The Next Level Chef equipment you can actually trace to the show is HexClad cookware. HexClad's own Gordon Ramsay page told shoppers they would see its hybrid pans on Ramsay's FOX series Next Level Chef, and in July 2024 Studio Ramsay Global, the Ramsay and FOX partnership that produces the show, made a 100-million-dollar investment in the brand that reinforced HexClad's official cookware sponsorship across FOX and Studio Ramsay Global food series. Nobody connected with the show has published a list of the rest of the kitchen's gear, so this guide covers HexClad for the show itself, explains how the three kitchens differ, and turns each level into a shopping list for a home cook.
It sits with the site's kitchen gear guides and pairs with our Hell's Kitchen sponsors breakdown, the same question asked of Ramsay's other FOX show.
| Equipment | Tie to Next Level Chef | Where that comes from | Our guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| HexClad hybrid pans | The show's cookware partner; Ramsay is a HexClad partner | HexClad; the 2024 Studio Ramsay Global investment | Gordon Ramsay cookware |
| HexClad Damascus knives | Shown on HexClad's Next Level Chef page | HexClad | Gordon Ramsay knives |
| Gas ranges and burners | Every burner and range on the first set ran on natural gas | TheWrap, Season 1 | Below |
| Other brands listed online (Staub, Waring, Jade, Gozney and more) | None named in FOX's show materials | No published source | General picks below |
What Equipment Is Used on Next Level Chef?
Next Level Chef uses three different kitchens stacked on top of each other, and the Next Level Chef equipment gets worse the lower you go. FOX's show page describes a set more than three stories high with a different kitchen on every floor, and Wikipedia's summary of the format sets out the tiers: the top floor has the most modern and expensive equipment, the middle is a standard commercial kitchen, and the basement has a small selection of low-quality tools. A platform lowers the ingredients from the top, so the top floor gets first pick and the basement cooks with what is left.
The build itself shaped the cooking. TheWrap's behind-the-scenes report on the first season found that every burner and range on the Las Vegas set ran on natural gas, and that the producers had to stop heat from the lower kitchens making the upper ones harder to work in. Hot air rises by convection, so a stack of lit gas ranges heats every floor above it. Seasons 1 and 2 were filmed in Las Vegas; from Season 3 the show moved to Ashford Studios in County Wicklow, Ireland. Ramsay mentors alongside Nyesha Arrington and Richard Blais, and the winner takes a 250,000-dollar prize and a year of mentorship. New episodes stream from FOX.
HexClad: The Next Level Chef Cookware
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 Next Level Chef cookware brand because Ramsay is part of the company. He first invested as an equity partner in 2021, and the 2024 deal from Studio Ramsay Global (cash plus media commitments) increased that stake while confirming HexClad as the cookware sponsor across the venture's food shows. The pan you see most is the 12-inch hybrid frying pan: tri-ply, with an aluminum core between layers of stainless steel, and a cooking surface of laser-etched stainless hexagons over a ceramic nonstick base. It is oven safe to 900°F and works on induction.
The build explains why it suits a timed competition. Aluminum conducts heat many times faster than stainless steel, so the core spreads the burner's heat across the base and cuts down hot spots. The raised steel peaks touch the food and brown it, and the nonstick valleys help it release. Browning still needs a dry surface: water cannot get hotter than 212°F, while the Maillard reaction that builds a crust starts around 284°F, so pat proteins dry before they go in. For the full story, read Gordon Ramsay cookware (HexClad against the licensed Hell's Kitchen pans), HexClad cookware reviews, where HexClad is made and why eggs stick to a HexClad pan, plus where to buy HexClad.
HexClad Knives on the Next Level Chef Page
HexClad's Next Level Chef landing page puts its Damascus steel knife sets next to the hybrid pans, along with bakeware, a carving board, an apron and salt and pepper mills. That is the brand's own pairing with the show; it does not say which knife a contestant picked up in a given challenge. If you want the knives HexClad markets with the series, the 6-piece Japanese Damascus set covers a chef's knife, bread knife, boning knife, utility knife, paring knife and a honing rod.
HexClad
HexClad 6-Piece Japanese Damascus Stainless Steel Knife Set (Green)
- 8-inch chef, 8-inch bread, 6-inch boning, 5-inch utility and 3.5-inch paring knives, plus a 9-inch honing rod
- 67-layer Damascus steel, full tang, pakkawood handles; heat-treated for a 12-degree edge
- Hand-wash only; hone often to keep the edge straight
HexClad lists a 12-degree edge on these blades, thinner than many Western chef's knives. A thin, sharp edge slices through the cell walls of an onion or a bunch of herbs, where a dull one crushes them, which is why bruised basil turns black and a blunt knife slips on a tomato skin. Hone the edge often and wash it by hand. Our Gordon Ramsay knives guide covers what Ramsay uses beyond HexClad, and the best kitchen knife sets compares five sets across brands.
Kit Out Your Kitchen Like the Next Level Chef Levels
The smartest way to copy the Next Level Chef equipment at home is to build it the way the show builds its floors: start with the basement's few tools, done well, and add middle and top-floor gear only when your cooking calls for it. These are general picks for a home kitchen, matched to each level's job.
| Level | On the show | Home version | Why it earns a place | Read |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basement | A few low-quality tools | One 12-inch pan, one sharp 8-inch chef's knife, a wood board, an instant-read thermometer | Most weeknight cooking needs nothing more | Oven thermometer |
| Middle | A standard commercial kitchen | Add an enameled Dutch oven, two sheet pans and a food processor | Braises, roasts and batch prep | Cast iron ribeye |
| Top floor | The most modern and expensive equipment | Add a sous vide circulator and a high-powered blender | Exact doneness and silky purées | Sous vide cookers, Vitamix blenders |
Basement: four tools that cover most cooking
A basement kit of four good tools handles most of what you cook. The pan and the knife come from the sections above. The thermometer settles doneness without guessing: the USDA safe minimum temperatures are 145°F with a 3-minute rest for steaks, chops and roasts, 160°F for ground meat and 165°F for poultry. Meat keeps rising a few degrees after it leaves the pan through carryover cooking, so pull a medium-rare steak around 130°F and let the rest finish it.
The board matters for safety as much as for your edge. USDA guidance on cutting boards says wood and plastic are both fine; keep one board for raw meat, poultry and seafood and a separate one for produce and bread, wash both in hot soapy water, and replace a board once it has deep grooves. Our guides to the cutting board Gordon Ramsay uses and the best wood for a cutting board go further.
Middle: braising and batch prep
Middle-level gear adds the pots for slow, heavy cooking. An enameled cast iron Dutch oven has a lot of thermal mass, so it stores heat and barely drops in temperature when cold meat goes in, then holds a steady simmer in the oven. That steady heat is what turns a tough cut tender: collagen converts to gelatin from about 154°F, given time. A food processor and two heavy sheet pans cover the chopping and roasting that a standard commercial kitchen does in volume.
Top floor: precision gear
Top-floor gear buys precision. A sous vide circulator holds a water bath at the exact doneness you want, and the food cannot get hotter than the water, so a steak comes out the same pink from edge to edge; finish it in a screaming-hot pan for the crust. A high-powered blender spins fast enough to shear cell walls, which is why a soup or purée turns silky instead of grainy. Compare models in our best sous vide cooker guide and our best Vitamix blenders list.
Next Level Chef vs Hell's Kitchen Equipment
HexClad links the equipment of Ramsay's two FOX competitions, but the kitchens are built for different tests. Next Level Chef ranks its cooks by floor, so equipment is part of the challenge. Hell's Kitchen puts two teams in matching red and blue kitchens and tests service, and its Season 25 end credits list HexClad among the brands under "Promotional Consideration Provided By" (our Hell's Kitchen sponsors guide covers the full list). On the knife side, Ramsay's longtime sous chef Christina Wilson told Looper that Hell's Kitchen contestants each receive a Zwilling J.A. Henckels set; our Hell's Kitchen knives guide covers those.
Which Next Level Chef Equipment to Buy First
If you buy one piece of Next Level Chef equipment, make it the 12-inch HexClad hybrid pan, the show's own cookware brand and the pan you will use most nights. Add a sharp chef's knife next, then an instant-read thermometer, and stop there until a recipe asks for more. The Dutch oven, the circulator and the blender are upgrades for the cooking you actually do, the same way the show's cooks earn the top floor. We will update this Next Level Chef equipment guide if FOX or a new partner names more of the show's gear.
Next Level Chef Equipment FAQs
The questions that come up most: what cookware is used on Next Level Chef, what pans the top level uses, what knives the show uses, whether Gordon Ramsay owns part of HexClad, how the three kitchens work, where the show is filmed, and whether HexClad is oven safe.
What cookware is used on Next Level Chef?
HexClad. Its Gordon Ramsay page told buyers they would see HexClad on Next Level Chef, and the 2024 Studio Ramsay Global investment reinforced HexClad as the official cookware sponsor across FOX and Studio Ramsay Global food series.
What pans are used on the top level of Next Level Chef?
FOX has not published a floor-by-floor equipment list. The top floor is described as the most modern and expensive kitchen, and HexClad is the show's cookware partner, but the show has not said which pans sit on which floor.
What knives are used on Next Level Chef?
The show has not published a knife list. HexClad features its Damascus steel knife sets on its Next Level Chef landing page, which is the brand's own pairing with the series.
Does Gordon Ramsay own part of HexClad?
Yes. Ramsay became an equity partner in 2021, and in July 2024 Studio Ramsay Global, his venture with FOX, made a 100-million-dollar investment in HexClad that increased his stake.
How do the three kitchens on Next Level Chef work?
Cooks are split across three stacked kitchens: a top floor with the best equipment, a standard commercial kitchen in the middle and a poorly equipped basement. A platform lowers ingredients from the top, so the top floor picks first.
Where is Next Level Chef filmed?
Seasons 1 and 2 were filmed on a purpose-built set in Las Vegas. From Season 3 the show has been made at Ashford Studios in County Wicklow, Ireland.
Is HexClad oven safe?
Yes. HexClad's hybrid pans are oven safe to 900°F; tempered glass lids are rated to 400°F.
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.