You know that phrase, "Diamonds are a girl's best friend"? Well, we may need to change it to, "Diamonds are a cook's best friend" if this product works!
Introducing the 10-inch Blue Diamond Enhanced Ceramic Non-Stick Pan, allegedly infused with millions of diamonds. The commercial says it is, "So non-stick, it's like cooking on air!" Blue Diamond claims to be toxin free, free of PFAS, PFOA, Lead or Cadmium.
The commercial goes on to make some pretty unbelievable claims. If you want to watch it, click here.
There were a couple steps to be done before starting tests of our own. We ordered the Blue Diamond Pan off Amazon for $19.99.When it arrived, we looked through the attached instructions that state to use low-to-medium heat. It also says: Always use a little oil or butter suited for frying for best results. Don't use extra virgin olive oil or oily sprays, as they cannot withstand high heat. It goes on to instruct you to never let your oil smoke or burn. For easy cleaning, this is supposed to be dishwasher safe. Though, to keep the durability of your non-stick, it is recommended to hand wash with a soft sponge in hot soapy water. Do not season the pan.
We followed those directions, and began to craft our tests in accordance to some of the claims in the commercial and on the website.
During the video, it never mentions using oil to cook, but instead shows a person boiling a candy apple coating. It slides right off the pan, and cleans in one swoop of a towel! The same thing happens with cheese! So, we decided to test it out. When we tried it, the melted cheese slid out of the pan with ease, but also with a BUNCH of grease! YUCK!
The video shows plasticware melting on the Blue Diamond Pan, but coming right off. However, during our test, the plasticware was difficult to remove. We eventually grabbed tongs to get the plastic off, and when lifting the spoon and fork, the strings of plastic trailed behind it like pizza with strings of cheese. Imagine this: Instead of caramel ribbons, ours were made of plastic! It took a lot of effort to get that mess to come off. It felt like we were scraping off dried glue gun gunk.
The commercial shows the Blue Diamond Pan and how it compares to a copper pan. So, we purchased a 10-inch Red Copper Pan for $19.99 from Fry's Food Stores to do the same comparison. In the video, you see a sunny-side up egg sticking to a copper pan, but sliding off the Blue Diamond Pan. When we tried it, the egg actually stuck the landing for both, and not in a good way! The eggs stuck to the center of both pans when we tried to dump them onto a plate, and once we scraped them out of each pan, the cleanup was actually messier for the Blue Diamond Pan, much more difficult than a swipe of a damp towel.
As for a marshmallow treat, I wouldn't want S'more of that either. The marshmallows burnt along the bottom before they entirely melted. This was also extremely difficult to clean.
So, does it really, "hammer the competition" like the commercial promotes? They literally took a different skillet, turned it upside down, struck the bottom with a hammer or mallet, and it dented. However, the video shows that when they hit the Blue Diamond Pan in the same fashion, it didn't dent at all. The claim is it's has five times a harder coating than traditional non-stick pans. So, I took a mallet to the back of the Blue Diamond Pan, and it dented in one swing. It was not as pan-tastic as the expectations set by the claim!
Still on the topic of having a harder coating, Blue Diamond Pan is supposed to not scratch when using metal utensils. The commercial shows someone using a hand mixer on the pan, and it not leaving a mark. When we tested that claim GENTLY with a hand mixer, our Blue Diamond Pan was immediately covered in scratches, and some of the finish came off. It also appeared to start staining.
Blue Diamond Pan is also supposed to have four times better heat transfer, due to the diamonds. So, instead of cooking meat, we decided to see if it could bring water to a rolling boil faster than the Red Copper Pan. It did not. The Red Copper Pan reached a rolling boil at five minutes and 19 seconds. The Blue Diamond Pan reached that same rolling boil at six minutes and 29 seconds. It was not faster, nor did it meet the same timing. It was actually slower. So, we cannot vouch for better heat transfer.
BULL OR NO BULL?
So, where does the Blue Diamond Pan rank on our Bull or No Bull Meter? I'm going with... BULL!
Even after following the prepping directions, it could not live up to all the claims. Now, granted, some of the outrageous claims are not ones you need anyway. Realistically, how often will you be hitting the back of your skillet with a mallet or using a metal hand mixer in the pan? You get the idea. In general, it can cook and melt food when you use oil, but did not live up to the claims and is not better than all other non-stick pans.
It's supposed to be 10-times longer lasting than traditional non-stick pans, and though it receives close to four-out-of-five stars on both Walmart and Amazon reviews, most of the complaints are that the finish wears out. Some said theirs was worn out after one month to six months and had to be tossed out. The pan has a beautiful blue sparkly appearance, but some said that faded quickly. We did not test this claim, and cannot vouch one way or the other for long-term durability. Though, after our day of use for the tests, our pan was scratched, slightly faded and stained. Other complaints were about the handle getting too hot to hold without an oven glove. The commercial actually promotes a "stay-cool handle" that you should be able to hold the handle without a mitt, and that's another reason why it should set this pan apart from others.
Be sure to read the fine print of the Limited Lifetime Replacement Warranty. The commercial said it, "means you'll enjoy non-stick cooking forever", and also states it to be a Lifetime Replacement Warranty. The small print on the video has the word "Limited" in front of it though. The warranty on the non-stick coating is limited to two years on manufacturing defects. It states, "Upon the examination by BlueDiamond, if it is found to be defective, BlueDiamond will repair any faulty workmanship free of charge, whilst reserving the right to decide to replace the entire product, or if no longer available, a similar product. Other damage is excluded from the warranty." It also states, "This warranty does not cover stains, discoloration or scratches due to normal wear and tear." Interesting, considering the claim clearly states, "this pan doesn't scratch!"
We did not test how it bakes in the oven, nor did we test the claim of broiling up to 850 degrees. We also did not sand paper the frying pans to see if the finish would remove, as is done in the commercial.
If you end up using this pan, let me know what you think!
What other products do you want us to test out? Email us and maybe you can try it out with us to help us decide if it's Bull or No Bull!