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Our GHI expert explains everything you need to know...
Whether you're a seasoned pro or an experimental home chef, a high-quality pan set is an indispensable piece of kit. Most pans are used almost daily, so it's worth investing in a premium set that includes all the key pieces and will stand the test of time.
Our experts at the Good Housekeeping Institute have put 51 pan sets to the test to help you find the best. Whether you’re stocking up your kitchen from scratch, packing your children off to uni or looking for some reliable replacements, our guide will help you find your perfect saucepans.
This lightweight pan set barely dropped a point on test, thanks largely to its hugely effective non-stick coating that reduces how much oil you need to use. Every pan performed brilliantly across all hob types, and they're all oven and dishwasher-safe. They seared meat, thickened sauce, fried eggs and reduced caramel perfectly, and the grippy silicone handles stayed cool during cooking.
Cooking and cleaning are blissfully easy jobs with this non-stick, dishwasher-safe pan set. They stack up easily for space-saving storage and feel built to last. They're scratch-resistant, oven-safe and suitable for use on all hob types.
For durability at an affordable price, consider these all-hob pans. They browned mince beautifully and reduced white sauce steadily. Pancakes took a touch longer to cook than with some other sets, but that's our only quibble. Best of all, no sticking meant they rinsed clean quickly after use.
If chilli con carne is your go-to dish, note that this set's 18cm saucepan scored full marks for cooking mince and onions. Every pan felt reassuringly sturdy, and their non-stick coatings made for a speedy clean-up. Expect some rattling lids at full boil, but this is a good value choice.
These pans are green in ethos as well as colour; they're made with 75% recycled aluminium, with plant-based non-stick coatings that are palm oil free. They're recyclable, and Prestige claims to plant a tree for every set it sells. They make cooking a joy, with food sliding or pouring easily out of the pan. Just wash them up by hand, as our dishwasher damaged them slightly.
It's undeniably a cult favourite, but is the all-in-one Always Pan from Our Place really all that?
Priced at £125, it comes in nine chic muted colours and can certainly do a lot. From braising, searing and steaming to frying, boiling and straining, it can replace many of your kitchen essentials and save a lot of cupboard space.
Our testers gave it a strong 84/100, noting that it excelled at cooking all foods, including mince and caramel. Its non-stick aluminium distributed heat evenly without burning food, and any leftover residue rinsed out easily under the tap. Some condensation dripped onto the hob when boiling veg with the lid on, but we can recommend it as a trendy, premium alternative to a traditional pan set.
Establish what type of cookware will be suitable for your hob or cooker by reading our quick guide below. Many manufacturers put symbols on the bottom of their cookware to indicate its compatible hob or heat source. If in doubt, ask a store assistant or check the product specifications online.
On a ceramic hob, you can use any pans except copper, stainless steel with an exposed copper base, and glass. Make sure the pan has a smooth, flat base to provide the best contact with the hob ring. Traditional cast iron pans can be used, but be careful not to drag them across the hob as they may cause damage.
Electric hobs are compatible with any type of pan except copper.
You can use any pan on a gas hob. Choose a lightweight pan – pans with thinner bases don’t retain heat as well as thicker-based pans, making it faster to switch from a rapid boil to a simmer. Regulate the flame to stop it extending beyond the base of the pan, which can damage the handle and waste gas.
On a halogen hob, you can use any pans except those with exposed copper or reflective bases. Choose a set with dull or dark bases - if they're too bright and shiny, the thermal limiter may cut out to prevent the glass from overheating.
Induction hobs are increasingly popular but they aren't compatible with all saucepans. If you're using the wrong pan, it'll either not heat up or the indicator light will start flashing. The only suitable pans are those with a magnetic base, such as cast iron or stainless steel. Pure aluminium or copper pans will only work if the base is bonded with a magnetic metal.
Check with the manufacturer. Heavy-based pans, like those made from cast iron, are usually best.
Use whatever you like, except pans made from copper.
Decide if you need saucepans that are dishwasher-safe and think about where you’re going to store them. Some new pans have removable handles for stacking in cupboards.
Some people like to hang their pots and pans on a suspended pot rack over an island or peninsula. This can look stylish, but you may find they collect grease and dust and need washing before each use. Try arranging your cookware in a line on the wall using a linear rack (a shelf with hooks that you can hang pans from), or install a carousel into a corner unit to keep them neat and easily accessible.
Many aluminium pans have an enamel coating on the outside and a non-stick coating on the inside. This makes them tough, easy to clean and resistant to scratching and staining. You can also get hard-anodised (see below) or cast aluminium – this looks like cast iron but has the lighter weight and superior heat conductivity of aluminium. Uncoated aluminium pans are not suitable for cooking acidic foods.
This material heats up slowly but retains heat well, making it good for slow, even cooking on a low heat and achieving the perfect sear on meat. Just remember that your food will continue to cook for some time after the heat has been turned off.
Cast iron rusts easily on its own, so pans usually have a non-stick interior coating or a thin protective layer of porcelain enamel. Uncoated cast iron is not dishwasher-safe but most cast iron pans have enamel exteriors and enamel or non-stick interiors to avoid this problem. Uncoated cast iron pans will need to be seasoned to build up a patina.
How to season a cast iron pan:
Though heavy and best suited to range cookers, cast iron pans can be used on all types of hob, including induction. However, because of their weight, take care to lift rather than drag pans on a ceramic surface.
Copper has excellent heat conductivity. Good copper pans are expensive but should last a lifetime. Copper can react with acidic foods, fish and meat, so these pans are normally lined with tin or stainless steel to act as a barrier. Unlined copper pans must be kept for display only.
Copper pans have to be cleaned with a dedicated copper polish to keep them looking their best. Don't use them on a glass-topped hob unless they have a sandwich-base construction. This means a layer of metal – usually aluminium – is sandwiched on top and below another metal (in this case, copper). This improves the pan's heat retention in the same way as wearing many layers of clothes. It improves the cooking performance, too.
Distinguished by their deep grey or black colour, the surface of these pans has been electrochemically treated to produce a hard finish that will not chip, crack, peel or react with acidic foods. You can use metal utensils, but they may mark the surface. These pans aren’t usually dishwasher-safe, but their surface is stick-resistant. Hard-anodised pans are reasonably lightweight and heat up rapidly, eliminating hot spots. They’re expensive, but should perform well and last you years. They work with all types of hob except induction.
Stainless steel pans should last a lifetime, but they can be expensive. Food tends to stick to the bottom, so you may have to use more oil. This material is liable to hot spots, so copper or aluminium is often incorporated into the base of the pan to improve heat conductivity – it's typically sandwiched between two layers of stainless steel. Cooking on a low heat also helps. Stainless steel tends to be dishwasher-safe and won’t react with food. Overheating and minerals in water can cause a 'rainbow' effect, but a good stainless steel cleaner will remove this.
This coating is usually applied to aluminium, cast-iron and steel pans. Price varies according to the metal of the pan. Enamel pans generally do not spit, scratch easily or react with food, but they can chip if they’re not handled with care. Heat distribution can sometimes be a problem; if the coating is too thin, food may stick and burn, and extra lightweight pans may warp over high heat.
Ideal for frying and making sauces, a non-stick coating stops food sticking, reduces the need for additional fat and makes pans easy to clean. You’ll find a non-stick coating on most types of cookware, including aluminium, cast iron and stainless steel pans. Choose the coating carefully as quality can vary; look for pans with branded coatings such as Teflon or Silverstone that come with a guarantee. Don’t use metal utensils or abrasive scourers on these pans as they can damage the finish.
Saucepan sizes are measured by diameter, with the smallest in most sets being 14cm. Try to imagine how heavy they will be to lift when full and, on larger pans, look for a secondary lug handle (a small handle that sits on the other side of the pan) for extra support and balance. The inner capacity for the most commonly-sized pans is:
A wok is a must-have piece of kit for Asian cooking.
As with saucepans, when selecting a wok, you need to consider your hob type. All woks can be used on gas, but for glass-topped hobs, choose a wok with a smooth, flat base to ensure good contact with the surface, rather than one with a traditional rounded base.
Traditional woks are made from uncoated carbon steel. Wash them in warm water without detergent, dry and then brush with a thin layer of vegetable oil to help prevent rusting and season the wok.
If you don't feel you have the time or inclination for the preparation and maintenance needed with traditional carbon steel, choose a wok with a non-stick interior. These might not appeal to purists, but they're much easier to maintain.
See the GHI's top-scoring woks below, and discover more here.
Our champion wok scored full marks in every cooking test, with no burning or sticking whatsoever. Its deep design keep food inside, even when tossing like a chef, and its dual handles make for easy lifting from hob to table. Metal utensils don't scratch it, and it's tough enough to withstand both the oven and the dishwasher.
This Salter wok is nearly £140 cheaper than the Le Creuset model, yet it earned the same near-perfect score. Its long, strong handle felt comfortable to grip and its non-stick coating proved reliably scratch-resistant. It looked as good as new after cooking and cleaning (it's dishwasher-safe but can't go in the oven) and the lifetime guarantee is generous at this low price.
This lidded wok has both a long and a short handle for ultimate control and manoeuvrability. Its non-stick coating impressed on test, bar some slight sticking when cooking onions and mince, and it can handle metal utensils. It claims to be dishwasher-safe, but we noticed some damage after several cycles.
From the same recycled aluminium range as the eco pan set above, this wok gave an outstanding performance across all our cooking tests. Its rounded sides made stirring easy and mess-free, its soft grip handle stayed cool, and it looked flawless after multiple runs through the dishwasher. Just note that metal utensils will scratch it, so stick to wood or silicone.
If you regularly whip up a stir-fry for one, consider this compact 24cm wok (there's a bigger size available too). It heated up quickly and felt pleasingly lightweight to use. Food scraped out easily, making it simple to clean, but prepare to mop up the hob as some of our ingredients escaped from the shallower sides.
A grill pan is a useful piece of kit in any kitchen. Usually square, these pans have ridges on the surface that collect fat and juices and impart smokey, BBQ-style flavours into your food. They're not just great for meat, they work wonders on vegetables and bread, too.
Most grill pans are made from cast iron, which can reach higher temperatures than other metals. However, they are heavy and need regular seasoning. If you need a lighter pan, opt for one made from stainless steel or carbon steel.
Read about the GHI's top-scoring grill pans here.
This pre-seasoned cast iron pan has tall, thick ridges that sear dark marks into meat and veg. It heated up in five minutes and delivered tasty, caramelised results. It felt heavy to use and the handles got hot, but it cooked to perfection.
You can't go wrong with Le Creuset, and this pre-seasoned cast iron pan comes in 14 colours. Its tall grill lines seared meat brilliantly for a rich and intense flavour. Food stuck initially, but soon slipped off. Just use a tea towel for the handles.
This non-stick aluminium pan heated up in just two minutes. Its grill lines are on the shallow side but meat charred well without sticking. The pouring lips on either side will suit both left- and right-handed chefs, the handle stayed cool and it's dishwasher-safe.
This lightweight carbon steel pan charred vegetables brilliantly and cooked meat well too. It needs seasoning before use and only has a pouring lip to the left, but it felt comfortable to hold and the handle stayed safely cool. It's great quality for the price.
This aluminium pan offers excellent value for money. It charred food well, albeit with poorly-defined grill lines, and served up richly flavoursome results. It was quick to heat up and easy to clean.
Dishwasher-safe: Pans with plastic or stainless steel handles or knobs are usually dishwasher-safe, but most with wooden handles and knobs are not. Ideally, don't wash your pans in the dishwasher full-stop, as doing so can dramatically shorten their lifespan. Most pans need little more than a quick rinse out, a soak or a gentle scrub.
During testing, we washed 'dishwasher-safe' pans 15 times in the dishwasher. We often saw rusting, peeling and rivets coming loose. The dishwasher can also cause the coating on non-stick coated pans (think Tefal) to peel, rendering them useless.
Flat base: Especially useful for electric cooking, these pans cover the entire hob ring and don't waste any heat.
Oven-safe: Multi-purpose pans that can be used in the oven as well as on the hob save time and storage space. Check that the handle is oven-proof and pay attention to its maximum temperature.
Pouring lips on both sides: Ideal for a household with both left- and right-handed chefs.
Stay-cool handles and knobs: Handles should be long and thick enough to stay balanced without becoming too heavy. Stay-cool tech keeps them safe to touch during cooking.
Lids that fit well: Lids should fit securely, while allowing steam to escape if there are no vents.
Holes in the handles: Great for hanging up your pans and saving on cupboard space.
Never leave an empty pan on a hot burner or in a heated oven.
Try to avoid putting a hot pan in cold water or pouring cold water into it. This can cause the base of the pan to warp. It's always best to leave a pan to cool before washing it in hot, soapy water.
Take particular care when cleaning non-stick pans and avoid using scouring pads, steel wool or abrasives.
To remove burnt-on food, half fill the pan with water and add a dishwasher tablet or tablespoon of biological washing powder. Boil for 10 minutes, then rinse thoroughly.
Make sure pans and lids are thoroughly dry before storing as stagnant water can pool and start to smell. Wet pans can also begin to rust.
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