The Hell's Kitchen sponsors named at the end of Season 25 episodes, under the line "Promotional Consideration Provided By", are six brands: HexClad cookware, the spirits company Diageo, OXO kitchen tools, Napoleon grills, Spiceology seasonings and Vitamix blenders. The credit tells you who supported the production. It does not tell you which pan a contestant grabbed on the line, and nobody involved has published a list of the kitchen's equipment. This guide covers what each sponsor makes, the facts behind each brand, and our buying guides for the pieces a home cook would actually use.
It sits with the site's kitchen gear guides, and it is the companion to our weekly recaps, starting with the Season 25 Episode 1 recap and Episode 2.
| Sponsor | What it makes | Founded | Our guides |
|---|---|---|---|
| HexClad | Hybrid stainless and nonstick cookware | Los Angeles brand; Ramsay partner since 2021 | Gordon Ramsay cookware |
| Diageo | Spirits: Casamigos, Don Julio, Johnnie Walker, Tanqueray | Owns Casamigos since 2017 | Casamigos cocktails |
| OXO | Good Grips kitchen tools | Good Grips line launched 1990 | Potato ricer, mandoline |
| Napoleon | Gas and charcoal grills, fireplaces | 1976, Barrie, Ontario | Napoleon vs Weber, Prestige 500 |
| Spiceology | Spice blends and rubs | 2013, Spokane, Washington | Below |
| Vitamix | High-performance blenders | 1921, Ohio, still family-owned | Best Vitamix blenders |
What "Promotional Consideration" Means on Hell's Kitchen
"Promotional consideration" means a company gave the production something of value, such as money, products or services, and the network is telling you so. The FCC's sponsorship identification rules require a broadcaster to announce when material it airs was paid for or furnished, and to name who supplied it, on the principle that viewers should know who is trying to persuade them. The credit at the end of an episode is one way a network meets that rule.
So read the Hell's Kitchen sponsors list for what it is. The brands paid or supplied something, and their name is on the show. That's a separate question from what the brigade cooks with. The one sponsor with a documented link to Gordon Ramsay himself is HexClad, and that link comes from HexClad's own partnership announcement, not the credits.
HexClad: The Hell's Kitchen Sponsor With a Ramsay Partnership
HexClad
HexClad 12-Inch Hybrid Nonstick Frying Pan
- Stainless steel and ceramic nonstick hybrid surface, built to sear hard and release easily
- Tri-ply with an aluminum core for quick, even heat; works on induction
- Oven safe to 900°F and metal-utensil safe (lid not included)
HexClad is the Hell's Kitchen sponsor most closely tied to Ramsay, because he is a partner in the company. HexClad's Gordon Ramsay page describes him as a partner who uses the pans at home and in his shows, and the partnership dates to July 2021. The pans are tri-ply with an aluminum core and a laser-etched stainless hexagon grid over a ceramic nonstick, so food sears on the steel peaks and releases from the valleys. Aluminum conducts heat about thirteen times faster than stainless, which is why the pan heats evenly to the rim, and a dry surface still has to pass about 284°F before it browns.
Our HexClad coverage runs four pages: Gordon Ramsay cookware (HexClad against the licensed Hell's Kitchen pans), HexClad cookware reviews, is HexClad made in the USA, and where to buy HexClad.
Diageo: The Spirits Behind the Bar
Diageo is the drinks company behind many of the bottles on a restaurant back bar, and its Hell's Kitchen sponsor credit covers a portfolio, not a single brand. Diageo completed its purchase of Casamigos in August 2017, the tequila founded in 2013 by Rande Gerber, George Clooney and Mike Meldman, and its brand list includes Don Julio, Johnnie Walker, Tanqueray, Ketel One and Crown Royal.
Our Casamigos tequila cocktails guide matches Blanco, Reposado and Añejo to the drinks each suits. For a drink from the Hell's Kitchen restaurant menus themselves, the watermelon and Fresno margarita is the Miami location's. Please drink responsibly, and only if you're 21 or older.
OXO: Good Grips for Real Hands
OXO makes the Good Grips tools with the thick black handles. According to the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History, which holds an original peeler, founder Sam Farber came up with the idea after watching his wife Betsey, who had arthritis, struggle with metal-handled tools. The line launched in 1990 with soft rubber handles and flexible fins modeled on bicycle grips. A wider handle spreads the force of your grip over more of your palm, so you can press, peel or slice with less effort.
Two OXO tools earn a place in a Ramsay-style kitchen. The OXO Good Grips potato ricer is the tool behind a silky pomme purée, because it presses each piece of potato once without overworking the starch. The OXO mandoline cuts even slices for gratins and crisps. OXO's full range is on oxo.com.
Napoleon: The Grill Maker From Ontario
Napoleon is the Hell's Kitchen sponsor for the backyard: a grill and fireplace maker that Wolfgang Schroeter founded in 1976 as Wolf Steel, a small steel fabrication shop in Barrie, Ontario. The company is still family-owned, still headquartered and manufacturing in Barrie, and sells in more than 40 countries. Its premium gas grills are known for infrared burners, which cook with radiant heat instead of hot air, so a steak's surface gets past the browning threshold quickly.
Two guides cover the decision: Napoleon vs Weber gas grills compares the lines model for model, and the Napoleon Prestige 500 review looks at the grill most buyers ask about. Once it's lit, start with our steak masterclass.
Spiceology: Small-Batch Blends From Spokane
Spiceology is a spice company that started at Spokane-area farmers' markets in 2013, founded by executive chef Pete Taylor and food blogger Heather Scholten, and it still grinds in small batches and ships from Spokane, Washington. Freshness matters with ground spices because grinding exposes more surface, and the aromatic oils that carry the flavor evaporate from that surface over months on a shelf.
A rub works on the surface of meat. It browns in the pan along with the crust, and the salt in it is the only part that travels deeper in. Pair a Spiceology steak rub with the method in our skirt steak recipe: season, sear hard, rest, slice across the grain.
Vitamix: A Hundred Years of Blenders
Vitamix is the oldest Hell's Kitchen sponsor on the list. The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History dates the company to 1921 and records that the Barnard family has run it since. It is based in Olmsted Township, Ohio, and a 1949 television demonstration of the blender is now considered the first TV infomercial. A Vitamix blade spins fast enough to break down cell walls, which is why a soup or purée comes out smooth instead of grainy.
Our best Vitamix blenders guide covers which model to buy, and the Ninja vs Vitamix comparison weighs it against the budget option. Vitamix's current range is on vitamix.com.
The Knives Hell's Kitchen Contestants Get
Hell's Kitchen contestants are handed a set of Zwilling J.A. Henckels knives, which is not in the Season 25 sponsor credits but is on the record from the other side of the pass. Chef Christina Wilson, Ramsay's longtime sous chef and a former winner, told Looper that every contestant gets a set and that she still uses hers from filming in 2011. Zwilling also makes the Japanese Miyabi line, so the same company sits behind both the German workhorses and the thin Japanese blades.
Our Hell's Kitchen knives guide covers what a line-cook kit holds and the Zwilling lines that match it, the Miyabi knives review covers the Japanese side, and Gordon Ramsay knives covers what Ramsay himself uses.
The Restaurants Behind the Show: Caesars and Foxwoods
The other partners on Hell's Kitchen are the resorts that host its restaurants, because the winner's prize is often a head chef job at one of them. Caesars Entertainment runs Gordon Ramsay Hell's Kitchen at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Caesars Atlantic City and Caesars Republic Lake Tahoe, and Season 23 winner Kyle Timpson became executive chef of the Hell's Kitchen at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut, the first winner to run the restaurant where his season was filmed.
If you want to taste the menu at home, start with the dishes these restaurants are known for: the Beef Wellington, the lobster risotto in an autumn version, and the Lake Tahoe sticky toffee pudding.
Which Hell's Kitchen Sponsor Gear Is Worth Buying First
If you buy one piece of Hell's Kitchen sponsor gear, make it a 12-inch hybrid pan, because it's the one you'll use every day. After that, buy for the cooking you actually do.
| If you cook… | Start with | Read |
|---|---|---|
| Steaks, eggs and pan sauces most nights | HexClad 12-inch hybrid pan | Gordon Ramsay cookware |
| Mash, purées and gratins | OXO ricer or mandoline | Ricer, mandoline |
| Outdoors every weekend | A Napoleon gas grill | Napoleon vs Weber |
| Soups, smoothies and sauces | A Vitamix | Best Vitamix blenders |
| Cocktails for guests | A shaker and a bottle of Casamigos Blanco | Casamigos cocktails |
The Hell's Kitchen sponsors list changes from season to season, so we'll update this page when a new brand shows up in the credits.
Hell's Kitchen Sponsors FAQs
The questions that come up most: who sponsors Hell's Kitchen, what promotional consideration means, what pans the show uses, whether Gordon Ramsay uses HexClad, what Diageo is, what knives contestants get, and where Napoleon grills are made.
Who sponsors Hell's Kitchen?
The Season 25 end credits list HexClad Cookware, Diageo, OXO, Napoleon, Spiceology and Vitamix under "Promotional Consideration Provided By". Sponsors can change from season to season.
What does "promotional consideration" mean at the end of a TV show?
It means a company gave the production money, products or services. FCC rules require broadcasters to disclose sponsored material and name the sponsor, and the end-credit line is one way a network does that.
What pans do they use on Hell's Kitchen?
The show has not published its kitchen equipment. HexClad is credited as a sponsor and is Gordon Ramsay's cookware partner, and a separate licensed Hell's Kitchen cookware line is sold under the show's name, but neither tells you exactly what is on the set's stoves.
Does Gordon Ramsay use HexClad?
Yes. Ramsay became a HexClad partner in July 2021, and HexClad says he uses the pans at home and on his shows.
What is Diageo?
Diageo is a global spirits company. It owns Casamigos (since 2017), Don Julio, Johnnie Walker, Tanqueray, Ketel One and Crown Royal, among others.
What knives do Hell's Kitchen contestants get?
A set of Zwilling J.A. Henckels knives, according to Chef Christina Wilson, who still uses the set she was given when she competed in 2011. The show has not published which Zwilling line it is.
Are Napoleon grills made in Canada?
Napoleon is headquartered in Barrie, Ontario, where it was founded in 1976, and it manufactures there; check the specific model's listing for where that unit is built.
About the Author
John Siracusa is the founder of Hell’s Kitchen Recipes. He focuses on technique-first, reproducible home cooking and researches recipes & kitchen equipment from published food science and professional chef methods since 2016.