Best saucepans 2026: tried and tested

Only saucepans that heat well and evenly, have outstanding non-stick surfaces, and are durable and long-lasting can become Best Buys.

Our tests have found that many saucepans are easily damaged. In our abrasion tests, we vibrate 500 metal nuts for 10 minutes in each pan to simulate the scuffs and knocks they encounter during use and storage. 

About half of the pans we tested performed poorly in this test, and a third scratched easily. We've even withheld a Best Buy recommendation from an otherwise excellent pan because it just wasn't durable enough.

We also found that the most expensive saucepans aren't always the best – some affordable pans did very well in our tests, while some expensive options weren't as impressive.

The best saucepans from our tests

The biggest brands and the 10 most popular saucepans are listed below.

Only logged-in Which? members can view the saucepan test results. 

Join Which? to get instant access to our test results and Best Buy recommendations.

The saucepans we tested

A selection of the saucepans we tested are listed in alphabetical order below.

Only logged-in Which? members can view the best saucepans from our tests.

Join Which? to get instant access to our test results and Best Buy recommendations. 

Eaziglide Neverstick2 Aluminium Non-Stick Saucepan

Available from Eaziglide (£55) and John Lewis (£55)

Most recently tested December 2025

Weight 710g

Material Toughened aluminium

Need to know Dishwasher-safe, but the manufacturer recommends hand washing, suitable for use on an induction hob, oven-safe, includes a lid, 18cm

Hexclad Hybrid Pot With Lid

Available from Amazon (£139) and  Hexclad (£139)

Most recently tested December 2025

Weight 950g

Material Aluminium core with a stainless-steel surface

Need to know Dishwasher-safe, suitable for use on an induction hob, oven-safe, includes a lid, 18cm, 2-litre capacity

Ikea Hemlagad Saucepan With Lid

Available from Ikea (£15)

Most recently tested December 2025

Weight 535g

Material Aluminium

Need to know Not dishwasher-safe, suitable for use on an induction hob, not oven-safe, includes a lid, 18cm, 2-litre capacity

Jamie Oliver by Tefal Hard Anodised Black Saucepan

Most recently tested December 2025

Weight 870g

Material Hard anodised aluminium

Need to know Dishwasher-safe, suitable for use on an induction hob, oven-safe, includes a lid, 18cm

Le Creuset Toughened Non-Stick Saucepan with Glass Lid and Helper Handle

Most recently tested December 2025

Weight 1.22kg

Material Forged aluminium

Need to know Dishwasher-safe, suitable for use on an induction hob, oven-safe, includes a lid, 18cm

Ninja Zerostick Essentials Saucepan With Lid

Most recently tested December 2025

Weight 710g

Material Forged aluminium

Need to know Dishwasher-safe, suitable for induction hobs, oven-safe, 18cm, includes a lid

You'll need more than a great saucepan to cook the dinner. Discover our reviews of the best frying pans we've tested

Ninja Foodi Zerostick Saucepan with Lid C30218UK

Most recently tested December 2025

Weight 910g

Material Forged aluminium 

Need to know Dishwasher-safe, suitable for induction hobs, oven-safe, 18cm, includes a lid

Salter Megastone Optimum Aluminium Saucepan

Available from Argos (£28) and Habitat (£28)

Most recently tested December 2025

Weight 555g

Material Forged aluminium

Need to know  Dishwasher-safe, Suitable for use on an induction hob, dishwasher-safe, not oven-safe, includes a lid, 18cm

Scoville Neverstick Saucepan

Most recently tested December 2025

Weight 605g

Material Aluminium

Need to know Dishwasher-safe but not recommended by the manufacturer, suitable for use on an induction hob, lifetime guarantee including non-stick, includes a lid, 18cm

Tefal Titanium Excellence Non Stick Saucepan 130/3816

Available from Argos (£25) and Tesco (£25)

Most recently tested December 2025

Weight 805g

Material Aluminium

Need to know Dishwasher-safe, suitable for induction hobs, oven-safe, 18cm, includes a lid, two-year guarantee

More saucepans from our test

Here’s how the rest of the saucepans from our tests measured up, listed in alphabetical order.

How we test saucepans 

As well as heating and cooking with the saucepans and checking how non-stick the surfaces are, we also try to scratch and damage them, too. This involves the following:

• Cooking scrambled eggs Straight out of the box, we cook scrambled eggs in each pan and then rate how easily the eggs come away from the pans' non-stick surfaces. For the best saucepans, all of the scrambled eggs can be easily removed without leaving a trace. For the worst, bits of egg will be stuck to the pan even when it's new.
• Wear and tear All pans get bashed about when they're being used, washed and stored. To find out how resistant they are to knocks, we fill them with 500 steel nuts and vibrate them for 10 minutes. We then run the scrambled egg tests again to see how the pans' surfaces have degraded.
• Scratch resistance We heat the pans to 100°C and then scratch them using a measured force six times. No scratch marks show on the best pans' bases; on the worst, deep scratch marks are clearly visible.
• Heating up We find out how quickly the pans heat to 180°C and 200°C on ceramic and induction hobs. The quickest saucepans heat up more than 20 times faster than the slowest.
• Spread of heat We use a thermal imaging camera to show how evenly a pan heats up. We also boil water and record the temperature at three places in the pan to judge how well the heat is distributed. 
• Thermal shock We heat each saucepan 10 times, then plunge it into cool water to test its resilience to heating and rapid cooling. Afterwards, we measure any change in the flatness of the pan bottom. 
• Ease of use We check how easy the pans are to clean following the egg tests and we also record how hot the handles get during cooking. We've recorded temperature differences of more than 35°C between the hottest and coolest pan handles.

How do you take care of a saucepan

Matt Stevens, Which? principle writer and researcher, says:

An easy assumption to make is that a pan will be perfect and ready to use the second you get it home, and most of the time it will be. But before you cook with a new pan for the first time, run your hand over the base to make sure the surface is smooth. 

I recently ended up with a scratched hob surface due to a metallic burr on the bottom of a brand-new pan. If I'd checked first, by looking at the stainless-steel baseplate and feeling for any rough edges, my hob would have remained scratch-free. If you find a burr on the bottom of the pan, sanding it away with some emery cloth (sandpaper for metal) takes only a few seconds and leaves a hob-safe, burr-free finish. 

Once you've checked your pan for burrs and other imperfections, here are my five tips for using and looking after your saucepans:

• Read the instructions They will cover everything from cleaning to hob-type to storage and should include information about the guarantee, its length and what it covers, too. 
• Hob type and burner size To work on an induction hob a pan will need to be iron-based, and copper, glass and aluminium won't work on this kind of hob. If aluminium-based pans are listed as being induction-safe, that's because the base of the pan is made of iron or steel and it will work with induction. Make sure the burner you use matches the size of the pan, as this is the most efficient way to heat the pan.
• Utensils If you're using a non-stick pan, make sure you use non-metallic utensils. This is because metal-on-metal can lead to the non-stick surface getting damaged. Use plastic, silicone or wooden utensils.
• Let pans cool Sudden changes in temperature can damage a pan's base and one quick dunking is all it can take for a pan to lose its flatness. So, even though the best pans we've tested can withstand this, it's always best to let a pan cool before rinsing or washing. 
• Cleaning The best way to wash pans is by hand in warm water with washing-up liquid and a sponge or cloth. Anything more abrasive can damage the pan's surface, especially if it's non-stick. Dishwasher-safe means that the manufacturer thinks the pan can be washed in a dishwasher without it becoming damaged. Some manufacturers will state that its pans are dishwasher-safe, while also not recommending that you put them in the dishwasher, as handwashing will be the better option.
• Storage Even if you're really careful when cooking, pans can become damaged when being stacked or stored. So, take care and use cloths between each pan to protect them if stacked.

You've got the right saucepan, now find the best ceramic, gas or induction hob for your home with our hob reviews

Watch: how to clean a burnt saucepan

We've all accidentally burnt food onto a saucepan at some point in our lives. But the saucepan can be rescued if you know how. Watch our video, above, or follow the steps, below: 

1. Wait for the saucepan to cool down.
2. Fill the saucepan with water and add a dishwasher tablet or one tablespoon of biological washing powder.
3. Put the saucepan back on a medium heat and bring the water to a boil.
4. Leave to simmer for around 10 minutes.
5. Rinse the pan and wipe away the mess with a non-scratch sponge.
6. Then wash as normal, repeating the process if necessary.

Can you put saucepans in the dishwasher?

We recommend that you wash your saucepans by hand if you can, even though most modern pans claim to be dishwasher-safe.

This is because dishwasher salt and detergent, combined with high-pressure water used in a dishwasher, can slowly damage the non-stick coating. 

We found many customer reviews reporting that the non-stick surface quickly deteriorated when they used a dishwasher, so set your pans aside for a quick hand wash, and leave the dishwasher to handle the plates and cutlery.

What is PFOA-free? 

PFOA-free means the chemical perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) wasn't used to make the non-stick coating of a pan.

This chemical is part of the larger family of perfluorooctanoic acid and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), a group of thousands of industrial chemicals used in all sorts of everyday items, such as food packaging, clothing and cosmetics. 

PFOA was used worldwide as an industrial surfactant in chemical processes. It's now considered a health concern and was added to the POP Regulation Annex I in 2020, which prohibits its use in manufacturing and in products placed on the market. 

This means any pan sold in Europe should be PFOA-free. That's why some manufacturers don't state 'PFOA-free' as they consider it self-evident advertising. It's worth noting that even if a product is claimed to be PFOA-free, it might still contain chemicals from the same family of substances.

In 2025, the UK government's Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) launched an investigation into the risks from PFAS.