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The GreenPan Lima is the PFAS-free pick in my cookware for gas stoves guide, and it is bought for one reason above all others: people want to stop cooking on PTFE. At $159.76 it is the cheapest credible way to do that in a full set.
It is also the most polarising set in the guide. The rating curve is 74% five-star and 6% one-star — the highest one-star share of the four sets I have looked at here. Reading both ends, the split is not random. It tracks almost exactly with how people treat the pans, and that is the thing worth understanding before you buy.
Quick Verdict
| Score | Price | Rating | Buy |
| 7/10 | $159.76 | 4.4★ (1,614) | Check Price on Amazon |
What Comes in the Box
8-inch and 9-inch frypans, a 2-quart saucepan with lid, a 2.75-quart skillet with lid, a 5-quart casserole with lid, a stainless steel steamer insert, and three bamboo utensils.
Count the cookware rather than the pieces and you get five vessels, three lids and a steamer basket. Three of the twelve are bamboo utensils. One owner puts it more bluntly than I would, calling it an eight-piece set with the count made up.
The largest frypan is 9 inches, which is smaller than the 10-inch pan in the T-fal Signature at a third less money. If a big skillet is what you are short of, this set will not solve it.
Specifications
| Model | GreenPan Lima, 12-piece (grey) — CW000545-004 |
| Cookware | Five vessels, three lids, one steamer insert — plus three bamboo utensils |
| Body | Hard anodized aluminium |
| Interior | Thermolon ceramic, diamond-reinforced — free of PFAS, PFOA, lead and cadmium |
| Handles | Riveted stainless steel |
| Lids | Tempered glass |
| Oven safe | 600℉ pans and broiler safe; 425℉ with the glass lids on |
| Hob compatibility | Gas, electric — not induction |
| Utensils | Nylon, silicone and wood only — no metal |
| Weight | 11.9 lb for the set |
What ceramic actually changes
Thermolon is a mineral-based sol-gel coating rather than PTFE. The practical difference that matters most is what happens when a pan is overheated: PTFE degrades and off-gasses, ceramic does not. If that is why you are shopping, this set answers it and the certification list is specific — PFAS, PFOA, lead and cadmium.
The trade-off is lifespan. Ceramic nonstick is generally accepted to lose its release sooner than PTFE, and it dislikes high heat, which is precisely the thing a gas burner is good at. GreenPan reinforces the coating with diamond particles, but the care instructions still say low to medium heat.
So the honest framing is that you are trading years of release for coating chemistry you are comfortable with. Whether that is a good trade is a personal call, not a technical one.
Who It’s For
- Anyone who wants PFAS-free cookware and does not want to spend three hundred dollars
- Cooks who genuinely work at low and medium heat — eggs, fish, vegetables, sauces
- People who will hand wash. Every long-lived owner report here mentions it
- Kitchens that want a steamer insert and a 5-quart casserole in the same box
Who Should Look Elsewhere
- Induction owners. Amazon lists gas and electric compatibility only
- Anyone who sears hard. High heat is the single most-cited cause of failure in the critical reviews
- Dishwasher households — several owners report exterior damage they attribute directly to it
- Metal-utensil users; nylon, silicone and wood only
- Anyone who wants a large skillet — the biggest frypan here is 9 inches
- Buy-once buyers. For that the coating-free Cuisinart MultiClad Pro is the argument, at $60 more
Performance
It cooks well, on the heat it asks for
Release when new is not in dispute. Owners describe eggs sliding out, easy cleaning and even heating, and one who has had the set over a year says nothing has stuck yet and the pans look as they did new.
The qualifier arrives in the same reviews. One four-star owner four months in puts it plainly: the instruction not to use high heat is no joke, and the pans heat very well at lower temperatures. That is the operating envelope, and it is narrower than a gas hob invites.
On gas specifically this matters more than on electric, because a gas flame reaches the pan faster and a ring wider than the base will lick up the sides. Sizing the flame to the pan is not fussiness here, it is the maintenance schedule.
The exterior, and the reviews that worry me most
The most specific complaints are not about the cooking surface at all. They are about the outside of the pans. One owner two months in describes the outer coating simply washing off in the sink, leaving a rough texture, and compares it against a GreenPan skillet bought five years earlier that is still intact.
Another, a year and a half in, says the bottoms are disintegrating. Both attribute it to the dishwasher, and both say the listing told them the set was dishwasher safe when they bought it. Amazon’s current detail table does not state a dishwasher rating either way, and GreenPan’s care guidance is hand wash.
I cannot verify what the listing said in 2024, so treat the accusation as unproven. What is not in dispute is that more than one unconnected owner reports exterior finish loss, and that each of them was running the pans through a dishwasher. Hand wash this set.
Where the 6% one-star share comes from
Six per cent of 1,614 ratings is roughly a hundred people, and the shape of their complaints is consistent: the coating stopped releasing far sooner than expected. One owner reports tarnishing and discolouration inside a month at medium heat; another says the pans degraded quickly despite trying different amounts of oil; a third replaced the set within two years.
A smaller and more concrete complaint is the lids: they have no vent hole, so moisture has nowhere to go. The T-fal Signature and the T-fal Ultimate both vent theirs. It is a minor thing, but it is the kind of detail that only shows up from someone who has used the set.
Against all of that sits an owner who bought the set in March 2019 and updated their review to say it is still going strong. Both outcomes are real. The variable that separates them, as far as the reviews show it, is heat and washing.
The PFAS-free claim, and what it covers
GreenPan dates its ceramic nonstick to 2007 and states the coating is free of PFAS, PFOA, lead and cadmium. That list is specific enough to be meaningful, and it is the reason most owners here give for buying.
What it covers is the coating. It is not a statement about the hard anodized body underneath, the anodising process, or the exterior finish — which is the part several owners report coming off. If your concern is what touches your food, the claim addresses it directly. If your concern is broader, it is narrower than it first reads.
The rest of the panel is advertising and I would not lean on it. An award citation and a patent count tell you about the marketing department, not about how the pan behaves in year three.
Design and Build
Hard anodized bodies, riveted stainless handles and tempered glass lids. The handles stay cooler than the T-fal silicone ones do on a gas hob and are rated for the oven; the set as a whole is 11.9 pounds, which owners describe as substantial without being heavy.
The oven rating is the specification most often quoted wrongly, including in my own guide before I checked it. The pans are oven and broiler safe to 600℉ — the highest of any set in the gas guide. The glass lids are only good to 425℉. Those are two different numbers for the same pan depending on whether the lid is on.
What Owners Report
I have not cooked with this set. On a ceramic set the question that decides everything is how long the release lasts, and no short test can answer it — but 1,614 owners spread over years can show which behaviours go with which outcome. Here is what recurs on both sides, as of 8 September 2026.
What recurs in the positive reviews
- Seven years and counting. One owner who bought in March 2019 returned to update their review and says the set is still going strong. That is the single most useful data point here.
- The reason people buy it. Repeatedly and explicitly: no forever chemicals, and relief at not cooking on something they distrust.
- Easy to clean, and nothing sticks. One owner over a year in says the pans are in the same condition as when bought.
- Sensible weight and sizes. Described as sturdy but not heavy, with convenient sizes and consistent heating.
- Customer service. An owner with a missing piece reports it being sorted immediately.
What recurs in the critical reviews
- The exterior finish comes off. Reported at two months and again at eighteen months, both by owners using a dishwasher, one leaving a rough texture behind.
- Release fades fast for some. Discolouring and tarnishing inside a month at medium heat in one case; rapid degradation despite careful oiling in another.
- Not dishwasher safe, and owners feel misled. Two say the listing said otherwise when they bought.
- Replaced within about two years. One owner edited an originally positive review to say so.
- The lids do not vent. No steam hole, so moisture collects.
The two camps are not arguing about the same set. Owners who use low to medium heat and hand wash report years; owners who use high heat or a dishwasher report months. If you are not going to change how you cook and clean, that is a reason to buy something else rather than a reason to buy this and be disappointed.
Value
At $159.76 this is the cheapest full set on the list that is PFAS-free, and about $50 more than the T-fal Signature. The premium buys the coating chemistry, hard anodized bodies, stainless handles and a 600℉ pan rating — not more or larger pans.
Compared with the Cuisinart MultiClad Pro at $219.95, the calculation is different again. The Cuisinart has no coating to fail at all, works on induction and has owner reports running past a decade. If longevity is what you are buying, $60 more buys a lot of it.
The case for the GreenPan is narrow but real: you want PFAS-free, you want a full set, and you are not prepared to pay double for it.
Durability
Across 1,614 ratings the distribution runs 74% five-star, 11% four, 6% three, 3% two and 6% one-star. That 6% one-star share is the highest of the four sets I have reviewed from this guide — against 5% for the Cuisinart, 3% for the T-fal Ultimate and 2% for the T-fal Signature.
It is also the smallest sample by a wide margin: 1,614 ratings against 18,392 for the Signature. A small sample moves more, so read the shape rather than the decimal.
The shape is what matters here, and it is bimodal rather than mediocre. Most owners are delighted and a meaningful minority are angry, which is the signature of a product with conditions attached rather than one that is merely average.
Alternatives to Consider
- T-fal Signature 12-piece — $109.99. $50 cheaper, larger frypan, vented lids — and a PTFE coating, which is the thing you were avoiding.
- Cuisinart MultiClad Pro 12-piece — $219.95. Uncoated triple-ply stainless, induction ready, 500℉. No coating means no coating chemistry question at all.
- T-fal Ultimate Hard Anodized 17-piece — $229.99. More pieces and bigger pans if PFAS-free is not your reason for shopping.
- See the full ranking in my cookware for gas stoves guide or the cookware sets guide.
Verdict
The GreenPan Lima does the job it is bought for. If PFAS-free is a requirement rather than a preference, this is the cheapest full set that meets it, the bodies are hard anodized rather than thin, and the pans take 600℉ in the oven.
It comes with conditions, and they are not optional. Low to medium heat, no metal utensils, hand wash. Owners who follow them report years; owners who do not report months, and the 6% one-star share is mostly the second group.
Two other things to know going in. Three of the twelve pieces are bamboo utensils, and the largest frypan is 9 inches. If you want a big skillet or a set you can be careless with, this is not it.
How This Review Was Put Together
Plainly: this is research-based, not a hands-on test. I have not owned or used this cookware set, and nothing here should be read as a report from my own kitchen.
What it rests on: the published specification — what the twelve pieces actually are, the coating chemistry and its temperature and utensil limits, the two different oven ratings for pans and lids, and the care instructions owners say have changed since they bought — read against the other sets in my best cookware for gas stoves guide; the shape of the rating distribution across 1,614 Amazon ratings rather than the 4.4 average it produces; and the text of the positive and critical reviews, read for themes that recur across independent owners.
Why owner reviews are treated as evidence here: one reviewer cooking on one unit for a fortnight cannot show an exterior finish coming off in the sink at two months, or a set still working after seven years. Several thousand owners over years can. A theme is only reported above where more than one unconnected owner raised it.
What I could not establish: whether the listing previously stated the set was dishwasher safe, as two owners claim, because I can only read it as it stands today; how long the Thermolon coating lasts on average, since owner reports run from two months to seven years with no way to normalise for use; and why Amazon lists gas and electric compatibility but not induction, given the hard anodized aluminium body would not be induction-ready either way.
Price, stock and ratings were read from Amazon’s US marketplace on 8 September 2026 and will move.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many pieces of actual cookware are in the GreenPan Lima 12-piece set?
Nine. The twelve is five vessels, three lids and a stainless steamer insert, plus three bamboo utensils. The cookware is an 8-inch frypan, a 9-inch frypan, a 2-quart saucepan, a 2.75-quart skillet and a 5-quart casserole.
Is the GreenPan Lima really PFAS-free?
GreenPan states the Thermolon ceramic coating is free of PFAS, PFOA, lead and cadmium. It is a mineral sol-gel coating rather than PTFE, so it will not release fumes if it is overheated. That is the main reason owners give for choosing it.
Can you put the GreenPan Lima in the dishwasher?
Hand wash it. Amazon current detail table gives no dishwasher rating, GreenPan care guidance is hand wash, and the most specific damage reports here – exterior finish coming off at two months and pan bottoms disintegrating at eighteen – both come from owners who used a dishwasher.
How hot can the GreenPan Lima go in the oven?
The pans are oven and broiler safe to 600 degrees Fahrenheit, which is the highest rating of any set in my gas cookware guide. The tempered glass lids are only rated to 425, so the number that applies depends on whether the lid is on.
Does the GreenPan Lima work on induction?
No. Amazon lists it as compatible with gas and electric. For induction in the same guide, the Cuisinart MultiClad Pro is the tri-ply stainless option and works on every hob type.
How long does the ceramic coating last?
It depends almost entirely on heat and washing. Owners who use low to medium heat and hand wash report several years, including one still using a set bought in March 2019. Owners who use high heat or a dishwasher report the coating failing inside a year.
What is the biggest pan in the set?
The 9-inch frypan, with a 2.75-quart skillet and a 5-quart casserole as the larger vessels. That is smaller than the 10-inch frypan in the cheaper T-fal Signature, so if a large skillet is the gap in your kitchen this set will not fill it.
Can you use metal utensils on it?
No. Amazon lists nylon, silicone and wood only, and the set ships with three bamboo utensils. Metal will shorten the life of a ceramic coating faster than it would a hard-anodized PTFE one.
Glenn is the founder of Kitchenware Compare and has spent years researching, testing, and reviewing kitchen appliances, cookware, and gadgets. A lifelong home cook raised in a family that treated every meal as an occasion, Glenn started this site to cut through the noise of conflicting product reviews and give readers honest, practical guidance. When he is not testing the latest air fryer or digging into the specs of a new espresso machine, he can usually be found experimenting with new recipes or hunting for the perfect cast iron skillet at a flea market.
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