It all started with a confident text I sent to the family group chat: ‘I’ll host this year!’ 

I loved the idea of gathering my loved ones around my dining table in the brand-new apartment I just moved into, and showing I was ready to take up the mantle of the holidays. But then…reality set in. 

Suddenly, I was responsible for an entire holiday dinner. That meant multiple dishes, lots of people, and plenty of opportunity to mess up the food. 

GreenPan’s cookware rises to the challenge

As I’m still learning my way around my new kitchen, I wanted an all-rounder cookware set that wouldn’t feel overwhelming, yet was still overflowing with the top-quality performance and design. Naturally, I turned to kitchenware experts GreenPan. Their modern, thoughtfully designed, PFAS-free nonstick cookware would help me thrive on my journey towards holiday host with the most.  

I went all in on simplicity: the GreenPan Valencia Pro 3-Piece Frypan Set. Three pans. That’s it. As America's Test Kitchen winner in the best ceramic nonstick category, I was confident these pans were the perfect choice for me. 

The three-pan plan for my holiday dinner

The Valencia Pro ceramic nonstick three-piece frypan set includes 8”, 9.5”, and 11” frypans that can cook pretty much any dish you can think of between them. 

I decided on a simplified yet classic holiday menu to make in my brand-new Greenpan frypans. With just a tiny bit of planning (I felt so proud of myself for getting my menu all sorted in advance), three pans was all I needed to make delicious holiday magic happen. 

I seared some chicken breasts in the largest pan, adding garlic and herbs to keep things flavorful, then added a splash of chicken broth to keep them juicy as they finished cooking in the oven (no pan swapping needed!). 

Meanwhile, I got to sauteing green beans in the medium-sized frypan. I’d pre-prepared some slivered almonds which I tossed in once the beans were almost tender.

The smallest pan was perfect for making a sauce for the sweet potatoes I put into the oven to bake alongside the chicken. I melted butter, maple syrup, and cinnamon to lightly caramelize before drizzling over the fluffy baked sweet potatoes to serve. It all looked and smelled amazing. 

Nothing stuck or scorched. The Valencia Pro pans made cooking feel so easy. I felt on top of the world! 

Why Valencia Pro cookware is your dream holiday companion

These pans are the cookware equivalent of your most reliable friends, who show up early to help you set the table and stay late to clean up and take out the trash after dinner. 

They’re part of GreenPan’s Valencia Pro collection, which means they’re built with hard-anodized aluminum bodies that are almost ridiculously durable. They have a special base that’s designed to keep them flat and heating evenly on any type of stovetop, from gas to electric to induction. That means your veggies aren’t charring on one side and raw on the other. 

And because I try to live a healthy lifestyle, the fact that GreenPan’s nonstick ceramic coating is PFAS-free is a major plus (in fact, it’s the main reason I chose this cookware set). The pans are free from forever chemicals that linger forever in your body and the environment forever, potentially causing health issues and nasty side effects. 

The nonstick ceramic coating, called Thermolon, gives you a naturally glossy, slick surface that makes flipping, tossing, and plating feel way more professional than it looks. Oh, and they’re oven-safe up to 600°F and metal utensil-safe, in case you’re like me and sometimes accidentally stir things with a metal spoon and then panic you've scratched your cookware.

My family loved my holiday cooking

Dinner came together so effortlessly it felt like a small miracle. The chicken was golden and tender, the beans were fresh and flavorful with crunchy almonds, and the sweet potatoes were borderline addictive. 

My family were impressed and downright disbelieving when I told them I’d cooked the whole holiday meal using only three pans. My mom loved them so much I’m planning on surprising her with own GreenPan cookware set as a gift. 

After dinner, each pan was wiped clean faster than my guests could even offer to help. Valencia Pro is dishwasher safe, but they’re so quick to clean it’s barely worth it. 

Holiday hosting, sorted

Before I put my faith in GreenPan’s Valencia Pro, I thought that you needed a bunch of fancy kitchen stuff to make a holiday dinner for your family. Now, I know that all you need is three really good frypans that actually do what they promise. The Valencia Pro trio let me host a full holiday dinner, stress-free, with minimal cleanup and maximum bragging rights.

So if you’ve been putting off hosting because you think you need more gear, trust me, you don’t. You just need Valencia Pro (and maybe a second helping of those sweet potatoes).