Have you ever wondered what is the best As Seen on TV product? Well, for now, we’re interested in two of the most popular cookware. We’re going to compare Gotham Steel vs Red Copper pans and see if they’re even legit.
Chef Daniel Green recommends Gotham Steel, while Cathy Mitchell endorses Red Copper. But is either of them “the only frying pan you’ll ever need”? Is this just a marketing gimmick? Let’s find out.
Sure You’ve Heard of These Pans Before
Do the names Gotham Steel Pan and Red Copper Pan sound familiar? Of course, they do!
Are these nonstick pans?
As seen on TV, they seem nonstick and decent enough for everyday usage. They’re advertised as so smooth and so nonstick that you can smoothly slide off your freshly cooked food (even cheese and chocolates!) from the pan to your plate. And that’s without using any oil or butter.
While these products are shown to be as appealing as possible, you still need to know some things.
Gotham Steel Cookware Reviews
The selling point of Gotham Steel is the combination of ceramic and super-strong titanium. The ceramic does a very effective job of keeping the pan nonstick, while titanium makes the surface durable.
Gotham Steel pans are shown to give you effortless cooking due to them being incredibly lightweight and nonstick.
Gotham Steel cookware includes square pans, saucepans, and pots, aside from their well-known frying pans. You can also buy these in a set.
These pots and pans are PFOA, PFOS, and PTFE-free, so you don’t have to worry about harmful substances when you cook food.
Pros
- Lightweight
- Ergonomic handle
- Oven-safe
- Dishwasher-safe
- Can withstand up to 500 degrees Fahrenheit
- Versatile because of the flameproof feature
- Easy to clean cooking pans
- Does not add a strange taste to your food like some nonstick pans do
Cons
- Not induction compatible
- Inconsistent heat distribution
- The titanium-infused ceramic coating isn’t something extraordinary.
- The nonstick coating reliability isn’t great.
Red Copper Cookware Review
Red Copper’s bestselling product is their 12-inch Fry Pan Deluxe. The pans are oven-safe, nonstick ceramic-copper pans that are lightweight, durable, and good heat conductors.
The surface is copper-infused ceramic, which means it can resist scratches well as long as you don’t use metal utensils and other pointy objects against it. Instead, use wooden or silicone utensils. You should also never put it in the dishwasher; rather, manually wash it to keep it looking new.
The best part of cooking with a Red Copper pan is its superior heat distribution and heat sensitivity that’s due to the copper. You can do a lot of precise cooking with Red Copper pans.
Pros
- Lightweight, nonstick cookware
- Even heat distribution
- Great heat conductivity because of copper
- Temperature-sensitive
- Doesn’t require seasoning due to the effectiveness of the copper-infused ceramic coating
- Bigger heating plate than Gotham Steel
- Free of toxic PFOA and PTFE
- Not easily scratched
- Oven-safe for up to 500 degrees Fahrenheit
Cons
- The stainless steel handles easily get hot
- Not dishwasher-safe
- Not that easy to clean
Gotham Steel vs Red Copper Comparison
First, we’ll discuss the things in common between Red Copper and Gotham Steel; then, we’ll serve you the content you came for: their differences and unique features.
Common Features
Both Gotham Steel and Red Copper are advertised as nonstick pans. They rely on an aluminum core, while metal and ceramic are the nonstick surface components. You’ll find out the specific differences between their nonstick coatings in the next section.
Another thing they have in common is the color of the cooking surface. No matter which you choose, you’ll add a pop of color to your kitchen with the unique copper shade.
Lastly, you can use them both for baking since they are oven-safe for up to 500 degrees Fahrenheit. You’ll love Gotham Steel and Red Copper cookware for their versatility.
Differences
The main difference between Gotham Steel and Red Copper is the material of their nonstick surface. Red Copper pans are made of a ceramic and copper infusion, while Gotham Steel pans are a mix of titanium, ceramic, and stainless steel.
Because of the difference in build, one of them has better heat distribution. Copper is a better heat conductor than titanium because the titanium’s thermal conductivity is low—actually about 1/23 of that of copper. Indeed, you’ll notice a difference when you get to cook with both pans.
Their coating also isn’t the same. Red Copper uses a nonstick ceramic with copper, while Gotham Steel has a titanium-infused nonstick ceramic surface as its coating.
Moreover, the bottom layers of these two pans are different. Red Copper pans will have a copper bottom layer instead of the metal scratch-guard ring you’ll find on Gotham Steel pans.
Another difference between these two pans is the size options. Red Copper pans are available in the 8-inch, 10-inch, and 12-inch version, while Gotham Steel pans come in 9.5″, 10.25″, and 12.5″.
Both pans seem to have quick heat-up times for the cooking results, but we prefer the superb, even heat distribution of Red Copper.
However, Gotham Steel is excellent when it comes to nonstick properties, especially when you’ve just bought one; even the stickiest foods such as condensed milk will glide on its incredibly nonstick, smooth surface. But unfortunately, the ceramic non-stick won’t last that long, especially with heavy usage.
Gotham Steel is also not compatible with induction cooktops, unlike Red Copper. If you have an induction hob, there’s your winner.
Their prices are also not the same. To compare, let’s look at similarly sized pans. At the time of writing, Red Copper’s 10-inch pan costs a little more than $18, while Gotham Steel’s 9.5-inch pan (there’s no 10-inch pan) costs $19.99.
Which Should You Buy?
Overall, don’t expect too much from Gotham Steel and Red Copper. Both have their pros and cons, but if we have to choose, we’d say go for Red Copper—at least you can use it on an induction cooktop, plus it distributes heat well.
The titanium on Gotham Steel is overhyped; yes, it’s nonstick, and it might seem amazing at first, especially when you see that the food slides so effortlessly. But, it has worse heat distribution, it’s slightly more expensive than Red Copper.
Not only can science back up many users’ claim that Red Copper is a better deal than Gotham Steel, but you can also simply consider their prices.