The 3 Best Nonstick Pans of 2024 Reviews by Wirecutter
Some pans were so heavy, that they required two hands to lift, which would make tasks like sautéing vegetables and swirling batter pretty tough. In general, we found that pans under three pounds and three ounces were the easiest to lift, even when full of food. After we finished testing, we tried cooking more over-easy eggs in our winning pans and were pleased to see much better results in the form of perfectly cooked eggs (that didn’t stick). The beauty of stainless steel is that it’s relatively low maintenance compared to carbon steel or cast iron, both of which require seasoning and special upkeep. Oftentimes, the grade of stainless steel is stamped on the cookware, with 18/10 being the most commonly used grade for good quality cookware. This fraction tells you the percentage of chromium and nickel in the alloy used—18/10 contains 18 percent chromium and 10 percent nickel and will resist rust while also retaining its shine and polish.
Lighter pans heated up faster and were much easier to lift and maneuver. Our Lab team has spent collective decades working in professional kitchens, developing recipes, and testing kitchen gear. Tramontina is a Brazilian cookware known for make decent quality mid-range cookware. If you are interested in buying Tramontina cookware, make sure to first check one of my guides.
The brand has an international presence, selling products in over 120 countries. Tramontina has a solid reputation for affordable, high-quality cookware. Nonstick food release score reflects the nonstick qualities of a pan’s interior by cooking four eggs consecutively without oil. An Excellent score indicates that all four eggs slid off the pan without assistance; A Poor score indicates that scraping was needed to release any egg from the pan and some egg residue was left on the pan.
Each of its pieces is available on its own, too, though it’s most cost-effective to buy the set. Enameled cast iron, on the other hand, doesn’t need so much work. It has many of the advantages of cast iron in terms of heating, but the enamel coating means you don’t need to worry about seasoning. Tramontina manufactures a wide range of home products, from kitchen utensils and cookware to appliances, gardening tools, and much more.
As you might have seen above, there were some strange shenanigans with a “Made in the USA” label. Tramontina has a reputation for making its cookware in Brazil, and my understanding is that all its cookware is made in Brazil. This points towards washing these in the dishwasher being a bad idea, too, although the manufacturer claims they are dishwasher-safe. Yet many customers are very satisfied with their cookware, indicating that if you treat it gently, it will last even longer.
After testing this Tramontina set three times, it’s really proven to be an incredible set of cookware at a great price. Each piece is made of 18/10 stainless steel wrapped around an aluminum core, which means that it’ll heat evenly, each and every time. If you prefer your pots and pans non-stick, this selection may be better for you than the stainless steel set. This is an 8-piece set, coming with two pots with lids, two fry pans and a Dutch oven and lid. It’s a common opinion, among professional chefs, that stainless steel is one of the best materials for cookware, making all of the lids and Tramontina stainless steel pans oven safe. And you can use metal utensils on it because stainless steel is so hard to scratch.
This ultra-conductive starter set from Made In has stay-cool handles and five layers of metal for even, precise cooking. The collection includes two 10-inch frying pans (one stainless and one nonstick) and 2-quart and 8-quart saucepans, each with a lid. The stainless pieces are oven-safe up to 800 degrees, and the nonstick pieces will handle heat up to 500 degrees. These are made with a 5-ply bonded construction that has alternating layers of stainless steel and conductive aluminum for warp-free strength and thorough heating.
The first couple of things you cook in the pan should ideally be something fatty (i.e. pan-frying, searing steaks). Every time you cook with fat, you’ll add seasoning (this is true for cast iron, too). While the ideal thickness of a good pan is subjective to a cook’s preference, a quality stainless steel pot will have a certain heft in your hand. Stainless steel is great for all-purpose cooking—it can be used for braising and browning as well as creating sauces and soups. The non-reactive properties of stainless steel make it ideal for cooking sauces with acidic ingredients (think tomato sauce or meats stewed in wine).
No, not unless it has an added nonstick coating on top of the stainless steel construction. You can reduce the “stick” of stainless steel by using oil while cooking, but a shiny stainless steel surface will not release as easily as a dedicated nonstick pan. These are oven- and broiler-safe to 600 degrees and can tramontina pans be used on any cooking surface, including induction. Once you own this set, the one thing you might want to add is a nonstick skillet for cooking your morning eggs, but there isn’t much else that you’ll need for most of your cooking. Don’t confuse this cookware set with the Tramontina Tri-Ply Clad cookware set.
My second day on the job, the chef handed me three brand-new nonstick pans and told me to take good care of them. When my shift was over, I dropped off the pans at the dish station. About 20 minutes later, I went back, only to find that the once-pristine egg pans were ruined after the dishwasher subjected them to a stainless steel scrubber.