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The Only Pan Guide You Will Ever Need.

When it comes to pans, it’s part personal preference and part what you’re cooking. Every material takes a little practice, but once you’ve got the feel, you’ll see why non-stick isn’t the answer to everything—in fact, it’s really great for just a couple of jobs.

Read our take below and choose your weapon wisely.

TL;DR

Stainless steel — the flavor engine
Best for: Searing → deglazing → sauces, crispy-edge eggs, finishing pasta.
Know this: Needs a bit of fat; multi-tasker that loves high heat and the oven.
Care: Never shock hot → cold water. Hand-wash preferred; gentle cleanser for rainbow/burnt oil.
Carbon steel — the Asian weapon of choice
Best for: Stir-fries, searing, crepes/eggs once seasoned.
Know this: Season before first use; avoid long acidic cooks (they thin seasoning). Not dishwasher-safe.
Care: Heat gradually; clean with hot water/soft scrub; dry on burner; wipe a thin film of oil to store.
Copper — for that Michelin vibe
Best for: Sauces, caramel, jams, custards—anything where a few degrees matter.
Know this: Heats/cools fast; our pieces aren’t for induction or the oven. Treat like stainless when cooking.
Care: Hand-wash, dry immediately; polish only if you want the shine.
Cast iron — searing on steroids
Best for: Big steaks, brutal crust, stove-to-oven, open fire, Ooni sessions.
Know this: Heavy, bomb-proof, great heat retention.
Care: Clean like carbon steel; dry well; light oil to store; re-season as needed.
Non-stick — love to hate it
Best for: Eggs without fat, crêpes, ultra-delicate fish.
Know this: Medium heat max; no metal tools; it’s a specialist, not an everyday hero.
Care: Hand-wash only; replace when release fades (often every ~6 months with heavy use).

Stainless steel / The flavor engine

Stainless steel is the “chosen one” when it comes to pans. An all-around player, it builds flavor into almost everything, and once you get the gist of using it, you will never go back. Ours is also easier to use because of its thickness (thinner → food sticks more; thicker, like ours → food releases a lot easier). It can take as much heat as you want, works on all stovetops, you can put it in the oven, and it comes with a lid.

Make no mistake: if you’re looking to buy a pan to cook dry food, this is not an option. Stainless steel needs a bit of fat to get everything started.

We use stainless steel to: sear everything from steak to veggies (with a bit of help from the chef’s press). Once we sear something, the brown fond at the bottom is the flavor booster we are looking for—we just deglaze with the liquid of our choice. It’s also great for building sauces since heat is distributed evenly. Great for frying eggs if you like them on the crispy side. Generally, you can use it for anything; it just takes practice to get the feel of it.

How to make it “non-stick”: There are many videos online to help you with this. A quick guide: preheat dry → bead test (water skates) → go to medium heat → add oil (shimmer) → immediately add food → let it release before flipping.

Disclaimer: This is a general rule of thumb; some ingredients might need special treatment—like duck, for example, which needs a cold pan and zero fat.

How to clean:
NEVER go from the stove to cold water.
Although it’s dishwasher-safe, we recommend hand-washing it.
For stubborn residue, boil a bit of soapy water, scrub with a wooden spoon—done.
If there are rainbow spots or burnt oil, you might need to use a bit of baking soda or a stainless-steel detergent.

To sum it up: treat it with some love and respect and it will stay with you for a very long time.

Try:
Stainless frying pan 30 cm
Stainless saucepan 18 cm
Stainless sauté pan 28 cm

Carbon steel / The Asian weapon of choice

Carbon steel is commonly used in Asian cuisine. All the woks you see in those Asian street-food videos are carbon steel.
Carbon steel has the same characteristics as cast iron, only it’s lighter, making it easier to use. It heats up fast, cools down quickly, works on all stovetops, and you can put it in the oven.
Although it can last forever—literally—it needs a bit of love from the user’s side. Once you buy it, you need to season it—here is a quick guide. There are also numerous videos online; it’s a really easy process.
You also need to heat the pan gradually. Start from medium and, after a few minutes, you can crank it up.
As always, DO NOT go from heat to cold water.
It is NOT dishwasher-safe.
It doesn’t do well with acidic food (e.g., tomato, vinegar, wine). It’s not going to get destroyed, but the seasoning will wear out and you will need to do the process again.
We use carbon steel to: sear, stir-fry, deep-fry stuff.

How to make it non-stick: season it well once you buy it and it will be fine. Again, quick guide here.

How to clean: hot water if it’s an easy job; add a bit of soap if it gets more difficult. Always dry well and add a super-thin layer of oil before storing it. It looks like too much, but it’s worth it.

Try:

Carbon steel pan 22 cm

Carbon steel pan 24 cm

Copper / For that Michelin vibe

The reason most Michelin-starred restaurants use copper is the heat responsiveness. They heat up fast and cool down faster. So, for tasks that need close attention to temperature, copper is the way to go.
Our copper selection is good for all stovetops except induction and the oven.
Other than that, treat it as you would treat a stainless-steel pan.
We use copper for: caramels, jams, building sauces, and when we follow a super-strict recipe with detailed temperature instructions.

Disclaimer: This is a general rule of thumb; some ingredients might need special treatment—like duck, for example, which needs a cold pan and zero fat.

How to clean:
NEVER go from the stove to cold water.
Although it’s dishwasher-safe, we recommend hand-washing it.
For stubborn residue, boil a bit of soapy water and scrub with a wooden spoon—done.
If there are rainbow spots or burnt oil, you might need to use a bit of baking soda or a stainless-steel detergent.

To sum it up: treat it with some love and respect and it will stay with you for a very long time.

Try:

Frying pan 24 cm

Saucepan 20 cm

Cast Iron / Searing on steroids

Cast iron—we would only use it on open fire due to its strength in high temperatures. It’s the perfect “weapon” to sear a big steak or to char-burn your fajita vegetables. It works great with Ooni ovens as well; don’t think that Ooni is only for pizzas.

So, generally, if you are camping a lot and you want a heavy-duty pan that will not get damaged from throwing it around, cast iron is the one.
It works on all stovetops, in the oven, and—as we already mentioned twice—in an open fire.

We use it to: sear big steaks and go from stovetop to oven; abuse it in camping mode.

How to clean: Same as carbon steel. Hot water for easy jobs; a bit of soap for more difficult ones. You can also boil soapy water and rub with a wooden spoon if things get worse.

Try:

Cast Iron Skillet 25 cm

Cast Iron Grizzler Pan

Non-stick / Love to hate it

Non-stick is not needed in a kitchen—except if you only cook eggs without any help from fat and crêpes. Because those are the only two things a non-stick can do better than any other pan.

How to use it: Don’t crank the heat up—medium is the max a non-stick pan can handle. Don’t use any metallic object to scrape, turn, stir, etc. If you use it often, a general rule of thumb is to change it every six months. And if we were you, we wouldn’t fall for the marketing tricks of some companies that say their non-stick pans are safe, last forever, and work like stainless steel. There are numerous videos online explaining in great detail how this is not true.

How to clean: No dishwasher. Soapy water is fine; don’t scrub with the hard side of the sponge.

Try:

Non-stick 20, 24 or 28 cm

That was a lot—because good cooking deserves it. If you want help matching a pan to what you actually cook, tell us your go-to dish and we’ll point you to the right one.