The best pans—typically made from stainless steel, cast iron, or carbon steel—are nearly indestructible. That’s great news when calculating their value, but bad news for my kitchen storage. As a kitchen gearhead, I’m excited to snag the latest and greatest skillet. The issue? Since my pans never need to be replaced, I’m running out of cupboard storage. But while I was pondering what it would look like to institute a new “one in, one out” policy, I started thinking more about the value question. If all of these pans can carry on cooking long after I’ve left the Earth, just how much should a good pan cost?
Unlike nonstick pans, which come with a sell-by date after which their coatings start to wear off (and become a potential safety issue), pans made of stainless steel, cast iron, and carbon steel are all built to last. High-quality pans have solid construction that resists warping under heat, leaving rust and as the only enemy of these types of pans. Even then, it’s rare for a high-quality stainless-steel pan to ever encounter rust, and for cast iron and carbon steel, all you need is a little buffing and reseasoning to make the surface good as new.
But the prices on these pans can vary pretty widely. Since the material of each is so durable, it’s reasonable to wonder what exactly you’re paying for if you buy an expensive pan versus a more budget-friendly one. In general, those differences come down to manufacturing process, design, and performance.
Here’s how those differences shake out and how much you should expect to pay for a reliable pan.
Cast Iron
Cast-iron pans have a reputation for being among the least-expensive pieces of cookware you can get. One of the reasons they have such low price tags is the manufacturing process behind them. The casting process is fairly simple: Molds are formed in sand, creating a negative space in the pan’s shape, and molten iron (and some other metals, depending on the manufacturer) gets poured into the molds. Once the metal cools, the pans are then cleaned up, polished, and seasoned. Because companies can do this at scale, it’s easy for big ones to crank out skillets at relatively low cost.
In our testing, we noticed three different things that set high-end cast-iron pans apart from the competition: weight, surface smoothness, and factory seasoning. Cast-iron pans get their nonstick properties from the seasoning process, where oils polymerize to their surface under high heat, creating a smooth surface that lets food release easily. When testing low-cost cast-iron pans in the $20–$30 range, it was clear that our favorite cheap pan from Victoria had the slickest factory seasoning layer that made it easy to cook with out of the box. While all cast-iron pans will improve their seasoning over time with use, the Victoria model has a slight advantage over the other budget options. However, there is a whole other class of cast iron that has a much more extensive production process.
Most mass-produced cast-iron pans have a rougher surface that has a slightly bumpy feeling to the touch. This is a natural by-product of how the casting process works—the sand molds aren’t perfectly flat, and you can expect most pans to have some level of surface texture.
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High-end pans are usually made in smaller batches and with extensive hand-finishing after the casting process. These pans undergo thorough hand polishing and machining to refine their shape, reduce their weight, and create a mirror-smooth surface that is nearly nonstick from the get-go.
Our favorite cast-iron pan from Lancaster is a full pound lighter than most other models we tested. This means it heats up quicker and more evenly than other cast-iron pans, and its smooth surface lets eggs glide around in the pan without the need for extensive home seasoning. Heavy cast-iron pans don’t tend to be everyday go-to options because of their weight and pre-heating times, but Lancaster’s No. 8 Skillet is easy to wield and quick-heating enough to be your daily driver.
Cast-iron pans really do give you a lot of bang for your buck—a $25 Victoria skillet can fry eggs, roast a chicken, sear steaks, and even get tossed into your outdoor pizza oven to roast vegetables without taking much wear and tear. But if you’re a cast-iron aficionado, the performance difference is stark between the Lancaster pan and the Victoria. Faster heating, better nonstick, lighter weight for easier storage: these are qualities worth investing in.
Carbon Steel
Carbon-steel pans have been restaurant kitchen staples for decades, but they have only gained popularity in the consumer market more recently, as people have sought them as nontoxic alternatives to traditional PFAS-coated nonstick pans. Carbon steel is a common material in knife-making, as the higher carbon content creates a harder steel. But carbon steel is also fairly porous (as is cast iron), making it susceptible to rust and corrosion.
That might sound like a bad thing for a pan, but it’s carbon steel’s porousness that helps it absorb oil that polymerizes under high heat, giving well-seasoned carbon steel a slick, nonstick finish. This provides the material with an advantage—as long as it’s seasoned properly. Unlike cast iron, though, carbon steel is relatively lightweight and heats up quickly.
Carbon-steel pans are cut from large sheets of metal and then individually punched into shape on large industrial equipment. The rivets that secure the handles are often added by hand. In general, it’s a much more labor-intensive process than casting, which means the most affordable carbon steel pans are usually a bit more expensive than the most affordable cast iron. But it also means there’s a greater variance in design and performance across different carbon steel pans.
Our favorite pan from de Buyer uses blued carbon steel, a heat-treating process that makes its surface more corrosion-resistant. It still needs to be properly seasoned for its nonstick properties to shine fully, but unlike other carbon steel pans, you’re much less likely to find rust spots over time if the seasoning layer is worn away. It’s also relatively lightweight, and at around $65, it's relatively affordable for a daily-use pan. However, due to the labor-intensive carbon steel manufacturing process, our budget pick from Oxo isn’t significantly cheaper. It does, however, come preseasoned and has a silicone handle sleeve to make it easier to handle under high heat.
On the higher end, de Buyer’s Mineral B Pro offers heavy-duty construction and a thicker pan base. A favorite of commercial kitchens, the Mineral B Pro seasons more quickly than their blue carbon steel pan, but it’s also heavier and more susceptible to rust. That makes the pricier pan a little less user-friendly, which is why, for most home cooks interested in splurging on carbon steel, we recommend checking out Misen’s new Nitrided Carbon Steel Pan, which retails for about the same amount as the Mineral B Pro. Its surface steel is hardened in a nitrogen-rich oven, which makes it react much more like a traditional nonstick pan than any other carbon steel pan we tested. It also features an aluminum core, which helps it heat more evenly, making it an ideal alternative for those seeking a direct option to PFAS-coated nonstick pans.
Overall, however, most home cooks would be happy with a mid-priced carbon steel pan like de Buyer’s blue pan for its performance and longevity. Great for searing, sautéing, and safe to go from stovetop to oven, carbon steel pans are versatile and easy to use without breaking the bank. The most important features you’d get upgrading to Misen’s nitrided pan is an improved nonstick surface right out of the box and less upkeep than a traditional carbon steel pan.
Stainless Steel
Though stainless steel pans have been around since the 1930s, it wasn’t until All-Clad created the tri-ply stainless clad pan in 1971 that they took off. Stainless steel is a poor conductor, meaning a single-ply pan made of stainless steel would cook inconsistently, with numerous hot and cold spots. All-Clad’s innovation was to envelop a disk of highly conductive aluminum in nearly indestructible stainless steel, creating a surface that heats more evenly and can stand up to high temps and general kitchen abuse. It’s no surprise then that our favorite stainless steel pan is from All-Clad, which has been making these pans for over 50 years. Their pans, however, do tend to be relatively expensive.
Manufacturing a triple-ply stainless steel-clad pan is involved. It takes numerous steps that must each be overseen by a factory worker. First, each piece of metal needs to be cut to size. Then, all three layers need to be bonded. Once bonded, the pans can be punched into shape, the way carbon steel pans are. From there, each pan needs to be cleaned up and polished before workers can rivet the handles on. Add in the fact that All-Clad’s bonded stainless steel pans are still made in the USA, and the labor cost for each pan is considerably high.
However, in the early 2000s, All-Clad’s patent on the bonding process for stainless-steel-clad pans expired. As the market opened up, competitors flooded in from all over the map—and their various price points generally coincided with various levels of quality. Cheaper stainless-steel-clad pans tend to be thinner, making them heat unevenly and susceptible to warping under high heat. These pans might also have poor rivets holding the handle on, or strange shapes with a narrow base and tall sides that make searing difficult. But not every new pan on the market was a flop.
In our review of stainless steel pans, there are ten models we tested that we like, including an inexpensive model from Goldilocks that costs less than half what an All-Clad pan does. Not every All-Clad competitor is cheaper, though—some high-end models can be twice the price, making All-Clad’s price point land somewhere in the middle of the pack. Well-made stainless steel pans can last a lifetime, which means you want a pan that heats evenly, has sturdy and comfortable handle construction, and has a general shape that’s easy to cook with. Plus, when you consider the versatility of a stainless steel pan, spending a little more isn’t a bad value proposition.
Stainless steel pans can sear, sauté, roast—but most importantly, they can simmer with no downside. Since cast iron and carbon steel rely on polymerized oils to form a nonstick, protective barrier on the pan, simmering liquids (especially acidic ones) can wear down the seasoning layer to the raw metal underneath. Not only will you have to reseason your pan, but it can also make your tomato sauce taste metallic. Stainless steel contains at least 10.5% chromium, making its surface resistant to rust and corrosion, as well as non-reactive to long-simmered liquids. If you’ve ever wanted to sear chicken thighs on the stove top and then braise them in the oven, stainless steel is the way to go.
How much should I spend on a pan?
Figuring out how to allocate your pan budget depends on how you like to cook. If you’re in the kitchen every day, you’ll probably want high-end stainless steel pans for their versatility and performance. That will entail spending about $140 for a medium-sized pan or $600 for a small set (although All-Clad has a website that sells seconds of its cookware and BA editors haven’t noticed any meaningful issues when they’ve purchased from it).
For people who love to roast, sear, and shallow fry, it really is worth it to consider splurging on a Lancaster cast-iron skillet for its superior performance. It's $175 for the most useful 10.5-inch size (don't be fooled, the No. 8 pan is actually 10.5 inches in diameter).
For carbon steel, we strongly recommend considering mid-priced options to get the best performance and ease of care.
Even though the recommendations here tend towards the more expensive, remember, you’ll spread that cost out over decades. Each one of these pans could easily last 30 years. Consider the lifetime cost of each pan compared to how many times you’d need to replace an aluminum pan or PFAS-coated nonstick pan in the same time period (probably 10 or 11!).
Less experienced home cooks can snag a budget pick from all three categories for well under $100 total without a massive difference in longevity and we have recommendations for every type of pan. But we’d caution against buying primarily on price point. After testing dozens of pans across the price spectrum, we’ve found budget pans have performance that’s all over the map. More often than not, you get what you pay for.