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Best non-stick frying pans
How much do you need to spend to get the best non-stick frying pan?
We've found out by dry-frying dozens of eggs to put the non-stick to the test and analysing thermal imaging camera footage measuring how evenly each pan heats up
We've also scratched and scraped through tough durability tests to discover the best frying pans that last.
The frying pans we tested cost from £10 upwards – from all the popular brands including Le Creuset, Ninja and Tefal, plus retailers such as Amazon, John Lewis and Lakeland.
We found that paying more doesn't automatically mean you'll get the best. Our top-scoring pan turned out to be one of cheaper we tested.
The best non-stick frying pans
Only logged-in Which? members can view the non-stick frying pan test results below.
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| Frying pan | Non-stick | Heat distribution | Scratch resistance | Where to buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Excellent | Excellent | Good | ||
| Excellent | Excellent | Good | ||
| Excellent | Good | Good | ||
| Excellent | Excellent | Poor | ||
| Excellent | Excellent | Average | ||
| Excellent | Good | Poor | ||
| Good | Average | Good |
Date tested: February 2023. Page last checked: January 2024. All pans are compatible with induction hobs. We are not able to show every retailer and cheaper prices may be available.
The non-stick frying pans we tested
All the non-stick frying pans we tested are listed in alphabetical order below.
Only logged-in Which? members can view best non-stick frying pans from our tests.
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Amazon Basics stainless steel non-stick induction frying pan
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Size (diameter x depth) 28 x 4.6cm
Measured weight 1.2kg
Need to know States PFOA-free, oven safe up to 150°C, dishwasher safe, also available in 20cm and 24cm sizes
Dunelm Essentials stainless steel frying pan
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Size (diameter x depth) 24 x 4cm
Need to know Dishwasher safe, oven safe up to 180°C
Eaziglide Neverstick2 non-stick frying pan
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Size (diameter x depth) 30 x 6.3cm
Measured weight 1.4kg
Need to know States PFOA-free and ceramic-freedishwasher safe; oven safe up to 260°C; also available in 20cm, 24cm and 28cm sizes; lifetime guarantee
Eaziglide Neverstick3 professional frying pan
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Size (diameter x depth) 28 x 5.9cm
Measured weight 1.1kg
Need to know States PFOA-free and ceramic-free; dishwasher safe; oven safe up to 260°C; also available in 20cm, 24cm and 30cm sizes; lifetime guarantee
GreenPan Venice Pro ceramic non-stick frying pan
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Size (diameter x depth) 28 x 4.8cm
Measured weight 1.1kg
Need to know States PFOA-free and PFAS-free; dishwasher safe; oven safe – no temperature stated; also available in 20cm, 24cm, 26cm and 30cm sizes; lifetime warranty
Habitat aluminium frying pan
Available from Argos (£17)
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Size (diameter x depth) 28 x 4.8cm
Measured weight 1.1kg
Need to know Not dishwasher safe, oven safe up to 130°C, also available in 24cm size
Hexclad Hybrid pan
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Size (diameter x depth) 30 x 4.4cm
Measured weight 1.5kg
Need to know States PFOA-free; dishwasher safe; oven safe up to 500°C; also available in 20cm and 25cm sizes; lifetime warranty
Ikea 365+ frying pan
Available from Ikea (£15)
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Size (diameter x depth) 28 x 4.6cm
Measured weight 1kg
Need to know States PFOA-free; not dishwasher safe; oven safe – no temperature stated; also available in 20cm, 24cm and 32cm sizes
JML non-stick copper stone frying pan
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Size (diameter x depth) 28 x 5cm
Measured weight 1kg
Need to know Not dishwasher safe, oven safe up to 150°C, also available in 20cm and 24cm sizes
Lakeland stainless steel non-stick frying pan
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Size (diameter x depth) 28 x 5.9cm
Measured weight 1.6kg
Need to know States PFOA-free, not dishwasher safe, oven safe up to 200°C, also available in 24cm size, three-year guarantee
Le Creuset 3-Ply stainless steel non-stick frying pan
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Size (diameter x depth) 30 x 4.7cm
Measured weight 1.3kg
Need to know States PFOA-free, dishwasher safe, oven safe up to 260°C, also available in 20cm and 26cm sizes, lifetime warranty
Read our reviews of the best saucepans and salt and pepper grinders for more Le Creuset reviews.
Ninja Zerostick aluminium frying pan
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Size (diameter x depth) 30 x 4.8cm
Measured weight 1.4kg
Need to know States PFOA-free, lead-free and calcium-free; dishwasher safe; oven safe up to 260°C; also available in 20cm, 24cm, 26cm, 28cm and 30cm sizes; 10-year replacement guarantee upon registration with Ninja
What more from Ninja? – read our air fryer reviews and multi cooker reviews
Our Place Always pan
Available from Our Place (£130), Selfridges (out of stock), Harrods (out of stock)
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Size (diameter x depth) 25.5 x 6.7cm
Measured weight 1.3kg
Need to know States PFOA-free, PTFEs-free, lead-free and cadmium-free; not dishwasher safe; not oven safe; other colours available
Prestige Earthpan Eco frying pan
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Size (diameter x depth) 28 x 5.2cm
Measured weight 1kg
Need to know States PFOA-free and toxin-free ceramic, dishwasher safe, not oven safe, also available in 20cm and 24cm sizes, handle made with recycled plastic, 100% recycled aluminium body, available with a lid, five-year guarantee
ProCook Professional Anodised frying pan
Available from ProCook (£50)
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Size (diameter x depth) 28 x 5.2cm
Measured weight 1.2kg
Need to know States PFOA-free, dishwasher safe, oven safe up to 260°C, also available in 20cm and 24cm sizes, comes with a lid, 25-year guarantee
ProCook Professional Granite frying pan
Available from ProCook (£41)
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Size (diameter x depth) 28 x 5.2cm
Measured weight 1.1kg
Need to know States PFOA-free, dishwasher safe, oven safe up to 260°C, also available in 20cm and 24cm sizes, comes with a lid, 25-year guarantee
Russell Hobbs metallic marble frying pan
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Size (diameter x depth) 28 x 4.7cm
Measured weight 0.9kg
Need to know States PFOA-free; dishwasher safe; not oven safe; also available in 20cm, 24cm and 30cm sizes; 10-year guarantee
Smeg aluminium frying pan
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Size (diameter x depth) 28 x 4.7cm
Measured weight 1.5kg
Need to know Dishwasher safe; oven safe up to 250°C; also available in 24cm, 26cm and 30cm sizes; other colours available; 15-year guarantee
Tefal Emotion stainless steel non-stick frying pan
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Size (diameter x depth) 30 x 4.9cm
Measured weight 1.4kg
Need to know States PFOA-free, lead-free and calcium-free; dishwasher safe; oven safe up to 175°C; also available in 20cm, 24cm and 28cm sizes; 10-year guarantee
Tefal Titanium Excellence induction frying pan
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Size (diameter x depth) 28 x 4.9cm
Measured weight 1.1kg
Need to know States PFOA-free, lead-free and calcium-free; dishwasher safe; oven safe up to 175°C; also available in 21cm, 24cm and 32cm sizes; 10-year guarantee
Tefal Total aluminium frying pan
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Size (diameter x depth) 28 x 3.9cm
Measured weight 1kg
Need to know States PFOA-free, lead-free and calcium-free; dishwasher safe; oven safe up to 175°C; also available in 24cm and 32cm sizes; 10-year guarantee
How we test non-stick frying pans
We buy the most popular frying non-stick pans and test each of them on an induction hob.
Induction hobs are the most energy-efficient types of hob; more of the energy they release goes into heating up the pan, rather than the surroundings.
This means the pans' coatings get the toughest heating test, so we discover which are really the best non-stick frying pans.
Non-stick coating
We repeatedly dry-fry eggs in each non-stick frying pan, and rank each on how easy it is to remove the eggs, the amount of residue left in the pan and how easy that is to remove.
The eggs from the best non-stick frying pans slide easily out of the pan. The worst end up as semi-scrambled eggs by the time they're served on the plate.
Heat distribution
Even heating is crucial for the perfect finish. We use a thermal imaging camera and analyse the results with special software to measure the heat distribution of each frying pan.
The best frying pans keep a uniform temperature across the surface of the pan. The worst pans vary in temperature by as much as 180°C across the pan's surface.
Scratch resistance
We use a laboratory-approved hardness-test pencil to apply the same force to each non-stick frying pan. We:
- test how well each pan stands up to many light scratches – representing taking the pan in and out of the cupboard repeatedly, or months of handwashing
- heavily scratch each non-stick surface. These represent big bangs and scrapes.
The best pans don't show signs of scratches at all. Others have the non-stick coating crumble and come away.
Strength
We lift very heavy weights in each non-stick frying pan to see how strong and well built each pan is.
The best are as solid as rocks. The worst have handles that start to bend and the pan-edge deform under the strain.
Handle heat
We use temperature probes and thermal imaging to see how hot each handle gets while cooking with each pan.
Most pans' handles are OK, but some get hot at the base. One we've tested reached 100°C.
A hot handle base can be an issue if you grab the handle a little bit too low.
Washing
We handwash each frying pan one hour after cooking on it, to see how easily it can be scrubbed clean.
The best clean up in a matter of seconds with a soft sponge. The worst have residual marks on them, even after a full minute of scrubbing.
More ways to fry with our Best Buys – air fryer reviews
What does PFOA-free mean?
PFOA-free means the chemical perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) wasn't used to make the non-stick coating of a frying pan.
This chemical is part of the larger PFASs (perfluorooctanoic acid and polyfluoroalkyl substances) family, a group of thousands of industrial chemicals used in all sorts of everyday items such as food packaging, clothing and cosmetics.
PFOA was used worldwide as an industrial surfactant in chemical processes. It's now considered a health concern and was added to the POP Regulation Annex I in 2020, which prohibits its use in manufacturing, and in products placed on the market.
This means any frying pan sold in Europe should be PFOA-free. That's why some manufacturers don't state 'PFOA-free' as they consider it self-evident advertising.
It's worth noting that even if a product is claimed to be PFOA-free, it might still contain chemicals from the same family of substances.
In the UK, these regulations are currently under review. The government was due to have a consultation on a new draft of the UK Chemical Strategy in 2022.
For more information, check out ClientEarth, PFAS Free and Chem Trust.
How to care for your non-stick frying pan
Most premium and high-end non-stick frying pans come with a care guide. We recommend reading this before use and following the instructions.
Some recommend not using the pans on high heat to extend the life of the non-stick coating.
After our testing we found that one pan's coating peeled off after just two uses on high heat, so sometimes there isn't much wiggle room.
Here are a few simple tips to get the best use and longest life out of your non-stick frying pan:
- Handwash it before using it for the first time Use hot soapy water to remove any residue or dirt.
- Don't use metal utensils They can scratch off the non-stick surface. It's much safer to stick to wooden or silicone utensils.
- Allow the pan to cool naturally before you wash it This will help to avoid the pan warping.
- Always handwash It's worth doing this even if the pan is dishwasher safe.
- Try to store your non-stick pans without anything on top of them If that isn't possible, use a tea towel or fabric pan protectors to cover the non-stick surface.
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Why don't all pans work on induction hobs?
To work on an induction hob, a frying pan needs enough iron (a magnetic material) in its base.
If your existing pans don't heat up at all it's likely that they don't have enough magnetic material to perform optimally. All pans we test are compatible with induction hobs. Read our reviews above if you're in the market for new induction hob frying pans. Also see our pick of the best induction hobs.
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