I’ve been using Caraway cookware and bakeware for a few years now. Here’s my updated Caraway cookware review. This post isn’t sponsored, but I was given the set to review.
The Updated Caraway Review Summary
It’s been a few years now since I first started using Caraway cookware and bakeware. The short review update is: I had to give away a few of my essential pieces that didn’t work with our new induction stove, but the rest of the collection – from the minis to the baking sheets – I STILL LOVE!!! They look as pretty as the day I got them. Caraway is still my favorite cooking set option out there. I only have one frequently used piece that might need replacing – read on to see which one it is.
Caraway Cookware Review
I switched to ceramic cookware back in 2022 when I started to move away from traditional nonstick and towards greener choices. Ceramic was always at the top of the list. What you cook your food in (especially at high temperatures) should be just as important as choosing the food itself.
Is Caraway Cookware Safe?
There is some emerging research on the forever chemicals that are commonly used to make non-stick pans. PFAS, a group of about 5,000 synthetic compounds, are present in the blood in nearly 100% of the U.S. population. Polytetrafluoroethylene, aka Teflon, is in 95% of nonstick pans. And polytetrafluoroethylene can be released into food at high heat or as the coating of the pans breaks down (especially when damaged or scratched). Research by the Environmental Working Group has shown that forever chemicals take decades to leave the body and they never break down in the environment.
Ceramic is a great choice!
If you create a spectrum with traditional nonstick cookware, like Teflon-coated on the far left, and cast iron, carbon steel, or a stainless steel pan on the right, ceramic coated cookware would fall right in the middle. It doesn’t have the forever chemicals of traditional non-stick coatings yet it doesn’t take the elbow grease – or literal grease – that those timeless pans require to maintain.
Fun fact: since this post was originally published, Caraway now makes both stainless steel and cast iron options!
This chart is a great visual of the pros and cons of different types of cookware:
The Caraway Cookware Sets
Caraway Home has been one of the leading ceramic companies for years. My first purchase was the small and large Caraway baking sheets when they first came out. Our old baking sheets were scratched and gross, and I have been SO HAPPY with the ceramic sheets ever since (more below!).
Here they are years later. You can see that the metal handles look quite well loved, but the main part of the sheets look as beautiful as day one.
You can buy Caraway cookware as a set or as individual pans, depending on what you need and use. The set is discounted as a bundle though, so you’ll save $150 over buying it all al la carte.
In addition, the Caraway pots and pans come in some gorgeous colors!! My original set was navy since it’s a theme color in our house and also I thought a darker color would hopefully not show as much grime over time.
My newer pieces are green! I just love the shade they use. This is the Minis Duo that I use all the time when cooking oatmeal or just a couple of eggs.
What Is Caraway Cookware Made Of?
They feel like very high quality cookware and are on the heavier side.
- The pans are made from aluminum at the core and coated in non-stick ceramic with stainless steel handles.
- The cookware is oven-safe up to 550 degrees.
- You can also use it on all of the common cooktops: gas, electric, and induction.
- Pots and pans are free of potentially toxic materials including PFOA, PTFE, other PFAs, lead, cadmium, or toxic cookware metals and made without hard anodization.
What’s Included In The Cookware Set
- 10.5-inch fry pan
- 3-quart sauce pan
- 4.5-quart sauté pan
- 6.5-quart Dutch oven
- Matching lids
- A cork trivet
- ORAGANIZERS!!
The Storage System
I now keep my pots and pans in the deep drawers in our new kitchen along with our bigger stainless cookware. But Caraway does come with a storage system that I used to house in my lazy susan. The magnetic pan racks are like storage dividers and snap together. You can stack them vertically too, but I found with that direction that they were too tippy with a heavy pan inside, so we went with horizontal.
Lid Storage
It also comes with a canvas lid storage organizer. I was very sad that the canvas lid holder did not work in our previous kitchen. We didn’t have a lower cabinet door that was wide and tall enough. I have always kept my lids in a lower drawer.
Is Caraway Cookware Worth It?
Cooking
I love cooking with Caraway! It’s the best of both worlds of nonstick and safe, easy to clean and great for cooking foods of all kinds. While we tend to use stainless for big chicken or skillet dishes (due to our induction stovetop), I use the Minis and our stock pot for lots of different things – from oatmeal and sauces, to soups and stews.
Cleanup
Three years later, I still love the ceramic! The nonstick coating looks good as new. I use olive oil or butter as my cooking medium on most things. The minis have been the same – easy to clean and they totally look brand new.
This residue was left from steaming an artichoke and it wiped right out.
Should food get stuck, Caraway recommends a mixture of 2 tablespoons of baking soda and 1 cup of vinegar soaked for 30 minutes and then using a gentle scrubbing brush. I will admit that I’ve used Barkeepers friend on them and it’s been totally fine! (Use at your own risk!)
Is Caraway Cookware Dishwasher Safe?
Unfortunately, the pans aren’t dishwasher safe, but I don’t tend to put cookware in the dishwasher anyways, so that’s not a huge deal for me.
Wear and Tear
I have noticed a few chips on the bottom of the pans, likely from me banging them hard on the rough stove grates. The outside of the pans can show permanent residue more than the insides. The ceramic coating on the insides is perfect! (Make sure you always use wooden or silicone utensils since metal utensils can scratch the ceramic coating.)
As I mentioned, our baking sheet handles look grimy, but the inside of the pans look great. There can be some buildup along the edges, but a little Barkeepers takes that off.
The one piece in our collection that I can’t quite get clean is our round yellow baking pan. I use it all the time for kids’ nuggets and crab cakes in the toaster oven, and it has a level of grime I can’t seem to scrub out. It still has life in it, though!
The Caraway Bakeware Set
I also have the Half Bakeware Set which comes with a muffin tin, baking pan, and the small and large baking sheets. As mentioned above, these are the best baking sheets I have ever used! They are on the heavy side, but it hasn’t been a problem to take them in and out of the oven with one hand.
I love the metal handles on the side of the larger sheet, and the smaller sheet is perfect for a half-dozen cookies or a bunch of asparagus.
Bakeware Storage
The organizer is pretty awesome, too! But since we have vertical storage and pull-out drawers in the new kitchen, we just use those instead.
Utensils + More
They also make so many kitchen tools, from food storage to this perfect kitchen gadget set!
How Caraway Is Sold
You can buy Caraway directly through their website and get free shipping on $90 and up orders. They also have free returns. Lastly, there is a 30-day trial for a full refund. Note returns do need to be in original packaging, so keep your box while you test drive everything. You can also find them on Amazon!
The sets do go on sale, so keep your eye out for those, too, especially around Black Friday!
If you just want to try one thing to accent your cookware collection, I would recommend the large sauté pan and the large baking sheet.
Shop Caraway here.
This post includes affiliate links. Thanks for using mine to shop!
Heidi D. says
I got the green Caraway set. They truly are beautiful. I have had no issues with 3 of my pans but the sauté (smaller) pan has discoloration and food sticks to it- especially fried eggs ?it’s a pain to get it clean even with the vinegar/baking soda mixture. I’m really bummed because I’ve only had the pans for almost a year. Only use silicone spatulas and let pans cool before cleaning. It’s not in my budget to replace the pan right now but I love it enough and believe in the product to replace again. Great review Kath!
Emily says
Reach out to them about cleaning method. They replaced mine when that didn’t work and I was having issues with sticking when it was still relatively new.
Chris says
I also have the fry pan and hate it. Eggs stick. Can’t make pancakes in it for the same reason. Waste of money, in my opinion.
Kath Younger says
I still use butter with my eggs but not nearly as much as I’d need in a stainless pan.
Sadie says
Honest question, how is it not sponsored if they gave you hundreds of dollars worth of pots and pans in exchange for a review? Isn’t that the definition of sponsored? I’m not being snarky, I’m trying to understand what these words mean!
I will always be loyal to my Le Creuset – the quality is without rival!
Kath Younger says
It means they didn’t pay me to write a post. Gifted but not sponsored.
Lois says
Artichokes come out perfectly in the InstantPot! Same with potatoes, beets, and eggs.
BTW, that olive sweater in one of your recent posts is so flattering. You need to wear that color more often. Way more often.
Meg Southern says
I hate my set. I used it about a handful of times, always cleaning carefully. Everything sticks to it. Also, Lead Mama tested the Caraway pan and found “ Caraway “cookware without the chemicals” positive for 20 metals including Lead, Mercury, Cobalt & Antimony (when tested with XRF technology.” Needless to say, I am beyond disappointed.
Please refer to Tamara Rubin, Lead Mama’s site for her article.
https://tamararubin.com/2021/08/caraway-cookware-without-the-chemicals-tested-positive-for-20-metals-including-lead-mercury-cobalt-antimony-when-tested-with-xrf-technology/
Kath Younger says
Hey Meg, I can’t speak for Caraway so I asked for any response that they had about this claim. Here’s what they said:
As a brand, we stand firm in our products and believe in the safety of our non-stick coatings. We have conducted thorough testing through accredited third-party agencies, including but not limited to SGS S.A and NSL Analytical. In addition, we regularly review the authenticity of claims made where appropriate. Although these tests were performed by third parties and we cannot guarantee accuracy of third-party findings, we stand firm by their results and conclusions.
It’s important to note – our tests are only performed on our non-stick coating and not on the cookware materials itself, as the interior surface and coating is the only food-contact area, therefore components such as the handles or bases may yield different and unrelated results. It is our belief that these tests being performed by parties unrelated to Caraway have tested the handle, base and/or other non-food contact areas of the products.
Our cookware is made with an aluminum core and have stainless steel bases and handles. The interior is made with a non-stick coating free of lead, cadmium, PTFE, PFOA, and other harmful chemicals. The non-stick is a sol-gel processed fine ceramic coating material formed from a low curing temperature.
We are very transparent with all claims we make, and we stand firm in confirming that our non-stick coating is created without many of the common toxins and metal traces found in traditional non-stick cookware in the market.
Please see the links to our test reports below conducted on our non-stick coatings:
California Prop 65 leaching tests for heavy metals
LFGB test report for PFOA, PFOS, and extractable metals
FDA leaching tests for lead and cadmium
NSL Analytical PTFE detection test
Sarah says
My question is, how is the actual cooking? Do you find that you have to change the way that you cook (temp, preheat time, etc) compared to your previous pans at all? I have 12-year-old nonstick fans that are definitely showing their age and I just get stuck with indecision about which direction to go. I will not pick nonstick again due to concerns you mentioned in this post, but it seems like there are trade offs in each category! My sister has cast iron and I hate cooking on them because I feel like my nonstick cooking experience doesn’t transfer! Do these pans have a similar cooking experience?
Kath Younger says
Very comparable to non-stick. I use a little butter or olive oil and haven’t had anything stick in a bad way. You can’t use nothing and you also don’t need a lot.
Cathy McDaniel says
Bought many pieces. Work great at first. After a year I stopped using them. They stick. The handles get hot and chips inside. I called them, they never called back. Poor performance for the amount if money. Cathy Georgia