Month: April 2023

Material: Cast iron | Maintenance: Hand wash and keep well-seasoned | Weight: Heavy

Choosing a best overall skillet is easier than you might expect given the vastly different categories I laid out above. But really, if you only had to cook with this single one for the rest of your life, you’d be pretty okay. As a material, cast iron can pretty much do it all: get really hot and retain that heat, go from the stove to oven, and hold a nonstick surface if seasoned properly. (Lodge cookware comes pre-seasoned, which is a great bonus, but it might require some upkeep over the years.) You can sear, sauté, braise, fry, and bake with it. And while there are many companies that make cast-iron cookware (Butter Pat Industries and Smithey are two we’ve written about before), none is more beloved than the incredibly affordable, durable, and dependable Lodge.

It’s the most common cast iron you’ll see regular home cooks using: Strategist senior writer Liza Corsillo said it was the very best thing she bought in the entirety of the last decade, and I use mine so often it has taken up permanent residence on my front left burner. But professional chefs are just as devoted. “This pan will last you forever,” says Daniel Cutler, co-owner and chef of Ronan in Los Angeles. “It always comes in handy and never disappoints,” adds New Orleans–based chef and restaurateur Alon Shaya. For something so useful, the price is already seriously low, but Lani Halliday, founder and owner of Brutus Bakeshop, notes that you can often find them even cheaper at thrift shops, yard sales, and antique stores. “All you have to do is clean them up,” she says.

Material: Nonstick | Maintenance: Dishwasher safe | Weight: Lightweight

For a long time, it was a fact in my mind that you shouldn’t spend too much money on a nonstick skillet because — unlike cast iron and stainless steel — they are not meant to last forever. But after years of cooking in my own kitchen — many with this pan — as well as some very thorough research, I think it’s safe to say what you want is a moderately priced nonstick. It should be a workhorse — frying and scrambling eggs, crisping up fish skin and leftover rice, griddling pancakes, gently toasting spices — but one you don’t have to be overly precious about. Bottom line: I wouldn’t spend much more than $100 on something that will inevitably need to be replaced, but I also wouldn’t spend too little on a random pan that is bound to fall apart after only a year or two (if not sooner). The Zwilling Madura hits this sweet spot, and in many people’s opinions, it’s the way to go.

“I love that it’s technically safe for metal utensils, something that I’ve always considered a nonstick no-no,” says recipe developer and writer Rebecca Firkser. “I still try to be cautious when flipping things with my metal fish spatula, tongs, and slotted spoon, but even when I’ve scraped the pan accidentally, I’ve never seen a scratch on the surface. I also love that the handle stays cool to the touch, which is obviously not the case with every pan.”

Recipe developer and cookbook author Andy Baraghani swears by the Zwilling Madura, too, noting its lightweight design and flared lip that make it easy to toss ingredients. For her part, recipe developer and cookbook author Molly Baz says, “I like the way it feels in my hand ergonomically. I can hold it in one hand without it hurting my wrist or flopping over to the side.”

Though many nonstick skillets say they’re oven and dishwasher safe, the Zwilling Madura has withstood both those tests. I use mine to make frittatas (as do Firkser and Baragahni), and Baz says, “I have been putting it in the dishwasher since I bought it four or five years ago, and it shows no signs of degraded coating.”

Material: Nonstick | Maintenance: Dishwasher safe | Weight: Lightweight

Along with my ten-inch Zwilling Madura, I own an eight-inch Cuisinart Chef’s Classic Nonstick. It’s been in my regular rotation for the past two years, used primarily for eggs (I make scrambled, fried, omelets, or a frittata most mornings). Though eggs take a fairly gentle preparation, and leftover bits hardly require any scrubbing to get off (if they exist at all), I can say this skillet has held up beautifully so far — a good endorsement considering it’s half the price of the Zwilling.

Material: Nonstick | Maintenance: Hand wash | Weight: Medium

As I acknowledged in my dedicated nonstick-skillet story, there are some differing opinions about the Always Pan. Some believe it doesn’t live up to the Instagram hype (especially given its price), but I’ve found it to be durable in the couple of years I’ve owned it and cleverly designed. While I’m not convinced of the company’s claim that it will replace eight different pieces of cookware, I do find it to be exceedingly useful because of the high sides, which offer protection from splatter when I’m searing fish, and from spillage when I’m making a big batch of something like fried rice. The tight-fitting lid is also handy; depending on how you place it, it has the option of fully closing or leaving a small hole for steam to escape. The pour spout is smart, too, making it a pan that can handle saucy dishes. Halliday endorses the Always Pan, saying that the “weight, heft, and finish are all excellent,” and Strategist editor Maxine Builder says she’s “obsessed” with hers too.

[Editor’s note: This review is based on the original version of the Always Pan. The brand recently released an updated version, linked here. I’m in the process of testing it and will update accordingly.]

Material: Stainless steel | Maintenance: Hand wash | Weight: Medium

In home kitchens, you’re more likely to find stainless steel than copper skillets. And when it comes to stainless steel, All-Clad is the tried-and-true forever favorite. It’s a brand that has surrounded me my whole life — in the classic Food Network cooking shows I used to watch, in my mom’s cabinets from the time I was born, and in the test kitchen of Bon Appétit (where I used to work). Matt Rodbard, food writer, editor, and cookbook author, even says that the handle is so “iconic” that if you flip through “most cookbooks of the last 20 years, you’ll spot it.” Robert Guimond, the chef and owner of Public Display of Affection in Brooklyn, swears by his to steam ingredients or help them cook faster, and it comes with a matching lid for splatter control. “It’s durable and it’s beautiful,” he says. “I often find myself daydreaming about sautéing some gnocchi or scallops with it right after I’m done washing it.”

Material: Carbon steel | Maintenance: Hand wash and keep well-seasoned | Weight: Medium

Like I hinted at earlier, carbon steel behaves very similarly to cast iron. It’s not quite as versatile (the lower, more sloped sides mean it’s difficult to fry, braise, or bake in it). But it is somewhat lighter (notably, it’s the material most woks are made out of, practical for maneuvering around the stove and picking up and flipping ingredients). The surface tends to be a bit smoother than cast iron, making it more amenable to delicate ingredients like seafood. “I use mine for everything from paella to pressing Cubanos because they are quite heavy,” says chef Jordan Wallace, culinary director of Denver’s Pizzeria Locale. “And over a coal or wood fire camping, these are clutch.”

Material: Enameled cast iron | Maintenance: Dishwasher safe | Weight: Lightweight

Vermicular, a Japanese company that makes only a small handful of kitchen products, first became known for its precision cooker. Six months ago, it released this sleekly designed oven-safe skillet made from enameled cast iron, which I’ve been using for just about as long. Like the Le Creuset, above, it has a smooth and fairly nonstick surface with the durable nature of a hearty material. But there’s one notable difference: It’s truly lightweight. The pan is, in fact, even lighter than my Zwilling Madura by two ounces (though it has an ever-so-slightly smaller diameter). This means I can move it around from counter to stove and from stove to oven nimbly and easily with one hand. The handle is also longer and has a more comfortable, rounded shape than that of the Le Creuset. It’s pricey but has the feel of something made to last. One note: Though the brand says it is dishwasher safe, I’ve only washed mine by hand so far.

Material: Carbon-steel | Maintenance: Hand wash and keep well seasoned | Weight: Medium

Woks are a very particular type of skillet (if you can call them that at all). Because their primary purpose is for stir-frying, they’re built in a V shape with extremely high sides to accommodate tossing lots of ingredients and have two handles to make maneuvering around a high flame easy. Still, they can be used for many of the same tasks as standard skillets, like braising, sautéing, and steaming (and even for things standard skillets can’t be used for, like boiling stew or popping popcorn). In my roundup of the best ones, this Made In model was recommended by Lucas Sin, chef at Junzi Kitchen and Nice Day. It’s almost like a hybrid of the more traditional woks on that list and the carbon-steel pan above: It’s quite compact with slightly lower sides (though Sin says it “comfortably cooks for two”), has only one handle, and features a bottom on the wider side, which Sin prefers “for as much surface contact as possible.”