Tramontina: It came down to a photo finish for best budget skillet between the Calphalon and this Tramontina pan. The Calphalon beat out Tramontina’s capable 10-inch skillet, which costs less than $40, with slightly more even heat distribution in the tests I performed.
Material (Update: Out of stock): Material’s 10-inch sauté pan for $125 is a great option if you’re looking for a sturdier (read: heavier) pan with a lid. It’s technically a Dutch oven and not a skillet because it has straight edges, and it generally worked well.
The buyer: This French manufacturer makes an excellent 11-inch skillet, but it might be better suited for a commercial kitchen. It’s heavier than most and costs a whopping $225. All of which makes it hard to recommend to the average home cook.
Demeyere: This Belgian-made, seven-ply skillet was the heaviest of all the pans I tested, despite being only 9 inches wide. The 4-pound skillet heated evenly and seared food well, but that heft combined with a bloated $270 price tag means it’s probably not a good choice for most people.
360 cookware:This American-style five-layer skillet performs about as well as other pans, but for $200 you get more bang for your buck.
Tuxton House: I don’t have much bad to say about this budget friendly skillet, but it was a little harder to clean than some of the others. The Tuxton Home Three-Ply Pan retails for under $50 and will definitely get the job done.
Fully coated graphite core: This All-Clad skillet has a lightweight graphite core, so it might be a good choice for someone who has trouble wielding a standard skillet. That said, it’s not cheap — $200 for a 10-inch — and it spreads more unevenly than its aluminum-core counterparts.
