The Best Pans for Cooking Eggs, Whether You Like ‘Em Scrambled or Fried

The humble egg: endlessly versatile, kinda expensive right now. The average American actually eats about 280 eggs a year. The upward trend in consumption despite rising costs probably stems from the fact that the egg is not only one of the most workable proteins in your kitchen, but that there are so many ways to cook it. There are 100 “verified” ways, demonstrated by the folds in a traditional chef's toque. Fried, baked, poached, steamed, scrambled—a little technique goes a long way to make your perfect egg, but the right tools come in handy as well.

So, just how much of a difference can a good pan make when it comes to egg cookery? The simple answer is: It absolutely helps. We took a deep dive into our cookware reviews, coupled with our culinary knowledge to highlight some of the best egg pans. (We’ll refrain from any “egg-cellent” jokes.) 

The Winners, at a Glance

Things to Consider

The short answer is yes. Though a nonstick pan will require less than stainless steel, a little fat helps add an extra buffer between the eggs and the pan, especially since both items are liquid. For a technique like frying, fat is also essential for adding flavor and creating the Maillard reaction that results in the crispy, lattice-like bottom of a perfectly fried egg.

Yes, but we recommend seasoning both pans well first. Cast iron is porous, so it's less than ideal for delicate egg preparations like scrambles or omelets. The micro divots will latch onto the egg proteins and trap them in the cracks as you push your egg mixture around, resulting in sticking.

As mentioned in our cast iron skillet review, eggs will also usually stick to the pan if it isn’t seasoned well. We have a guide to seasoning here, but cooking fatty items like bacon in a cast iron pan also helps build up its nonstick abilities over time. Once seasoned, cast iron is great for fried eggs or stovetop-to-oven egg dishes, like frittatas.

Much of the same can be said for carbon steel, though it’s less porous than cast iron—resulting in a smoother surface that’s not as stick-prone, but still benefits from seasoning.

It takes a bit of a learning curve to master, but chefs favor stainless steel skillets for a reason. Where home cooks will run into trouble with eggs and stainless steel is not heating the pan up enough. If you place an egg on a stainless steel pan that’s still cold or lukewarm, the egg will likely stick. The solution: heat, heat, heat. The best way to determine if your stainless pan is at a nonstick heat level is to add a few droplets of water. If the droplets dance and skitter across the pan, you’re ready to go.

It’s useful to have pans in a few different sizes. For a jack-of-all-trades, a 10- or 12-inch pan is ideal. Otherwise, an 8-inch skillet is great for cooking solo or frying just a few eggs.

Our Favorite Egg Pans

What we liked: We don’t call for nonstick much, but the one thing it’s super useful for is cooking delicate proteins like eggs. We also think it’s what most people will think of as an egg pan. This skillet from Tramontina is extremely well-priced (about $30 at the time of writing) and has a removable silicone grip. In our tests, eggs slipped and slid around its nonstick surface. And, again, it’s CHEAP. You can read more about why we don’t recommend splurging on nonstick here, but the TL;DR is that it just doesn’t last all that long.

What we didn’t like: This pan isn’t induction-compatible. If you have an induction cooktop, we recommend this skillet from T-fal.

• Maximum oven temperature: 400℉
• Induction-compatible: No
• Weight: 1 pound, 15 ounces
• Dishwasher-safe: Yes
  

What we liked: This is our budget-friendly carbon steel recommendation and, once seasoned, it’s especially great for fried eggs and frittatas. Carbon steel pans have smoother surfaces than cast iron, so they’ll be more slick out of the gate, too. One thing to note: Hold off on making acidic dishes, like shakshuka, in this pan until it’s well-seasoned. The acid can strip the pan’s seasoning (the same goes for cast iron).

What we didn’t like: This pan is very lightweight and can spin around on glass cooktops.

• Maximum oven temperature: 660℉
• Induction-compatible: Yes
• Weight: 2 pounds, 10 ounces
• Dishwasher-safe: No

What we liked: Also great for frittatas and fried eggs, our favorite cast iron skillet from Lodge has a price you can’t beat. For your ease, it comes pre-seasoned. When we tested cast iron skillets we found fried eggs slid right off. This bodes well for its long-term abilities as an egg pan: It will only get more nonstick with use. 

What we didn’t like: This pan is quite heavy. 

• Maximum oven temperature: 650℉
• Induction-compatible: Yes
• Weight: 5 pounds, 7 ounces
• Dishwasher-safe: No
  

What we liked: Compatible with induction and competitively priced, Made In’s stainless steel skillet has been one of our favorites for years. It has a comfortable handle and feels well-balanced when picked up. After a little practice, your egg cookery will show you why stainless steel’s one of the most versatile materials there is. 

What we didn’t like: While we didn’t experience this, other review sites have found that this pan can warp (which would make it a no-go for induction).

• Maximum oven temperature: 800℉
• Induction-compatible: Yes
• Weight: 3 pounds
• Dishwasher-safe: Yes

FAQs

This could be because your nonstick pan is older and its coating has broken down too much. Once a nonstick pan shows major signs of wear (and scratches), it’s time to replace it. If you're using cast iron or carbon steel, it could be that the pan needs more seasoning. And, finally, if you're cracking eggs into a stainless steel skillet only to find them fastened to the surface, you probably didn't heat the pan up enough.

Nonstick pans will, generally, make egg cooking easy and stick-free. Though conscious consumers may opt for a ceramic-coated nonstick skillet—because of the chemicals in traditional PTFE coatings—ceramic can be more brittle than its other counterparts, causing it to lose its nonstick properties faster.

Why We’re the Experts

• Emily Ziemski is an editor and recipe developer who has over 14 years of cooking experience. 
• In that time, she estimates she’s cooked hundreds, if not thousands, of eggs.
• We've extensively reviewed all kinds of skillets, including nonstick, carbon steel, cast iron, and stainless steel.
  

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