But there's no need to worry. If you want to be able to put your skillet in the oven, there are some great oven safe skillets out there. You really need a nonstickpan or nonstickskillet in your arsenal. An oven proof skillet is a necessity. There are just too many recipes that require an ovenproof skillet. Remember a non stick pan is not necessarily an oven safe skillet. Nonstickcookware doesn't have to be oven safe.
Better yet, we’ve been going through some of the best ones and have identified our top few favorites. And our reviews on those are just round the corner.
After that we also have a handy buying guide for you. It will cover all the key things to think about before you buy. You can use it as a quick checklist.
When we saw how many of these were selling on Amazon, we were blown away. It’s got well over 94,000 customer ratings.
And better yet, more than 80% of customers rated it at 5 stars out of 5.
And this customer satisfaction does not just come from the super affordable price tag. It was scored by customers at 4 and a half stars out of 5 for heat distribution, durability, heat resistance, versatility, material quality, and easiness to clean.
Because it’s made from solid cast iron, it has excellent heat retention, for nice even cooking, and is guaranteed oven-safe. And it’s super durable.
It’s 10.25 inches in diameter, so is able to accommodate quite a lot of food. And at its longest length where the handles are it measures just 18 inches, and should easily fit on your oven if you put it in diagonally.
It comes pre-seasoned, which means food should not stick to the pan, and you’ll get easy release to slide your food onto your plates.
The main handle features a removable dishwasher-safe silicone cover, that can protect your hands from temperatures up to 500 degrees Fahrenheit.
It’s made right here in good old USA, specifically in Pittsburg, Tennessee.
Pros
Huge bestseller with online retailers
Excellent customer feedback
Excellent heat retention
Removable handle holder
Made right here in good old USA
Cons
Tempered glass lid sold separately
Some customers have said that it’s not quite seasoned enough
This cast iron skillet is also a bestseller with leading online retailers, seeing thousands of sales. And it’s gone down really well with customers, earning an average customer rating of 4 and a half stars even after well over 15,000 individual customer ratings on Amazon.
It’s a big size at 12.5 inches diameter, which means it’s big enough to make a one pot meal for 3 or more people. And being cast iron, it’s oven safe, and should easily fit inside your oven, as the handles are quite short.
And being cast iron, it has excellent heat retention, so your food will remain perfectly hot as you plate up, or you can keep the food warm while you wait for guests to arrive.
It comes pre-seasoned, so it’s good to go almost as soon as the skillet arrives. However regular seasoning with vegetable oil after every use is recommended.
Amazon occasionally has deals on this item, just click “Check price” to see if there’s a deal on now.
Here’s another really great skillet, again one that has made the best seller lists with online retailers. It has been rated 5 stars out of 5 by 80% of those who’ve bought through Amazon.
It’s made of real cast iron, which means it has excellent heat retention properties, able to keep your food nice and hot, even as you turn the oven off and let the oven cool down. Great when you have late guests.
It’s available in different sizes, namely 8 inches diameter, 10 inches, 10.5 inches, and 12 inches. So you could get one for making one pot meals with or get a smaller one for your side dishes.
It comes pre-seasoned and can even be used straight out of the box.
It’s easy to clean and maintain, simply wash with warm water by hand, before restoring with vegetable oil, and washing again.
But what really impressed us with this skillet, is that it comes with a lifetime warranty. Very reassuring.
This skillet has also been incredibly popular, selling in its thousands and getting great customer ratings. And it comes from top kitchen brand Cuisinart.
This one may not be cast iron, but we can however confirm that it definitely is oven safe. Up to temperatures of 500 degrees Fahrenheit in fact. And it’s heat retention is about as good as cast iron too.
It’s a really good size at 12 inches diameter. Able to accommodate enough food for a meal for three people.
It has been hard anodized to make it harder than stainless steel, for a high wear resistance and extra durability.
The interior is reinforced with titanium which is non-stick and provides easy food release as you plate up.
The handle is designed to remain cool to the touch, and there’s no need to buy a handle cover.
It also features a tempered glass lid so your meals can retain their moisture.
And that’s not all, it also comes backed by a limited lifetime manufacturer’s warranty.
This skillet may well come from a less well known brand, but we would argue that it still deserves a place in our shortlist of 5 picks. Especially since more than three-quarters of customers rate it at 5 stars out of 5.
It may not be cast iron, but in this instance, that’s not a bad thing. Why? Because it’s 3 times more energy efficient than cast iron. Not bad hey?
The body of the pan is very durable, scratch resistant, and anti-rust. It’s made of high-quality forged aluminum.
The interior of the pan meanwhile features what is known as an American Whitford coating. It’s a special 3-layer non-stick coating that is completely free of toxic chemicals such as PFOA, PFOS and so on. You get high level technology, and superb wear resistance.
It’s 11 inches in size, which is quite spacious, yet at the same time easy to fit in your oven. And it's oven safe up to temperatures of 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
We also like the ergonomic stainless steel handle, because it features a hanging hole, so you can hang it up rather than struggle to squash it into a kitchen drawer.
Hitecliff also provides an excellent after-sales service, and has a one year money-back guarantee.
Pros
Excellent customer ratings
Very energy efficient
Built to really last
Entirely dishwasher safe
Special non-stick coating
Money-back guarantee
Cons
Not cast iron
Best Oven Safe Skillets Buying Guide
We love oven safe skillets. Quite often you want to seal your meats etc. by frying them, before letting them slow cook in the oven. And why use up to pans to do so, when just one will do the trick.
Here’s what to look for when buying an oven safe skillet.
Material
First and foremost, you have to consider what the skillet is made out of, as this will determine whether it is safe to put in the oven.
Your safest bet is a cast iron model. But that’s by no means your only option. You can have oven safe skillets made from copper, stainless steel, or anodized aluminum.
What you should stay away from however are skillets with non-stick coatings. These coatings are not designed for ovens and can give off toxic fumes when put in there.
Heat-Resistant Coating
You will need your skillet to offer some heat-resistance so the component parts don’t melt in the oven.
However, the more heat resistance the skillet has, the less able it is to conduct heat, which in turn means longer cooking times. Not so great when you’ve got hungry mouths to feed.
It’s about finding the right balance. Ceramic nonstick skillets and cast iron pans are usually safe in the oven in temperatures up to 500 degrees Fahrenheit.
Handles
You will need your skillets to have handles that remain as cool to the touch as possible. They also need to be sensibly positioned.
Or you might prefer to go for an oven safe skillet with removable handles. Might be easier. And it really boosts the skillet’s heat tolerance too.
Moreover some ovens just can’t accomodate a skillet and its handles, so removable handles would be the best option all round.
Heat-Proof Lids
A lid is a great way of retaining much needed moisture in your dishes. Without a lid in place, all the moisture in your food could evaporate and start to dry out, which wouldn’t be good.
Any lid going into an oven of course will have to be heat proof. So to that end we recommend getting a skillet with a glass lid. They can take temperatures up to about 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
But you also have to consider the knobs to remove the lid. You cannot safely put a lid with a plastic knob in a hot oven. What we do recommend however, are lids with phenolic knobs. These knobs are sufficiently heat resistant to take temperatures up to about 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
Size
You will need the skillet to be able to fit in the oven, if that’s your intention. Most standard ovens can fit skillets of up to about 13 inches diameter, if you get a round one, or 13 inches by 18 inches if you go for a rectangular one.
If you plan on using just one pan of food to feed 2 or more people, then you will need a 12 inch skillet.
Cost
Oven safe skillets can really vary in price depending on what material it's made from, whether it comes with a lid, brand, and so on. They can sometimes cost less than $20, and other times cost as much as $50.
Our advice as always is to check the prices as you go along, to learn exactly what your money buys you. Copper skillets, non stick cookware, ceramic cookware, Teflon pans, stainless steelcookware, and a cast ironpan aren't needed immediately. Take our advice and buy what you need for what you cook the most.
Oven Safe Skillets: The Best 5 Choices
These options are sure to be a hit. So, gather your family and friends and enjoy. Let us know your thoughts!
Cassie brings decades of experience to the Kitchen Community. She is a noted chef and avid gardener. Her new book "Healthy Eating Through the Garden" will be released shortly. When not writing or speaking about food and gardens Cassie can be found puttering around farmer's markets and greenhouses looking for the next great idea.
