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The details: These pans solve the frustration of food sticking, and they require little oil for cooking. Plus they’re lightweight, easy to clean, and affordable. But they can’t take the high heat of a cast-iron or stainless steel frying pan. “You’re not going to get much of a sear in a nonstick pan,” says Cindy Fisher, who conducted Consumer Reports’ cookware tests.

And they don’t last as long as cast-iron, stainless, or copper frying pans. “Nonstick is going to wear out the fastest,” Nitahara says. “The nonstick coating is fragile, and once you scratch it, it’s hard to flip an egg.”

In our tests of nonstick pans, we cook four eggs in quick succession. An excellent rating means all four eggs easily slid out of the pan. A poor rating indicates that some egg residue was left behind. To test nonstick durability, we rub the pan with steel wool for 2,000 strokes or until the coating has worn through.

Cast iron frying pans are heavy and durable, making them ideal for high-heat cooking. They are also perfect for searing and browning food because they retain heat well and distribute it evenly. Cast iron frying pans are also great for cooking dishes that require a long cooking time, such as stews and casseroles.

Both skillets and frying pans feature flared sides, flat bottoms, shallow depths, and no lids. When you need to flip food, high sear, grill meat, or shallow fry, then the skillet or frying pan is an excellent vessel for the job.