Best Non-Stick Pan of 2020

The Anolon brand was new to me before buying this set. In the sea of pans online, it looks just like all the other ones. But, after a few months of use this pan really started to stand out compared to the others we've been trying out. I found that in terms of quality and value, this set even surpassed the Mr Rudolf pan that had been my top pick last year.

On all the usual pain points with non-stick pans, this set from Anolon out-performed. The non-stick coating was truly "non-stick" and highly durable, lasting me more than a year so far with heavy use. There has been practically no warping of the pans that I can detect. On top of that, the handle feels great and hasn't loosened at all from the pan's body. I love how light these pans are, and having both the 12-inch and 10-inch sizes covers almost all the cooking needs for my family.

Non-stick Coating

As with any new pan that I try out, the first thing I did was perform the egg test. Without any oil on the pan, the egg moved freely across the surface. However, I'd say more than 50% of the pans I've tried pass the egg test right out of the box. More convincingly, I repeated this test after 3 months of steady use, and the non-stick performed just as well as brand new.

A lot of pans have a non-stick coating that works great the first few times you use it but degrades rapidly. That was not the case with this set from Anolon.

What about Ceramic Coatings?

It's important to note that these pans are PFOA-free, but the coating is made out of Teflon so it's not PTFE-free. This is common to basically all non-stick pans on the market except for those that are using ceramic coatings. Unfortunately, I have yet to find a ceramic pan that comes anywhere close to Teflon in terms of non-stick performance after even 2 months of use. Using PTFE-free ceramics sounds like a good idea and has a "healthy" marketing angle, but the reality is that these coatings simply don't deliver on their "non stick" promise. Every study I've seen indicates that PTFE is fine for your health, unless you overheat the pan dramatically (past 400° or so).

Warping

Warping can happen to any pan, but some are much more prone to it than others. What warping basically means is that the shape of the pan (primarily the bottom) can get deformed or "warped" which makes the pan unable to lie flat on your stove. This makes it incredibly frustrating to cook with a warped pan. The way this can happen is if the pan is rapidly heated and cooled, but it can also happen gradually over many heat cycles.

These pans are made out of Hard Anodized aluminum. The anodizing process makes the aluminum safe for food by oxidizing it, and using aluminum instead of steel allows the pans to be much lighter and easier to handle. Aluminum is much better than steel when it comes to having your pan heat evenly across its surface. However, steel is a more rigid metal, so in general pans made from Aluminum are more prone to warping.

For any aluminum pan that you buy, you should take proper care to avoid warping by letting the pan heat up and cool down gradually. However, over the many months that I've used these pans I haven't noticed any warping. Granted, I'm pretty careful with how I handle my pans!

Pro tip: Avoid subjecting your pans to rapid temperature changes to prevent warping. Let the pan cool down fully before pouring water on it or sticking it into the fridge.

Construction

Besides warping or the non-stick coating wearing out, the most common point of concern for pans is the handle coming loose from the pan. This was not an issue here, and the steel rivets that hold the two together are as tight as when I first bought this set.

Heat Distribution

No complaints here, we consistently observed an even distribution of heat throughout the pan's surface. The aluminum body has incredible heat conductivity so it heats quickly and evenly.

Size

I must say that I'm a bit biased towards 12 inch pans. If I could only have one pan in my arsenal it would have to be a 12-incher, because in my view this is the most versatile size. It's big enough to cover almost all your cooking needs (even those big family dinners), without getting unwieldy.

But with this 2-piece set, you don't have to choose. The 10-inch pan is great for making eggs and other quick meals.

Weight

At 2.5 pounds per pan, these pans are incredibly light and easy to handle. Other pans can weigh as much as 5 pounds! I'm typically shuffling pans around on my stove, cooking several things in the kitchen at once, so having a lighter pan makes it easier for me. Of course, sometimes I put way too much stuff into the pan which makes it heavy, but that's hardly the pan's fault.

Drawbacks

The main drawback with this set is that it doesn't come with lids. Of course, I already have lids and it's easy enough to buy them separately. I actually wouldn't like it if every pan that I bought came with a lid, since they're generally interchangeable and I only keep a few lids in the cupboard. But for someone buying their first set of pans, this could be an important consideration.

I'd also prefer the pans to have slightly longer handles. That's because I tend to really over-stuff my pans sometimes, not realizing how heavy they get. Then when I go to lift it, I want to carry it with both hands for more stability. So a longer handle makes it more comfortable to grip it with both hands at once. It's not a big deal and I still manage to carry these pans with both hands, but it's just a nice-to-have (for me personally).

Conclusion

This set out-performed every other pan that I've tested so far. Along the way, I threw out a lot of pans where the non-stick coating started to flake. Other pans warped to the point of being really difficult to use. But these pans stand out with a really good non-stick coating that is highly durable, and a body that does not warp. I had to think pretty hard to come up with drawbacks for these pans, as they're pretty minor!