Shopping for kitchen items like pots and pans may not be your idea of fun. But when you're looking to update your kitchen gear, these tools are a must. Having a versatile frying pan, also called a skillet or sauté pan, is something every cook should have in their kitchen. But even for the most experienced cooks, it can be tough to know where to begin and what's worth the price tag. These are our picks for the best frying pans for various stove tops, family sizes, and budgets.
Our top picks
How we chose these products
Picking out a frying pan—which you can use to shallow fry, sauté, pan fry, steam, and so much more—is personal. You have to consider how you'll be using it, storing it, and cleaning it. So we reached out to chefs, restauranteurs, and other culinary professionals about their favorite frying pans to use at home. We also included some of the internet's most well-loved and raved-about pans. This list consists of a wide variety of responses with pan recommendations of different materials, sizes, and uses. They cover different budgets so at-home cooks of all levels can find one on this list.
Want more kitchen help? Check out our recommendations for air fryers, pressure cookers, slow cookers, blenders, and electric kettles. Or check out our cookware and gadgets page for all of our recs on appliances, tools, and products you should have in your kitchen.