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When I’m searing a pork tenderloin or making pan pizza, my cast-iron skillet is the best tool for the job. But the best pan for eggs, hands down, is a nonstick fry pan. For impeccable omelets, creamy scrambles, and crispy fried eggs, I want a fry pan that’s as slick as a greased-up air hockey table. Zwilling’s Madura Plus nonstick frying pan is just that.
Why is the Zwilling Madura Plus nonstick pan the best pan for eggs?
I own the entire cookware set—from an 8-inch pan for two fried eggs to the 11-incher I use for a Spanish tortilla. The forged-aluminum construction of these pans means they heat quickly on the stovetop—a nice change of pace from a cast iron—and they’re compatible with all cooking surfaces, including induction cooktops, thanks to a magnetic plate on the bottom of the pan. The handle is coated in a sturdy layer of plastic so it stays cool to the touch even when cooking over high heat. (Don’t throw it under the broiler, but it’s oven-safe up to 300° for finishing or warming a frittata and up to 400° on the stovetop.)
It’s the DuraSlide Granite nonstick coating that makes this the best pan for eggs I’ve ever used. Nonstick cookware either features a ceramic coating, which is made from clay or sand and sometimes has durability issues, or a layer of PTFE, commonly known as Teflon. DuraSlide is a type of PTFE coating that is incredibly scratch-resistant and, according to Zwilling, 40 times sturdier than standard PTFE-coated pans.
If the word Teflon makes alarm bells go off in your head, know that much of PTFE’s checkered reputation is because of perfluorooctanoic acid, or PFOA, a potentially harmful chemical that was once used in the manufacturing of PTFE. Zwilling’s Madura Plus pan set is PFOA-free, and the production and use of PFOA has been prohibited in the United States since 2015.
I breathe easier knowing that my egg-frying pans are high-quality and heavy-duty, but that doesn’t mean I’m reckless. They live by themselves in a cabinet where they will never get scratched. Stacking a nonstick skillet with other pans or cutlery beats the hell out of them, so after I’m done cooking eggs, I clean, dry, and put mine away in a place where they won’t be touched by anything else. (They’re dishwasher-safe, but I recommend hand-washing.) Zwilling says it’s cool to use metal utensils on the nonstick surface, but I use a rubber spatula when I whip up scrambled eggs. Why run the risk? This babying prolongs their life span, and when I’m talking about the best nonstick pans there are, I want them to live as long as possible. I want them to live forever.
Looking for something a bit less expensive?
For about half the price of the Zwilling Madura, you can snap up a Tramontina nonstick fry pan. The stainless-steel handle comes with a heat resistant silicone sheath, and the heavy-duty aluminum makes for even heat distribution whether you’re scrambling eggs or sautéing leeks for a frittata. The nonstick coating is durable and slick, and the pan itself is incredibly sturdy and can stand up well to most any task in the kitchen. And if it does start to show signs of wear, don’t worry—because it’s so affordable, you can replace it as needed.
But what if I just want to make one egg?
If you make a lot of egg sandwiches or often fry up a single egg to top your leftovers, the best egg pan for you is the adorable Greenpan 5-inch nonstick skillet. Made of aluminum with a silicone-wrapped handle, it’s lightweight, conducts heat like a champ, and can be easily stashed in a drawer because of its petite size. Because the pan prevents the egg from spreading, commerce writer Tiffany Hopkins reaches for her mini Greenpan when she wants a neat and tidy fried egg for topping an English muffin. It also scores extra points for versatility: Hopkins says she uses her Greenpan to make silver dollar pancakes in addition to eggs.
Let’s scramble:
This piece was originally published in 2017 and was updated in 2022 by Megan Wahn.