Best for: Almost any food that needs frying, browning, or searing. Because it’s ovenproof, stainless is also a good choice for foods that you start on the stovetop and then move to the oven to finish, like thick pork chops.

The details: Nitahara says that 95 percent of the pans used in the CIA’s teaching kitchens are stainless steel because they can take a lot of punishment. “The only time we don’t use them is on egg day, when we use nonstick,” he says. He adds that the shiny surface of a stainless pan makes it easy to see whether your food is browning.

In CR’s tests of stainless steel pans, we measure heating evenness by cooking pancakes, and we gauge how evenly a pan sautés by cooking potatoes until they’re tender. We also conduct a cleaning test to see how easy it is to remove cooked-on food. You’d think that all stainless pans would be about the same to clean, but our tests show that some require a lot more scrubbing than others.

Here are two recommended stainless steel pans from CR’s tests.

“There are a few things to consider when you’re buying cookware, including how you cook, durability, and price,” says Lance Nitahara, an assistant professor at the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in Hyde Park, N.Y. “On the low end of the price scale are nonstick and cast iron; copper is on the high end. But each does a different thing.”

Below, you’ll find advice on how to choose the right frying pan for how you cook, plus highlights of top-performing pans from CR’s tests, listed alphabetically and not by rank. You can see how all the pans we test perform in our frying pan ratings and learn more about the different types of pans in our cookware buying guide.

Aluminium frying pans are lightweight and easy to handle, making them a popular choice among home cooks. They are also affordable and widely available, making them an excellent option for those on a budget.

In the United Kingdom, skillets can also refer to larger, deeper, lidded pots or pans with long handles and legs. In the United States,  the term refers to a dish constructed from a shallow skillet-shaped metal or ceramic pan and includes cooked diced veggies and meats.

Non stick pans have a relatively short lifespan, and require a bit of extra care to protect them from damage.

A skillet is a type of pan that is used to cook many types of food. A skillet has a larger and deeper surface than the typical frying pan, and has a different design. Skillets have curved sides that flare outward, making them ideal for sauteing or even stir-frying foods. This style pan is also wonderful for moving ingredients around quickly or tossing them without using a wooden spoon.

Enamel Pots Size

The best way to tell whether a skillet or a Saute Pan is right for your recipe is to determine how much access you need to your food with a spatula while it cooks, the temperature, and the speed you plan to cook at, and how much liquid your recipe contains. Slow-cooking recipes that contain lots of liquid broths or sauces will benefit from the depth and large, flat cooking surface of a Saute Pan.

Cleaning Cast Iron Camp Oven

Copper frying pans are also visually appealing and add a touch of elegance to any kitchen. They are also safe for use on all stovetops, including induction.