A frying pan is an indispensable tool in any self-respecting kitchen. This cooking utensil has existed since the dawn of time and we use it daily for cooking many foods.
Whether it’s cooking meat, fish, sautéing vegetables, or sharing food, it’s impossible to do without a good frying pan when you love cooking (but also baking). A real frying pan changes everything in terms of cooking and it makes a difference.
But you must have seen it yourself, it is often difficult to choose as there are so many stove references on the market. Choosing a good pan is not necessarily easy.
As a home chef and pastry chef by trade, I’ve tried many different pans. Writing this article is therefore an opportunity for me to share with you this experience acquired over the years.
How to choose the best frying pan for the kitchen?
First of all, it is important to distinguish the following criteria:
The type of material
There are stoves designed with materials with very different properties:
The steel or stainless steel frying pan:
The steel pan is widely used in the professional environment for several reasons. Stainless steel has the advantage of being easy to maintain and having a good lifespan, even with regular use. Prefer models in 18/10 stainless steel (that is to say with 18% chromium and 10% nickel).
The coated aluminum pan:
The aluminum frying pan is the most common cooking utensil in French households. First of all, this type of frying pan has a non-stick coating allowing you to use less fat. The other side of the coin is that this type of coating has a shorter lifespan and that the chemical substances used are sometimes controversial. It should be noted, however, that aluminum allows a rapid rise in temperature and fairly even cooking. It is also a fairly light material.
The copper pan:
The copper pan is the pan of our parents and grandparents. But it is also a utensil very popular with great chefs. Copper is a material that has excellent thermal characteristics and high cooking precision. It also has the advantage of aging well over time and being coated with a natural anti-adhesive.
The cast-iron skillet:
Cast iron is a heavy and robust material that retains heat perfectly well. This type of stove proves to be economical in use. Typically, cast iron skillets are used for simmering food.
The ceramic pan:
It’s a bit of a fashionable frying pan (and especially the fashionable material). Ceramics has the advantage of having natural non-stick properties, without the addition of chemical components. It is also a pan that heats up quickly and has good thermal characteristics.
The stone pan:
In reality, the stone pan does not exist as such. This is an aluminum or ceramic pan with an inlay of stone particles. These pans are usually very strong and naturally non-stick. But also rather expensive to buy, unfortunately.
The type of stoves
As you certainly know, there are a large number of different stoves:
The wok:
It is a cooking utensil from Asia, similar to a frying pan with a relatively small bottom, but with high edges that open wide.
The paella pan:
As its name suggests, this large-diameter pan with fairly low edges is used in the design of paellas.
The grill pan:
It is a pan that contains grooves on the bottom and is used to grill food, including vegetables, meat, or fish.
The frying pan:
These are taller pans used for frying.
The crepe or pancake pan:
The pancake pan has a diameter of 28 to 30 cm. It has very low edges and a very flat bottom. The pancake or blinis pan uses the same principle but with a smaller diameter.
The omelet pan:
There are several kinds. Some are close to being turned over, as you do with a waffle iron. Others are rectangular and Japanese omelet pans. Most often these are mostly small pans for individual omelets.
The choice of your future stove will therefore be made according to your use. A classic skillet still offers the best versatility.
The handle
Just like saucepans, it is possible to opt for a frying pan with a fixed or removable handle.
Fixed handles:
Pans with fixed handles are favored by professionals and great chefs. This type of handle has better balance than a removable handle because it has been specially designed for the weight of the pan. Thus the grip is better, especially for sautéing food.
Removable handles:
It’s the ideal solution if you’re short on space or if you don’t want to bother with storing several pans with fixed handles. It’s also very practical for effectively washing your pan in a small sink or for washing -dishes. The disadvantage is that often you only have one handle for several pans and this forces you to do more handling if you use them simultaneously.
The diameter
The diameter of your future stove is an important criterion for several reasons. If a diameter of about twenty centimeters will suit a couple or a small family, a diameter greater than 30-35 cm will be ideal for 7 to 8 people.
Be sure to choose a pan that is the right size for your hobs. If your pan is too big for your fire, the cooking will be very uneven. Conversely, if your stove is smaller than your fire, you will have a lot of heat loss. It is therefore an element not to be neglected.
Compatibility
You just have to make sure that the pan is compatible with your cooking system. Whether you have an electric, glass-ceramic, induction, or gas hob, compatibility is a determining factor.
As a general rule, stoves are compatible with all fires except for induction, which is more demanding. A frying pan operating on induction must necessarily contain metal.
The weight
The material chosen will necessarily have an impact on the weight of the pan. A cast-iron pan will be much heavier than an aluminum pan and therefore more difficult to handle for some users. It is then necessary to find the right balance between the quality of the material and the maneuverability of the pan.
The brand
Some brands have real know-how in the design of cooking utensils. Preferably, go on a model of a known brand, you will have much more insurance in the long term.
Here are the brands that I prefer:
From Buyer:
De Buyer is a brand specializing in kitchen utensils since 1830. It is a brand highly appreciated by chefs and frequently found in professional kitchens. All the stoves of the brand are also made in France.
Mauviel:
Like De Buyer, Mauviel is a brand that has existed since 1830. It specializes in copper and stainless steel cooking instruments. This brand is also very present in the professional environment.
Lagostina:
Lagostina is an Italian manufacturer offering high-end cookware since 1901. There is a wide variety of quality stoves, often very elegant and well designed.
Beka:
Beka is a German company that has been around since 1899 and offers all kinds of pans, mostly in stainless steel. We are more in the mid-range.
The Crucible:
Le Creuset is a French company that has been offering many enameled cast iron cookware since its creation in 1925. It specializes in the design of high-end equipment.
Sitram:
Another French company has been offering mid-range stoves for over 50 years. In particular, we find stainless steel or cast iron stoves at Sitram.
Tefal:
We no longer present the Tefal brand, well known to the general public. It made its reputation on Teflon, a non-stick coating that has become very popular. Before we discover that this same Teflon contains PFOA, a carcinogenic chemical component.
Fortunately, since 2015, Tefal no longer uses PFOA in the design of its utensils. In this buying guide, you will only find frying pans that are PFOA -free and therefore harmless to your health.
The price
The price remains an important element to take into account before buying a kitchen utensil. Even if the price is not necessarily a guarantee of quality, buying a good frying pan remains a profitable investment. Even if you use it rather occasionally, a quality pan will have a much longer lifespan.
Unfortunately, I’ve lost count of the low-end stoves I’ve purchased that only lasted a few months before being unusable. Between the bad cooking, the black smoke, the coating that crumbles, the handle that loosens, or the bottom that deforms… a first-price frying pan is rarely a good idea.
As you will have understood, it is better to buy a good model of the stove and have peace of mind than to invest in a first-price model… every 6 months.
What are the best pans for the kitchen in 2022?
Here are my favorite stove models and some of which I use in class :
Le Creuset specializes in cast iron casseroles but it also offers a very good non-stick pan in forged aluminum with this model. Indeed, it’s a 3-layer non-stick coating (PFOA-free) that is very resistant and holds up much better over time than most other pans. And it also allows you to limit the fat intake while cooking.
The heat distribution is very good over the entire surface of the pan, which measures 28 cm in diameter. And the overall design is excellent (riveted stainless steel handle).
In particular that this frying pan is compatible with all heat sources, it can go in the dishwasher and it is guaranteed for life!
Due to its excellent durability, its price is therefore perfectly justified:
I love the De Buyer brand, and the fact that it is very present among professionals is surely no coincidence. And the “Mineral B Element” stove range is no exception.
These are steel pans, coated with a layer of organic beeswax. After seasoning, this beeswax makes it possible to obtain a pan with natural non-stick properties, while protecting it from oxidation. I’m not a fan of chemical coatings, so this pan was a great solution.
The other particularity of this frying pan is its compatibility with all fires, including induction. This is a very important point for me because I travel at home and I have to ensure the flexibility of my cooking utensils.
The cooking performance is excellent, the temperature rise is rapid and the cooking is homogeneous.
The icing on the cake and the stoves are all made in France, by experienced French workers.
Admittedly maintenance is more rigorous (no dishwasher, no detergents) but it is a frying pan that you will keep for a long time by respecting the conditions of use.
I’ve had mine for over 4 years and, like fine wine, it gets even better with age!
You will find many different diameters. Mine is 24 cm and I bought it for around 40 dollars, but I know that it is possible to find it cheaper on the Internet:
Beka has always designed beautiful cookware and this is also the case with this Beka Chef frying pan.
For this frying pan, Beka has chosen all stainless steel (18/10) for ease of maintenance (dishwasher-safe) but also for its compatibility with all heat sources including induction.
Thanks to the fairly thick bottom of the pan, the cooking performance is very good. The heat conductivity is perfect and the caramelization of the juices is done optimally and homogeneously.
It’s a little more expensive than the De Buyer, but it will require less maintenance. On the other hand, it will be necessary to use a little more fat because here there is no natural non-stick coating.
This Beka frying pan is sold for $58.90 in stores, with the possibility of finding it much cheaper on Amazon:
Since 2016, Tefal has once again become a serious competitor in the cookware market by offering models guaranteed to be PFOA-free.
And this is the case with this Ingenio range, which preserves its non-stick coating while eliminating all the controversial chemical components (PFOA, lead, cadmium).
Here what is put forward is the simplicity of use. The pans are compatible with all heat sources including induction, cooking requires less fat and therefore easier maintenance. And with the removable handle, these two pans won’t take up all the space in your cupboards.
The cooking performances are quite suitable with especially a very fast heating. It combines a stainless steel coating on the outside and titanium on the inside. Tefal also promises a lifespan of 12 years with daily use! And the handle is guaranteed for 10 years.
But what we look for above all in a Tefal frying pan is the quality/price ratio.
And here you have complete cookware for less than 200 dollars:
Lagostina is a bit like buying SEB, only better. I say that because since 2005 the brands are part of the same group. The pan we have here is made of coated aluminum and guaranteed PFOA-free.
The very thick bottom of this frying pan (in stainless steel) allows excellent heat convection and a rapid temperature rise. And in addition, it is compatible with all hobs including induction.
An excellent frying pan, also guaranteed for 5 years, which will withstand regular use without worry. It is sold for 80 dollars, it is quite expensive, but it is found at a reduced price on Amazon:
This Mauviel frying pan is surely the most beautiful in this comparison. But hey, beauty isn’t everything (except perhaps in pastry ).
But it is also an exceptional frying pan combining copper and 18/10 stainless steel. The materials present guarantee excellent cooking performance and great durability. The bi-laminated stainless steel interior avoids re-tinning and is very easy to maintain. It also allows compatibility with all fires except for induction.
We are here on very high-end equipment, which is difficult to compare with the rest of the stoves mentioned above. The displayed price is necessarily up to par, with a frying pan sold for nearly $200 in stores. Fortunately, it is possible to buy this frying pan cheaper on the net to better pass the pill. But we quickly forget the price invested as this frying pan is simply incomparable!