42 ironing board cover_8 kg washing machine cover

While it is also rare for skillets to come with a lid, you’ll certainly see it more often than you would on a frypan. The lid is also typically fully opaque so you won’t be able to monitor your cooking as easily. But it sure helps with slow-cooking and braising dishes.

Enamel Pots Durability

“There are a few things to consider when you’re buying cookware, including how you cook, durability, and price,” says Lance Nitahara, an assistant professor at the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in Hyde Park, N.Y. “On the low end of the price scale are nonstick and cast iron; copper is on the high end. But each does a different thing.”

Below, you’ll find advice on how to choose the right frying pan for how you cook, plus highlights of top-performing pans from CR’s tests, listed alphabetically and not by rank. You can see how all the pans we test perform in our frying pan ratings and learn more about the different types of pans in our cookware buying guide.