Fried food tastes great, but it tastes even better when cooked with the right kind of frying pan. Build up your collection slowly so you can really start enjoying your food, click here to see our collection of frying pans!

The details: These pans solve the frustration of food sticking, and they require little oil for cooking. Plus they’re lightweight, easy to clean, and affordable. But they can’t take the high heat of a cast-iron or stainless steel frying pan. “You’re not going to get much of a sear in a nonstick pan,” says Cindy Fisher, who conducted Consumer Reports’ cookware tests.

And they don’t last as long as cast-iron, stainless, or copper frying pans. “Nonstick is going to wear out the fastest,” Nitahara says. “The nonstick coating is fragile, and once you scratch it, it’s hard to flip an egg.”

In our tests of nonstick pans, we cook four eggs in quick succession. An excellent rating means all four eggs easily slid out of the pan. A poor rating indicates that some egg residue was left behind. To test nonstick durability, we rub the pan with steel wool for 2,000 strokes or until the coating has worn through.

    All in all, there is a variety of cast iron cookware to suit every cooking need.  Whether you're looking for a durable and versatile cookware set or specific cookware like a Dutch oven or skillet, cast iron cookware is a timeless choice that will serve your kitchen well for years to come.