This article was updated in October 2021 to ensure all product picks tested and vetted by the Good Housekeeping Kitchen Appliances lab were up to date and in stock. We added a new best ceramic cookware set and a best nonstick cookware set for sautéing. We also added tips to the story for how to use and care for your nonstick cookware.

Having at least one nonstick pan is essential in every cook's kitchen, from the most professional to the very beginners. It's almost impossible to make eggs without one, they make pan searing fish a lot easier and they keep pancakes from tearing apart in the pan.

Note: There are two main types of nonstick cookware: traditional nonstick and ceramic. The difference lies in the nonstick coating and sometimes the material of the pan. This article focuses on traditional nonstick but you can also check out our best ceramic nonstick cookware.

How we test nonstick cookware

In the Good Housekeeping Institute Kitchen Appliances and Technology Lab, we fried 165 eggs, seared 50 steaks and more to rate more than 35 new cookware lines. We tested how evenly skillets distributed heat on gas and electric ranges, how well they browned meat and how well saucepans maintained a steady simmer and resisted scorching sauce. We evaluated how well nonstick surfaces released eggs and pancakes and after, how easy they were to clean. Finally, we checked how easy all cookware items were to use, including whether handles became hot to the touch and whether each piece was oven- and/or dishwasher-safe.

Our favorite nonstick pans were the ones that could do it all, from cooking an egg with no oil to searing a steak and being easy to clean after. Below are our favorite nonstick pans, including top-tested picks, editor favorites and new releases with innovative features that make cooking easy. Here are our picks for the best nonstick pans of 2021:

Best Overall Nonstick Cookware:

Best Value Nonstick Cookware :

Most Durable Nonstick Cookware:

Best Nonstick Cookware for Even Heating:

Most Versatile Nonstick Cookware:

Best Ceramic Nonstick Cookware:

Best Lightweight Nonstick Cookware:

Best Aluminum Nonstick Cookware:

Best Metal-Utensil Safe Nonstick Cookware:

Best Nonstick Cookware for Beginners:

Is nonstick cookware safe?

Traditional nonstick pans have gotten a bad rap because many are made with Teflon (also known as PTFE) which, at high temperatures releases compounds into the air that are linked to some cancers. Today, many nonstick pans are made without PTFE, but, either way, nonstick cookware is safe, according to Robert L. Wolke, Ph.D., a professor emeritus of chemistry at the University of Pittsburgh and the author of What Einstein Told His Cook: Kitchen Science Explained, as long as you use them properly and don't overheat them. How hot is too hot? PTFE starts to decompose at 500ºF and more significantly at 660ºF, so use your nonstick pans over a medium or low flame.

Tips for using nonstick cookware