The Best Pans, According to the Bon Appétit Test Kitchen

When it arrives to the finest pans, our thoughts operate deep. Question us about our favorite cast-iron skillets, stainless-steel cookware, carbon-metal pans, nonsticks, and the very ideal pan for producing eggs and we will be overjoyed to go into moment detail. But the truth is, the best pan is the just one you take pleasure in cooking with the most, and that will range from particular person to individual. As evidence, we requested Bon Appétit exam kitchen staffers about their most beloved pans for almost everything from shallow-frying to braising to cooking in excess of a fireplace. Some of the pans are teensy and cute, many others are long lasting and ultra hefty—and all of them provide a terrific objective. Check out or examine on for their leading picks.

My most loved pan is this 10-inch skillet with double pour spouts. What sets this cast iron aside is the sleek enamel coating—just like the form you find on the inside of your Dutch oven—which helps make for a nonstick floor without the want for seasoning and servicing. You can bake in it or use it on your stovetop. Omelets or fried eggs? No issue. It is super strong and thick, and you mainly have a solid iron with no the work of preserving a solid iron. You can hand-wash it without stressing about reseasoning.

A single of my most loved factors to prepare dinner in it is crispy chicken thighs: Start off with a chilly pan, place the thighs skin facet down, and then carry it up to temperature. It just gets so crispy, so scrumptious. If you will need to pour off some extra fat, the two minor indents and helper tackle make it uncomplicated. I also love baking cobblers in it. No require to transfer it to a independent serving dish—you can set this on your supper table, and it’ll seem wonderful. To me, it’s the most effective solid-iron pan and a real kitchen workhorse. —Rachel Gurjar, associate foodstuff editor

I didn’t expand up using a wok, but as I bought released to a bunch of different cuisines, I fell in love with its flexibility. This piece of cookware can do the position of so many different pots and pans. It can deal with pasta, stir-fried greens, fried rice, even stews and soups. It is ideal for mussels and clams. You can just take it to the seaside and fry fish correct on your minimal propane burner. I like to put some veggies in the heart of the wok, and then I’ll consider really thin slices of fish or meat and slap them appropriate on the sides as the pan heats up.

I prefer carbon-steel woks, because they can take definitely significant warmth, are nonstick at the time seasoned, and are lightweight—you can toss them in a bag or backpack. I use mine at home, but I use it even extra when cooking outside. You can conveniently rest it on rocks or on coals. There are a lot of various brands and designs of carbon-steel woks, but this one has a pleasant patina on it straight from the factory. You’ll be in a position to go this pan on for generations. —Brad Leone, contributor

I adore this aluminum nonstick pan simply because it is significant-excellent, multipurpose, and hassle-free to use—especially when I never want to offer with a great deal of cleanup after cooking. When we talk about nonsticks, we normally say points like, “You have to keep it on lower or medium heat,” or “This pan won’t give your foods as substantially color.” With this Zwilling Madura pan, nevertheless, I really don’t definitely run into all those issues. It can do every little thing I will need it to do. It can cope with significant temperatures on the stovetop, and it is also oven safe and sound up to 300 degrees—a rarity for most nonstick coatings. It’s super tough when compared to other nonsticks, so a lot so that I under no circumstances stress about scratching the PFOA-absolutely free cooking surface. The simple fact that I can use metal utensils and stainless-steel resources, like my fish spatula, on this pan is a massive in addition for me. Not to mention it’s dishwasher-safe and sound, conducts warmth like a champ, and is very lightweight, which can make it effortless to maneuver.