The Best Skillets
This Old House Reviews Team
A trustworthy skillet is an essential kitchen tool. Find the best skillet to cook your next meal with the help of our top recommended Amazon products.
A high-quality skillet is arguably one of the most important tools in your kitchen. These pieces of stovetop cookware are extremely versatile and able to accommodate a wide range of dishes, ingredients, and cooking techniques. Skillets come in different materials, sizes, and price points, so the This Old House Reviews Team researched the best skillets on Amazon. Learn more about our top five recommendations below.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00G2XGC88
Lodge Cast Iron Skillet
What We Like: This cast-iron skillet is perfect for cooks who want a new cast iron pan without breaking the bank. It comes in a generous and versatile 12-inch diameter, and the cast-iron material itself comes pre-seasoned from the manufacturer. As a bonus, a red silicone handle holder is included to keep users from accidentally burning themselves on the handle.
Key Features
- 12 inches wide
- Made of cast iron
- Weighs 7.9 pounds
- 18 x 12.6 x 2.6 inches
What Customers Are Saying
Many customers thought that this was an excellent cast iron skillet for its price. Several users included the silicone handle holder in their review, stating that this was a thoughtful addition from the manufacturer. However, while the cast iron pan arrives pre-seasoned using vegetable oil, different users thought that it didn’t arrive seasoned enough to cook with and said that it required multiple rounds of seasoning before use.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0170TFNXM
All-Clad Nonstick Fry Pan Cookware Set
What We Like: This cast-iron skillet is perfect for cooks who want a new cast iron pan without breaking the bank. It comes in a generous and versatile 12-inch diameter, and the cast-iron material itself comes pre-seasoned from the manufacturer. As a bonus, a red silicone handle holder is included to keep users from accidentally burning themselves on the handle.
Key Features
- 12 inches wide
- Made of cast iron
- Weighs 7.9 pounds
- 18 x 12.6 x 2.6 inches
What Customers Are Saying
Many customers thought that this was an excellent cast iron skillet for its price. Several users included the silicone handle holder in their review, stating that this was a thoughtful addition from the manufacturer. However, while the cast iron pan arrives pre-seasoned using vegetable oil, different users thought that it didn’t arrive seasoned enough to cook with and said that it required multiple rounds of seasoning before use.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09Y25BY8G
HexClad Hybrid Stainless Steel Frying Pan
What We Like: If you frequently simmer your food when cooking, consider this stainless steel and aluminum-based skillet, which includes a transparent lid. Using a combination of aluminum, ceramic nonstick, and stainless steel, this 10-inch frying pan is made to be extremely durable and easy to clean, all while evenly distributing heat to cook your favorite dishes.
Key Features
- 10 inches wide
- Made of stainless steel and aluminum
- Weighs 2.5 pounds
- 19 x 11 x 2 inches
What Customers Are Saying
Positive reviews consistently highlighted the even heat distribution of this hybrid stainless steel cooking skillet. They thought that the skillet’s material was very responsive to varying levels of heat and would heat or cool as the temperature of the cooktop fluctuated. Conversely, some users had complaints about the nonstick qualities of the pan, reporting that different food dishes would cake onto the pan’s surface.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08WRWNGZQ
Misen Stainless Steel Frying Pan
What We Like: Five-ply stainless steel is designed to provide superior heat distribution when using this frying pan. While it’s made entirely from stainless steel, the handle is cool to the touch, so you won’t have to use a kitchen towel or a potholder to prevent yourself from getting burned. Although the pan is only 10 inches in diameter, it’s cleverly shaped to offer nearly as much cooking area as a conventional 12-inch skillet.
Key Features
- 10 inches wide
- Made of stainless steel
- Weighs 4.7 pounds
- Oven safe up to 500 degrees Fahrenheit
What Customers Are Saying
Ease of maintenance, sturdiness, heat responsiveness, and the stay-cool handle were consistent highlights in different positive customer reviews. While made of stainless steel, some users were pleased with the nonstick qualities of the skillet. However, some users thought that the pan was too heavy, and some wished that the skillet came with an accompanying lid.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08NQ49Y4Y
Granitestone 14-Inch Mineral-Coated Frying Pan
What We Like: This oversized skillet includes a transparent lid, and its nonstick coating is PFOA- and PFOS-free. Its 14-inch size is large enough for family-sized meals, it’s durable enough to be used with metal utensils, and it uses aluminum in its construction to make the frying pan oven-safe up to 550 degrees Fahrenheit.
Key Features
- 14 inches wide
- Made of aluminum
- Weighs 5.6 pounds
- 25 x 15 x 4.4 inches
What Customers Are Saying
The large size, as well as the overall versatility of this frying pan, were noted by many satisfied customers. Those with bigger families or users who like to cook and host dinner parties thought that the cooking surface and capacity of the 14-inch skillet were ideal when cooking large portions of food. However, unsatisfied customers experienced some warping on their skillet after several uses.
Buyer’s Guide
A reliable, high-quality skillet will go a long way in helping you cook countless unforgettable meals. A good skillet, if cared for properly, should also last you several years. Besides the material of the skillet, you’ll want to consider factors such as size, temperature resistance, ease of cleaning, weight, and handle design. To help you find the best skillet for your kitchen, we’ve outlined these factors in more detail below.
Material
Skillets are offered in a number of different materials, each with its advantages and disadvantages. These materials include stainless steel, copper, cast iron, aluminum, and other nonstick pan materials.
While nonstick skillets are easy to clean, they don’t offer the same level of heat resistance as cast iron or stainless steel. If you frequently cook a variety of meal types, it’s worth investing in multiple skillets, each made from a different primary material. This allows you to cook specific dishes or types of food, such as sauces or braising meats, using each purpose-built skillet.
Size
Skillets range in size from as small as eight inches in diameter to as large as 14 inches in diameter. Ten and 12-inch skillets are the most common sizes due to their versatility, as they can fit on most stovetop burners easily and accommodate family-sized portions of food. Whether it’s just for yourself or a party of six or eight people, consider how many people you typically cook for when shopping for a skillet.
Ease of Cleaning
Many skillets can be hand-washed with relative ease, and others are dishwasher-safe for your convenience. However, cast iron skillets require a little more maintenance to preserve the pan’s seasoning qualities. If you want to clean and maintain your skillet with minimal effort, look for one that’s safe to place in the dishwasher, even if hand washing is generally recommended. It’s worth noting that you can also use stainless steel cleaners for a stainless steel skillet.
Temperature Resistance
Some nonstick skillets work best on low heat settings. If you’re primarily cooking using higher temperatures up to 600 or 700 degrees Fahrenheit, opt for stainless steel, cast iron, or aluminum.
Weight
Skillets usually weigh anywhere between two or three to as much as eight or nine pounds. Materials like cast iron are heavier than aluminum, stainless steel, or ceramic. A heavy skillet is more likely to stay in place as you’re cooking on a stovetop but requires more effort to pick up and maneuver.
Handle Design
Think about how you want the handle of your skillet to feel, which affects ergonomics and the overall comfort of using it while adding and tossing around different ingredients. Some skillet handles are also cool to the touch, meaning they don’t get hot as you cook your food.
Tips When Using a Skillet
A skillet or frying pan is any cook’s most trusted tool in the kitchen. If you’re replacing an old and worn piece in your cookware set or wish to hone your cooking skills, investing in a brand new skillet is a great place to start. Here are some pointers to help you get the most out of your skillet.
- If you can, opt for a frying pan with a cool-touch handle. While handle covers exist to reduce the risk of burning yourself, it’s usually safer and better to handle a skillet that won’t burn you as you add ingredients and stir the contents around.
- For a crunchy texture, cook food using a medium-high setting on your stovetop to brown it, and then lower the heat to allow everything to cook fully and evenly.
- Heat your skillet before adding oil, butter, or whatever you’re using to cook your food.
- Don’t add food to your skillet until the cooking oil has reached the right temperature. Putting your food in too early means that the food will soak and absorb too much of the cooking oil.
- Know the difference between a skillet and a saute pan. While very similar, saute pans generally come with a lid and have a straight side, whereas skillets have a slightly sloped side.
- Many skillets don’t come with a lid, but if you can find one that’s the right size and made of similar materials, we recommend getting one. This allows for greater cooking versatility, meaning you can simmer various dishes without drying out the food.
- Although cast iron skillets are a little tricky to clean and maintain their seasoning, they’re ideal if you want to naturally supplement more iron into your diet.
- Whenever you’re cooking on a stovetop, make sure to turn on any overhead lights and use ventilation fans as necessary.
FAQs
What’s the difference between a skillet and a frying pan?
The two names are used interchangeably. Generally, a skillet or frying pan is considered a mid-sized, versatile piece of stovetop cookware that can handle a variety of cooking tasks. When most people picture a typical cooking pan, they picture a skillet or frying pan.
Can I place my skillet in the oven?
Most skillets have a temperature resistance up to 450 or 500 degrees Fahrenheit, meaning that they’re safe to place in a hot oven for multiple hours. Cast iron is the best heat-resistant material for this. While the majority of skillets should be able to withstand oven temperatures, check to make sure the skillet you’re interested in is oven-safe.
How do I clean my skillet?
If your skillet isn’t pre-seasoned or doesn’t require any seasoning, as is often the case with cast iron, you can generally clean it using mild dish soap, soaking the skillet for one or more hours to soften caked-on food. Although many skillets are dishwasher-safe, it’s usually best to hand wash and air dry them.
What’s the best way to store a skillet in my kitchen?
Many homeowners place skillets and other cookware in a kitchen cabinet by simply stacking various pots and pans on top of each other. However, doing so may subject your skillet to more wear and tear. For this reason, some homeowners hang their pots and pans using hooks on their kitchen walls.
Why Trust The This Old House Reviews Team
This Old House has empowered homeowners for more than four decades with top-notch home improvement content in the form of television programs, print media, and digital content on its website and social media platforms. The This Old House Reviews Team focuses on creating in-depth product and service review content to help inform your purchasing decision for just about any item or resource that you might need for your home. The This Old House Reviews Team has written over 1,000 reviews on products in the home space, from cordless drills to kitchen trash cans, lawn mowers, and dining room decorations.
We recommend products in each review using an intensive research process, spending hours combing through the best available models on Amazon. For a product to make our list of top picks, it must hold a solid sales record on Amazon, have consistently positive customer reviews, and offer unique features, among other factors. After narrowing down our list of recommendations, we conduct additional research and sometimes in-person testing to ensure that the products meet our standards. Once we conclude the research phase, we craft a well-rounded, user-friendly article that includes our recommended products and additional information to help homeowners like you make the right purchase.
The This Old House Reviews Team provides overviews of select products that are top-selling on Amazon and/or popular in consumer searches. Our team evaluates the products based on industry research, consumer reviews, pricing data, hands-on testing in select cases, and other objective criteria unique to a given product line. Unless otherwise noted, these product reviews are intended to help inform buying decisions for DIY or other non-pro users only. Editor’s picks are made by members of the This Old House Reviews Team.