Ninja Cookware Review: How Good Is this Popular Brand?

Ninja cookware isn't as popular as their blenders and air fryers, probably because it's one of their newer products. Even so, Ninja sells several lines of nonstick and clad stainless steel cookware. We tested Ninja's most popular cookware lines, including nonstick and clad stainless, to find out how it performs and how it compares to other brands. 

Ninja Cookware at a Glance

Here's the current Ninja cookware lineup. We did not test the Essential or the Essential Stainless because they aren't on the Ninja website and it was hard to find buying options, so they may be getting phased out. (We don't recommend the disc-clad stainless because you will get much better heat conduction from aluminum pans than from stainless steel pans.)

The Possible Pot and Possible Pan have the same build as the Premium nonstick line, including the PTFE coating. Even so, we review them separately because they have additional features than standard cookware. Some Premium sets include the option of adding a Possible Pan. 

*Not reviewed here.

back to top

About Ninja

Ninja was originally called Euro-Pro Operating, LLC. It was founded by the Rosenzweig family and was headquartered in Montreal, Canada. In 1997, Mark Rosenzweig changed the name to SharkNinja and moved headquarters to Newton, Massachusetts in 2003. Their early products included the popular Shark vacuum cleaners and carpet cleaners, which are still popular today.

The separate Ninja brand was launched in 2009. Their earliest products (and still the best known) were Ninja blenders. They compete with high end brands like VitaMix and BlendTec at a lower price point. In 2017, the company was acquired by the Chinese appliance maker JS Global.

In 2018, Ninja joined the Chinese subsidiary Joyoung, which was when Ninja introduced the Foodi brand. Ninja continued to release many products under the Ninja and Foodi brand names, including coffee makers, air fryers, and more. Ninja has several other lines of products as well, including Ninja Professional, Ninja Detect, Ninja Twisti, and more. Each line has several kitchen products, many of which compete against each other in the market. But it was under the Foodi brand that SharkNinja began to make cookware. This began in 2020, during the Covid pandemic, when people were cooking at home more and demand for cookware was high.

In 2023, SharkNinja Inc. broke away from JS Global to become its own brand. Thus far, SharkNinja has paid JS Global more than $3 billion dollars for products they sell under the Ninja name. So while SharkNinja is now a separate company, JS Global still does much of their manufacturing. 

Most, if not all, SharkNinja products are made in China, including their cookware. Ninja makes and sells dozens of kitchenware products, including several types of blenders, air fryers, coffee makers, ice cream makers, juicers, food processors, toasters, waffle makers, knives, cookware, and drink systems. Shark makes affordable vacuum cleaners and carpet cleaners. 

According to Wikipedia, today SharkNinja is a publicly traded company headquartered in Needham, Massachusetts, with more than 2,800 employees in nine countries. It holds more than 3,000 patents across the world, including in the US, Canada, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Great Britain, Germany, and France. Their annual sales in 2022 were more than $3.7 billion. 

back to top

How We Test Cookware

We tested the 10.5 inch skillet in the Everclad, NeverStick Premium, and Extended Life ceramic nonstick, plus the Possible Pan and Possible Pot (which are both NeverStick Premium pans). A skillet is the best piece to test because it takes the most abuse in the kitchen: if a skillet can pass our rigorous testing, then other pieces definitely can, too. So, you can apply our testing to all pieces in the cookware lines. 

First we weighed the pans and measured wall thickness. Then we tested thermal conductivity--quickness and evenness of heating--by timing how long it took to boil 2 cups of room temperature water. After boiling, we tested heat retention--how long the pan holds heat--by measuring how long it took to cool from boiling to 100F. In general, you want even heating that's fast but not too fast (because too fast means the cookware is very thin), and good heat retention, meaning it takes a long time for the water to cool. 

After these preliminary tests, we used the pans for searing meats, cooking veggies, frying eggs, making omelets, and other things a cook would use a skillet for. We tested each pan for about 2 months to see how not only how well it heated but also how it held up over time. (Two months is not the best test for how well a pan will hold up over time, but it provides a good baseline, especially for nonstick cookware, much of which will start to lose its nonstick properties this quickly when used daily.)

We tested differently for the clad stainless and two types of nonstick, as these pans have different uses. We followed all the use and care instructions for the nonstick pans, including not using high heat or metal utensils and washing by hand, even though Ninja says their nonstick is metal utensil and dishwasher safe. If you want your nonstick to last, you won't use high heat, metal utensils, or put it in a dishwasher, even if the manufacturer says you can.

The Possible Pot and Possible Pan were the most fun to test, and our conclusions for these pieces even surprised us.

Overall, Ninja Foodi cookware is good quality, and most of it is priced well. Read the reviews below for more detailed information.

back to top

Ninja Cookware Claims

All cookware brands make some interesting claims, but you have to do a little research to find out exactly what they mean, or if they're true. Here are some claims made by Ninja: see how they stack up to our scrutiny.

Heated to 30,000F to Create Superior Bond Between Ceramic Particles and Aluminum (Ninja NeverStick)

False. Ninja claims that their manufacturing process includes heating to 30,000F, but this can't be true because aluminum vaporizes below 5,000F. And even though they may be talking about the ceramic particles that reinforce the nonstick coating--which is a common practice--even this is unlikely, as 30,000F is about 20,000F hotter than the surface of the sun. 

We're not even sure why this high temperature would appeal to potential buyers, because since this is a completely unattainable temperature, why would anyone care? And how does the high temperature make the cookware more durable? Ninja doesn't explain that.

The claim is so outrageous that there is a class action lawsuit against Ninja for making it.

Won't Stick, Chip, or Flake (NeverStick)

False. Because of supposed high manufacturing temperature, Ninja claims that their NeverStick PTFE coating won't stick, chip, or flake. Though we didn't have any problems in our two month testing period, we know this is false because some reviewers have given the cookware poor ratings because it has chipped, flaked, or stopped workin (i.e., food stuck to it). We had a good experience with this cookware overall, but it's probably only marginally better than other PTFE brands, if at all.

10 Year Warranty on Nonstick Coating

True, but unknown if Ninja will honor it. Most nonstick pans with a "lifetime" warranty do not include the coating itself. You may get lucky and get a maker to refund or replace a pan with worn out nonstick, but it doesn't happen often. Green Pan, makers of good quality ceramic nonstick cookware, have the most honest policy we've seen: a lifetime warranty on the pans, and a 2 year warranty on the nonstick coating.

So a 10 year warranty on a PTFE nonstick coating is rare--in fact, we haven't seen it before. Does Ninja actually live up to the 10 year guarantee on their nonstick coating? We can't say because their nonstick cookware has only been on the market for a few years. But according to some sources, including Slashgear, Ninja doesn't have a great reputation for customer service, which doesn't make us overly optimistic about the cookware lasting this long or Ninja honoring the warranty if it doesn't. (In all fairness, the Slashgear article isn't about Ninja cookware, but we think it's fair to assume that if they don't honor other product warranties, they may not honor their cookware warranties, either.)

Don't get us wrong, we like the cookware. We just think it's no better than other good quality PTFE nonstick we've tested--and even the best won't last anywhere near as long as 10 years.

Commercial Grade (EverClad)

False. When it comes to cookware commercial grade doesn't mean a whole lot. There really is no such thing as "commercial grade" cookware. In fact, many professional kitchens use cheap, restaurant supply cookware that's often uncoated aluminum, which is one of the cheapest types of cookware you can buy. Expensive cookware doesn't make a lot of sense for a restaurant kitchen because it takes so much abuse. 

When you see "commercial grade" cookware advertised as used by famous chefs, this doesn't mean the cookware is higher quality or more durable than the cookware you can buy for home use. It just means the manufacturer has paid the chef to endorse their product, and given the chef numerous free pans so they can say they use them in their restaurant.

Ninja EverClad is good quality cookware, but "commercial grade" doesn't really tell you much about its quality. It's just a marketing term that impresses people who lack the background to understand what it means.

back to top

Review: Ninja EverClad Stainless Steel Cookware

See Ninja Everclad cookware on Amazon

See Ninja Everclad 10" skillet at Wal-Mart

Read more about Everclad Stainless Steel at Ninja

About $60 for 10.25" skillet

About $270 for 12 piece set

Features

Performance and Handling

The 10.25" skillet weighs 2.75 lbs (or 2 lbs, 12 oz.). The All-Clad D3 10" skillet, which weighs 2 lbs 2 oz. This higher weight makes sense because the walls are slightly thicker than All-Clad's: 2.8mm vs. 2.6mm. The handle is also solid, which adds a bit to the weight.

Water test: To measure thermal conductivity, we did the water boiling test. It took the EverClad pan 2 minutes, 15 seconds to reach a full boil on an induction burner. Times for our boiling test range from about 1 minute, 50 seconds to about 2 minutes 45 seconds, with thicker pans taking longer to reach a full boil. So because the Ninja EverClad pan is on the thicker side, this boiling time seems to be right where it should be.

To measure heat retention, we measured how much the water had cooled in 5 minutes after removing the pan from the heat. After 5 minutes, the water was 122F. This, too, is in line with the results we get from most of the cookware we test. 

These are not scientific tests as there are too many variables we can't control for, but it gives you an idea of the pan's performance, which is right in line with other pans we've tested. Keep in mind that you don't necessarily want the pan with the shortest time-to-boil or the longest heat retention. A short time to boil more often than not indicates a pan with too-thin walls, so even though it heats quickly, it won't heat evenly, so you can get hot and cold spots and in general not be happy with the cookware's performance (and probably not its longevity, either).

Longer heat retention can indicate that the pan has a thick layer of insulating material (like stainless steel, which isn't necessarily desirable), or it can indicate that the pan is just thicker and heavier than its competition (which is almost always a good thing). The best example of this is cast iron, which is the heaviest cookware material and also has the longest heat retention--but its thermal conductivity isn't great, so you have to compensate for that with long preheat times to ensure the pan is heated evenly all the way through. 

So in a vacuum, these tests don't mean a lot. You need to know the configuration of a pan to understand what these tests are telling you. In the case of the Ninja Everclad, the tests, along with the thick walls, indicate that the pan has a thick layer of aluminum and enough stainless steel to help it hold heat decently. So when using these pans, allow plenty of time for proper preheating, and depend on them to keep food warm for a decent amount of time after taking them off the heat.

Cooking and handling: Overall our testers liked the pan a lot. It cooked evenly, as you can see by the photo above of the water boiling evenly throughout the pan; it took a few minutes to reach this state, but we were impressed with the evenness once it got there.

The pan cooked everything we threw at it well, including searing steaks, browning chicken breasts, burger patties, and more. We even used it for scrambled eggs, and with enough butter in the pan, it cleaned up pretty easily.

The handles are comfortable and attractive. They're made of cast steel, and slightly rough to improve grip. There are no grooves or dips to help you stabilize a pan, which is a miss. But even though it looks smallish, the handle is hefty enough to allow stabilization just by holding. The handle is angled only slightly up from the pan, which makes it easier to grip and store, but also puts your hand a little closer to the hot burner than pans with higher angles. (All-Clad handles, for example, angle up much more steeply than these.) There is no right or wrong handle angle because it's really about preference. It's just something to consider.

The grooved lip poured almost drip free, which testers liked.

What we didn't like: We prefer welded handles because that means no rivets on the cooking surface, which collect gunk and can be hard to clean around. But the vast majority of pans have riveted handles, so we're not taking any points off for that.

The skillets don't come with a lid (though you can purchase them separately), so we didn't test them. But we like that the lids don't have vent holes, as glass lids often do. Glass isn't our first choice for a lid because it's heavy and fragile, but the Ninja lids have a durable stainless rim that makes them more durable and allows the lids to sit snugly on the pots. If you prefer a vent hole, you can find other lids that will fit these pans.

Most customer complaints were about food sticking and the pans staining. Many said they were experienced with stainless cookware but it stuck and stained anyway. The pictures included showed what we suspect are people using too-high heat and not giving food enough time to release naturally from the stainless cooking surface. Our testers didn't have any of these problems and found Ninja EverClad the same to use as other stainless steel cookware. Yes, you have to know how to use it, but if you do, you'll learn to love it and not worry too much about sticking and "staining." You can get those stains out with Barkeeper's Friend, or you can learn to live with them, as they do not affect the cooking performance at all.

Our final complaint is about the handle hole used for hanging: if you have a pot rack and like to hang your pots, you may get frustrated with these handles because the hole is in the thickest part of the handle, so it's not easy to hang or to remove from a hook. You can get it on there, so it's not a deal breaker, but most handles thin out at the end so they're easy to hang. The Ninja EverClad handles do not.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Great to cook with
• Even heating and good heat retention
• Oven safe to 600F, dishwasher safe, induction compatible

Cons:

• Glass lids
• Hard to hang 
• On the expensive end for Chinese-made cookware.

Buying Options

You have three buying options: the 12 piece set, the 10.25" skillet, and the 12" skillet.

The 12 piece set includes:

• 8" skillet
• 10.25" skillet
• 12" skillet
• 3 qt sauté pan with lid
• 1.5 qt sauce pan with lid
• 2.5 qt sauce pan with lid
• 6 qt stock pot with lid.

The three skillets and the sauté pan are nice pieces, especially the 12" skillet, which is rarely included in a set. However, the sauce pans are on the small side. We would prefer a 3 qt. sauce pan, which is more versatile than the 2.5 qt. But if you're only cooking for two people, these sizes are probably adequate. 

Recommendation

The Ninja EverClad stainless steel cookware is good quality, attractive, and performs as well as most stainless cookware we've tested (Demeyere being the prime exception). We prefer stainless lids and the handle hole isn't great if you've got a pot rack, but otherwise, this is decent cookware at a fair price. 

buy ninja everclad stainless cookware:

back to top

Review: Ninja Foodi Premium NeverStick Cookware

See NeverStick Premium 10pc set on Amazon

See NeverStick open stock on Amazon

See 12" everyday pan on Amazon

See Foodi NeverStick Premium at Wal-Mart

See Foodi NeverStick nonstick cookware at Ninja

About $45 for 10.25" skillet/$55 for 12" skillet

About $215 for 10pc set (we recommend skillets only in nonstick)

Features

Performance and Handling

The 10.25-inch skillet weighs 2.5 lbs, which is pretty light (though some user reviews say it's heavy, but that's because they've been using thinner aluminum pans). But at 4.5mm thick, the pan is thick enough to heat evenly and hold heat well. Compare this weight to the All-Clad HA1 10-inch skillet, which weighs 2.7 lbs (and is slightly smaller). The close weights mean the performance will be close as well. 

Water test: To measure thermal conductivity, we did the water boiling test. It took the Ninja NeverStick pan 2 minutes, 45 seconds to reach a full boil on an induction burner. This is right in line compared to other thick aluminum pans we've tested.  

To measure heat retention, we measured how much the water had cooled in 5 minutes after removing the pan from the heat. After 5 minutes, the water in the NeverStick pan was 115F. This means the pan has heat retention comparable to other thick (good quality) aluminum pans. 

Remember that these aren't scientific tests as there are some variables we can't control for (ambient air temperature, for example). Even so, it gives you a good idea of the pan's performance. A thicker, heavier pan takes longer to heat all the way through, so time to boil is longer than it will be on thinner pans. But this is a good thing. The thickness means the pan will heat evenly and hold heat well, which is what we found in our testing. Some of the worst performing pans are thin aluminum pans, so you want to avoid those.

Because this pan is so thick, be sure to allow it to preheat for two-three minutes before cooking--but keep an eye on it, because you don't want the nonstick coating to overheat. Also, Ninja says if you preheat for more than three minutes, you void the warranty. This seems like it would be hard to prove, but PTFE will discolor and break down from too much heat--so be careful.

Cooking and handling: If you've read any of our other articles, then you probably know we aren't fans of nonstick cookware, mostly because it's terrible for the environment. (You can read more about that in our statement about PTFE/Teflon nonstick cookware.) You have to be careful to not heat a PTFE pan above 500F, or it can release toxic fumes. As long as you don't overheat it, it is perfectly safe to use. (That is, it won't hurt you, but the manufacturing process releases several forever chemicals into the environment.)

This pan cooks beautifully. The heating is even and the nonstick coating is one of the best we've ever tested, releasing eggs easily with no oil or butter. Nothing stuck to this pan: eggs, pancakes, fish, and even burnt cheese slipped right out. 

We only tested the pan for about two months, but the nonstick worked just as well at the end of that time as at the beginning. We expect that if you take good care of this pan--low heat (no higher than medium, ever!), non-metal utensils, no aerosol cooking spray, and always wash by hand with no abrasives--this pan will last for several years. We don't expect nonstick coatings to last more than a couple of years, but this one might actually last a full five years, and possibly even the ten years that Ninja guarantees (with registration).

The handles are the same as on the Everclad pans, so they're comfortable and easy to grip. The rough finish helps with grip, too. The long handle is angled upward only slightly, which puts your hand closer to the hot burner than brands with a higher angle (like All-Clad), but the flatter angle makes these easier to store and none of our testers had any issues with too much heat while working with the pan. 

Induction: Just because a pan has a steel bottom doesn't automatically mean it will work well on an induction burner. Good induction performance depends on how much ferric (that is, magnetic) material is in the base. There are several brands of anodized aluminum pans marketed as "induction compatible" that don't do well because the disc is too thin. The Ninja NeverStick pan is not one of these: it works great with induction. 

What we didn't like: This pan contains PTFE, which is bad because of the terrible environmental issues of "forever chemicals." (And just because a pan is "PFOA-free" doesn't mean it has no environmental issues.) But we know people will continue to use nonstick pans, so that's all we'll say about it.

Most of what we didn't like about this pan is the same as what we didn't like about the Everclad pan (reviewed above). That is, the welded handles and the glass lids (but we like that there are no vent holes).

We prefer welded handles because that means no rivets on the cooking surface, which collect gunk and are hard to clean around. But most pans have riveted handles, so we're not taking points off for that. The one thing we rally disliked was how the handle doesn't thin out where the hanging hole is, so it's hard (but not impossible) to get this pan on or off a pot rack hook. If you don't use a pot rack, this is a moot issue--but if you do use one, you won't like hanging this pot.

Most bad online reviews were about the pans not lasting: losing the nonstick properties or the coating chipping and peeling. These are always possible with a nonstick pan, but our testers found this to be one of the more durable nonstick pans they've used. You might get unlucky and get a lemon, but the company should honor their return policy if that happens. If you get a good pan, we expect it will last longer than most other nonstick brands.

About the 10 year warranty: Will Ninja really honor the 10 year warranty on their nonstick cookware? It's hard to say. For one thing, the NeverStick cookware hasn't been around this long, so there's no way to know yet if they will. There are some negative reviews we've read complaining about Ninja customer service, so this is really an unknown. Even so, this is durable, well made nonstick cookware, and we think one of the better choices on the market.

You can read more about the 10 year warranty above in the Ninja Cookware Claims section above.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Some of the most durable nonstick cookware we've seen
• Even heating
• 10 year warranty that includes PTFE coating.

Cons:

• Customer service isn't always good
• May not last the full 10 years (and warranty may not be honored).

NeverStick Buying Options 

You have a lot of buying options for Ninja NeverStick Premium cookware. There are several sets available, including small three piece skillet and sauté pan sets, standard 10-piece and 12-piece sets, and large sets that include bakeware and knives. You can even buy a 10 piece set plus the Possible Pan. 

Open stock includes skillets, sauté pans, sauce pans, griddles, and more.

We recommend buying only nonstick skillets because you don't need the nonstick coating in other pans and it doesn't last. But if you want a set, the 10 piece set includes:

• 8" skillet
• 10.25" skillet
• 3 qt sauté pan with lid
• 1.5 qt sauce pan with lid
• 2.5 qt sauce pan with lid
• 6 qt stock pot with lid.

If you go with the 12 piece set, you get a 12-inch skillet with a lid, which is a nice feature (but you don't need to buy this set to get that piece). Or you can go with a 14 piece set that includes two plastic utensils (which is interesting, as Ninja claims this cookware is metal utensil safe).

We've only found the full nesting set on the Ninja website, but you'll find some nesting options on Amazon, too: here's one nesting set option that includes sauté pans and sauce pans, but no skillets.

Recommendation

The Ninja Foodi NeverStick are surprisingly good quality PTFE nonstick pans. There are a ton of buying options, but we recommend having just one or two nonstick skillets for eggs and sticky foods. $45 for the 10.25" pan and $55 for the 12" pan is a good buy for a pan that performs as well as this one does. 

buy ninja foodi premium nonstick cookware:

back to top

Review: Ninja Extended Life Ceramic Nonstick Cookware

See Ninja Extended Life ceramic nonstick cookware on Amazon

See Ninja Extended Life ceramic nonstick cookware at Wal-Mart

See Ninja Extended Life ceramic cookware at Ninja

About $50 for 10.25" skillet

About $240 for 9 piece set

Features

Performance and Handling

Water test: To measure thermal conductivity, we did the water boiling test. It took the Extended Life pan 2 minutes, 35 seconds to reach a full boil on an induction burner. This is a good number for an aluminum pan.

To measure heat retention, we measured how much the water had cooled in 5 minutes after removing the pan from the heat. After 5 minutes, the water in the Extended Life pan was 117F. This, too, is in line with the results we get from most of the aluminum cookware we test. 

Once again, these are not scientific tests as there are too many variables we can't control for, but it gives you an idea of the pan's performance. Keep in mind that you don't necessarily want the pan with the shortest time-to-boil or the longest heat retention. A short time to boil more often than not indicates a pan with thin walls, so even though it heats quickly, it won't heat evenly.

So longer time to boil may seem like a fault, but it's actually a feature. It means the pan is thick enough to heat evenly and hold heat well. 

Cooking: The Extended Life pan provided a decent but not exceptional cooking experience. We tried to make eggs with no butter, and they stuck to the pan. With a little knob of butter, though, the eggs slid right out. 

We didn't try any other foods without cooking oil or butter, since most makers of ceramic nonstick recommend this, anyway (ceramic nonstick is more accurately called semi-nonstick). With oil or butter, the pan performed nicely, putting nice sears on burgers and chicken breasts even at medium heat (don't use high heat with ceramic nonstick as it will ruin the nonstick properties faster) and releasing food easily. It made nicely browned pancakes and cleaned up pretty easily, with just a few stuck on pieces here and there.

At the end of the testing, the pan had definitely lost some of its nonstick properties, though it still worked fine as long as we used oil or butter. 

Ninja figured out the handle on this pan: the tip narrows, which makes it a lot easier to hang than than the NeverStick and the Everclad. 

What we didn't like: We wish ceramic nonstick was a viable alternative to PTFE, but we have yet to find a pan that releases food as well or lasts as long. This is a good quality pan, but the nonstick coating seems about the same as other ceramic nonstick coatings, which means it's pretty good when new but probably won't last very long. Ninja has a 5 year guarantee on this coating, but the cookware is too new to say if they'll honor it after that much time.

Most negative online reviews were about the pan losing its nonstick properties too soon--from immediately to a few months of use--and a few had pans with chipped or peeling interiors or exteriors. If you do get a bad pan with chips or peels, Ninja should replace it with no questions asked.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Thick, heavy aluminum body
• Attractive design
• Lots of positive reviews
• Better hanging hole than on Everclad and NeverStick lines.

Cons:

• Pans exterior peels (though most reviews were positive and we did not have this problem in testing)
• Many complaints that nonstick surface doesn't last.

Buying Options

You can buy Extended Life in the 8-inch and 10.25-inch skillets and in a 9 piece set that includes:

• 8" skillet
• 9.5" skillet
• 11" skillet
• 1.5 qt sauce pan with lid
• 2.5 qt sauce pan with lid
• 6 qt stock pot with lid.

As with all nonstick cookware, our recommendation is to go with skillets only.

Recommendation

The Ninja Extended Life ceramic nonstick was the least favorite of all the Ninja cookware we tested. The build quality is good and the pans are well designed, but the ceramic nonstick coating probably isn't going to last as long as you want it to (despite the 5 year warranty).

buy ninja extended life ceramic cookware:

back to top

Review: Ninja NeverStick Possible Pan

See it on Amazon

See it at Wal-Mart

See it at Ninja

Price varies by color (about $90-$100)

Features

Performance and Handling

Water test: To measure thermal conductivity, we did the water boiling test. It took the Possible Pan 2 minutes, 45 seconds to reach a full boil on an induction burner. Since it has the same build as the Ninja NeverStick Premium, this nearly identical time makes sense.

To measure heat retention, we measured how much the water had cooled in 5 minutes after removing the pan from the heat. After 5 minutes, the water in the Possible Pan was 117F, again very close to the NeverStick pan.

Remember that these are not scientific tests because there are variables we can't control for (ambient air temperature, for example). However, the water test gives you a good idea of the pan's performance. It's a good thing that this pan takes longer to boil water because it means it has thick aluminum walls that will hold up and heat more evenly than thinner pans.

Because the walls are so thick, you should preheat this pan a little longer than you would a thinner aluminum pan--but keep an eye on it, because more than a few minutes empty on a hot burner could cause the PTFE coating to degrade and give off toxic fumes.

Cooking: The Possible Pan's cooking performance was, as expected, very similar to the NeverStick pan we reviewed above. It released eggs, pancakes, and fish perfectly with no oil for the whole testing period of about two months. 

The steamer basket has a better design than the Always Pan, with handles that sit atop the pan, which makes it easy to remove (the Always Pan steamer has recessed handles you have to pull up, which can be unpleasant when hot). The helper handle is excellent, and always useful for moving a hot, full pan. 

The pan has an 11-inch diameter, so the size is great.

As a basic nonstick sauté pan, the Possible Pan delivers. 

What we didn't like: Ninja says this pan replaces 12 kitchen items: it functions as a stainless-steel fry pan, nonstick fry pan, sauté pan, skillet, saucier, saucepan, steamer, strainer, spatula, cast iron skillet, roasting pan, and baking dish. If you read this list carefully, you'll see that some of these claims are just silly. For example, it can't replace a stainless steel frying pan because it's not stainless steel. It's not deep enough to make a good sauciér pan, and it's not large enough to make a good roasting pan. And we think putting spatula in that list is a reach, as a spatula is not cookware.

It's also not great for steaming because steam can escape through the lips, so the water evaporates. A deeper pot (such as the Possible Pot reviewed below) is always going to do a better job with steaming. A shallower pan with a snugly fitting lid is also a better choice. So even though the steamer basket has a better design than the Always Pan, it's just not a great choice for steaming.

Ninja recommended cooking pasta in the steamer insert, but this was a fail, too, because the pan is too shallow unless you're cooking just a small amount. In general, you want a deeper pot for pasta, which will allow you to use enough water without worry of boil overs (the drain lips make it easy for water to overflow), or some of the pasta sitting above the water level. 

And, if you use the lid to hold a used spatula, the spatula will drip all over the lid.

So as with all other pans that promise multi-functionality, the Possible Pan comes up short. 

This is a small thing, but Ninja claims the pan is metal-utensil safe, but it comes with a plastic spatula.

Amazon user reviews are overwhelmingly positive, but the few negative ones complain of the nonstick not lasting, the pan warping, and the exterior color peeling off. (We did not have any of these problems during our testing.)

And as with the NeverStick, there's that sketchy 10 year warranty, which we can't fully trust due to the cookware being too new and Ninja's reputation for not-great customer service.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Good build quality (even heating)
• Larger than Always Pan (4 qts vs. 2.7 qts)
• Fairly durable for a PTFE nonstick pan.

Cons:

• Doesn't really replace all the pans it says it does
• Doesn't steam well because of pouring lips (steam can escape)
• Expensive for a nonstick pan
• Exterior paint may chip or peel off.

Buying Options

We're just talking about one pan here, so the only buying options are the different colors, which are:

• Macaron Blue
• Cherry Tart (red)
• Olive green
• Pimento (rusty orange)
• Sea salt (gray)
• Vanilla bean (cream).

Prices we've seen range from $89-$99 based on color. 

Recommendation

Several-pans-in-one aren't our favorite cookware because they rarely lives up to the marketing, but if you want a pan like this, we recommend the Ninja Possible Pan over the Always Pan for its larger size, better nonstick coating, and better overall design. But even though it's one of the most durable PTFE pans we've tested, the nonstick coating limits its versatility and durability. It won't last anywhere near as long as a stainless steel, carbon steel, or cast iron pan. And it doesn't really replace 12 cooking tools, because it doesn't everything well. A better all-purpose pan is a clad stainless steel deep pan, like this deep skillet from Tramontina or this deep sauté pan by All-Clad. Or, you could go with an enameled cast iron Dutch oven, which is an extremely versatile pot. If you have a steamer basket and a spatula, these pans can do everything a Possible or Always Pan can do, and will last decades longer.

buy ninja possible pan:

back to top

Review: Ninja Possible Pot

See Possible Pot on Amazon

See Possible Pot at Wal-Mart

About $90-$130, depending on color

Features

Performance and Handling

The Possible Pot is a good size and has some nice features. We didn't do the water test because it has the same build quality as the Possible Pan and the NeverStick pan, so we expect similar results, which are that the pot is thick enough that it takes a bit longer for water to boil and for water to cool than on thinner pans (which is a good thing), and that the heating is even (also a good thing).

Cooking: This pan is large, and testers used it mostly as you'd use a small stock pot or an enameled cast iron Dutch oven. So we used it for soups, stews, stocks, and braises, as well as making pasta, rice, and beans in it.

Overall the pot performed well. The nonstick coating held up, although these aren't tough tests for nonstick. Testers liked that it was so large without being heavy like cast iron is. 

Testers also liked the strainer lid, which is a great feature for a pan you're using to boil pasta or beans in. And because the lid extends below the drain lips, you can "close" the lid so steam can't escape, which is a nice feature for steaming--but could result in boil overs if the pot is full of liquid.

The multi-purpose spatula, with "teeth" on one side to use as pasta spoon and numerous other tasks, is a nice touch, although the spatula itself feels a little flimsy.

What we didn't like: You just don't need a PTFE coating on a pot you're going to use primarily for liquid cooking. And because PTFE is so bad for the environment, we didn't like it. Enameled cast iron will outlive this pot by decades and provides just as much functionality.

The spatula and steamer rack both feel flimsy. And if you use the spoon and then rest it on the lid handle--as it is designed for--it will drip all over the lid. So you'll want to use a separate spoon rest or plate rather than the lid.

The user reviews were almost all positive, but the few negative ones complained mostly of the exterior paint chipping and the PTFE coating chipping. One review said the lid made "cracking" noises which were due to the steel rim and the glass expanding and contracting at different rates. It's probably not dangerous, but it is unnerving. (A few of our testers experienced this, but not enough to be bothered by it.)

Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Good build quality
• Light for a pot this size
• Large (7 qt)
• Durable for a PTFE nonstick pan.

Cons:

• Doesn't replace all the pans it says it does
• The steamer rack doesn't lift out so food has to be removed with a spatula
• Expensive for a nonstick pot
• Exterior paint may chip or peel off.

Buying Options

We're just talking about one pot, so the buying options are really just the different colors:

• Macaron Blue
• Cherry Tart (red)
• Olive green
• Pimento (rusty orange)
• Sea salt (gray)
• Vanilla bean (cream).

Prices we've seen range from $90-$130 based on color. 

Recommendation

The Ninja Possible Pot is a new take on multi-functionality, and we think a deeper pot is more versatile than a shallow pan. However, you can accomplish all the same tasks with 6-quart stock pot or enameled cast iron Dutch oven and a steamer tray, and these will last decades longer than a PTFE nonstick pot. 

People who will benefit from this pot are those who want a cast iron Dutch oven but can't handle the weight. This pot will do everything a cast iron Dutch oven will do (except high heat), but at about a third of the weight--so this pot is a lot easier to lift.

buy ninja possible pot:

back to top

How to Choose Cookware

In our cookware reviews, we usually include a whole section on how to choose cookware, which means looking at heating, durability, safety, design, and value. However, this article is so long that we're not going to include it here. Instead, check out our articles on how to choose cookware:

How to Choose the Best Cookware: The Ultimate Buying Guide

What Is the Best Cookware Material?

back to top

How Does Ninja Cookware Compare to Other Brands?

All the Ninja cookware lines compare favorably to other cookware brands, although this doesn't mean we recommend all of them. 

Clad Stainless Steel Cookware

Ninja Everclad has a thicker body than All-Clad D3 (or D5), theoretically meaning that it should heat more evenly and hold heat slightly longer--though in testing, results were similar. It has a high quality stainless exterior and works well with induction. The brushed steel handle is comfortable and provides adequate stability, but we wish it was easier to hang from a pot rack (see review above for more details on this).

This also means it competes favorably with other brands we like, including Tramontina Tri-Ply Clad and Cuisinart Multiclad Pro. It's slightly thicker than Made In, but not as thick as Misen. The performance of all of these brands will be so close that most cooks won't notice much of a difference.

It's not as thick as our favorite cookware, Demeyere Industry, but it's a good performer at a reasonable price. All the Ninja cookware is made in China, so if you don't want that then go with a different brand (All-Clad, Heritage Steel, Made In, or Demeyere). But making it in China keeps prices low on a good quality product.

The glass lids are more fragile than the stainless lids found on All-Clad, Made In, and Misen (and some lines of Tramontina Tri-Ply Clad and Cuisinart Multiclad Pro). But this is a small drawback, and even a plus for people who prefer glass lids.

Really, the only pan that vastly outclasses Ninja Everclad is the Demeyere Proline skillet, and it is priced accordingly (although if you want to invest in one excellent piece of cookware, the Proline is an excellent choice). And, the Proline outclasses all other stainless cookware. Otherwise, you'll find everything pretty similar among all the brands named here.

PTFE Nonstick Cookware

Important: Regardless of what other sites may say or an AI search result might say, NeverStick contains PTFE. Being PFOA-free is not the same as being PTFE-free. 

No matter how much you pay for PTFE nonstick cookware, you will find that it all lasts about the same amount of time. So if you're going to buy PTFE cookware (which we don't recommend), you shouldn't spend a lot. You should be willing to pay for a thick aluminum base that heats evenly, but you don't need to spend a lot for that.

The Ninja NeverStick PTFE cookware is priced well for a thick, anodized aluminum pan that heats evenly, hold heats well, and has one of the most durable nonstick coatings we've ever tested. At about $45 for the 10.25" pan and about $55 for the 12" pan, prices aren't out of line. It may be more than you want to pay, but if you go much cheaper than this, the pans are likely to be too thin and light to heat well, and you will hate using them.

There are so many brands of PTFE nonstick brands, but the only pan we'd recommend over the Ninja NeverStick is Anolon Nouvelle Copper because of the copper in the base, which gives the pan stellar heating performance. But the Ninja NeverStick pan is a solid contender against any other PTFE pan, including pans that cast a lot more (like Scanpan). 

Ninja offers a 10 year warranty on the NeverStick, including the nonstick coating. We don't know how well the cookware will live up to that, and we doubt it will last that long (because, PTFE), but it's a good, durable brand that should hold up as well as any other brand of PTFE.

If you do go with PTFE, we recommend buying just a skillet or two. You don't need the nonstick coating on other pans, and it will wear out long before the pan bodies do, so you'll be replacing pans that would last for decades if they didn't have that nonstick coating.

Ceramic Nonstick Cookware

Ninja's Extended Life ceramic nonstick was our least favorite of all the Ninja cookware we tested. Like all the ceramic pans we've worked with, the nonstick was great at first, but towards the end of the 2 month testing period, it was already beginning to lose the nonstick surface. 

This is standard for ceramic nonstick, so this isn't a ding against Ninja Extended Life pans as it is a ding against ceramic nonstick pans in general. The good news is that even if the nonstick stops working, you can continue to use the pans with cooking oil or butter. And sometimes, scouring the nonstick surface with a baking soda paste can restore the nonstick properties (temporarily). Ceramic nonstick doesn't break down like PTFE does, so it's as safe to use when sticky as when it's new (although ceramic nonstick contains nanoparticles that may not be safe to use--see our article on nonstick cookware chemicals for more information).

This pan comes with a full 5 year warranty, including the nonstick coating. It's unlikely the coating will last that long, but we don't know for sure because the pan hasn't been on the market long enough to know. Other than the problematic ceramic nonstick, the pan is well made and roughly the same price as most GreenPan pans, which is our recommended ceramic nonstick brand. (Stay away from the more expensive boutique brands like Caraway and Our Place, which use a similar--if not identical--coating, and cost much more.)

back to top

Ninja Cookware FAQs

Here are some popular questions about Ninja cookware.

Does Ninja NeverStick Contain PTFE?

Yes, NeverStick contains PTFE. We are absolutely certain of this, so any source that says it is PTFE-free or Teflon-free is not accurate. (Technically, Teflon is a brand of PTFE, so cookware can be Teflon-free yet still contain PTFE.)

Do You Have to Season Ninja Cookware?

No, you do not have to season any Ninja cookware. They do not sell cast iron or carbon steel pans, which are the only cookware materials that need to be seasoned.

Is Ninja Cookware Safe to Use?

Ninja Everclad (clad stainless steel) is completely safe to use, as is all good quality stainless steel cookware. Ninja Extended Life ceramic nonstick and Ninja NeverStick--which includes the Possible Pan and Possible Pot--have all the same precautions as other ceramic and PTFE cookware. That is, they both need to be used at low heat, and both contain chemicals that may not be safe for humans or the environment.

How Long Will Ninja NeverStick Cookware Last?

NeverStick has a 10 year warranty that includes the nonstick coating, but the coating is unlikely to last that long. Most PTFE pans last 1-5 years with proper use and care. The NeverStick has one of the more durable nonstick coatings and could last 5 years or more. 

How Long Will Ninja Extended Life Ceramic Nonstick Cookware Last?

Extended Life has a 5 year warranty including the nonstick coating, but the coating probably won't last that long. Most ceramic nonstick coatings last just a year or two, and some only last a couple of months. However, you can continue to use a ceramic nonstick pan with oil or butter with no added safety concerns like there are with PTFE coatings.

How Does Ninja Essential Nonstick Compare to Ninja Premium?

Ninja Essential has the same PTFE nonstick coating as the Premium, but the pan bodies are thinner (3.3mm vs. 4.5mm). The Essential line also comes in a disc-clad stainless steel exterior, which adds to the cost but actually detracts from the heating performance (because, less aluminum). The Essential line is also harder to find, so Ninja may be phasing it out.

What Is the Warranty on Ninja Cookware?

Ninja Everclad clad stainless steel has a lifetime warranty against manufacturing defects.

Ninja NeverStick Premium (including the Possible Pan and Pot) has a 10 year warranty, including the nonstick coating.

Ninja Extended Life ceramic nonstick has a 5 year warranty, including the nonstick coating. 

Will Ninja honor these warranties? There are some complaints from buyers about poor customer service from Ninja, but because their cookware has only been on the market for a few years, we don't know for sure if they'll honor the warranties. 

Is Ninja Cookware Induction Compatible?

Yes: all Ninja cookware lines are induction compatible. Not only that, but they contain enough ferritic (magnetic) material to work well with induction, which is not the case with all brands of aluminum nonstick with an "induction compatible" base. 

Can Ninja Cookware Go in the Dishwasher?

Yes: all Ninja cookware is dishwasher safe. However, you should hand wash all your cookware for best results, and nonstick cookware lasts longer if you hand wash it.

Where Is Ninja Cookware Made?

All Ninja cookware is made in China.

back to top

Final Thoughts

Ninja has a reputation for moderately priced, high quality products, and their cookware is no exception. We were impressed with all their cookware lines. We are not big fans of nonstick cookware or of multi-functional pans (such as the Possible Pan and Pot), but if you're going to buy them, Ninja is a good choice, especially the NeverStick PTFE pans. Their Possible Pan is larger than the popular Always Pan, so it's a better choice, but our overall recommendation is to get a deep stainless sauté pan and a steamer basket, which performs all the multi-functional tasks of an Always or Possible Pan but will last for decades rather than a few years.

As well made as Ninja cookware is, there are other options that have been on the market longer for similar prices and as good or better quality. So if you like Ninja cookware, you'll probably be happy with it, but if you want to take the safer route, choose a more tried-and-true brand. 

Thanks for reading!

back to top

If you found this article helpful, please share it: