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See why.The Best 12-Inch Nonstick Skillets
Step 1: Buy the best skillet. Step 2: Treat it right.
Last Updated Nov. 2, 2022. Appears in Cook's Country TV Season 14: Regional Sandwich Roundup
We recently tested the 12" Hexclad Hybrid Pan. We do not recommend it, as it was heavy and not truly nonstick.
We also tested and recommend the 8-inch and 10-inch versions of our winning nonstick skillet. You can also read what we think about a nearly identical skillet made by AmazonBasics here.
Top Picks
What You Need To Know
There’s nothing like a good nonstick skillet. You can crack an egg into it and count on a perfect fried egg sliding out a few minutes later, even if you get distracted for a minute or are a little clumsy with your spatula. Sautéed vegetables and stir-fries move around the pan with ease and don’t stick or leave behind cooked-on bits that can burn. It’s our go-to for all sorts of other delicate and fast-cooking foods, from omelets and pancakes to pan-seared salmon and quesadillas.
We’ve spent hundreds of hours evaluating nonstick skillets over the years. We know what we like: A slick and durable coating, a wide cooking surface, and a comfortable handle. Several intriguing new models have hit the market recently. Two direct-to-consumer companies, Misen and Made In, launched to much fanfare. Meanwhile, OXO, the manufacturer of our favorite nonstick skillet, launched a new model with a metal handle that can go in hotter ovens than its original model. We surveyed the market, selected our lineup, and all the skillets through the wringer. We made Beef and Broccoli Stir-Fry, pepper and onion frittata, and pan-fried sole—recipes selected to test the pans’ capacity, browning ability, and maneuverability—and recruited three additional testers to use the pans. To zero in on the pans’ nonstick coatings, we conducted a test that’s standard in the cookware industry: cooking eggs in a dry skillet back-to-back, stopping either when they began to stick or when we had made 50 consecutive eggs. We did this at the beginning and end of testing so we could see if the coatings deteriorated with use.
The Nonstick Coatings Were Really Good
All of the pans’ nonstick coatings were made with polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), a compound best known by the brand name Teflon. The exact names and formulations of the coatings varied, and manufacturers told us that they applied between two and five layers of those coatings. Despite these differences, most performed similarly. Every skillet was ovensafe to at least 400 degrees. None of the coatings flaked or wore off. All but one of the skillets aced our egg tests, both when the pans were brand-new and when we repeated the test at the end of user testing. We also used a paring knife to see if making cuts in the skillets’ cooking surfaces would result in scratching. All of the pans were marred by scratches, proving that you should follow manufacturers’ instructions and not use knives in nonstick cookware. We also recommend avoiding metal utensils.
What Matters: Size, Shape, and Weight
We also considered how easy the pans were to use. When we cook in a nonstick skillet, we often move food around...
Everything We Tested
Highly Recommended
- Capacity: 3 stars out of 3.
- Durability: 2.5 stars out of 3.
- Ease of Use: 3 stars out of 3.
- Nonstick Ability: 3 stars out of 3.
The cooking surface was slick, both when new and after extensive use, and food never stuck. It’s one of the lightest models we tested, so it was easy to lift and maneuver, but it was also sturdy and resisted denting. All of our testers liked its wide, comfortable handle. Like every other model, its surface became scratched when we used a knife as if to cut a frittata, but it otherwise held up well.
- Capacity: 3 stars out of 3.
- Durability: 2.5 stars out of 3.
- Ease of Use: 2.5 stars out of 3.
- Nonstick Ability: 3 stars out of 3.
Our favorite induction-compatible nonstick skillet was just as slick and durable as our overall favorite, and we liked its generous cooking surface and gently sloped walls. It was noticeably heavier than our favorite, though very well balanced. The signature All-Clad handle, which is concave and a little sharp, offered a very secure grip but was uncomfortable to some testers. The pan became scratched during the frittata cutting test.
Recommended
- Capacity: 3 stars out of 3.
- Durability: 2.5 stars out of 3.
- Ease of Use: 2 stars out of 3.
- Nonstick Ability: 3 stars out of 3.
The skillet remained slickly nonstick after rigorous testing. It has a broad cooking surface, so ingredients can spread out evenly, and we were able to sear meat nicely with it. It’s a bit heavy, so it was hard to lift with one hand. Its thin, flat metal handle was uncomfortable to hold. And it’s not the most durable—the pan dented when we knocked it against a cement block.
- Capacity: 3 stars out of 3.
- Durability: 2.5 stars out of 3.
- Ease of Use: 2 stars out of 3.
- Nonstick Ability: 3 stars out of 3.
This pan has a spacious and slippery surface. It's also very light and the squishy handle is comfortable to hold. We have two criticisms: The cooking surface is slightly domed, so oil runs to the edges and fried eggs rarely turn out perfectly round, and it's too wide to fit a standard 12-inch lid.
- Capacity: 3 stars out of 3.
- Durability: 2.5 stars out of 3.
- Ease of Use: 2 stars out of 3.
- Nonstick Ability: 3 stars out of 3.
This skillet, from a relatively new direct-to-consumer company, impressed us throughout testing. As with other models, food never stuck to this pan’s slick surface. The walls were tall enough for us to stir rapidly and shake food around without spilling. Although we liked the shape of the pan, some testers noted that when they tried to lift the pan when it was full of food, it felt unbalanced and much too heavy, as if the pan was being tugged out of their hands.
- Capacity: 3 stars out of 3.
- Durability: 2.5 stars out of 3.
- Ease of Use: 2 stars out of 3.
- Nonstick Ability: 3 stars out of 3.
This pan, which is sold by a new direct-to-consumer company, did well in all of our recipe tests. Food never stuck and the shape and slope of the walls kept food inside the skillet. It had a removable silicone sleeve covering most of its handle. Some test cooks liked it, but the sleeve was shorter than the handle and most testers noted that it interrupted their grips. This pan was also a little heavier than our favorites, and it felt unbalanced—most of that weight was in the business end of the pan.
Recommended with reservations
- Capacity: 3 stars out of 3.
- Durability: 2 stars out of 3.
- Ease of Use: 3 stars out of 3.
- Nonstick Ability: 2 stars out of 3.
This skillet has a spacious nonstick surface and cooked food with ease. It sears meat nicely. That said, the pan had some basic handling flaws. While not a deal breaker, its straight walls are relatively tall, so it was a tad difficult to scrape food from the sides and stir ingredients. It’s also heavy, though a helper handle makes lifting and transferring the skillet easier. Its main handle spun in our hands and pointed upward at a 45-degree angle, making it uncomfortable for us to hold and tilt the skillet. The four rivets that connect the two handles to the pan collected bits of food and were annoying to clean as a result. The nonstick finish wore off over the course of testing, so eggs stuck toward the end.
- Capacity: 3 stars out of 3.
- Durability: 2 stars out of 3.
- Ease of Use: 1.5 stars out of 3.
- Nonstick Ability: 3 stars out of 3.
This pan performed well in the cooking tests. It had gently curved walls and its surface was just as slick and slippery as that of our favorites. Although it’s marketed as a 12-inch pan, the walls flared out in a way that it made it a poor fit for standard 12-inch lids. Some testers noted that the handle was too long—it was the longest in our lineup—and most didn’t find the removable silicone covering to be useful. The pan sustained significant dents in our durability testing but didn’t warp or scratch more than other pans we tested.
- Capacity: 3 stars out of 3.
- Durability: 2 stars out of 3.
- Ease of Use: 2.5 stars out of 3.
- Nonstick Ability: 2 stars out of 3.
Though this pan falls on the heavier side, we liked its sturdiness and how securely it sat on the stovetop. The sloped walls were tall enough for us to comfortably stir-fry and scramble eggs in the pan without fearing the contents of the pan would spill over. It was also spacious enough for a big batch of food to spread out. It remained mostly nonstick throughout testing, though it became progressively more difficult to scoop food from it as we proceeded. The handle is thin and flat, so it was a bit uncomfortable to hold. The skillet wasn’t as durable as some, denting after we hit it against a cement block.
- Capacity: 2 stars out of 3.
- Durability: 2.5 stars out of 3.
- Ease of Use: 2 stars out of 3.
- Nonstick Ability: 3 stars out of 3.
One of the heavier pans we tested, this pan felt sturdy and sat securely on the stovetop, which we liked. It was also well balanced and its wide handle was comfortable. Although its surface became scratched like all the other pans, it otherwise looked quite good at the end of testing. Its cooking surface was spacious but the walls were short. As a result, food browned well and cooked evenly, but we had to be really careful when stirring and shaking food around. This was especially challenging when sautéeing and stir-frying.
- Capacity: 2.5 stars out of 3.
- Durability: 3 stars out of 3.
- Ease of Use: 1.5 stars out of 3.
- Nonstick Ability: 3 stars out of 3.
The surface felt incredibly slick and even sticky foods practically floated off its surface. We loved cooking with it—as long as we didn’t have to lift it. The pan was very heavy and had a slippery handle. Once, while a tester was holding it up and transferring stir-fry to a plate, the handle spun around completely in her hand. It’s wider than most pans sold in America, which was fine for many recipes but felt a bit oversized for frittata. Note that although this brand is often thought to manufacture ceramic cookware, we confirmed with the manufacturer that it contains PTFE.
Not Recommended
- Capacity: 3 stars out of 3.
- Durability: 2 stars out of 3.
- Ease of Use: 0.5 stars out of 3.
- Nonstick Ability: 3 stars out of 3.
The tall, straight sides on this skillet looked like they belonged on a sauté pan. It wasn’t a problem when we were cooking; food never stuck to its surface and we could stir things around without being delicate or cautious. Problems arose when we had to remove food from the skillet. It was hard to shake food out and over the walls. It was made worse by the fact that the pan was heavy; felt unevenly weighted; and had a handle with sharp edges, which was painful to grip.
- Capacity: 2 stars out of 3.
- Durability: 1.5 stars out of 3.
- Ease of Use: 2 stars out of 3.
- Nonstick Ability: 3 stars out of 3.
Another oddly shaped skillet, this one had dramatically curved walls that resembled a wok-skillet hybrid or a bowl with a handle. Those curved walls meant that the cooking surface was the smallest in our lineup. We were still able to get decent browning in our stir-fry, but fish ran up the edges a bit and didn’t cook quite as evenly. It dented badly in our durability tests.
- Capacity: 3 stars out of 3.
- Durability: 2 stars out of 3.
- Ease of Use: 1 stars out of 3.
- Nonstick Ability: 2.5 stars out of 3.
This skillet delivered good results in the cooking tests, as food slipped off nicely for the most part. But it was incredibly heavy, so it was particularly hard to lift or transfer the skillet from one place to another. Its walls are also a bit too straight and tall to scrape food from the sides and stir easily. It also took a long time to heat up and was slow to react to heat changes, so you’ll need to be a little more attentive when cooking foods that are particularly sensitive to heat changes, such as fish. Its handle came loose after we banged the skillet against a cinder block three times.
- Capacity: 3 stars out of 3.
- Durability: 2 stars out of 3.
- Ease of Use: 2.5 stars out of 3.
- Nonstick Ability: 1 stars out of 3.
This pan wasn’t truly nonstick; eggs stuck to it. Even when we used oil to cook a frittata, slices didn’t come out cleanly. This issue was likely due to its unique design. Like the All-Clad Stainless 12” Nonstick Fry Pan, it’s a tri-ply stainless-steel skillet with a nonstick coating. Unfortunately, the nonstick coating is interrupted by uncoated hexagons of that same stainless steel, which is why food stuck to it. It seared meat well, but its short walls forced us to be extra careful when the pan was full, as broccoli and other ingredients could spill out easily. This pricey pan was also on the heavier side, so our hands got tired when lifting it, both with and without food inside. Like all other models, it became scratched when we cut frittata in it.
Reviews you can trust
Reviews you can trust
The mission of America’s Test Kitchen Reviews is to find the best equipment and ingredients for the home cook through rigorous, hands-on testing. We stand behind our winners so much that we even put our seal of approval on them.
Kate Shannon
Kate is a deputy editor for ATK Reviews. She's a culinary school graduate and former line cook and cheesemonger.
Valerie Sizhe Li
Valerie is an assistant editor for ATK Reviews. In addition to cooking, she loves skiing, traveling, and spending time outdoors.
Sarah Sandler
Sarah is an assistant editor for ATK Reviews who is deeply passionate about anchovies and sourdough bread.