You asked, is the Ninja ZeroStick pan collection any good? Here’s my answer

Few pan sets have accumulated the same fame that Ninja’s ZeroStick collection can boast. Durable, scratch-resistant, reliable, and versatile, the set can cover the needs of any kitchen. I've curious about this collection since it launched. Now, I’ve finally been able to test them out. 

Over the last few months, I’ve been on the hunt for the best stainless steel pans on the market. Normally have to do some research before finding a new collection to test, but there’s one set that needs no research. Ninja’s ZeroStick Pan collection is the one that I get emails about regularly. So much so, I wanted to end the mystery and get a proper, formal review out. 

To find out whether this covetable collection is worth throwing out your old pans for, I tested it on a range of traditional tasks. From fried onions and pancakes through to slow-cooked stews and boiled potatoes, I've been working to find all the answers to your questions.

Specifications

What's in the set?

The whole set of the Ninja ZeroStick pans are lovely, perfect for a small kitchen that's just getting started. In the 5-piece collection, you'll get 16cm, 18cm, 20cm saucepans, all with tempered glass lids, as well as a 16cm milk pan and 24cm frying pan. They're a smart-looking set, with stainless steel handles and a textured, black and white lining. Each piece in the collection brings its own unique value. However, if you know you'll want a few more, Ninja sells each ZeroStick Pan individually.

One of the best things about this all of this set is the ceramic coating. According to Ninja, their ceramic coating is 20% tougher than traditional non-stick, completely scratch-resistant, and dishwasher-safe too. What's really special about this is that ceramic non-stick is considered to be one of the 'safe' coatings, as opposed to plastics and teflon-type coatings. So, if you're a cautious cook, Ninja offer some relief in that department.

Unboxing

Ninja have some of the most impressive packaging of all the brands that I’ve tested. They make use of the box that the pans arrive in, giving technical information about the pans all over the exterior. Then, they wrap all of the pans in paper, rather than plastics. This means that the whole set arrives unscathed and yet everything can be put into the recycling. You’ll have nothing on your conscience. 

Who would it suit?

The Ninja set has a pretty broad appeal. It’s reasonably priced, versatile, and the ceramic non-stick is super effective. I could see this in everything from a new home for couples right through to a family home. 

I would linger on the suggestion that this is great for families, because the set feels really robust. The ceramic is non-toxic, as I mentioned earlier, but also scratch-resistant and safe for being put in the oven too. You can almost do what you want to these pans. You could accidentally burn food in them in the oven or forget about them on the hob, and they’ll survive it. I know our big, busy home needs something as robust as this.

When I’ve tested sets that have more than four saucepans and a frying pan, it can feel like they make each other a little redundant, but I could find a distinct purpose for each pan. The only thing this lacks a huge, vat-like saucepan and a casserole pan, but you can buy special versions of these separately if you want to. 

What is it like to use?

I put all of my pans through a standardised series of tests, depending on their size and speciality. I’ll go into the details of each test here, but generally it’s worth mentioning that these are really neatly designed. The handle looks really smart and it feels nice to hold too. Even when the biggest pan was full of boiling water, I didn’t feel too much strain on my wrist. All of the lids are glass, making it easy to look through and check on whatever’s cooking, and the lids sit really nicely on the pan, including flat for stacking and straight away. The one thing that they lack is a good steam hole to funnel any build-up away, but I'm generally really impressed with these.

Test 1: frying pan

Not every set includes a frying pan, because lots of people like to buy their own special sizes and special brands separately. However, I think it’s really handy to have as part of a set and it suggests that Ninja really believes that their frying pan is one of the best. 

The two tests that I put all frying pans through are frying onions and making pancakes. I started with the pancakes, naturally, and was impressed with the results. At first, I sat a knob of butter in the pan and watched it melt and sizzle in seconds. The bubbling butter was telling me that the pan was ready for some American pancakes, so I poured enough for four into the base of the pan. I managed to squeeze six in on my best round, but four gives you a lot of room to play with. 

In the first batch, I noticed that the heat transfer is speedy. My pancakes were bubbling, changing colour, and browning underneath incredibly quickly. I flipped them without any issues and could serve up some great pancakes. My problem, if anything, was that the heat transfer was so quick that the pancakes couldn’t even cook through, so I turned the heat down. The next batch was perfect. I didn’t need any more butter to keep them moving around the pan and they all browned really consistently and evenly. It’s the perfect family pan for morning breakfasts.

Given that this could boast impressive speed and heat transfer, I was excited to test out frying some onions. I put two, finely sliced brown onions into the pan. I opted for holding the handle and shaking the pan to keep the onions moving and found that it had some nice weight to it. When I flipped the pancakes, I didn’t struggle under the weight of the Ninja frying pan and nor did I struggle with fried onions. After a few minutes, these browned nicely at the tips, crisped up, and went nice and clear, with some delicious tenderness too. All in all, the frying pan was a raging success.

Test 2: milk pan

The next test that I go through is on the smallest pan, which is often labelled the milk pan, since it’s used for warming up mugs of milk, making porridge, and boiling eggs. Given that these are the main uses for the pan, I put it through all three tests. It smashed them all. One full pan of water from the tap was brought to the boil in two minutes, which is incredibly quick. Then, I cooked my egg in boiling water in a speedy five minutes. The yolk was still a little runny, which is how I like it. 

On my next test, I made porridge. It was amazing. It didn’t stick, instead, my oats puffed up, forming a deliciously warm, steaming, comforting bowl of oats. I often find that porridge can burn on the bottom or prove difficult to pour out, but this was a clean, easy process. The same applies for warming milk. This could distribute the heat really evenly across the whole pan, so my milk didn’t burn on the bottom or at the sides. Then, the clean edges and pouring spouts made it easy to pour out my milk into a mug when it was done. The pan's handle wasn’t even hot after these three tests, another great result for anyone looking to slow cook.

Test 3: larger pans

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The other three pans offered a range of sizes, so you could use them for warming soups, making stews, boiling potatoes, cooking apples, and more. I tested out all three functions and was pleased with the results. With the lid on, they warmed up quickly, and distributed heat evenly across the base of the pan, and even when I filled the biggest one up with boiled potatoes and water, it wasn’t too heavy to hold with one hand. I found myself reaching for different ones on different days. They're different enough in size that the pans cover different occasions: meals for now, two, three, and four. And, even better, they stack away after.

It’s also worth noting that at the height of cooking, when the whole hob was covered with pans, the whole set looked smart. The handles stayed matte and clean looking and the dark ceramic nonstick looked great too. I’m not sure that I could improve on them. 

What is it like to clean?

The whole set, even though it’s non-stick, is completely dishwasher-safe, which means that you can bung all the pans in and let your kitchen do the cleanup. Alternatively, I tried washing your by hand with great success too. Any burns and residue just fell out the pan, especially when put under running water. I would still recommend using a gentle washing-up liquid, like Ecover, because you’ll want to give your pals the best chance of a long life, but they’re durable in their own right.

How does it compare?

As far as non-stick pans go, these put up tough competition. My favourite set of non-stick is the Jamie Oliver Tefal Ingenio set, designed with removable handles for easy storage. Whilst Ninja can’t compete with that kind of storage, they do offer a much healthier approach to non-stick. As I mentioned earlier, they’ve cleverly opted for ceramic rather than plastics, so you don’t need to worry about chipping or scratching them. I also think I preferred the modern, rustic lining and aesthetic of the Ninja set. 

One of our experts even commented on them, because he wanted to buy a set for himself. The only downside of the set is that they’re all coasted with non-stick, so you don’t get to enjoy the totally stainless steel lining that a more traditional set might offer. There are plenty of options out there if that’s what you want and I’ve collated them all in my buying guide for the best stainless steel pans.

Should you buy it?

I would, without a doubt, gush over these pans in any kitchen. They’re durable, versatile enough for a family, stylish enough for those who want a nice aesthetic and reasonably priced too. I don’t think you can go wrong here. 

How we test

At woman&home we have a really thorough process for how we test stainless steel pans. Each set that gets a review has to go through the exact same tasks, so that they all get a fair chance at success, but also so that it's easy to make comparisons between the two.

When I test pans, I'm looking for even heat distribution, speedy heat transfer, sensitivity, and tactile handles. They should be nice to hold, not too heavy, but still with enough weight to show off their quality. The best stainless steel pans will be stackable and stylish too, so I want to cover all of these in my tests.

If a frying pan is in the set, I always make pancakes and fried onions. These are both great ways to check that the heat is being distributed well across the base of the pan, the weight of the pan, and its speed. Then, I'll use the smallest pan to make porridge and boil an egg, testing the time, texture, and heat transfer here to. Then the bigger pans are tasked with making bean stew, boiling potatoes, making jam, and anything else that I think could be relevant. No stone is left unturned.

I make notes on the cleanup, how the pans could be stored, and I compare them to other models on the market too. That way, when you get to the end of the review, you'll have been able to shop around and get a good sense of whether the pans are for you.