Skip to Content

The 14 Best Frying Pans For Every Type Of Cook

Who said pans have to be boring?

By and
frying pan
Sarah Ceniceros

Delish editors handpick every product we feature. We may earn commission from the links on this page.

Shopping for kitchen items like pots and pans may not be your idea of fun. But when you're looking to update your kitchen gear, these tools are a must. Having a versatile frying pan, also called a skillet or sauté pan, is something every cook should have in their kitchen. But even for the most experienced cooks, it can be tough to know where to begin and what's worth the price tag. These are our picks for the best frying pans for various stove tops, family sizes, and budgets.

Our top picks

How we chose these products

Picking out a frying pan—which you can use to shallow fry, sauté, pan fry, steam, and so much more—is personal. You have to consider how you'll be using it, storing it, and cleaning it. So we reached out to chefs, restauranteurs, and other culinary professionals about their favorite frying pans to use at home. We also included some of the internet's most well-loved and raved-about pans. This list consists of a wide variety of responses with pan recommendations of different materials, sizes, and uses. They cover different budgets so at-home cooks of all levels can find one on this list.

Want more kitchen help? Check out our recommendations for air fryers, pressure cookers, slow cookers, blenders, and electric kettles. Or check out our cookware and gadgets page for all of our recs on appliances, tools, and products you should have in your kitchen.

1
Best Overall

Misen Nonstick Frying Pan

On Sale
Misen Nonstick Frying Pan
Credit: Amazon

All the frying pans on this list are great, but the Misen Nonstick Frying Pan takes the top spot. At 10 inches, it's big, but not so massive that it's hard to store. The nonstick coating makes it easy for all cooks to use.

"It is attractive looking and sooo easy to clean," cookbook author and culinary television personality Jason Goldstein said. "Food always cooks evenly and slides right onto the plate."

2
Best Multi-Functional

The Always Pan

Editor’s Choice
The Always Pan
Credit: Our Place

The super-viral Always Pan is a nonstick frying pan, sure, but that's just the start of it. This one item can replace up to eight traditional pieces of cookware and can be used to fry, braise, sear, steam, strain, and boil.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

Another brand with a cult following, Caraway makes a fry pan that comes in six bright colors and uses a ceramic non-stick design. Caraway also offers the ability to choose your own cookware set depending on your needs so you don't have to splurge on a set full of items you won't necessarily use.

4
Best Restaurant-Quality

De Buyer French Steel Frying Pan

De Buyer French Steel Frying Pan

If you want something the professionals use, try the De Buyer French Steel Frying Pan. "They are heavy duty and work great for searing skin on fish and meat, as well as getting a great char on vegetables," said Andy Long, culinary director of Georgia-based Maven Restaurant Group. He uses them in all of their restaurants. "They’ll last a lifetime if you take care of it."

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
5
Best Enamal-Coated

Staub Mini Cast Iron Fry Pan, 6"

Staub Mini Cast Iron Fry Pan, 6"

This small, but mighty Staub Mini Cast Iron Fry Pan has a durable cast-iron construction and an enamel base that comes in several fun colors. "[It] goes from stovetop to oven seamlessly," said nutritionist and cookbook author Mia Rigden. "Eggs are my absolute favorite way to use my Staub frying pan."

6
Best Carbon Steel

Blue Carbon Steel Frying Pan

Blue Carbon Steel Frying Pan

The Blue Carbon Steel Frying Pan is Ji Hye Kim's go-to pan for everything from a delicate gyeran mari (Korean egg omelets) to tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes). She owns Miss Kim, an Ann Arbor, Mich.-based Korean restaurant.

"It can take high heat and be seasoned into nonstick fairly easily and fast," she said. "The pan has good weight to it, but the handle is well-designed for the chef-y flip."

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
7
Best Heat Distribution

Calphalon Fry Pan

Calphalon Fry Pan

The aluminum construction of this Calphalon pan guarantees even heating across the surface, which in turn leads to even cooking. The shape of the handle is also made to keep cool even when on the stove.

8
Best Cast Iron

Lodge Seasoned Cast Iron Skillet with Tempered Glass Lid

Lodge Seasoned Cast Iron Skillet with Tempered Glass Lid

Cast-iron pans may seem intimidating to cook with or take care of (check out our guide here), but once you get the hang of it, they have a lot of advantages. "These heavyweight pans don’t cool down, even when you add more food," said Gocha Hawkins, owner and head chef at Gocha’s Breakfast Bar in Atlanta. "They are also oven- and broiler-safe.”

"This skillet is my go-to when cooking up some favorites from my southern and coastal Virginia heritage like crab cakes and fried chicken," said Patrick Evans-Hylton, culinary educator and historian and writer for Virginia Eats And Drinks. "The tempered glass lid is a bonus my grandmother never had, allowing for some serious frying without all the splatter."

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
9
Most Durable

Le Creuset Toughened Fry Pan

Le Creuset Toughened Fry Pan

The surface on this pan is reinforced three times, making it four times stronger than typical pans. Its durability also makes it safe to use with metal utensils without worrying about scratches.

"Having slopped sides helps with rolling omelets and flipping fried eggs in a stylish one-handed flip," said Martha Wilcox, chef de cuisine at Indianola in Houston. "A slick nonstick surface will certainly help with clean up, but even more importantly, help move the egg around the pan when you need to flip or fold.”

10
Compatible With Induction Stoves

All-Clad Hard Anodized Nonstick Frying Pan

Amazon’s Choice
All-Clad Hard Anodized Nonstick Frying Pan

All-Clad's frying pan is one foot in diameter, making it a large surface for one-pan meals and bigger cuts of meat. The nonstick surface makes it easier to cook with less fat, and the pan itself is both oven-safe and compatible with induction stoves.

"They clean up easily and hold the heat evenly," said Ryan Schmidtberger, executive chef and partner of New York City-based restaurant Hancock St. "I still have them after 20 plus years."

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
11
Budget-Friendly

Cuisinart Chef's Classic Nonstick Skillet

Cuisinart Chef's Classic Nonstick Skillet

Easy-to-grip handles and a wear-resistant cooking surface make this Cuisinart pan durable and great starter option for those who may not be experienced in the kitchen. It also holds a lot of food.

"In my experience, if you’re making at least a pound of pasta, you really need a big friggin pan," said Rossella Rago, author of Cooking With Nonna." I love this 14-inch skillet because there’s enough surface area for the sauces to coat the pasta evenly without any spillover.”

12
Dishwasher-Safe

T-Fal Fry Pan

On Sale
T-Fal Fry Pan

Perhaps one of the best basic frying pans out there. T-Fal makes dishwasher-safe pieces that won't break the bank. The red spot in the center of the cooking surface turns a solid red color when the pan is preheated and ready for ingredients to be added in—no guesswork involved.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
13
Best Granite Coating

Ailwyn Nonstick Deep Frying Pan with Lid

On Sale
Ailwyn Nonstick Deep Frying Pan with Lid

The deep walls of this pan make it ideal for one-pan meals or recipes requiring many ingredients. The lid and handle is heat-resistant and compatible with a different stove types.

14
Best Stainless Steel

Mueller Stainless Steel Fry Pan

Mueller Stainless Steel Fry Pan

Stainless-steel kitchen items look so sleek, and Mueller pairs function with aesthetics well. This pan is oven safe to 500°F without the lid, or 350°F with the lid, so you can go from cooking eggs in the morning to searing steaks for dinner.

Watch Next 
preview for Watch Our Newest Videos
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below