The Best 10-Inch Nonstick Skillets

A medium-size nonstick skillet (about 10 inches in diameter from rim to rim) is a useful pan; we often use one to cook a couple of eggs, steaks, or fish fillets, as well as smaller portions of stir-fries, sautéed vegetables, and more. In the hopes of finding several good options, we tested the 10- or 10.5-inch models from the manufacturers of our top-rated 12-inch and 8-inch nonstick skillets. 

We used each skillet to fry eggs, make a frittata, stir-fry beef and peppers, brown butter, and sauté fish. We also put each pan through a series of durability tests, scrubbing them after each test, banging them against a concrete ledge three times, and heating them to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and plunging it into ice water. 

The pans impressed us in almost every respect, with a notably durable and slick nonstick coating; broad cooking surface; and low, gently flared sides that made it easy to maneuver the food inside. As with the smaller and larger versions of these pans, their surfaces scratched when we cut the frittata in them, and the base of one model dented lightly when whacked against a concrete ledge. But these are minor complaints; you really shouldn’t use a knife in a nonstick skillet, and the concrete ledge is an extreme durability test designed to mimic years of use. Nonstick coatings are fallible even when well cared for, so the life expectancy of a nonstick pan is shorter than other pans—typically only two to three years.