These days, direct-to-consumer (DTC) kitchenware companies are a dime a dozen. From skillets that claim to do it all to Dutch ovens at a discount, you can buy pretty much any pot or pan you need with the click of a button. So when I heard that Abbio cookware was giving an all-time favorite brand, All-Clad, a run for its money, I needed to know: Is this cookware worth the hype? I tested the nonstick skillet, and here’s what I found.

Abbio is an online-only, DTC cookware brand that aims to make it easier for the home cook to enjoy pro-caliber pots and pans. It offers just five essential pieces: a stainless steel stock pot, sauce pan and sauté pan, and an 8-inch and 11-inch nonstick skillet (the one I’ve been testing). You can purchase the pieces individually or in various set pairings, and prices run from $80 to $355 for the entire collection. All purchases come with a silicone hot pad meant for protecting your counters and tabletop when it’s time to eat.

The cookware boasts a fully clad, tri-ply stainless steel and aluminum design, meaning the entire pan, not just the bottom surface, is built from layers of metal. The benefit is that fully clad cookware is resistant to warping, nonreactive with ingredients and will heat and cook more evenly. Abbio’s nonstick coating is PFOA-free and all the pieces are cooktop-agnostic, so you can use them with gas, electric and induction ranges.

According to the brand, the cookware is dishwasher-friendly, although I a) don’t have a dishwasher and b) am morally opposed to dishwashing pots and pans, so I can’t vouch for it on that front.

This pan is seriously lightweight. I can lift and wield it with one hand, unlike any All-Clad I’ve cooked with—they’re shockingly heavy, much like a cast iron skillet. I also find Abbio’s rounded, slightly angled handle ergonomic and comfortable to grip.

The nonstick factor is nothing to scoff at either. It requires very little oil and releases foods easily. It’s middle-of-the-road in terms of cleaning ease: It doesn’t require heavy scrubbing, but it doesn’t wipe as effortlessly as some ceramic nonstick pans I’ve tried. But the tradeoff is that the slightly textured surface allows for nice caramelization and browning (and therefore flavor).

I’ve found the pan to heat up quickly and evenly with minimal hot spots. It’s oven-safe up to 450°F, and the stainless design won’t suffer if you decide to finish cooking that frittata in the oven. (TBH, some of the more “aesthetic” options on the market end up discoloring the minute you expose them to high heat.)

In the “small but significant details” category, my skillet arrived in minimal cardboard packaging with no extraneous peanuts or plastic bits, and I appreciated the sustainability effort.

The “large” nonstick skillet, while ample in size, is not a standard 12-inch skillet. Its rim measures 11 inches in diameter, but the actual cooking surface is only 8½ inches across. For comparison, the Caraway skillet has steeper sides, allowing for a larger surface area. It’s not a dealbreaker, but it means that any 12-inch lids you have from other cookware won’t fit on the Abbio pan and it’s slightly less versatile than a larger skillet.

My only other complaint, which I hate to admit, is that I’ve already noticed a superficial scratch on the nonstick coating. (Granted my husband—bless his heart—did make dinner a few nights before the scratch appeared, and I can’t guarantee he abides by the “no metal utensils on a nonstick surface” rule.) Abbio states that minor surface scratches won’t affect the performance of the pan, but you should probably stick to silicone and wood utensils to prolong its life.

Stocking a kitchen with the essential pots and pans can cost thousands. If your budget allows the most luxurious option, I’m admittedly envious. But for new cooks, small kitchens and anyone who likes having money leftover in their checking account, Abbio cookware has everything you need at a much better value. It has all the perks of pricier brands (like being oven-safe, stovetop-agnostic and nontoxic), and it looks indiscernible from cookware three times its price tag. I’m curious to see how my nonstick skillet fares in a year’s time, but so far, it’s a worthy dupe to those $300 pans I can’t lift with one arm.

Psst: Abbio is offering PureWow readers an exclusive discount, so you can knock 20 percent off the full price.

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