Best Nonstick Fry Pans

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Diameter is measured across the rim, not the cooking surface, and that gap decides whether a pan is any use. A 12 inch pan typically leaves nine or ten inches of flat base once the flared walls are subtracted, and that smaller number is what determines whether four chicken thighs sit in contact with heat or steam each other. For one or two people an 8 inch and 10 inch pair covers nearly everything; a 12 to 12.5 inch pan is the one to add when you cook for four. The second thing to look at is what sits under the coating, because nonstick is only a surface. Heavy-gauge aluminium spreads heat evenly and stays light enough to shake one-handed, hard anodised aluminium is the same metal treated to resist scratching and warping, and cast iron beneath a coating brings heat retention at two or three times the weight. Check the oven rating explicitly, since plenty of nonstick pans stop at 400F, which rules out finishing anything under a broiler, and a coating pushed past its ceiling fails early. Induction needs a magnetic base and bare aluminium does not have one. The coating-generation marketing and layer counts are unverifiable, so ignore them; a detachable handle is worth more, turning a pan into an oven dish and storing flat.