Best Stainless Steel Skillet: All-Clad D3 and Others

Nonstick pans wear out. A clad stainless skillet does not, and it browns, deglazes and goes into a hot oven without a second thought.

By the Bonwits editorsUpdated September 25, 20264 picksSave to Pinterest

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Our top picks

4 picks, each linked to the exact listing

1
Best overallAll-Clad D3 Stainless Steel 12" Fry Pan, Made in the USA
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2
The sensible entry pointTramontina Signature Tri-Ply Clad Stainless Steel 12-Inch Large Frying Pan
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3
The five-ply alternativeMade In Cookware 12-Inch Stainless Steel Frying Pan, 5 Ply Stainless Clad
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4
If money is no objectAll-Clad Copper Core Stainless Steel 12" Fry Pan, Made in the USA
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The stainless skillet that does the real cooking

A clad stainless skillet is a sandwich: a core of aluminum, sometimes copper, bonded between layers of stainless steel that run all the way up the sides. The core spreads heat quickly and evenly. The steel gives a surface that will not react with wine or tomato, cannot be scratched off, and takes metal tools, steel wool and the oven's broiler.

It is the pan for searing a chop and making a sauce from what is stuck to the bottom. Food does stick at first, and that stuck layer is the point; it becomes the sauce. Learn to preheat the pan properly and add fat before the food, and most of the sticking goes away.

Nothing on this list should need replacing. The differences are in how many layers there are, how well the pan holds its shape over years of heat, how the handle sits in the hand, and how much you are willing to pay for the last increment of evenness.

How we chose

Fully clad. Layers bonded all the way up the walls, not a disc stuck to the base. Every pan here is fully clad.
Stays flat. A pan that warps spins on a glass top and pools oil at the edge. We weighed independent testing on warping heavily.
Heat limits. Oven and broiler ratings from the maker, since a stainless skillet should go from stove to oven.
Where it is made and the warranty. Country of manufacture and warranty terms as the maker or listing states them.

We read makers’ specifications, warranties, care instructions and the sources listed at the end. We do not accept paid placements. How we choose

The 4 picks, in detail

Best overallNo. 1

All-Clad D3 Stainless Steel 12" Fry Pan, Made in the USA

Our take. The original bonded tri-ply skillet, and still the one independent testers put first.

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Made in: USA (Pennsylvania), with global components
Keeps for: Generations
Construction: Tri-ply: stainless, aluminum core, fully bonded
Size: 12 in
Oven and broiler: Safe to 600°F
Cooktops: All, including induction
Care: Hand wash only
Warranty: Limited warranty

All-Clad invented bonded cookware and has made it in its Pennsylvania factory since 1971. D3 is the original line: stainless inside and out with an aluminum core, bonded all the way up the sides. The listing states it is made in the USA with global components, which is the accurate version of the claim.

America's Test Kitchen has named the D3 12 inch fry pan its winner in this category for years, calling it a longtime favorite that still beats all newcomers. It is oven and broiler safe to 600 degrees Fahrenheit and works on induction. The handle is the one thing people argue about: it is shaped for an underhand grip with a groove down the middle, and some cooks find it uncomfortable.

Skip it if you want a pan for the dishwasher. All-Clad says to hand wash, and the polished exterior shows every mark.

The catch. The grooved handle is a matter of taste, and hand washing is required.

The sensible entry pointNo. 2

Tramontina Signature Tri-Ply Clad Stainless Steel 12-Inch Large Frying Pan

Our take. A properly clad 12 inch pan with a lifetime warranty for about a third of the price of an All-Clad.

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Made in: Brazil
Keeps for: Decades; lifetime warranty
Construction: Tri-ply: 18/10 stainless, aluminum core
Size: 12 in
Oven: Safe to 500°F
Cooktops: All, including induction
Care: Dishwasher safe; NSF certified
Warranty: Lifetime

Tramontina's tri-ply clad pan is 18/10 stainless steel around an aluminum core, riveted stainless handle, made in Brazil. It works on induction, goes in the oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit, is NSF certified and carries a lifetime warranty. For the price, that is a remarkable list.

America's Test Kitchen has made Tramontina's 12 inch tri-ply clad pan its budget pick for years, praising how it resists warping and denting. Its reservation is the cooking surface, the narrowest in their lineup, which crowds food and browns a little less evenly.

Skip it if you regularly cook for six or more; the flat base is smaller than the rim suggests. Otherwise there is very little reason to spend more on your first stainless pan.

The catch. The flat cooking surface is small for a 12 inch pan, so crowded food steams rather than browns.

The five-ply alternativeNo. 3

Made In Cookware 12-Inch Stainless Steel Frying Pan, 5 Ply Stainless Clad

Our take. A five-ply Italian-made pan with a comfortable hollow handle, at D3 money.

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Made in: Italy
Keeps for: Decades
Construction: 5-ply stainless clad
Diameter: 12.5 in rim, 9.5 in cooking surface
Depth: 1.75 in
Oven: Safe to 500°F
Care: Hand wash

Made In's Stainless Clad pan is five layers of metal, made in Italy, with a 430 stainless outer layer for induction. The 12 inch pan measures 12.5 inches across with a 9.5 inch cooking surface, 1.75 inches deep, and 20 inches long with the handle. The handle is hollow, which Made In says keeps it cooler and the pan lighter to lift.

It is heat safe to 500 degrees Fahrenheit and the maker says to hand wash. America's Test Kitchen liked its balance and handle design.

Skip it if flatness matters to you above all. America's Test Kitchen found its test pan did not sit perfectly flat even new and warped more during testing than the D3.

The catch. Independent testing flagged warping, the one flaw a stainless pan should not have.

If money is no objectNo. 4

All-Clad Copper Core Stainless Steel 12" Fry Pan, Made in the USA

Our take. All-Clad's copper-cored pan, for cooks who want the fastest response to the burner knob.

Check priceAmazon

Made in: USA (Pennsylvania), with global components
Keeps for: Generations
Construction: Stainless with bonded copper core, rim to rim
Size: 12 in
Oven and broiler: Safe to 600°F
Cooktops: All, including induction
Care: Hand wash only

Copper Core adds a layer of copper at the center of the sandwich, bonded rim to rim, and shows it as a thin copper band around the pan's exterior. Copper conducts heat better than aluminum, so the pan reacts more quickly when you turn the flame up or down.

It is made in the same Pennsylvania factory as the D3, is oven and broiler safe to 600 degrees Fahrenheit, works on induction and must be hand washed. The handle has a cutout meant to keep it cooler.

Skip it unless you cook at the stove every day and notice the difference. For most kitchens the D3 does ninety percent of the work for half the money.

The catch. Twice the price of the D3 for a difference many cooks will not notice.

Compare the picks

Pick	Best for	Made in	Keeps for	Buy
All-Clad D3 Stainless Steel 12" Fry Pan, Made in the USA	Best overall	USA (Pennsylvania), with global components	Generations	Check priceAmazon
Tramontina Signature Tri-Ply Clad Stainless Steel 12-Inch Large Frying Pan	The sensible entry point	Brazil	Decades; lifetime warranty	Check priceAmazon
Made In Cookware 12-Inch Stainless Steel Frying Pan, 5 Ply Stainless Clad	The five-ply alternative	Italy	Decades	Check priceAmazon
All-Clad Copper Core Stainless Steel 12" Fry Pan, Made in the USA	If money is no object	USA (Pennsylvania), with global components	Generations	Check priceAmazon

Compared.

Every comparison

How to keep food from sticking

Heat the empty pan over medium for a couple of minutes. Add the oil and wait until it shimmers. Then add the food and leave it alone; meat releases on its own once a crust forms.

Cold food from the fridge sticks more. Let a steak sit out for twenty minutes and pat it dry.

Cleaning

Deglaze while the pan is hot and most of the cleaning is done. For brown or rainbow discoloration, a paste of Bar Keepers Friend and water brings stainless back to silver. Let a hot pan cool before it meets cold water, which is the easiest way to warp one.

What we left out

Cuisinart's MultiClad Pro is a popular pan at about $90, but America's Test Kitchen found it warped early in routine cooking. Demeyere's Belgian pans are superb, but at the time of writing they were not sold on Amazon by the maker or Amazon itself.