Fry Pans

Breakfast cooks buy this size. At 7.875 inches across, it holds two eggs or a one-person omelet with enough room to work a spatula underneath, and it is small enough to keep on the stove all morning.It also suits the first step of many recipes, such as blooming whole spices in oil or softening a minced shallot before it goes into a sauce. Black steel responds quickly to the burner, and the more it is cooked in, the more easily eggs release from the seasoned surface.Paderno rivets the handle to the pan wall. Bakers who want to take carbon steel into the oven are better served by the welded handles on Matfer Bourgeat black steel pans. On the stovetop, the Paderno line does the same work and costs less than Matfer or Made In.Other SizesGo down to the 7.125-inch for spices and butter alone, or up to the 9.5-inch, 12.5-inch or 14.125-inch for full meals. Learn More

Paderno’s largest black steel frying pan is a batch-cooking tool. Six pork chops fit in one layer, as does a full tray’s worth of potatoes for hash, which saves cooking in rounds when feeding a crowd or prepping for the week.A pan this wide needs a burner that can heat it. On a standard home range, preheat it longer over medium heat so the outer ring comes up to temperature; an induction zone smaller than the base will leave the edges cooler. The pan is heavy when full, so plan on a second hand on the rim when moving it.The handle is riveted. For baking in carbon steel, we recommend the welded-handle Matfer Bourgeat black steel pans, while Paderno offers a lower price than Matfer or Made In for stovetop cooking.The 12.5-inch is the better choice for a family of four on a home range. Learn More

The 14-inch pan is the largest Matfer black steel fry pan we carry, with a measured rim of 14 3/8 inches. It is a restaurant-size pan for high-volume sautéing, and at home it covers a large gas burner or an outdoor grill.At just over 7 pounds, it is a two-handed pan when full. The size suits searing several portions together, cooking over a grill or fire, and roasting vegetables in the oven.For a two-handled pan of similar width, see the 15 3/4-inch paella pan. Learn More

At 12 1/2 inches, the Tradition is a pan for high-volume cooking: a full skillet of sautéed greens, several steaks at once or a family batch of fried rice.The heavy-duty body and thick base keep the pan flat on the burner when it is full and hot. A pan of this size and weight is easiest to handle on a large burner.For an uncoated pan that seasons instead, compare the Matfer black carbon steel fry pan. Learn More

The 12 5/8-inch (32 cm) Elite Pro is the large non-stick pan, for a full batch of pancakes, fried rice or several fish fillets at once.Its base is thick and heat-diffused, with a special induction stainless steel bottom plate, and a 4-layer non-stick coating with an anti-scratch protective undercoating. The aluminum cool-touch handle stays comfortable on the burner.Use it with tools that will not mark the coating, such as the black Exoglass Pelton spatula. For high-heat searing, a black carbon steel fry pan is the better pan. Learn More

The Made In 12-inch Stainless Clad Frying Pan is a professional-grade, 5-ply stainless pan built for high-heat searing, browning, and oven finishing, and sized for cooking several portions at once. It holds several chicken thighs or a full batch of vegetables in a single layer without crowding, which is what separates a deep sear from a steamed, gray one.
Why It PerformsFully clad from floor to rim: The conductive layers extend up the walls, so heat stays even across the full 12-inch surface, edge to edge.Built for fond: A bare stainless surface browns proteins and builds the browned bits that become a pan sauce when deglazed with wine or stock.Broiler-ready heat rating: The pan’s rating is well above that of nonstick cookware, so it moves from the burner straight under the broiler.Stay Cool Handle: The hollow stainless handle slows the transfer of heat and remains comfortable to grip on the stovetop.Rolled rim: Sauces and rendered fat pour cleanly without dripping down the side.
What It Does BestSearing steaks, chops, and chicken thighs for a familyBuilding and reducing pan saucesBrowning a full batch of vegetables or mushrooms in one layerShallow frying cutletsFinishing dishes under the broilerStainless is not the best choice for eggs or other delicate, low-fat cooking, where a nonstick surface performs better. It excels instead at high-heat browning and fond-building, which a nonstick coating cannot deliver.
How It ComparesCompared with All-Clad’s 12-inch D3 fry pan, a common benchmark in this category, the Made In pan uses 5-ply construction instead of 3-ply and carries a higher oven rating: 800°F versus 600°F for the D3. The two pans are similar in size. Made In’s Stainless Clad Frying Pan was named “Best Overall Stainless Steel Frying Pan” by Food Network.The same pan comes in the Made In 10-inch Stainless Clad Frying Pan and the Made In 8-inch Stainless Clad Frying Pan, which suit smaller households and single servings. For eggs and fish, pair it with the Made In 12-inch ProCoat Non-Stick Fry Pan or the Made In 12-inch CeramiClad Non-Stick Frying Pan. Learn More

The Made In 12-inch Seasoned Carbon Steel Frying Pan is the size for cooks who feed a family or a table of guests. Its wide cooking floor holds a pair of large steaks, a full batch of chicken thighs, or a skillet of potatoes in a single layer, and a single layer is what produces an even, deep crust instead of a steamed surface. Carbon steel retains heat like cast iron but responds to the burner much faster, and this pan carries that performance from the stovetop to the oven, the grill, or a campfire.
Why It PerformsSeasoned before it ships: Made In completes the first two rounds of seasoning, a blend of shea nut oil and coconut oil, at the factory. These are the most demanding coats to build at home, so the pan is ready to cook from the first use, and its surface grows darker and slicker with each meal.One piece of stamped steel: The pan is stamped from a single carbon steel disc, with no coating to chip, peel, or wear thin. Made In puts its weight at roughly half that of cast iron, which matters most at this size, when a full pan has to come off the burner or out of the oven.Room to work: The broad floor and flared walls give a spatula clear access and leave space to flip, toss, and baste without crowding.Built for the highest heat: With nothing on the surface to protect, the pan goes onto a grill grate, under the broiler, or directly over flame.Hollow Stay Cool Handle: The hollow handle slows the transfer of heat and remains comfortable to grip during stovetop cooking.
What It Does BestSearing two large steaks or several chops at onceRoasting a spatchcocked chicken or a full pan of thighs in the ovenStir-fries and fried rice with room to tossCrisping a full batch of potatoes or hash for a family breakfastCooking over a grill or campfire, where the pan doubles as a griddle
Choosing the Right Made In PanFor two people or smaller portions, the Made In 10-inch Seasoned Carbon Steel Frying Pan is lighter and heats faster on a standard burner; the Made In 8-inch Seasoned Carbon Steel Frying Pan suits single servings. Cooks who want the same 12-inch size without seasoning to maintain should compare the Made In 12-inch ProCoat Non-Stick Fry Pan. For wine reductions and tomato sauces, which can strip seasoning, the Made In 12-inch Stainless Clad Frying Pan is the better tool. Learn More

This is the pan Matfer sells as 12 5/8 inches; the rim measures 12 3/8 inches. It gives a professional line cook or a home cook feeding a crowd the surface area to sear in one batch rather than three.A pan this size is the one to choose for paella-style rice, a large frittata or several steaks at once. It needs a large burner to heat evenly across the base.For an even larger surface, see the 14-inch pan; for a wide, shallow rice pan, the Matfer paella pan. Learn More

The Made In 12-inch CeramiClad Non-Stick Frying Pan is for cooks who want a large, easy-release pan without conventional nonstick chemistry. Made In applies a ceramic nonstick surface to the same 5-ply stainless clad body used in its Stainless Clad cookware, rather than to the thin aluminum base common to ceramic pans, so this pan holds its heat when food goes in and spreads it evenly across the full 12-inch floor. It cooks eggs for a family, a batch of pancakes, or fish fillets for several people in a single layer.
Why It PerformsCeramic nonstick surface: Eggs, fish, and starches release with little oil, and cleanup takes a soft sponge.Clad stainless body: Layers of stainless steel and aluminum carry heat evenly across the floor and up the walls, and the added thermal mass keeps the pan from cooling sharply when a full batch of food goes in.Curved walls: The rounded profile makes it easy to toss vegetables, flip an omelet, and slide food onto a platter.Stovetop to oven: The riveted, hollow Stay Cool Handle stays comfortable on the burner, and the pan carries a higher oven rating than Made In’s ProCoat nonstick, so family-size frittatas and skillet dishes can finish in the oven.
What It Does BestScrambled eggs and omelets for a familyPancakes, French toast, and crepes in batchesDelicate white fish and crab cakesSautéed vegetables and large-batch stir-friesGentle reductions, such as a balsamic glaze
Choosing the Right Made In PanCeramiClad also comes in the Made In 10-inch CeramiClad Non-Stick Frying Pan and the Made In 8-inch CeramiClad Non-Stick Frying Pan. Made In’s other nonstick line, the Made In 12-inch ProCoat Non-Stick Fry Pan, uses a conventional professional-grade coating on the same body. For a hard sear and pan sauces at the same size, choose the Made In 12-inch Stainless Clad Frying Pan. Learn More