Blue Diamond Pan Review: Is It Worth the Money?

You’ll be familiar with the Blue Diamond adverts. But are the claims they make about their cookware true? Should you be investing in a Blue Diamond pan rather than more traditional nonstick cookware?

Here we’ll provide you with answers. We’ve looked at the technical information, but also at several Blue Diamond pan reviews. So you’ll see how the claims stack up in real life when people like you use the pans.

We’ll address each claim in turn, including how the diamond-infused coating used for the brand’s ceramic non-stick surface stands up to traditional nonstick coatings. And then we look at some Blue Diamond products so you can decide for yourself which is best for your kitchen.

Blue Diamond Pan Review – A History

Blue Diamond is part of The Cookware Company family. The company began in 2005 as Anotech Manufacturing. Between then and now it has acquired several brands including BK and Merten & Storck.

The Cookware Company has always been at the forefront of innovations in nonstick cookware. It started its ceramic nonstick brands GreenPan in 2007 and GreenChef and GreenLife in 2011. Blue Diamond is its newest nonstick brand, established in 2016.

Today, the business has over 10 brands and 500 trademarks to its name. It employs more than 2,000 employees in production sites in Korea, China, and Germany. So you should know that Blue Diamonds pans are manufactured in China. The products are then sold in the US, Europe, and Asia.

What is Blue Diamond Cookware Made of?

Blue Diamond pans have a metal base – usually, aluminum but some models are stainless steel – and a nonstick coating.

The coating is called Thermolon™ and is made in South Korea. The technology behind it was most recently updated in 2020 ⁽¹⁾. It’s a nonstick ceramic coating or a “sol-gel”. This is an ECC or enhanced ceramic coating, according to the patent ⁽²⁾, and is infused with lots of diamonds.

These diamonds are an industrial type that is suitable for use in cookware ⁽³⁾. They make up 0.2 wt% to 2.0 wt % of the coating’s composition. The diamonds are a dry powder when they’re added to the sol-gel. The mica present enhances the properties of the diamond and gives a metallic glitter effect.

Read Next:

• Ceramic Cookware Pros and Cons: The Complete List
• The 6 Best Ceramic Cookware Sets in 2023

 

Blue Diamond Claims: False Advertising?

Here we tell you the truth about Blue Diamond’s claims.

Claim 1: 4X Quicker and More Even Heat Transfer

This claim rests on diamonds conducting heat 4X better than copper.

And it’s true. Diamonds are more conductive than copper. Their thermal conductivity is 1000 W/m*K, and copper’s is 401 W/m*K ⁽⁴⁾. But by our math, this is 2.5X more and not 4X.

And this is just looking at the materials in their rawest form. It doesn’t consider them being used in cookware. Plus, even heat transfer is normally measured on the material used for the base of the pan – not the coating.

Most Blue Diamond pans have an aluminum base which has a thermal conductivity of 237 W/m*K. And the coating is somewhere between 2.2 and 2.7 W/m*K. So their cookware isn’t any better at conducting heat than copper pans.

RELATED: The 8 Best Copper Cookware Pieces in 2023

However, aluminum does conduct heat well and evenly. So with aluminum pans, you won’t get hot spots. Therefore this claim is partially true – but not 4X more than other pans.

If you look at reviews, some people weren’t happy with the heat distribution. But lots of users said that their Blue Diamond pans heated quickly and evenly. So if you asked current customers, they would probably agree with this claim.

Claim 2: Coating Lasts 10X Longer than Traditional Nonstick Pans

The patent for Thermolon™ states that the performance of a nonstick coating can be evaluated using the Cookware Manufacturers Association (CMA) Fried Egg Test. The release of the egg from the pan is graded from 1 to 5.

The durability of the coating is measured by how many cycles it takes to reduce the non-stickiness from Grade 5 (the highest) to Grade 1. And by a cycle, they mean a dishwasher test plus two temperature treatments at 260oC for 10 minutes each.

But the CMA says that its egg test is “for the cleanability of the product and not for the release properties” ⁽⁵⁾. So it’s not a test for nonstick capability!

And the patent says that in-house tests show that after just 1 cycle, the durability of their coating increased by at least 50%. This was in comparison to ceramic nonstick coatings that don’t have diamonds. And the Thermolon™ retained its non-stickiness after at least 17 cycles, whereas other ceramic pans could only handle 10 cycles.

So they are right to claim that the coating lasts longer – but not 10X longer. Plus, you probably think of Teflon pans when you see “traditional nonstick pans”. But the patent doesn’t compare the nonstick properties with Teflon cookware.

Plus, there’s an ongoing class action that has been filed against Blue Diamond for false advertising concerning this claim. The plaintiff states that they repeatedly had food stick to their pan, and it was difficult to clean ⁽⁶⁾.

Reviews are a little mixed. Some customers are a bit disappointed. But lots are happy with how long the nonstick coating lasts. They note that Blue Diamond pans seem to last longer than the Gotham Steel brand. Although they don’t last as long as Teflon pans.

Claim 3: Forged Base for Extreme Strength and Warp Prevention

Aluminum is prone to warping if used with high heat. This is counteracted if the metal is hard anodized. But it’s not clear whether the aluminum used for the bases of Blue Diamond pans is hard anodized. So we can’t say for certain that they’ve got good warp resistance.

There’s not a clear answer from product reviews. Some complained about their Blue Diamond pan warping after not much use. But others were happy it didn’t.

Claim 4: 5X Harder than Traditional Nonstick Pans

A Pencil Hardness Test can be used to assess the hardness of a coating. This is done by moving graphite pencils of different hardness over the surface of the coating. Its hardness relative to the pencils is determined by the softest pencil that leaves a scratch.

Thermolon™ has a pencil hardness of 10H. Ceramic coatings without diamonds have 9H, the hardest score on this test. So Blue Diamond’s coating is harder – but not 5X harder. And again, we don’t know the results for Teflon pans for comparison.

But Duralon tested the ceramic coating on their pans and the coating on Teflon pans. Their coating had a hardness of 9H, whereas Teflon had 5H ⁽⁷⁾. So based on these results, Thermolon™ coating would be 2X harder than Teflon. But not 5X harder.

The scientists behind Thermolon™ also tested its scratch-resistant with a different scratch-resistance test. Its score was 10 to 15N. Other ceramic coatings without diamonds scored 8N ⁽⁸⁾. So again, it’s a clear winner in being more resistant but isn’t 5X more. Plus, we don’t know how long the scratch resistance will last.

Many reviewers were disappointed with how easily their Blue Diamond pan seemed to scratch. So putting all the tests to one side, this claim isn’t always supported when the pans are actually used.

Claim 5: Metal Utensil Safe

This claim is linked to how scratch-resistant Blue Diamond pans are, as we’ve just discussed. As they have a hard cooking surface and good scratch resistance, they should technically be metal utensil safe.

What do users say? Lots admit that they avoid using metal utensils. This is to lengthen the lifespan of their pans. And in fact, most manufacturers recommend wood or silicone utensils for ceramic-coated pans.

Some consumers went on to say that even without using metal utensils, their Blue Diamond Pan lost some of its non-stickiness quickly. And others pointed out that if you do use metal, you’re at risk of voiding the lifetime warranty under “normal wear and tear”.

Claim 6: Toxin Free – Free of PTFE, PFOA, Lead, and Cadmium

This claim is accurate and a Blue Diamond pan is completely safe to use in cooking. It’s free of lead and cadmium due to its design of a metal core with a sol-gel coating. So no toxic chemicals will leach into your food whilst cooking.

Blue Diamond pans are safe even if you expose them to high temperatures above 662°F. They won’t break down or emit any toxic fumes – but they may turn into the sand!

By comparison, Teflon pans can emit harmful fumes and higher levels of CO2 when high heat is used. These can be lethal to pet birds or humans, sometimes causing “Teflon flu”.

Blue Diamond cookware is also free of PTFE, the scientific name for Teflon, and PFOA, a compound traditionally used in making PTFE. So their pans are fully toxin-free.

Claim 7: Oven and Broiler Safe up to 850°F

The CMA’s guidance is that ceramic coatings can survive high temperatures up to 840°F. It follows that Blue Diamond pots and pans will start to deteriorate at this heat and not 850°F (even if these two are very close figures).

Furthermore, the CMA says that the release properties of the coatings start to diminish when temperatures above 600°F are used regularly. The nonstick coatings will, however, still work due to their hard structure. By comparison, PTFE coatings start to deteriorate at 500°F ⁽⁹⁾.

But even if the pans are oven and broiler safe up to high temperatures, the usual recommendation is that you don’t regularly use these high heats. The nonstick capability of the pans will decline rapidly.

This pan listed on Amazon has contradictory information. The description says it’s oven safe up to 600°F, whereas the infographic says 850°F. We couldn’t find any feedback from customers relating to using it at either high temperature. So we’re not sure how heat-resistant the pan is in practice.

Claim 8: Dishwasher Safe

We mentioned earlier about the Fried Egg Test being used to evaluate the pan’s nonstick durability. As part of this, the cycle used included a dishwasher test to see if egg residue was removed.

The CMA says that this test assesses the cleanability of the product and not its non-stickiness. This is why a dishwasher test is part of it.

Thermolon™, as we saw, could handle 17 cycles during this test. So this seems to support the claim that Blue Diamond cookware is dishwasher safe. At least for a certain number of times. But, using a dishwasher frequently will diminish the nonstick capability of the pans.

And this was supported by the reviews. Users who did use a dishwasher were disappointed that the nonstick coating deteriorated, and/or the pans got scratched. Lots said that they avoided using it to make the coating last longer.

Claim 9: Money Back Guarantee

Blue Diamond’s guarantee on getting your money back does apply. But only for the first 90 days of use after you’ve bought it. And you won’t get processing and handling charges back. They might also send you a replacement product instead of a refund ⁽¹⁰⁾.

If you’ve bought your pan via Amazon, Blue Diamond customer service says that this needs to be sorted directly with Amazon. It seems as though some users have struggled to get their money back.

Claim 10: Lifetime Warranty

Blue Diamond offers a limited lifetime warranty ⁽¹¹⁾. And because of the strict terms of the warranty, it applies only in rare cases.

Here’s what you need to do to make sure the warranty applies :

• Keep the original packaging.
• Keep your receipt for the pan.
• Pay for return shipping costs – which may be more than the price of the pan!
• Buy directly from Blue Diamond. If you buy through Amazon, you’ll likely only get their one-month warranty (according to user reviews).
• Barely use the pan. The warranty doesn’t cover misuse, abuse, normal wear and tear, modifications, or accidents. Some users, who said they used the pan correctly, said that Blue Diamond wouldn’t cover them.
• Don’t use metal utensils. Some reviewers said that they used them as Blue Diamond said that you could. But then they voided the warranty under normal wear and tear.

The Best Blue Diamond Cookware & Pans Of 2023

Now you know all about Blue Diamond cookware, have a look at some of their products in more detail. We’ve taken customer reviews, technical specs, and product descriptions to round up everything you need to know about these pans. You can see what they cost, how well they work, and any downsides.

1. Blue Diamond Nonstick Frying Pan

This 20 cm frying pan is great for day-to-day cooking. It’s really light and you can even use it on your induction cooktop.

You can quickly make scrambled eggs or fry a steak and not have to worry about anything sticking to the nonstick ceramic coating. You’ll save time whilst cooking and in cleaning up after!

We think you’ll like the stylish blue color. And it’s available in a range of sizes to suit whatever the size of your household is.

What We Like

Easy to Clean

Lots of users commented on how this Blue Diamond pan required little effort to clean after cooking. They found that hot water and/or a paper towel was enough.

Lightweight

This frying pan weighs just 1.32 pounds. Customers loved how easy it was to handle. And it could be carried between the stove and oven without any difficulty.

Available in Many Sizes

You can purchase this frying pan in 5 different sizes depending on your cooking needs. So if you want to cook, say a large frittata for the whole family and then finish it off in the oven, one of the larger sizes would be ideal.

What We Don’t Like

Hot Handles

The metallic handle of the frying pan can heat up quickly. It’s best to use hot pads or handle covers to prevent any nasty burns.

2. Blue Diamond Cookware Sauté Pan

Cook for the whole family in this large 5 quart sauté pan. And you don’t need to break the bank as this pan offers good value for money. Plus you get a lid included in the price too.

You can easily start cooking your sauce or stew on your cooktop and then transfer it to the oven or broiler. The pan is safe up to a high heat of 600°F.

Finally, the stainless steel handles are riveted giving you a secure grip when you’re moving it around your kitchen.

What We Like

Price

Lots of reviewers were pleased with how well this pan performed for one that was relatively inexpensive. They were happy that the pan provided good nonstick cooking and easy cleaning at a low cost.

Good Nonstick Capability

Many customers said that this pan did offer good non-stickiness. And they said this was in comparison to other nonstick cookware they’d owned. They were particularly impressed with Blue Diamond’s nonstick diamond-infused ceramic coating.

Glass Lid

Several users commented on how beneficial it was to be able to see their food whilst it was cooking on the stove and in the oven. The durable glass lids allowed for easy visibility.

What We Don’t Like

Coating Can Scratch

Some users were not happy with how easily the ceramic coating seemed to scratch or flake off, even after just a few uses. It’s best to avoid using metal utensils and not use the dishwasher, as Blue Diamond advises.

3. Blue Diamond Cookware Set

All your cooking needs will be met with this 14 piece set from Blue Diamond. Whether you’re cooking for one or lots of loved ones, there’s a pan that’s the right fit.

This set has 2 frying pans, a sauté pan, 2 saucepans, and a stockpot. Plus a steamer insert and 3 cooking utensils. You’ll also get 4 glass lids to help you make dishes such as soups and stews.

And depending on your kitchen size, the set is available with fewer or more pieces. Opt for the 20 pieces set if you like your baking – this one includes cake, loaf, and muffin pans too

What We Like

Quick to Heat Up

Many users commented on how fast these pans were to heat up. This meant that cooking was quick and that low to medium temperatures was sufficient.

Accessories

Customers liked the extra additions of the stainless steel steamer and nylon utensils. They could then avoid using metal cooking utensils which helped to protect the cooking surface from being scratched.

Durability

Several reviewers were happy with how well the pans were performing after repeated use. Some even returned to update their reviews after a month or more of use to say that the pans were lasting well.

What We Don’t Like

Storage Issues

The saucepans and stockpot are advertised as stacking for space-saving storage. However, some users warned that this may result in scratching on the pans. So it’s best avoided, or at the very least you should use liners.

4. Blue Diamond Sauce Pan with Lid

If you don’t want to buy the whole set but make a lot of sauces, this pan is a good fit for you.
It’s an affordable 2-quart saucepan with a handy glass lid for keeping an eye on your food whilst it bubbles away.

This Blue Diamond pan is oven and broiler safe, and dishwasher safe. So you’ll save time on your cooking, as you can use one pan on your stovetop and in the oven, and in cleaning up afterward.

Finally, there’s also an option for you to purchase 2 different-sized saucepans together, if you also want a smaller pan to boil water or milk

What We Like

Even Heat Distribution

Lots of customers praised how well this Blue Diamond pan distributed heat evenly. There were no hot spots. More than one said it was “fantastic”! And no hot spots developed.

Looks Good

Several users liked the look of this sauce pan. They felt it was stylish, loved the blue color, and also appreciated how well the lid fitted. This made it an all-round aesthetically pleasing addition to their kitchen.

Easy to Maneuver

This Blue Diamond pan is light for a family sauce pan, weighing just 2.27 pounds. Reviewers felt that they could move it around the kitchen easily. But even though it felt light, it didn’t feel flimsy and low-quality.

What We Don’t Like

Prone to Warping

Some customers said that the aluminum base of the pan began to warp. The pan then wouldn’t sit well on the stovetop. To avoid this, it’s best to avoid using high temperatures.

5. Blue Diamond Cookware Grill Genie

“Bring the grill indoors!” This is Blue Diamond’s take on their grill genie pan. It’s 15 inches and comes with a glass steam lid.

Even if the weather is very bad, you can get the same tasty and grilled-looking meat that you would on your BBQ.

You’ll save time grilling your favorite meats as the lid helps you cook your food up to 30% faster. And there are 2 small riveted handles on either side making it easy for you to move the pan from your cooktop to the oven.

What We Like

Versatile

As well as offering an alternative to the BBQ if it’s raining, this Blue Diamond pan also lets you cook a range of dishes. Of course, you can fry off a steak or burger or some zucchini. But due to its large size, you can also comfortably cook a 5-pound chicken.

Grill Lines

You can look like a professional cook. Customers liked the grill lines which gave that visually appealing finish to their meat. And this design also drained away fat and grease.

Domed Lid

Users said that they benefited from the large domed lid that comes with the grill genie. It helped to keep in grease splatters and kept moisture in so that the meat remained juicy.

What We Don’t Like

Difficult to Clean

Some customers found this grill pan hard to clean, especially when charred bits of meat or vegetables were stuck on.

Are Blue Diamond Pans Reliable?

Yes, we think so. Some of the claims made by Blue Diamond are misleading as we’ve shown above. But if you put them to one side, it is worth investing in this product.

This cookware is oven and broiler safe up to high temperatures and safe to use as it’s toxin-free. The diamond-infused ceramic coating provides a hard and nonstick cooking surface.

But, a Blue Diamond pan is not scratch-resistant. You need to use it with care and follow the manufacturer’s advice. Dishwashers and metal utensils are best avoided if you don’t want the nonstick surface to deteriorate.

So if you want a high-performing and durable nonstick pan, they might not be the best choice for you. But if you want an inexpensive pan for day-to-day cooking, they are worth it.