What’s more, a PTFE coating that says it’s PFOA-free could very well use one of the thousands of lesser-known PFAS chemicals currently unreviewed by regulators in its place, and manufacturers don’t have to disclose that to the public because it’s considered trade-secret information. Neat, huh?
Because PTFE coatings have acquired the reputation they have, manufacturers use various names to obscure the fact that their pans contain PTFE. Terms and brands like T-fal, hard-anodized aluminum, Dura-Slide, DuPont Platinum—the list goes on—are all PTFE by another name.
The exception is ceramic nonstick, which comes from silica manufactured through something called a sol-gel process that creates a nontoxic nonstick cooking surface. The downside to ceramic nonstick is that it typically only lasts one to three years before losing its nonstick properties.
We mention all this not to be alarmist, but just to reinforce the point that you should be careful with your nonstick pan: Don’t subject it to the highest heat, don’t do anything that could scratch the coating like using metal, and do replace it every five years or so.
If all of this dissuades you from wanting a nonstick pan, that’s okay too. A nonstick pan is convenient, but it is not an irreplaceable piece of cookware. Sometimes the best nonstick frying pan out there is a well-seasoned cast-iron skillet or carbon-steel pan. In the right hands (and with proper technique) a stainless-steel skillet can do pretty much everything you need a pan to do as well. Check out our reviews for the best cast-iron, carbon-steel, and stainless-steel pans for more information.
How we tested
To assess the merits of each nonstick frying pan, first we cooked pancakes in them—no butter or oil allowed—to see how easily the pancakes pulled away from the surface and how evenly they browned. Then we fried an egg in each pan, again without using fat. Finally, we made scrambled eggs in a dry pan to check for even heating and to note how much food residue would get left behind. We also took into consideration the weight of the pans, how quickly they heated up and cooled down, and how easy they were to clean.
What we looked for
How effective is the nonstick coating right out of the box?
This was a simple one: If we couldn’t flip a pancake, fry an egg, or make scrambled eggs without a cooking fat when it was brand-new, the pan wasn’t worth our time.
What material is the nonstick coating made of?
We split the nonstick pans into two camps—ceramic and traditional PTFE-based nonstick. We paid attention to the longevity claims regarding the surface and made note of any warranty information provided by each brand that could be used to back those claims up.
How quickly does it heat up? Is the heat evenly distributed?
We put about two tablespoons of water in each pan before turning on the burner. We timed how long it took for the water to boil or start “dancing around the pan.” We took note of the pans that were remarkably fast or insanely slow to heat up. We also checked if the pan conducted heat evenly across the surface. When we flipped our pancakes, we looked for areas that were lighter and darker, which would indicate cool spots and hot spots, respectively. We also gave props to pans that were induction cooktop–friendly, but as most pans are actually induction compatible, that did not make or break any decisions.
How easy is the pan to handle, clean and store?
Outside of function, we considered how much work we had to put into caring for the pan. Was it easy to clean? Did it take up a lot of space due to an extra-long handle? Was it uncomfortably heavy to use with one hand? Did it come with a removable silicone handle? We stuck to pans in the 10″–12″ range to keep cooking surface consistent, but differences in weight and handle shape and length abounded.
Does the nonstick coating last?
Last but not least, we researched durability, and, specifically, how the nonstick coating fared over time. This involved interviewing Epi team members who own these pans themselves. We also scoured online reviews for mentions of wear and longevity, though we gave these less weight than our experienced staff’s notes. Ultimately, any complaint about nonstick pan’s lifespan from someone who has owned more than a couple of years should be taken with a grain of salt. As mentioned earlier, no ceramic- or PFAS-based nonstick coating will last forever.
Other ceramic nonstick pans we tested
GreenPan Paris Pro
We loved the look, feel, and heft of GreenPan Paris Pro—its medium weight meant it was heavy enough to feel durable, but light enough that it felt easy to maneuver. Pancakes and eggs lifted perfectly off the slick surface. This pan comes from GreenPan’s more economical Paris collection, so you won’t have to spend an arm and a leg for it. The one thing to note is that GreenPan’s Paris series isn’t induction compatible. If you have an induction range, you’ll need to look the brand’s Valencia or Venice series, which are more expensive.
GreenPan GP5 Infinite8 Ceramic Nonstick Fry Pan
The GP5 Infinite8 looks like the Oxo Ceramic Professional’s twin, only the handle has a slightly different design. It does have stainless steel layered in with the anodized aluminum, which makes it heavier (and more expensive) than the Oxo. We did notice a difference in performance, though. Heating the pan took longer than others on the list, but resulted in more even cooking. It’s a well-designed pan with an ergonomic handle (that includes an integrated utensil rest) and recessed rivets for easier cleaning and less stuck-on food. The edges of the flat base meet with more of a corner rather than a gentle slope, which provides a bit more cooking area for its size. Again, compared to the Oxo, we’d call this a “you get what you pay for” situation, whether the “what you pay for” is worth it is up to you.
GreenPan Venice Pro
The GreenPan Venice Pro performed similarly to the Paris pan, but thanks to its stainless-steel core, it’s noticeably heavier. We don’t see much benefit to using a nonstick pan with a stainless-steel core over an aluminum one, and considering the price difference, the Paris Pro is a better bet.
Caraway Fry Pan
The Caraway Fry Pan is ceramic-coated and comes in an array of pleasant colors and can withstand high temperatures. It is ceramic and oven-safe up to 550°F—an unusually high temperature rating, even among the ceramic-coated pans. The nonstick surface performed extremely well during testing; we were able to slide an egg off of it with with ease, but we found the coating was far from scratch-resistant: It scuffed quickly and easily, which was hard to get past.
Kyocera Ceramic Coated Nonstick Pan
The Kyocera Ceramic Coated Nonstick Pan is sealed with a proprietary coating that’s PTFE-, PFOA-, and cadmium-free, and it has a thick aluminum base clad with a stainless-steel plate that makes for quick and even heat distribution. However, Epi contributor Anna Stockwell reported that the ceramic coating on her Kyocera pans stopped working after just a few months, and we found a number of online reviews that claimed the same thing.
The Great Jones Large Fry—measuring just over 10″ wide, so not that large—is aesthetically very pleasing but tripped up big on one test. While it heated quickly and made evenly browned pancakes, the fried egg stuck to the pan’s cooking surface; gently trying to nudge it free with a rubber spatula resulted in a broken yolk.
Five Two Essential Nonstick Skillet
The ceramic Five Two Essential Nonstick Skillet has a heatproof welded-on handle—meaning no rivets where scrambled egg gunk can get stuck. Like all ceramic pans, it didn’t perform as well as its standard nonstick counterparts with the same (or lower) prices, but it cooked eggs and pancakes evenly.
Other Teflon pans we tested
The Scanpan Classic Fry Pan is Stockwell’s preferred tool. In testing it took a little longer than the others to come up to a high heat, but once it was up to temperature, the Scanpan provided an effective nonstick surface for both our pancake and egg tests.
Hestan Professional Clad Nonstick Skillet
The Hestan Professional Clad Nonstick Skillet is a nice nonstick pan at a premium price point. It demonstrated excellent heat distribution and sturdy tri-ply construction typically reserved for high-end pans. However, considering that all PTFE-based nonstick pans retain their optimal nonstick properties for at most five years, we feel like this pan may be gilding the lily a bit. Perhaps check out Hestan’s stainless-steel collection.
Swiss Diamond Nonstick Fry Pan
The Swiss Diamond Nonstick Fry Pan has a unique shape that makes it interesting to cook with; rather than sloped sides that gently curve up from the cooking surface, it has straighter walls, which increased the size of the flat cooking surface but also created corners where scrambled eggs could get stuck while stirring. The weight was perfect and the handle felt very easy to work with, but it didn’t outperform the Zwilling and it cost more.
Oxo Good Grips Nonstick Pro
The Oxo Good Grips Nonstick Pro 12″ skillet was one of the largest standard nonstick pans we tested, and it performed very well across tests; it is slightly heavier than its competitors, which made it a bit more difficult to maneuver with one hand. However, given its low price, it’s a worthwhile purchase if you’re often cooking for more than two people at a time. Just don’t expect it to last; Vaculin said it lost its nonstick abilities at about the two-year mark.
Like the other top performers, the All-Clad Nonstick Pan has a stainless-steel handle, aluminum core and multiple layers of PFOA-free coating. It’s a solid choice, but the Zwilling Madura Plus felt more durable in testing.
Made In Nonstick Frying Pan
The Made In Nonstick Frying Pan performed in the middle of the pack. We love the brand’s stainless-steel cookware and were keen for this nonstick version to be a hit as well; it’s ultimately a fine choice, but we preferred the skillets that were lighter weight and easier to maneuver.
The Zwilling Carrara Pan has a beautiful white interior, and because of how well the standard pan by this brand fared, we had high hopes for it. Unfortunately, the nonstick coating was questionable right out of the box, and we quickly had to resort to using more cooking fat than we wanted to during a first use in order to avoid a stuck-on mess.
Viking Hard Anodized Nonstick Fry Pan
Considering the familiar black, PFAS coating on this pan, we were surprised to see Viking’s instructions that users pre-season it with a thin layer of oil before its first use. Our non-pre-seasoned testing with eggs resulted in sticky spots, and the pancake test revealed spottier heat distribution than we would have liked. For an aluminum pan, it’s relatively weighty. Between all that and the higher price point, we don’t think your best, all-around bet.
This pan performed decently—eggs released themselves from the surface and rolled with a tilt of the wrist. However, it very quickly began to show signs of wear after the first use, which made us doubt its longevity.
Tramontina Professional Aluminum Nonstick Pan
The Tramontina Professional Aluminum Nonstick Pan heated up extremely quickly and came with a nifty removable silicone grip sleeve for the handle, but after just one use, the light metallic bottom of the pan showed some signs of scorching.
Circulon ScratchDefense Clad Extreme Nonstick Frying Pan
Circulon’s pan does contain PFAS and PTFE. However, the brand claims the ScratchDefense coating claims is safe for metal utensils (we don’t really care what the claims are, we won’t use metal utensils on a PFAS pan), and boasts it can withstand 200 years of daily wear and tear. That’s a bold assertion which is pretty impossible to verify without waiting a couple centuries, so we’ll say this: Because of the pan’s concentric circular grooves across the surface, the “aerospace-grade” nonstick function is better suited for searing and sautéing than making runny things like scrambled eggs. We also found the heat distribution a little spotty on our pancakes (which were, of course, had concentric circles embossed on their exteriors). Finally, cleaning between the grooves was more trouble than the smooth pans we tested and, unlike them, this pan is hand-wash only.
Viking Hybrid Plus 3-Ply Stainless Steel Nonstick Fry Pan
For all of its fancy design choices (the surface is a combination of coated and uncoated stainless steel), this semi-PTFE-coated pan felt like it was masquerading a bit in the “nonstick” category. Out of the box, the instructions say to pre-season it with a layer of oil over medium heat for a couple minutes—and to repeat the process every few months or “whenever food starts sticking.” That sounds suspiciously like the care of any non-“nonstick” carbon-steel or cast-iron pan. We tried it both before and after seasoning, and while the seasoned pan was significantly more “nonstick,” its embossed, hash-marked surface texture made the delicate task of scrambling eggs in the pan nearly impossible without overcooked bits crisping up in the recesses. For its part, it heats up quickly and has a balanced feel. If we were only sautéing, we’d be okay with it, but for all-around use this one fell short.
Hexclad Hybrid Pan
The Hexclad Hybrid Pan has a textured surface, with raised stainless-steel and nonstick depressions for a nice crispy sear. Because of this, the brand says the pan needs a seasoning layer of oil for the full nonstick capabilities. We feel that this is misleading as “seasoning” can’t build up on stainless steel the way it can for a cast-iron skillet or a carbon-steel one. We also don’t like that there is PTFE on the bottom of the pan in direct contact with the heat source.
The Misen Nonstick Pan ($55) has a comfortable ergonomic handle and solid nonstick performance, but several reviews online criticized the surface longevity and reported flaking. It’s also currently on “final sale,” which has been a precursor to long, and in some cases, seemingly permanent “out of stock” status.
Anolon Ascend Hard Anodized Nonstick Frying Pan
The finishes on this pan were nice—it had flushed rivets, a nice ergonomic handle, and a balanced weight—but the rough surface designed to allow metal utensil usage ultimately made it much less nonstick than smoother PTFE-coated pans. Oil is pretty necessary with this type of nonstick pan, which sort of defeats the purpose of a buying a nonstick pan.
Calphalon Premier Hard Anodized Skillet
This pan performed similarly to the Anolon Ascend, in that it’s a metal utensil–safe style with a textured surface that also reduces the effectiveness of its nonstick coating. Sure, it just needs a little bit of oil and it’s fabulous, but if you’re going to be using oil anyway, we think you’re better off with stainless, carbon steel, cast iron.
Why we prefer cast iron and carbon steel over nonstick
While we certainly won’t deny that there are benefits to using a nonstick skillet—perhaps you’ve seen the enticing egg slide videos on your feed—through our collective years of testing, we’ve come to the conclusion that any cook can forgo the nonstick entirely for a well-seasoned carbon-steel or cast-iron pan instead.