T-fal HybridMesh Tri-Ply Stainless Steel 3 Piece Cookware Set, 8, 10.25, and 12 Inch, Induction Oven Safe 500F, Metal Utensil Safe, Platinum Non…

Had GreenPans, which were decent at first but not dishwasher friendly, had uneven heat distribution, and were starting to lose non-stick properties. Also had All Clad HA1 which scratched too easily, had uncomfortable handles, and also were not dishwasher friendly. These bad boys check all the boxes. Stainless exterior (instead of hard-anodized), tri-ply, great heat distribution, comfortable handle. I cook with fats (oil or butter), so these are non-stick enough for me. But I can see how a novice cook could end up with a bad result. Heat, patience, and fat are your friends. Clean up is a snap.

Years ago, when I first got an induction cooktop, I bought a set of compatible trim-layer pans (magnetic-steel bottom, aluminum middle, and stainless steel interior). Despite not having a non-stick surface, they proved easy enough to clear with a scouring pad. One thing I couldn’t do was pun the in the dishwasher, because the metal “sandwich” wasn’t sealed (the aluminum core was exposed on the edges and aluminum and dishwasher detergent is not a pretty combo). Long story short, I wondered how easily these T-fal pans would clean up and were they truly dish washer safe?

The first test: cooking cheese-steak meat. Per the instructions on the box, I preheated the smallest pan to 350ºF, placed the frozen meat puck in the center, after 90 second I flipped the puck and continued cooking until the meat browned. I didn’t notice any issues with sticking while cooking. Afterwards were was some residue left in the pan, most of which came off with a bit of dish soap and light rubbing with a dishrag. As the edges of these pans do appear to be sealed, I popped the pan in the dishwasher and inspected it afterwards only to find what seemed to be the same amount of residue. I then took a nylon brush and a bit of dish soap and with a little scrubbing got almost all of it off (there were a couple very thin traces stuck to the edges of the slightly raised steel grid pattern), probably not even enough to notice unless one was specifically looking for it. The other thing I noticed is that there was a bit of discoloration on the cooking surface which had been directly over the induction “burner’s” hotspot. Nothing out of the ordinary—I’ve read it’s a common side effect of using induction.

The second test: I wanted to see how well the pan distributes heat, as my induction burners focus their energy on a 3-4” hotspot. I filled the largest pan with about 1/3” of water, put it on the burner, and then set the cooker to max heat. I could almost immediately see the center (under the hotspot) was heating up, so I stuck my finger in the water and touched the pans bottom near the hotspot: it was warm and getting hotter, as it became hotter than comfortable, I’d successively move my finger further away from the center and found that, yes, it was distributing the heat. I wasn’t expecting the heat to be evenly distributed (that’s not how induction cookers work) and there was a definite central hotspot. Yet, it is clear that even the large pan will conduct heat across the bottom.

Final thoughts? They have a premium look and feel. The grid pattern is pretty nifty. Overall, I quite like ‘em!

[Disclosure: I received this product for “free”—in quotes because the IRS requires I pay federal income tax on the retail value. This review is honest and uncensored by the seller.]