We also regularly retest our top picks throughout the year to update our reviews with intel gleaned from long-term use. Ultimately, the best way to test these pans is to have people live with them and use them, so that’s our aim.
What makes a good nonstick pan
A durable ceramic cooking surface
A nonstick pan should release cooked food easily (and without butter or oil right out of the box) so we looked for pans with high-quality, ceramic-coated nonstick cooking surfaces that released food with little effort were easy to clean with soapy water and a dish sponge. No matter the material, nonstick coatings won’t last forever, but some of the pans we tested scratched or scorched far too easily while others looked good as new after multiple rounds of testing and hand-washing.
Quick and even heat distribution
Unlike a heavy cast iron pan, a nonstick pan should heat up relatively quickly. Like cast iron, the heat distribution should be even. The base material of the pan does affect the time it takes to heat and cool, but generally a nonstick pan should heat up in just a couple of minutes over low or medium heat.
Heft and aesthetics are a matter of preference, but a pan should be comfortable to hold. Keeping in mind that comfort is is also somewhat subjective, we looked for pans with handle designs that felt comfortable for multiple testers to hold while cooking. A handle should also stay cool while cooking on the stovetop.
Other nonstick pans we tried and liked
Want to know our honest thoughts about 20 other pans we put to the test? Read on. Just note that we no longer recommend Teflon pans because health concerns have been raised about the material. You can read more about that here.
GreenPan Paris Pro
GreenPan Paris Pro Ceramic Nonstick Pan, 10″
The GreenPan Paris Pro line is an earlier generation of GreenPan. While it hasn’t been discontinued yet, it does seem like the company is phasing it out in favor of newer models like the Valencia. The Paris Pro was similar to the Valencia in terms of performance and design and was once one of our top picks; however, the Paris is not compatible with induction cooktops so we bumped it down on our list
GreenPan GP5 Infinite8 Ceramic Nonstick Fry Pan
GreenPan GP5 Hard Anodized Healthy Ceramic Nonstick 12″ Frying Pan Skillet
The GP5 frying pan is another great nonstick pan from GreenPan. It has the same easy-to-hold handle as other GreenPans, flushed rivets, and a broad cooking surface relative to its dimensions. The company advertises that this pan has a newer, superior nonstick coating than the Valencia, however our testing has yet to reveal a difference in quality. The GP5 is also heavier than the Valencia and the Oxo. While it has a very consistent cooking surface, it takes a slightly longer time to heat up.
GreenPan Venice Pro TriPly Ceramic Nonstick Skillet
GreenPan Venice Pro Tri-Ply Stainless Steel Healthy Ceramic Nonstick 12″ Frying Pan Skillet
The Venice Pro Tri-Ply is another nice ceramic-coated nonstick pan from GreenPan. It’s pricier than some other GreenPan models because of its stainless-steel core, versus the more affordable aluminum. But the stainless steel makes it compatible with induction cooktops as well as gas and electric. The product description states this pan is metal-utensil-safe and dishwasher-safe, but buyer beware: If you use metal utensils and put it in the dishwasher, it won’t last as long as it otherwise would.
Greenpan Spectra 8″ Frypan
With the release of its Spectra Therabond line, Greenpan has officially entered the hybrid pan phase of its existence. Hybrid cookware gets its name because it combines elements of uncoated stainless-steel cookware and nonstick cookware on the same surface by way of a durable nonstick coating etched with a laser into a pattern (usually hexagons) of stainless-steel ridges. The textured surface is designed to deliver the kind of browning and searing you’d get from a very hot stainless steel or well-seasoned cast iron skillet. I was skeptical of hybrid cookware in general (the most well-known brand in this category, HexClad, is expensive and seemed gimmicky to me) but because GreenPan makes some of our favorite nonstick pans, I decided to give it a try—and I’m very glad I did. The PFAS-free Greenpan Spectra Frypan is now my go-to pan for grilled cheese and quesadillas because I can crisp up both using a small amount of butter and a lower temperature than what I would need to achieve the same texture in a smooth nonstick or uncoated stainless-steel pan. It’s easy to clean, oven- and broiler-safe, according to Greenpan, up to a whopping 850ºF, and nicely weighted (though the 3-ply stainless steel body does make it heavier than some of GreenPan’s other nonstick models). That said, if you’re only going to have one nonstick pan, and you don’t want everything you cook in it to be crispy (see my pancake below), you’re still better off with our top pick, the Greenpan Valencia Pro. And while we do not recommend anyone get a full nonstick cookware set, if you’re considering a set of HexClad, the PFAS-free Greenpan Spectra hybrid nonstick cookware sets are comparably priced and, at the time of publishing, on sale through the brand’s site.
Greepan Reserve Pro 8″ Frypan
GreenPan Reserve Pro 8″ Frypan
Greenpan Reserve is the brand’s most aesthetic line, thanks to the off-white ceramic-coated nonstick cooking surface and gold-toned handle. Reserve cookware is offered in a variety of subdued, design-friendly colors and you can often get a two-pan set in complimentary shades. Out of the box, the light-colored interior surface is as slick as other Greenpan pans, but in my experience using the original Reserve cookware long-term, it is a bit more delicate than the darker ceramic nonstick coatings on other Greenpan lines. But in the summer of 2025, the brand released the Reserve Pro line of ceramic nonstick cookware and began to phase out the original Reserve cookware. The Pro line is almost identical to the original line, but has an improved nonstick coating for added durability and the handle design has been tweaked for easier stacking. Some Reserve pieces come with lids, and the Reserve Pro lids now also have a silicone ring to help protect coating around the edge of the pan. I haven’t tested the Reserve Pro frypan long enough to comment on the durability of the ceramic nonstick coating, but like my original Reserve frypan, it’s very slick out of the box. Unfortunately, the upgraded design didn’t eliminate the riveted handle design, so depending on what you cook in it, you may need to use a little extra elbow grease when cleaning around the rivets. (This pan is listed as dishwasher safe, but we don’t recommend putting any nonstick cookware in the dishwasher, ever.)
Swiss Diamond CXD Nonstick Fry Pan
Swiss Diamond CXD Nonstick 8″ Fry Pan
The Swiss Diamond CXD Nonstick Frypan is sturdy and thick, but not too heavy, thanks to an induction-friendly aluminum base. The black cooking surface (which is PFAS-, PFOA-, lead-, and cadmium-free) is slick yet ever-so-slightly textured, which browns food better and more efficiently than a super-smooth nonstick surface would. Compared to other nonstick pans in this review, this one is fairly shallow and because of the thick base material, it takes a little longer to heat than comparable pans, but it’s very easy to clean—especially because there are no rivets on which to catch food. In my summer 2025 nonstick pan testing, this was my favorite pan for omelettes.
Anolon Everlast Nonstick Frying Pan
Anolon Everlast Ceramic Nonstick Frying Pans, 3-Piece Set
Over our years testing Anolon products they’ve made some real improvements to their cookware. The Everlast series is their only ceramic nonstick, and as we learned when tested it in 2025, it does its job well. It’s a fully clad frying pan, so it conducted heat evenly and responded well to changes in temperature. That construction also gives the pan a substantial feeling that’s lacking in some less expensive nonstick pans. And while the eggs we cooked didn’t exactly slide around the pan, they released easily to flip even in a dry pan. With the aid of just a little butter we could flip eggs without even using a spatula.
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