The Best Nonstick Cookware, According to Our Tests

Best Overall Set

Made In Non Stick Cookware Set

$599 at Amazon $609 at Walmart View on Madeincookware.com

Made In makes some great cookware, including one of our favorite carbon steel pans, and this nonstick set is no exception. They were the only pans to register a perfect score in every category we rated; these pans blew everything else out of the water. With a 5-ply stainless steel construction and internal nonstick coating, this set is well-designed and durable.

During testing, our fried egg came off the pan with crispy edges and a nicely browned underside, our scrambled eggs were tender and yielding without any browning, and our onions browned nicely without a hint of sticking. These pans even passed our rice test without issue, offering up lovely crispness with no hot spots or pesky adhesion—all the food in our tests cooked up incredibly evenly with unmatched heat distribution.

We like how the sides of the Made In nonstick sauté pan curve gently away from the center, which makes it easy to move food around without anything getting lost along the edges, and in general, we found each piece of this set roomier than most, which helps prevent overcrowding. We also appreciate the safety notch that lets you know where to stop your hand from burning yourself when using this cookware. They're easy to clean, too; most pieces come clean with just a wipe of a paper towel before even washing them. This set is heavier than some competitors, but the weight is a worthy tradeoff for the quality and performance of these pots and pans.

Material: Stainless steel | Maximum Temperature: 500°F | Induction-Compatible: Yes | Dishwasher-safe: No | Includes: 10-inch frying pan, 4-quart saucepan, 4-quart sauté pan, 8-quart stock pot, 3 lids

Best Skillet

Material The Coated Pan

$120 at Amazon $115 at Wayfair View on Materialkitchen.com

Material is a favorite brand among Food and Wine editors, so it's no surprise that we loved its nonstick pan. Material's design, which has a 5-ply copper core with aluminum and stainless steel layers on top, means that this pan heats impossibly evenly and consistently. It reacts like high-end copper or stainless steel cookware, but with the added benefit of a nonstick coating.

This superb heating, combined with the ease of the nonstick coating, prompted senior editor Danielle St. Pierre to say, "I had a hunch I’d like the Coated Pan, but after testing it every day for a week straight, I didn’t expect to love it." After she brought the pan home for long-term testing, it became a regular part of her cooking routine. "This gorgeous pan has easily earned a coveted spot in my tiny New York kitchen," she says.

The eggs and steaks we tested cooked evenly and easily slipped out of the pan without coaxing. We even declared that this pan yielded one of the best steaks of all the pans we tested. However, that perfectly cooked steak came at a price: smoking oil left behind some staining that couldn't be washed off even with aggressive scrubbing. Thankfully, this doesn't affect performance.

Pan Diameter: 10.5 inches | Materials: Aluminum, copper, stainless steel | Maximum Temperature: 500°F | Induction-Compatible: Yes | Dishwasher-Safe: No

Best Professional-Grade Set

Le Creuset Toughened Nonstick Pro Cookware Set

$650 $610 at Amazon $650 at Williams Sonoma $955 $650 at Nordstrom

Le Creuset often makes our list of recommendations, and not just for its famed cast iron. This hard-anodized aluminum nonstick set certainly didn't disappoint. It was especially durable in testing — we couldn't scratch the nonstick coating even when we purposefully tried, and everything cleaned up with ease. These pans can handle the wear and tear of professional kitchens.

During our egg tests, the fried egg released without the aid of a spatula, and heating was distributed evenly across the cooking surface with no hot spots detected. We barely had to clean these pans; there was no stuck-on food or residue to rinse off. The results were consistently amazing, whether we were sautéing, frying, or simmering.

Thanks to long, easy-grip steel handles, Le Creuset’s nonstick cookware is comfortable to work with and feels nicely balanced, and the handles remain cool enough on the stovetop to touch with bare hands. We found this set to be heavier than most, so we would not recommend it to anyone with trouble maneuvering bulky or heavy objects. It's also somewhat expensive for a 10-piece cookware set, though not wildly so.

Materials: Aluminum, stainless steel, glass | Maximum Temperature: 500°F (pans), 425°F (lids) | Induction compatible: Yes | Dishwasher-safe: Yes | Includes: 8-inch frying pan, 11-inch frying pan, 2-quart saucepan, 3-quart saucepan, 3.5-quart sauté pan, 6.33-quart stockpot, 4 lids

Best Splurge Set

All-Clad D3 Stainless Steel Tri-Ply Bonded 10-Piece Nonstick Cookware Set

$800 at Amazon $800 at Nordstrom $800 at Wayfair

All-Clad's beautiful all–stainless steel pans came out tops in our stainless steel cookware tests, and we love this nonstick version, too. The fried egg slid out without any coaxing at all, there was a nice browning on the chopped onions, and our scrambled eggs cooked evenly with no complaints. All the pans in this set have incredible nonstick capabilities and work beautifully with little oil; neither eggs nor rice stuck. Like other All-Clad cookware we've tested, these pans got very hot, very fast, and the heat was dispersed evenly, which many nonstick pans struggle with.

The pans have beveled, partially rounded handles so they feel comfortable and balanced in hand, and the stockpot has two handles for easier transferring between stovetop to sink. As is expected from a quality nonstick surface, All-Clad’s pans are easy to clean after use, though we had to pay closer attention around the rivets, where food particles tended to collect during our tests. The major negative is cost: The stainless steel material, quality construction, and All-Clad brand name all command a high price.

Material: Stainless Steel | Maximum Temperature: 500°F | Induction-Compatible: Yes | Dishwasher-Safe: No | Includes: 8-inch frying pan, 10-inch frying pan, 2-quart saucepan, 3-quart saucepan, 3-quart sauté pan, 8-quart stockpot, 4 lids

Best Ceramic Set

Caraway Nonstick Ceramic Cookware Set

$395 $355 at Amazon $395 $356 at Target $395 $356 at Nordstrom

Caraway uses a ceramic material with an aluminum core as its alternative to a nonstick coating, which provides a highly heat-tolerant and slippery surface. The fry pan turned out excellent eggs during our tests with no signs of sticking. In fact, it provided some of the cleanest dishes in general, with little to no food residue left behind in all tests. We liked the broad, flat surfaces, though we noticed some inconsistent heating across the pans. In both the egg and steak tests, some areas browned more quickly than others.

With a four-slot modular magnetic pan rack and a canvas lid holder that hangs over a cabinet door, Caraway’s set also includes helpful space-saving options. The pans are nicely balanced, comfortable to work with, and easy to clean. We also appreciate the price point, which is just about average for the sets we tested; the high-quality Caraway set an excellent value and a great choice for beginners or anyone looking for great-looking, dependable, nonstick cookware. (To fully outfit your kitchen, you might consider adding on the Caraway Steamers Duo, a pair of steamer/strainer baskets that fit in this set's saucepan and Dutch oven.)

Materials: Ceramic, aluminum core, stainless steel handles | Maximum Temperature: 550°F | Induction-Compatible: Yes | Dishwasher-Safe: Yes (hand-wash recommended) | Includes: 10.5-inch frying pan, 3-quart saucepan, 4.5-quart sauté pan, 6.5-quart Dutch oven, pan rack, and a lid holder with hooks, 3 lids

Best Dutch Oven

Our Place Perfect Pot

$165 $110 at Amazon $165 at Our Place $110 at Nordstrom

We tested the Our Place Perfect Pot in a duo with the editor-loved Our Place Always Pan 2.0. Not only does it feature an effective nonstick surface, but it also comes with a built-in strainer in the lid, two Hot Grips potholders, and a beechwood spatula that cleverly nests into the handle. This versatile pot can do everything from frying an egg to boiling and straining pasta to cooking up a double batch of chili.

Since everything can nest inside the pot, it takes up minimal space in storage, and Our Place's variety of colorways (there are six pastel-ish options) means yours can match or stand out however you like. Our tests showed that this pot was best used for meals that require a true nonstick surface, like fried eggs or batches of rice pilaf. However, we wouldn't recommend this pot for higher-heat jobs like searing. It can only handle up to 450°F; that's mostly oven-safe, but the broiler or a really blasting stove burner could damage the nonstick coating.

Our Place more than makes up for the temperature issue with the slickest nonstick coating we tested. It was the easiest piece of cookware to clean, and we were delighted with how easily food slid right out without even help from kitchen utensils.

Capacity: 5.5 quarts | Material: Aluminum | Maximum Temperature: 450°F | Induction-Compatible: No | Dishwasher-safe: No | Includes: strainer lid, spatula, 2 silicone pot holders

Best Cast Iron

Le Creuset Enameled Cast Iron Skillet

$220 at Amazon $175 at Williams Sonoma $250 at Nordstrom

Cast iron has lots of advantages for cooking, thanks to its high heat capacity and ability to both sear and simmer accurately. But some cooks are intimidated by the reseasoning process required to maintain a smooth surface. Enameled cast iron solves the problem by covering the iron in a glass-like glaze that releases food easily. This Le Creuset pan dominated in our enameled cast iron skillet testing thanks to its heft, functionality, and durability. You can even use metal tools and throw it in the dishwasher without having to worry about chipping, rust, or corrosion. We also love the pour spouts on either side, which are great at keeping spills off your counters.

The downside is that Le Creuset pans are expensive. This is a piece of cookware that can last from generation to generation, and it's priced accordingly. Another disadvantage is common to all enameled cast iron: It doesn't have the same heat resistance as non-enameled. Le Creuset's skillet is safe up to 500°F, but you don't want to put it under the broiler or on the grill.

Pan Diameter: 10.25 inches | Material: Cast iron | Maximum Temperature: 500°F | Induction-Compatible: Yes | Dishwasher-Safe: Yes