The best frying pan for eggs are usually nonstick pans. While you can cook eggs or stainless steel, they rarely match the performance of nonstick pan. However, some might like the chemical free composition of an all natural pan like cast iron. There are typically some things that you need to consider. This article will take a closer look at how different type of material and cookware design affects cooking eggs.

Best Frying Pan for Eggs Sorted by Material

Here is a list of some of the best Best Frying Pan for Eggs sorted by Material.

Best Nonstick pan for Eggs (Calphalon Contemporary)

Calphalon Contemporary is one of the best nonstick frying pan for eggs. The pan is shaped for tossing and turning omelettes. The long handle is great for when you need to turn the egg over. It has 3 layers of nonstick coating to ensure overall durability and its oven safe up to 450 degree fahrenheit. That is one of the highest oven safe temperature for teflon. You really cannot go wrong.

Best Cast Iron Skillet for Eggs (Lodge Chef Collection)

Lodge traditional skillet has a tall sloping sidewall. That resembles more of a saute pan then a skillet. Its sharp sidewall makes it difficult to toss and turn omelette. Luckily, they made a Chef Collection series that solves all of that problem. Most people dont even know it exist. It has a soft gentle interior and is perfect for rolling and tossing food. Its cast iron construction also mean that it will pretty much last forever. It is the best cast iron skillet for eggs!

Cookware Shape

The shape of a cookware is something that most people overlook. Generally for a frying pan, you want a low sloping side. This helps in turning and tossing food. It also helps increase the rate of liquid evaporation. However, for eggs, a traditional french skillet is better. How those are usually shaped is a mid height almost vertical sidewall. The interior corner should have a gentle curve that helps you toss and roll food. This is important when you cook things like omelette.

Best Non Stick Frying Pan Material

There are three categories in this section. Well technically four but we will get to that. At its core, the true nonstick pan for today are made of teflon and ceramic.

Teflon

Teflon is the king of nonstick cookware. They perform really well and last a long time. At least as far as nonstick goes. You can expect them to last one or two years before you have to replace them. Some consumer expect them to last forever, dont do that. If you go in with a mindset that a teflon pan will last forever, you will be dissapointed. Almost all manufacturer source the teflon coating from the same manufacturer. However, there are different grades of teflon. Some will have dual or even triple layer. Other have titanium technology, but really a lot of it is marketing. When it really comes down to it, you have to look at the overall construction of the pan to determine which is the best.

Ceramic

Ceramic is the new nonstick on the block. They are more green and eco friendly. What this means is that they do not use PFOA in the manufacturing and its less harmful to the environment. While it is more eco friendly, it is not as durable. They may work for a few months, they will eventually develop micro tears. You will soon loose the nonstick coating that you initially bought for eggs. At that point, you might as well have a stainless steel pan.

Cast Iron

Cast Iron is the original nonstick. This cookware was used for literally hundreds of yeas before teflon was invented. However, the performance can never rival that of Teflon. What is better is its durability. Since the nonstick coating depends on the seasoning of the pan, it can pretty much last forever.

If it should somehow get destroyed, you can always reapply it yourself. All you need to do is put a light coat of canola oil and bake it at 350 degree Fahrenheit for half an hour. Repeat as necessary and it will get better as you cook.

There is a bit of upkeep to cast iron though. Since the seasoning can be destroyed, you have to be careful about washing it. Using strong dish detergent can strip it. High heat can also destroy the seasoning as well. But if you can look past that, cast iron cookware are actually a great performer.

One thing to note about enamel cast iron cookware. They cannot develop a nonstick coating as well as those bare cast iron cookware. I would avoid them if you intend on cooking eggs in them.

Carbon Steel

Carbon Steel performs almost the same as cast iron. The main difference is the weight of it. While Cast Iron is dense and heavy, you can expect your typical carbon steel to weight half of what cast iron does. The problem with carbon steel is the shape of the cookware tends to be sharp and angular. You cannot roll it like you would with a cast iron pan.

Why are my Eggs Sticking to the Pan?

There are many reason why this might occur. Normally its due to the amount of oil used and heat. People are afraid of fat. But really, this calorie dense liquid keeps you full longer and makes food taste better. You can always use healthier fat like Olive Oil to offset any possible negative effect. If used properly, oil can actually make you consume less calories overall.

Some people ask how much oil is necessary, that depends on the pan. You generally want the egg to be surrounded by oil. When you pour in the egg, you should be able to see a slight pooling around the eggs.

As for heat, you need to ensure that your cookware is heated properly. Usually around 350 is a good temperature. You want to heat up your pan slowly to ensure that the heat is evenly distributed throughout your pan. If you do not do that, some areas of the pan can stick, even with nonstick. If you use this method, you can even cook eggs in stainless steel. Something that most people think is impossible.

Thoughts

Overall, what frying pan you choose for eggs depends on your preference. The reality is that you can cook eggs in any pan, even stainless steel. However, to make your life easier, I recommend you get one that is either teflon or cast iron. They are generally affordable and they will last better than ceramic. Try to get one that is curved in the interior and something that does not have sharp corner. You want to be able to roll the eggs upward when you toss it.

I hope you like this Best Frying Pan for Eggs article, If you would like to see more, please visit our Pots and Pans Review page.