Credit:
Reviewed / Lindsay D. Mattison
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Credit:
Reviewed / Lindsay D. Mattison
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The OXO Good Grips Non-Stick Frying Pan is our top-rated nonstick pan, with its comfortable handle, medium-weight design, and superb nonstick properties. Read More
In everyday use this pan easily releases eggs without sticking, sears meat with excellent color, and cleans up with little more than a quick wipe. Read More
Of the pans we tested, the All-Clad was quickest to warm up and the most even-heating, however, its straight handle makes some tasks tricky. Read More
This beautiful nonstick pan is heavy and expensive, but it excels at cooking eggs. Read More
Not only beautiful to look at, but performs like a charm. We love the pan’s perfect balance and thick anodized aluminum base, which provide both sturdiness and ease of movement. Read More
When friends and family ask for my advice on buying a good nonstick pan, I generally advise them not to spend a lot of money. Sure, the best nonstick frying pans will fry eggs and flip pancakes with ease, and they’re easy to clean, but they’re generally not built to last. Without proper care, it’s easy to scratch the bottom of the pan beyond repair. So I’ve been surprised that so many expensive nonstick pans have popped up in the last few years, and set out to test them.
The best nonstick pan with a traditional coating is the OXO Good Grips 10-inch Non-Stick Pro Open Fry Pan (available at Amazon for $39.19) , an affordable, high-quality nonstick pan that’s just right for day-to-day kitchen tasks. This pan also happens to be our best value.
But if budget isn’t an issue, upgrade to our number-two choice, the induction-capable All Clad 10-inch Non-Stick Fry Pan (available at Amazon), which features more even heating with its multi-clad stainless steel construction. If you prefer a ceramic nonstick skillet, our favorite is the GreenPan Valencia Pro Hard Anodized Ceramic Nonstick 11-inch Fry Pan (available at Amazon). Rest assured, we’ve done the testing to find the best nonstick pans for you.
The OXO Good Grips nonstick pan is an affordable, high-quality non-stick pan that’s just right for the day-to-day tasks of your kitchen.
Excellent browning and easy cleanup are a winning combination for the GreenPan Valencia Pro.
The All-Clad 10-inch nonstick pan was the quickest to warm up and provided the most even heating of all the nonstick pans we tested.
Gorgeous appearance
Releases eggs easily
Heats quickly
Heavy
Expensive
Beautifully designed
Easy to manuever
Affordable
Not induction compatible
Lightweight
Releases eggs easily
Induction capable
Easy to clean
Didn't maintain heat well
Great nonstick surface
Heats quickly
Maintains heat well
Heavy
Expensive
It features an exclusive TITUM nonstick coating. Three layers of PFOA-free nonstick are reinforced with diamond particles that are anchored to the pan with durable titanium plasma technology.
The pan is a little on the heavy side, but during testing, the eggs moved around freely, and it created one of the best omelets in the group. It also heated quickly and maintained its heat exceptionally well. If budget isn’t an issue, we have no hesitation in recommending this pan.
Scratch-resistant coating
Easy to maneuver
Easy to clean
Handle gets hot
Slow to heat
Heats quickly
Releases eggs easily
Inexpensive
Uncomfortable handle
Handle gets hot
Versatile pan
Gorgeous appearance
Heats quickly
Doesn’t retain heat well
Not fully nonstick with eggs
Professional chefs, Lindsay Mattison and Danielle DeSiato are both big breakfast fans and never skip this all-important meal. They know exactly what to look for in a nonstick pan, not only from a professional perspective but from day-in and day-out home cooking.
We choose highly rated products to test. Most are 10-inch frying pans—large enough to cook a three-egg omelet, but not too big to fry a single egg. Tests focused on whether the nonstick pans released food easily, but design and construction also factored into the score. Pans needed to demonstrate even heat distribution and be properly balanced and weighted for comfort.
Pancakes are delicious, but they're also a good measure of how evenly a pan conducts and retains heat.
Step One: We cooked two over-easy eggs in each pan, flipping them with a flick of our wrists. If we needed to use a utensil to loosen the egg or flip it manually with a spatula, the pan lost points.
Step Two: Then, we cleaned the pans and whisked up a three-egg French omelet. Smooth omelets passed; rough and jagged omelets not so much.
Step Three: Next, we made a batch of pancakes, a great measure of how evenly a pan conducts and retains heat. If the pan cooked the first side evenly, without sticking, and retained enough heat to brown the second side, it walked away with top marks.
Step Four: Finally, we heated room-temperature water in each pan and measured the water temperature after one and two minutes. Products that heated quickly were awarded bonus points.
Step Five: We then removed the hot water and replaced it with new water, monitoring how quickly the pan could recover to its original temperature.
We cooked French omelets without cooking oil. Smooth omelets passed; rough and jagged omelets not so much.
Stainless steel and cast-iron pans are great for many uses. They can be used at high heat, making them ideal for searing meat and creating pan sauces.
They’re also designed to last a long time, with heavy, tri-ply, or multi-clad construction and durable surfaces. However, they can be a pain to clean, and they’re not the best for cooking delicate foods that stick easily.
Nonstick pans, on the other hand, are designed to release food easily, making them ideal for eggs, pancakes, delicate fish, or crepes. Beyond helping cook, the nonstick coating makes clean-up significantly easier.
While some products feature a stainless-steel base that can be used with induction burners, most are made from coated aluminum to lighten them up. Aluminum construction also helps the pan heat up faster, making them great for quick dishes like grilled cheese, quesadillas, or reheating leftovers without a microwave. You may also see etched surfaces in stainless steel or cast aluminum that create a nonstick surface.
It’s important that your nonstick pan heats evenly, otherwise there’s no chance those eggs will look Instagram-worthy.
Nonstick cookware once had a reputation for being cancer-causing, but the chemical coating (containing PFOAs) that was responsible for health concerns isn't used anymore. Today, the two main types of coating for nonstick pans are a friction-resistant synthetic called PTFE (previously known as Teflon) and ceramic.
Some companies produce proprietary PTFE, like All-Clad’s non-reinforced PTFE or Scanpan’s titanium-reinforced PTFE. Regardless of the brand, these pans work because they’re sprayed with one or several layers of the nonstick coating, which simulates the coating that builds up over time on cast iron or carbon steel pans.
Over time, this coating can scratch or wear off, losing its nonstick properties. High heat also degrades PTFE, which breaks down at high temperatures exceeding 500 degrees Fahrenheit.
Ceramic pans have gained popularity because of their “green” status and safety concerns of chemical coatings. These pans are not actually made from ceramic material: Like PTFE pans, they feature a coating on top of a steel or aluminum base.
Ceramic coating is made from sand that’s turned into a solution-gel, or “sol-gel.” When the pan is heated, the coating releases a silicon oil (different from synthetic silicone) that resists sticking. Like PTFE, the silicon layer degrades over time (especially in contact with high heat), so the product has a limited nonstick lifetime.
We tested to see how the nonstick coatings would hold up over time.
We picked a few models with PTFE and ceramic coatings and performed destructive tests designed to test the pan’s ability to hold up over time. We used steel wool and metal cutlery (which you should never use on a nonstick pan unless the manufacturer states otherwise) to get a sense of each pan’s durability.
Almost all of the pans scratched when we hacked at them with steel wool, but some did better than others when used with metal utensils. Many warped when we exposed them to thermal shock, dunking the pan in cold water after heating it on high heat.
These tests demonstrated that almost all of these pans can be damaged with little effort, so it’s important to take care when using coated pans!
To avoid damaging your pan, choose wooden, silicone, rubber, or nylon utensils instead of metal ones, and never use stainless-steel scrubbing brushes when cleaning. Always use gentle detergents, and avoid the dishwasher—even if they say they’re dishwasher safe. (I know, hand washing is such a pain!)
When cooking, use low or medium settings instead of high heat. Don’t heat them up empty, and avoid using them in the oven (especially if they have plastic handles).
Finally, take care when storing nonstick pans. Stacking them on top of each other can damage the coating on the edges of the pan. If stacking is your only option, place a towel or cork trivet between the pans for protection.
Lindsay is a professional chef, recipe developer, writer, and developmental editor. After years of working in restaurant kitchens, she turned to writing to share her passion for local, organic, and seasonal ingredients with home cooks and food enthusiasts.
Managing Editor, Kitchen & Appliances. Danielle has a B.S. from Syracuse University and a AAS in Culinary Arts from Newbury College. Previously, Danielle was a Test Cook and Associate Editor at America's Test Kitchen, as well as a freelance recipe developer and food writer. She’s the mom of two boys and loves making pizza on Friday nights.
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