Stainless steel frying pan: 18/10, tri-ply and induction compared

A stainless steel frying pan is an uncoated pan made of stainless steel: it sears meat, browns vegetables and leaves the browned juices in the pan for deglazing, then goes in the dishwasher without losing anything. If you are still weighing up materials, our frying pan page compares stainless steel with cast iron, carbon steel and non-stick. Here I have gathered 11 stainless steel pans on sale, from an 18/10 tri-ply at 29.90 euros to the French-made 5-ply pans from De Buyer and Cristel, reading each manufacturer's product page and checking the price on 07/10/2026. Each pan's drawback comes before its strengths.

Stainless steel frying pan: our 3 picks

For a French pan to keep for decades, the De Buyer Affinity; for a French-made tri-ply at a mid-range price, the Atma La Bonne Poêle; for a small budget, the Kamberg tri-ply.

For searing and deglazing on induction: De Buyer Affinity 28 cm (164.90 euros on 07/10/2026). The drawback first: it is the dearest of the eleven, and its usable base measures only 20 cm on a 28 cm pan, according to De Buyer. In return, it is built from 5 layers of 18/10 stainless steel and aluminium, made in France, works on every hob including induction, and goes in the oven and the dishwasher.

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For a French-made tri-ply: Atma La Bonne Poêle 28 cm (115.00 euros on 07/10/2026). The drawback: Atma publishes few dimensions, the base diameter is not given and the Amazon listing caps the oven at 230 °C. Otherwise, the 3-ply steel runs across the whole body, not just under the base, and the pan is made in France with a lifetime warranty according to Atma.

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For a small budget: Kamberg tri-ply 28 cm (29.90 euros on 07/10/2026). The drawback: it is made in China, and its maximum oven temperature (250 °C) and weight (1.5 kg) come only from Amazon. But it is a genuine tri-ply: 18/10 steel on the food side, aluminium in the middle, ferritic steel on the hob side, with a 23 cm cooking surface and a lifetime warranty according to Kamberg.

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The price shown on Amazon when you buy is the one that applies.

For a full ranking by buyer profile, our guide to the best stainless steel pan compares the models one by one. This page helps you understand what makes a good stainless steel pan before you choose.

Why choose a stainless steel frying pan?

You choose a stainless steel pan to sear hard, brown and deglaze, and to last: with no coating, there is nothing to scratch or wear out. Its strengths and limits come from the material itself.

• It sears and caramelises. The bare surface encourages the Maillard reaction: meat, poultry or vegetables brown and leave browned juices in the pan, which a splash of wine or water turns into a sauce.
• There is no coating to protect. No Teflon, so PTFE and PFOA are not part of the question: Cristel and Atma describe their 18/10 steel as PFAS-free. A metal spatula will not damage it, and Demeyere states its pan resists metal utensils.
• It handles the oven and the dishwasher. Ten of the eleven pans are dishwasher-safe according to their product page, and ten of the eleven go in the oven.
• Its limit: everything sticks if it is not hot enough. An egg, a piece of fish or raw potato will stick to cold stainless steel. That is the trade-off, and the section below explains the method.
• Its other limit: weight and price. A multi-layer stainless steel pan weighs 1 to 1.8 kg in 28 cm, and the 5-ply models cost more than 110 euros in our selection.

For everyday eggs and fish, a non-stick pan remains easier: many kitchens keep both.

18/10, tri-ply or 5-ply: how to read the spec sheet

A stainless steel pan is judged on two things in its spec sheet: the steel grade (18/10, 18/8 or 18/0) and its construction (encapsulated base, tri-ply or 5-ply). Together they decide how it ages and how evenly it heats.

18/10 stainless steel pan: what the numbers mean

"18/10" means stainless steel with 18% chromium and 10% nickel, as a Tefal product page explains. It is the food-grade steel found inside almost all our pans; De Buyer also labels it AISI 304. Chromium forms the layer that prevents rust, nickel makes the steel more corrosion-resistant and brighter. The 18/8 steel of the Sitram Rapsody contains slightly less nickel. 18/0 steel, called 430 steel by Kamberg, contains no nickel: it is magnetic, which is why it goes on the outside of the base so the pan heats on induction.

Encapsulated base, tri-ply or 5-ply

Stainless steel is a poor heat conductor: on its own, it would create hot spots. Manufacturers therefore pair it with aluminium, in two ways.

• The encapsulated base: an aluminium disc sealed under the base. This is how the Beka Chef and Polo are built. The base heats well, the sides much less.
• Tri-ply (3 layers): steel, aluminium, steel across the whole body, from rim to base. This is the case for the Kamberg, Atma, De Buyer Alchimy and Sitram Rapsody. The sides take part in the cooking.
• 5-ply: several layers of steel and aluminium up to the rim, from De Buyer (Affinity), Cristel (Castel'Pro) and Demeyere (Essential 5). Heat rises more evenly, at a higher price. Lagostina combines a tri-ply body with a reinforced 5-layer base.

A multi-layer pan reacts faster when you turn the heat down, and Cristel sums it up for its Castel'Pro: heat rises and falls quickly because there is no bonded base disc.

How to choose a stainless steel pan for induction

A stainless steel pan for induction comes down to four criteria: a magnetic base that matches your hob ring, a weight you can handle, a handle that suits your cooking, and the oven temperature you need.

Induction compatibility and base diameter

Every pan in our selection is listed as induction-compatible by its maker, except the Cristel Castel'Pro, whose page only says "suitable for all hobs". Look above all at the base diameter, the part that touches the hob: for the same 28 cm pan, it ranges from 18 cm at Demeyere to 22.1 cm at Cristel, with 20 cm for the De Buyer Affinity. A base close to the size of the ring heats more evenly. On gas and ceramic hobs, the same rule stops the flame or hot zone spilling past the edges.

Weight and thickness

A heavy pan holds its heat better when you add cold meat, but is harder to handle. Here, the weight of a 28 cm pan ranges from 0.98 kg for the Beka Polo to 1.84 kg for the Lagostina Accademia, according to Beka and Lagostina's Amazon listing. The French multi-layer pans sit in the middle: 1.33 kg for the Cristel Castel'Pro, 1.34 kg for the De Buyer Affinity.

The handle: riveted or removable

A riveted handle in stainless steel or cast stainless steel is the most common (De Buyer, Cristel, Beka Chef, Lagostina, Demeyere): it will not work loose and it goes in the oven. The removable handle of the Tefal Ingenio and Cristel Casteline lets you stack the pans and put them in the oven, but it is sold separately. The Bakelite handle of the Beka Polo stays cool, and rules out the oven.

Oven and dishwasher

Maximum oven temperatures run from 200 °C (Beka Chef) to 350 °C (Demeyere Essential 5), with 300 °C for the Castel'Pro. Every pan whose page mentions it is dishwasher-safe (Tefal says nothing for the stainless Ingenio), although Demeyere and De Buyer recommend hand washing to keep the shine. The oven is handy for finishing a thick piece of meat or a tortilla without flipping it.

French-made stainless steel pans: which brands make them in France?

In our selection, four stainless steel pans are made in France according to their brand: the De Buyer Affinity and Alchimy (Vosges), the Cristel Castel'Pro (factory near Montbéliard, in the Doubs, certified "Origine France Garantie") and the Atma La Bonne Poêle. Tefal also states France for the stainless Ingenio Preference. Demeyere manufactures in Belgium and Lagostina in Italy.

Watch out for French brands that manufacture elsewhere: Sitram, a brand from the Gers, makes its Rapsody range in China according to the Amazon listing, as do Beka and Kamberg for the models listed here. Mauviel, which also makes its stainless steel pans in France according to Amazon, had no available offer on Amazon on the day we checked. Where a pan is made is shown on the manufacturer's page, not in the brand name.

How to stop food sticking to a stainless steel pan

To stop a stainless steel pan sticking, preheat it to the right temperature, add the fat, put in dry food and leave it alone until it has browned. Seasoning helps, but temperature is what decides whether food sticks.

Preheating and the water drop test

Cristel advises setting the hob to two thirds of its power (setting 9 on a hob that goes up to 12, setting 6 on one that goes up to 9), then testing with a few drops of water. If they evaporate straight away, the pan is not hot enough; if they form beads that roll around, it has reached the right temperature. This is called the Leidenfrost effect: the drop glides on a cushion of steam. Atma gives the same method: preheat for about two minutes, do the water drop test, add a little fat.

Add the fat, then do not touch

Once the pan is hot, add oil or butter, then the well-dried food. Meat sticks at first, which is normal: it releases on its own once the Maillard crust has formed. If you pull it too early, it tears. Then lower the heat: Demeyere points out that a well-heated multi-layer pan holds its temperature on a lower setting.

Seasoning: useful or not?

Seasoning a stainless steel pan means heating a thin layer of oil to create a temporary film that reduces sticking. It is not essential as it is on a carbon steel pan, which builds a lasting patina: on stainless steel, the film comes off at the first dishwasher cycle. Our guide to seasoning a stainless steel pan explains the method step by step.

Deglazing and cleaning

The browned juices left in the pan are not a failure: deglaze them with a splash of water, wine or stock for a sauce, which also makes cleaning easier according to Cristel. For a burnt base, soak in hot soapy water. Demeyere recommends a little hot water and a soft sponge, then some vinegar or lemon for white marks. Avoid steel wool, which scratches the surface.

Titanium or stainless steel, professional frying pans: sorting it out

A so-called "titanium" pan is usually a pan with a reinforced non-stick coating, not bare stainless steel. The Tefal Dailycook, for example, has an 18/10 stainless steel body but a "titanium" non-stick interior according to its Amazon listing: it belongs with non-stick pans, and we left it out here. Solid titanium pans exist too, but they are rare and expensive. If you want to cook on bare metal, stainless steel remains the most common choice.

"Professional frying pan" or "professional quality" is not a standard: Sitram, Beka and Demeyere use the phrase on their Amazon listings, for pans priced from 35.50 to 117.50 euros on 07/10/2026. To judge, look instead at the construction (tri-ply or 5-ply), a riveted handle, oven use and the warranty, from 10 years for the Beka Polo to lifetime for Cristel.

The price shown on Amazon when you buy is the one that applies.

Stainless steel or another material?

Stainless steel is not the only uncoated material. Carbon steel becomes non-stick with its patina but rusts if left damp: our page on the carbon steel or stainless steel pan compares the two. For gentle cooking, our ceramic or stainless steel pan page sets out the ceramic option, and our aluminium or stainless steel pan page covers aluminium. These ranges often come with matching cookware: Sitram's Rapsody range includes saucepans, a stockpot and a 24 cm sauté pan to complete a cookware set. Shape matters too: a crepe pan has very low sides, a wok high sides for quick stir-frying.

The 11 stainless steel pans at a glance

Here is each pan in the grid with its construction, base, origin and the drawback we hold against it.

The price shown on Amazon when you buy is the one that applies.

How we selected these stainless steel pans

I selected 11 uncoated stainless steel pans available on 07/10/2026, covering each construction (encapsulated base, tri-ply, 5-ply) and every budget, from 29.90 to 164.90 euros. For each one, I recorded the price, availability and seller on the Amazon listing, then cross-checked the steel, construction, induction, oven, weight and country of manufacture against the manufacturer's page. When Amazon and the manufacturer disagree, the manufacturer wins: 200 °C in the oven for the Beka Chef according to Beka (300 °C according to Amazon), 350 °C for the Demeyere according to Demeyere (260 °C according to Amazon). A value we could not find or that was contradictory is marked "n.c.". De Buyer's website blocked access on the day: for the Alchimy, I relied on the Amazon listing and a retailer, hence the "n.c." entries. None of these pans was tested in hand: the score out of 5 is an editor's review based on construction, compatibility, care, warranty and price. Full details are on our method page.

The price shown on Amazon when you buy is the one that applies.

The models we left out

• Tefal Dailycook G7130614: stainless steel body, but a titanium non-stick interior according to Amazon. It is not a bare stainless steel pan.
• Mauviel M'Cook 26 cm: no offer or price on Amazon on 07/10/2026.
• Demeyere Industry 5 24 cm: sold for 172.78 euros by a third-party seller, with an Amazon listing that mentions a non-stick surface on a stainless steel pan, a contradiction we could not resolve.
• Cristel Casteline 28 cm: sold for 199.90 euros without a handle, with no availability shown when checked.

The price shown on Amazon when you buy is the one that applies.

Frequently asked questions