Great Jones Cookware review: Our honest thoughts after testing four pots and pans

Great Jones makes colorful cookware that's beautiful and versatile. Here's what we think of the pots and pans, including the signature Dutchess oval oven.

When you buy through our links, Business Insider may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more

Great Jones is a startup that makes Instagram-worthy cookware in fun colors that appeal to the millennial aesthetic. You've probably spotted its colorful cookware on the feeds of food influencers like Molly Baz and Molly Yeh,

We've tried numerous Great Jones pieces over the past few years — Deep-Cut saute pan, Big Deal stockpot, Dutchess Dutch Oven, and Holy Sheet baking sheet — and found the quality is surprisingly great and durable despite prices maxing out at $180 for an individual pot. The brand uses corrosion-resistant, kitchen-grade stainless steel with 8% nickel for its pots' handles, which are also TIG (or tungsten inert gas) welded. Great Jones' fittings have a tidy, extra-sturdy weld with no screws, no rivets, and no seams to trap food or bacteria. 

The company's name is an homage to the late cookbook author and editor Judith Jones, who shaped the way Americans cook by launching the careers of then-unknown culinary authors like Julia Child, Edna Lewis, and James Beard. Inspired by Jones, the brand's founders focused on demystifying home cooking with just a handful of well-made products to streamline the process of outfitting a kitchen.

Read on for our full Great Jones cookware review.

The Dutchess Dutch oven

As soon as I got my hands on The Dutchess — a surprisingly stylish Dutch oven — my mind was flooded with dreams of all the recipes I would create. Bread, stews, a whole roast chicken.

The best Dutch oven is a versatile piece of cookware that's worth a spot in your kitchen, and, this Great Jones iteration is really great. The enameled cast iron is reminiscent of what you'd find from Le Creuset, though the price is more palatable at $180. The 6.75-quart size has plenty of space to evenly brown your meats, veggies, or whatever you're making. The inside of the pot is light gray — light enough to see if things are browning or burning and dark enough to cover some of the food stains. 

I used The Dutchess to make a mushroom bourguignon. It provided even heat distribution, was super easy to clean (soap and water were enough to scrape away any burnt bits), and as an added bonus, looks really fun on my stovetop. A few of my coworkers who have gone on to purchase The Dutchess have noted that it's quite heavy. At 15 pounds, it is a few pounds heavier than similar pots from Le Creuset and Staub. It's worth noting, however, that if you're looking for a lightweight pan, you might want to stay away from enameled cast iron all together. — Remi Rosmarin, Insider contributer

Deep Cut sauté pan

If you have limited kitchen space but want to maximize your dinner possibilities, the Deep Cut, a hybrid of a sauté pan and a skillet, is the pan you need to get. It's two inches deep to let you make saucy dishes without making a mess, but you can still do classic fries because of the sloped sides.

The handle design is beautiful, though it does sacrifice ergonomics for its unique outline look. If you have a strong wrist or don't mind a few minutes of discomfort, you'll be happy with the Deep Cut. Otherwise, I might suggest the less aesthetically pleasing but more functional Sardel Sauté Pan.

Based on the first few times I've cooked with the Deep Cut, it feels sturdy and comfortable overall, and it seems like it'll face any everyday cooking task head-on. It also cleans easily and looks sleek, which are always pluses in my book. If you're looking for a ceramic-coated skillet on a budget, check out our guide to the best nonstick pans.— Connie Chen, Insider contributor

Big Deal stockpot

The Big Deal is a pretty ideal stockpot (check out our guide to the best stockpot for more of our top picks). It's beautiful with its brassy ergonomic handles and stainless steel, but, most importantly, it makes cooking more convenient and enjoyable. I made pumpkin curry in it, and I appreciate the standard selling points (even heat, a generous 8-quart volume) as well as the more thoughtful details (handles that accommodate an extra secure four-finger hold, laser-etched measurements on the interior).

In terms of price, $130 is pretty standard for a mid-range stockpot. — Mara Leighton, Insider contributor

Holy Sheet baking sheet

The Great Jones Holy Sheet pan is made from aluminized steel, which is more corrosion-resistant than steel and more heat-stable than aluminum, so it hasn't warped. There are also (presumably very thin) steel rods running through the pan, which help it keep its shape. When I broiled a whole fish in the pan and wanted to crisp up the dish before serving it, I was able to crank up the heat to well over 500 degrees Fahrenheit without any warping. 

As much as I like the performance of it, the Holy Sheet is just not an everyday sheet pan. I have used the Holy Sheet regularly, and it hasn't held up well. At this point, I need to do heavy scrubbing to thoroughly clean it, which damages the ceramic coating.— Owen Burke, Insider contributor

The bottom line

After testing the basics from the Great Jones lineup, we're impressed by the carefully considered designs and bold exteriors. You will pay more now for a Great Jones pan than when we originally tested the brand, and the bakeware is not budget-friendly. However, we still recommend considering Great Jones if you're looking for solid cooking performance from cookware that doubles as serveware.

The Dutchess Dutch oven

As soon as I got my hands on The Dutchess — a surprisingly stylish Dutch oven — my mind was flooded with dreams of all the recipes I would create. Bread, stews, a whole roast chicken.

The best Dutch oven is a versatile piece of cookware that's worth a spot in your kitchen, and, this Great Jones iteration is really great. The enameled cast iron is reminiscent of what you'd find from Le Creuset, though the price is much more palatable at $180. The 6.75-quart size has plenty of space to evenly brown your meats, veggies, or whatever you're making. The inside of the pot is light gray — light enough to see if things are browning or burning and dark enough to cover some of the food stains. 

I used The Dutchess to make a mushroom bourguignon. It provided even heat distribution, was super easy to clean (soap and water were enough to scrape away any burnt bits), and as an added bonus, looks really fun on my stovetop. A few of my coworkers who have gone on to purchase The Dutchess have noted that it's quite heavy. At 15 pounds, it is a few pounds heavier than similar pots from Le Creuset and Staub. It's worth noting, however, that if you're looking for a lightweight pan, you might want to stay away from enameled cast iron all together. — Remi Rosmarin, Insider contributer

Deep Cut sauté pan

If you have limited kitchen space but want to maximize your dinner possibilities, the Deep Cut, a hybrid of a sauté pan and a skillet, is the pan you need to get. It's two inches deep to let you make saucy dishes without making a mess, but you can still do classic fries because of the sloped sides.

The handle design is beautiful, though it does sacrifice ergonomics for its unique outline look. If you have a strong wrist or don't mind a few minutes of discomfort, you'll be happy with the Deep Cut. Otherwise, I might suggest the less aesthetically pleasing but more functional Sardel Sauté Pan.

Based on the first few times I've cooked with the Deep Cut, it feels sturdy and comfortable overall, and it seems like it'll face any everyday cooking task head-on. It also cleans easily and looks sleek, which are always pluses in my book. — Connie Chen, Insider contributor

Big Deal stockpot

The Big Deal is a pretty ideal stockpot. It's beautiful with its brassy ergonomic handles and stainless steel, but, most importantly, it made cooking more convenient and enjoyable. I made pumpkin curry in it, and I appreciate the standard selling points (even heat, a generous 8-quart volume) as well as the more thoughtful details (handles that accommodate an extra secure four-finger hold, laser-etched measurements on the interior). In terms of price, $95 is pretty standard, but this pot looks like it would cost more. — Mara Leighton, Insider contributor

Holy Sheet baking sheet

The Great Jones Holy Sheet pan is made from aluminized steel, which is more corrosion-resistant than steel and more heat-stable than aluminum, so it hasn't warped. There are also (presumably very thin) steel rods running through the pan, which help it keep its shape. When I broiled a whole fish in the pan and wanted to crisp up the dish before serving it, I was able to crank up the heat to well over 500 degrees Fahrenheit without any warping. 

As much as I like the performance of it, the Holy Sheet is just not an everyday sheet pan. I have used the Holy Sheet regularly, and it hasn't held up well. At this point, I need to do heavy scrubbing to thoroughly clean it, which damages the ceramic coating.— Owen Burke, Insider contributor