receiving the product.
Those who have used it, along with our researchers, generally characterize Copper Chef as a product that works as advertised, although we feel it is somewhat expensive. The pan is deep, and the surface does provide an excellent nonstick coating. Cleanup is generally easy, although there are some types of foods which require a bit more work to remove, despite the nonstick coating. The ability to steam food is a nice plus, although some purists will maintain that it can’t completely replace a dedicated steamer.
Copper Chef will provide a generally positive cooking experience to those who have realistic expectations.
As far as the extras go, the recipe booklet feels like it was thrown together as an afterthought, and the up-sold utensils are more flimsy than we expected. The fry basket is probably the most useful inclusion, while the steam & roast rack will probably only be used on rare occasion.
Upselling and Slow Shipping
When you call, be prepared to fend off a slew of up-selling offers. While this isn’t unique to Copper Chef, it has been reported as a nuisance by consumers – with some customers stating that it took up to a half hour to actually place their orders. You may find that ordering from the product website is much less of a hassle. While other items are suggested while ordering from the website, you don’t have to argue with a salesman to complete your order.
Another complaint by some customers is that of slow shipping. While this is not directly related to the merits of the product itself, slow shipping often prompts angry customers to go online and create negative reviews for the product. Some customers have said that it took 6 weeks to receive. This is in stark contrast to the Copper Chef site which claims that standard delivery time is 7 to 10 business days.
Similar Products
There is no shortage of alternative products to Copper Chef. A search of Amazon will yield a plethora of choices, such as the Rachel Ray Square Deep Griddle or the VonShef square grill. Local retailers such as Bed Bath and Beyond or JC Penny have excellent options that you can evaluate in person before making your final decision. You may want to browse all of the other copper pans available at Amazon to see what other users are saying.
Another copper pan currently advertised on television is Red Copper Pan, which you can see our full review of here. There is also Gotham Steel, which is quite similar to Red Copper Pan, although it is made of ceramic and titanium. See our review of Gotham Steel here.
Epic Conclusion
Copper Chef Pan is certainly a viable choice to add to your culinary arsenal. Be aware that it is not actually copper, and its price is seems high for a single pan made of aluminum. Shipping and delivery complaints should be weighed into your decision as well. Once it becomes available in stores, Copper Chef will be a more attractive option.
You’ll find a good deal of online reviews which offer scathing testimonials about the ordering process, billing, or customer service. Those who have actually used it tend to offer a far more positive opinion.
Have you tried the Copper Chef pan? Please give it a star rating and comment below.
I ordered a copper chef pan on January 25th, now a month later, and after only 3 uses, it is already scratched.
I tried to chat with someone to return the pan, but they just said, well you are not supposed to use metallic utensils, which I am fully aware off and did not use.
I used the fry basket 1 time and the steamer rack 1 time, they are both made out of metal and slide around in the pan and thereby scratching the surface.
The person on the other side of chat – told me to have a nice day and hung up.
So I called and spoke to someone with a very heavy accent.
So after trying to give me $15 credit and sending me a new pan (I’m no longer interested) I got a 17 digit RA#.
and I will have to pay for shipping and handling (which I am doing.) I may have to get the better business bureau involved to get my full refund.
My reviews will not be in favor of this product.
Same thing happened to me. Over it. I’m glad that you said all that. Because I am about to blow trying to figure out my next plan. But thank you…I got one.
When I received this piece of garbage, I was surprised at how light it was. Not the heavy duty pan they claimed on the infomercial. It was also deceptively small compare to its TV appearance. The first thing I cooked was a fried egg, at medium temperature. Basic enough, right? It stuck to the pan, and had a metallic taste to it.
That’s when the real fun began. I called customer service and spoke to a rep with very poor English language skills. After basically yelling at me for wanting to return the product, he started offering me discounts to keep it. I told him I just wanted a return authorization number, and he told me to just use my invoice number and hung up on me.
I returned the pan UPS, signature authorization. They have had the pan since March 14th and continue to claim to have not received it, in spite of the fact that I provided a copy of the shipping receipt and the name of the individual who signed for it.
This is a horrible company, buyer beware!
I purchased 2 sets of this cookware intending to give one set as a gift. I am disappointed in the frypan. So far, everything seems to stick. I do use only nylon utinsels so scratching isn’t an issue. Trying to get through to customer service is a tough job. Game seems to be keep passing you around till you give up. I’m finding I like the shape of the pans but the nonstick issue is way overrated. It just does not work.
Have used both pans several times for different foods with no stick problems yet. I am hesitating to use the fry basket and steamer rack for fear of scratching pans. Still thinking about that. May be a way to coat the feet somehow. hmmmm. Have burned pancakes and cabbage and grilled cheese with no cleanup problems.
I think if you don’t scratch it there won’t be problems at all.
I have been using my new Copper Chef pan for a week now and I am pretty pleased with the performance. I read the negative reviews and decided to give a more fair review. Although I doubt if there is any copper in this pan, I think it is very functional and useful.
I am considering this purchase and wanted to research before I placed the order.
I just got my copper chief and thought it was made of copper. My husband took one look at it, picked it up and said it was aluminum. High price for this metal. I am concerned about the longevity of this product. A nurse at work said that her food now sticks to the bottom after one years use. As far as ordering, what a horrendous nightmare. I was on the phone literally for 20 plus minutes listening to all the soliciting, I wanted to change my order. I finally just hung up then called a sales rep in another country who could not help me because my order would not show up his time before they closed in our Eastern time. Bullcrap. I have TAPED the receipt to the back of the cookbook and will wait to see what happens but in the meantime, I had made eggs, pancakes with no problems. MAC n cheese cassarole in oven no problem with clean up and of course didn’t have to use nonstick spray. I made squash and it did in deed taste metallically, like the one reveiwer said. The copper mixed with the acidy food and truly tasted like metal ;=(
Very disappointed
I PURCHASED THE FRYING PAN AS WELL AS THE SQUARE PAN AND THE FRYING PAN SUCKS. STUFF STICKS TO IT AFTER A FEW DAYS OF USAGE AND I TOOK VERY GOOD CARE OF THIS BECAUSE I PAID OVER $100.00 FOR THE TWO. I CALLED TO COMPLAIN AND THEY SAID THEY WOULD SEND ME A STICKER TO RETURN WHICH I NEVER RECEIVED. I CALLED BACK AND THEY TOLD ME I WOULD HAVE TO SEND BACK WITH MY OWN MONEY AND NOW THE SQUARE PAN IS STICKING AS WELL. WHAT A WASTE OF MY MONEY!!!!!!!!!
THIS IS THE WORST COMPANY I HAVE EVER DEALT WITH IN MY 62 YEARS. i ORDER THE PAN SET UP 3 EASY PAYMENTS i AM RETIRED AND ON A BUDGET Order Details (Order #215241416975)
———————————-
Copper Chef Pan with Bonus Items 1 @ 3 easy payments of $24.99 $74.97
Merchandise Subtotal: $74.97
Processing and Handling: $0.00
Sales Tax Total: $0.00
Order Total: $74.97
THEY TOOK THE ENTIRE AMOUNT AT 1 TIME CAUSING ANOTHER PAYMENT NOT TO PROCESS. I WENT ON CHAT RIGHT WHEN I SEEN THE FULL CHARGE ON MY CARD, WAS TOLD IT POST LIKE THAT AS PENDING BUT NOT GO THROUGH, WELL AFTER PENDING IT STILL WAS FULL AMOUNT, I CALL AND WAS TOLD THAT THE PACKAGE WOULD BE DELIVER TOMORROW AFTER I GET IT CALL BACK FOR A CREDIT. I SAID CAN I REJECT THE ORDER AND REORDER THE SET THAT HAD ADDITIONAL PANS FOR THE $49.95, WAS TOLD KNOW TO ACCEPT PACKAGE, CALL TODAY AND WAS TOLD TO LATE FOR ANYTHING CREDIT BECAUSE I ACCEPTED THE PACKAGE…WHAT THE HECK, YOU ALL BROKE THE LAW AND TOOK OUT ENTIRE AMOUNT WHEN YOU WERE TO TAKE $24.95 THEN WAS LIED TO ABOUT ACCEPTING TO GET REFUNDED THE 2 PAYMENTS UNTIL THE FOLLOWING 2 MONTHS, YOU CAN’T BE AUTHORIZED FOR 1 PAYMENT AND THEN TAKE ALL 3. i’M SENDING EVERYTHING BACK, GOING TO THE BANK TOMORROW AND SHOW THE ORDER AND EMAIL TO SEE IF I CAN DO SOMETHING TO THIS COMPANY. GOING ON ENTIRE SOCIAL MEDIA AND TELL HOW THIS COMPANY IS A TOTAL RIP OFF AND JOKE NOT TO BE TRUSTED. ALSO I SENT AN EMAIL NEVER EVER RECEIVED A RESPONSE AT ALL, I TOLD JIMMY THE SUPERVISOR YOU ALL MUST NOT NEED CUSTOMERS BECAUSE IF A COMPANY SCREWS UP AND DOESN’T EVEN WANT TO MAKE THE CUSTOMER AN ADJUSTMENT OR A FREE PRODUCT IS SAD. ESPECIALLY WHEN COMPANY MADE MISTAKE. LOOK FOR COMMENTS ON THE GREAT WEB
Bad product. The pot is aluminum with copper color coating. Bad company. Bad custumer service. I won’t recommend them or use them ever. Stay away. Beware! If you try to return or even cancel order they will give you the run around. At the end they will charge you $33 for returning unopened parcel you been trying hard to cancel before even they could ship it.
Oh, and by the way; I am the owner of a magazine, and I will be posting the comment in it…
From the comments above and my own experience, I hope you did not get the order yet or did not receive it when delivered. Sure wish I had checked reviews first before ordering mine.
I’ve been using the version of this product which is being sold in Sams Club warehouse stores. It consists of the square pan and accessories, and a large round saute pan. I’ve used the saute pan the most. I’ve used both a GE glass surface electric cooktop and a Tramontina induction cooktop.
The pan works much better with the induction cooktop: it heats faster and the temperature is more controllable.
As with any non-stick surface, a patina can build up. The proteins in eggs do this the most quickly, it seems. Soon, you’re cooking on the patina and not the non-stick surface and things start sticking. Keeping the pan clean by frequently running it through the dishwasher seems key here. Don’t cook eggs on this kind of pan unless you’re going to clean thoroughly after. I use a 7″ cast iron pan for cooking eggs. It works fine on the induction cooker, BTW. Iron cookware needs the patina, and the eggs are happy to provide. Then use oil to cook as in most recipes. I had hoped these pans would solve all cooking problems, but, in the case of eggs, they don’t. Otherwise, I’m happy. I have only used non-metallic utensils and wouldn’t recommend using metal (Copper Chef recommends this also). Finally, except for eggs, and some fruits, cleanup can be done simply by wiping with a paper towel; washing not required! The glass cover gets dirty first.
See my comments in the positive section.
Never ever buy these products!!!! It is a scam….looks nice but doesn’t deliver on all the advertisement.
At first it worked great. Suddenly EVERYTHING stuck to the bottom. Forget getting off the pan…no matter how long you soak it in hot, soapy water. FALSE ADVERTISING; DONT BOTHER!
I would not buy this again
hummm
I purchased the XL pan directly from Copper Chef. The pan is ok but the customer service is the worst!! I received a damaged item in February, returned it with their own shipping label. A month and half later they are telling they didn’t receive the item. I spoke to a supervisor that was supposed to have sent my product almost two weeks ago still haven’t received.Now I’m being told the induction cook top is on back order WHAT?? I’m on the verge of just returning the pan since I may never get the cooktop.
The customer service is horrible and they don’t care if you’re not happy with your product or not. I ordered my copper chef xl with induction cooktop on February 23 upon inspection I noticed that the pan was dented in three spots so I returned the pan on March 4th for an exchange. I called them several times to find out where the replacement was and I was told to call back so I did and as of April 7th I still don’t have the replacement pan. I can’t comment on if it works because I wasn’t able to use it, I’m tired of waiting, so now I’m sending everything back. I will never order from them again.
I wanted one of these for a while and I have heard so many mixed reviews. I saw this at Walmart for $59.99 with the fullset of items (knives, basket, steam tray, and deep pan) I used it once to make rice krispy treats and I had to melt marshmallows. They melted find and there was some sticking on the sides as it cooled, but the warm marshmallows on the bottom did not stick. However, it was easy to clean off though. I will need to use it a little more to get a real feel for the pan. I was just impressed with the deal and the fact that I can make rice krispies…
I have only used the dutch oven so far and that was to make air-popped popcorn; it was perfect! I have a gas stove and I was sure to move the pan around a lot. The popcorn came out perfectly, I previously bought an air-popping popcorn machine and it made the popcorn tough, but I will only pop it this way from now on for a healthier snack for my family.
This copper chef pan is Amazing!! This actually lives up to its Promises to a tee!! Wow I never seen anything like this before , I had this pan for about 3 wks now and I’ve cooked everything on it from hot dogs , potatoes , turkey burgers a whole stir fry dinner e.t.c !! All with no butter or extra fatty oils My partner and I also lost weight about 5 ibs
Already..
Absolutely amazing Food taste like it’s from a gourmet restaurant.
I absolutely love it.. would not go with any other pan.. Like new everytime I wash it..
TRY IT YOU WILL LOVE IT! For those who have tried it you may have just gotten a dud cause this really works in my opinion. . Goodluck!:)
WE have used our pan’s now for three weeks and so far nothing has stuck to our 8″ or 10″ round pans. The instructions say not to use any Non-Stick sprays so we don’t. Clean up is very easy. Sometimes food won’t slide off the pan like in the ads but nothing stick to them. We only use plastic utensils in them and we are happy with our pans so far.