The 7 Very Best Nonstick Skillets

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Material:Non-ceramic| Weight:1.65 pounds| Oven safety:up to 300 degrees

After cooking with the Zwilling Madura in my own kitchen for about three years, I can say that it falls into the sweet spot many of our experts pointed out as being key to a good nonstick-pan purchase: affordable enough and still well made. It’s my most-used one (and I have alot), but the surface still looks — and behaves — good as new. The overall build of the pan is excellent, with a nice curve to the walls, a supremely comfortable handle that doesn’t get too hot, and a weight that I find sturdy, but easy enough to lift (you’ll see it falls somewhere in the middle when you look at every skillet on this list).

Recipe developer and writerRebecca Firksersays, “I love that it’s technically safe for metal utensils, something that I’ve always considered a nonstick no-no. I still try to be cautious when flipping things with my metal fish spatula, tongs, and slotted spoons, but even when I’ve scraped the pan accidentally, I’ve never seen a scratch on the surface.” She also appreciates that the handle stays cool to the touch. Recipe developer and cookbook authorMolly Baznotes that particular feature, too. “I like the way it feels in my hand ergonomically,” she says. “I can hold it in one hand without it hurting my wrist or flopping over to the side.” Recipe developer and cookbook authorAndy Baraghanilikes the flared lip that makes it easy to toss ingredients.

Though many nonstick skillets claim to be oven- and dishwasher-safe, the Zwilling Madura has proved that it holds up when you use it in these ways. I use mine to make frittatas (as do Firkser and Baragahni), and Baz says she has even put it in a 400-degree oven with great success, and has been “putting it in the dishwasher since I bought it four or five years ago, and it shows no signs of degraded coating.”

For about four years, I also owned an eight-inch Cuisinart Chef’s Classic Nonstick Skillet. I finally recently got rid of it — but that’s averygood lifespan for a $40 nonstick, especially given that I bought it way before I began testing others for this story and as such, used it nearly every day. It lived on my stove for eggs (I make scrambled, fried, omelets, or a frittata most mornings), which only require low-to-medium heat and a gentle hand, an easy way to ensure you’re not irritating the surface. But I also used it to crisp up leftover rice, toast nuts, make grilled cheese, reheat proteins (I don’t own amicrowave), and more.

Chef and cookbook authorAnito Lois a firm believer in spending less on your nonstick pan in general. She uses aCook’s Standard Nonstick Hard Anodized Fry Pan, which costs the same price as the Cuisinart. She admits that higher-end brands like All-Clad (our top pick forstainless-steel skillets) and Calphalon look nicer but “don’t last any longer” than the Cooks Standard one, which she has owned for about two years. “I like its weight,” she says. “It’s sturdy but not too heavy. And the sides are sloped, so sautéing is easy.”

Material:Non-ceramic| Weight:1.9 pounds| Oven safety:Up to400 degrees

The standout feature of the Tramontina is the silicone handle, which features shallow grooves so you can get an especially solid hold. It’sthe preferred nonstick skillet of food writer, editor, and cookbook author Matt Rodbard as well asJessica Battilana, a cookbook author and editor atKing Arthur Baking. Both use theirs almost daily. “I like how it feels in the hand,” says Rodbard of the riveted, “non-slip” handle. “Plus the grip is ovenproof,” he says. Battilana is also a fan of the Tramontina, saying, “It’s light but durable, and it doesn’t feel cheap, even though it’s not an expensive pan.” She mentions the handle as well, calling it “super-sturdy,” and pointing out the removable silicone cover, “so you don’t have to worry about scorching your hands.”

Material:Ceramic| Weight:1.75 pounds| Oven safety:Up to 550 degrees

Despite my disclaimer about ceramic nonstick skillets from the beginning of this story, if you prefer the material, Made In is a good bet. It performed exceedingly well out of the gate and has continued to for the almost-year I’ve had it. (For comparison, some other unnamed ceramic nonstick skillets I’ve tried feel inferior even straight out of the box.) The bottom material of this one is stainless steel, which heats evenly (I’m a big fan of Made In’s fully stainless-steel pans, too). That temperature distribution and retention is ideal if you ever cook fish or meat in a nonstick. The construction is solid, with a comfortable handle and — my favorite design detail — a lip that brings the coating over the edge, so you can easily slide food out.

Just note: The price is decidedly high. The coating isn’t likely to last as long as some of the pans above (or even as long as Made In’s ownPTFE-coated nonstick skillet). To me, not feeling frustrated every time I use it makes it worth the investment — but that decision is a personal one.

Material:Ceramic| Weight:1.7 pounds| Oven safety:Up to 550 degrees

I also like Caraway’s Fry Pan. It’s a bit cheaper than the Made In, and while the surface started to stick a bit for me after about nine months of use, it performed really well up until that point — and I would even call it still usable now, if not in perfect shape. My colleague, senior writerLiza Corsillo, used this one for over a year, and only had to toss it because of a cooking mishap, not due to the coating wearing off. The handle is solidly attached, with a nicely curved grip. The edge is blunter than Made In’s — not a make-it-or-break-it detail, but one worth noting. The edges are higher, too, and not quite as sloped.

Corsillo — who has since gotten another one — uses it for all kinds of eggs, grilled cheese, pancakes, and pasta sauces like quick and dirty carbonaras — anything that needed reliable flipping. “It truly is nonstick in a way that feels like sorcery,” she says. “I don’t know how they made a pan so slippery and easy to clean without any traditional toxic nonstick materials, but I’m so glad they did. It makesme feel safe using it to cook for my son.” She also loves the look: It’s her preferred skillet to pull out when guests come over, to serve directly from it.

Material:Ceramic| Weight:1.5 pounds| Oven safety:Up to 600 degrees

GreenPan is perhaps even better-known for their ceramic nonstick — and three experts told me the brand is their favorite. Recipe developer and food stylistCaroline Langechose the brand in the beginning because of the non-toxic material, and has now been employing her eight- or ten–inch daily for the last couple of years for all manner of eggs, tahdig, her favorite tofu recipe, to reheat leftovers, and more (she even used them to test three different cookbooks). She swears that even with such heavy use, they haven’t worn down at all. “They’re oven-safe —reallyoven-safe — up to 600 degrees,” she says. “My oven doesn’t even go to 600 degrees! I love a pan that I can start on the stove and transfer to the oven.” She also appreciates how easy they are to clean. “If there’s ever any oil cooked on (like if I fry an egg really hot), scrubbing with a bit of baking soda takes it right off,” she says. For her part, recipe developer and cookbook authorVallery Lomasadmits that ceramic “isn’t the most nonstick,” but the material won out for her. She, too, appreciates the fact that it can go into the oven. “I’ve even made a galette in it,” she says.Alana Kyser, cookbook author and writer ofFix, Flair, Feast, uses her GreenPans regularly, noting that they lasted her two years before they started to show wear. “The golden rule in my book for nonstick is no high heat,” she says. “I don’t use any metal utensils on mine and never put them in the dishwasher.”

Material: Carbon steel| Weight:2.48 pounds| Oven safety:Up to 900 degrees

Misen’scarbon-steel nonstick frying panis, I believe, something of a breakthrough for the category. It’s different from every other skillet on this list, with neither a traditional PTFE-coated surface nor a ceramic one. It’s made with an aluminum core (like manystainless-steel skillets) surrounded bycarbon steelthat has been “superheated” in a nitrogen-rich environment to create an “extra-hard, extra-smooth, and extra-durable” surface, as Misen describes it. As with nonstick pans, the surface releases food easily without needing to be seasoned (fat in the pan will help maintain this attribute over time, but that doesn’t require the care and maintenance of carbon steel or cast iron). “There are no bits of char permanently stuck to it after months of use,” says Strategist senior writerMichael Zhao, who has also been testing the pan.

Scrambled eggs are the only food I’ve made in this pan so far that I actually prefer making in a coated pan (they’re a bit softer and fluffier that way). Yet scrambling still works in this skillet, a pretty amazing feat. Fried eggs and frittatas turn out perfectly, as does everything else I’ve tried: crispy-skinned fish, chicken cutlets, toasted nuts, fried potatoes, and more.

The pan is even-heating and though it gets much hotter than traditional nonsticks do, it’s heat responsive thanks to that aluminum core. It’s on the heavier side for a nonstick, but the aluminum core also makes it much lighter than carbon steel — and it doesn’t feel cumbersome at all. Strategist senior editorWinnie Yang, yet another colleague who has been testing and loving this skillet, reports no scratches from the metal utensils she has been using with it — which is absolutely verboten with regular nonstick.