Not Le Creuset: This Nonstick Frying Pan Tops All Others, According To Consumer Reports

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It's always a surprise when a high-end brand gets outperformed by a budget-friendly alternative. In Consumer Reports' ranking of frying pans in 2026, the brand that came out on top wasn't the premium Le Creuset — it was Caraway. While Caraway is certainly not cheap (you'll still have to shell out $99 for a single pan), it's definitely a lower-cost option, along with several other quality Le Creuset alternatives that spare your wallet.

Caraway's Ceramic-Coated Nonstick Pan performed exceptionally well on lab tests conducted by Consumer Reports. It's made of an aluminum base and ceramic coating, which is able to withstand temperatures up to 550 degrees Fahrenheit. The pan heats up evenly yet keeps the handle cool to the touch when used on the stovetop. The nonstick coating showed great performance on the food release test, where four eggs were fried in the pan, one after the other, and the pan was oiled only once before the first egg. All four fried eggs released from the surface without hiccups. The only imperfect score the pan got was for nonstick durability, although it still ranked fairly high and was able to withstand serious abuse with steel wool (which you should never use on a nonstick pan to begin with).

Depending on your retailer of choice, this pan will cost you between $99 and $125. If you want to snag the lower end of this price range, get the 10.5-inch Caraway Nonstick Ceramic Frying Pan on Amazon.

On Walmart's online store, where the Caraway pan is priced slightly higher, at $125, over 16,000 people gave it a five-star review. "I bought this pan to see if it was worth the hype, since my very expensive nonstick cookware was not holding true to its claims," one reviewer wrote. "Needless to say, I have been blown away and am looking at buying more!" Another customer called the pan "My favorite kitchen purchase this year!" and praised not just its performance but also ease of cleaning. "Just a quick rinse with hot water and a wipe with a paper towel, and it's as good as new," they wrote. The pan appears to be well worth the investment, which is quite consistent with the brand — reviewers on Amazon say Caraway's similarly expensive ceramic bakeware is also well worth the cost.

One of the favored features of the pan is its ceramic coating. There's a difference between ceramic and Teflon nonstick pans that many consumers are becoming mindful of. The chemical coating in Teflon pans breaks down at higher temperatures and can become toxic. It's also fairly easy to scratch and damage, once again potentially compromising the safety of your food. In contrast, ceramic pans (though still prone to scratching) don't have the chemical coating, but they do tend to be on the pricier side.