5 Foods You Should Always Cook in a Nonstick Pan (and 4 You Shouldn't)

A nonstick pan deserves a place in every kitchen for its unbeatable ability to (you guessed it) keep food from sticking to its surface. Just because it performs its job well, however, doesn't mean it's an all-purpose pan.

Here's when to use your nonstick skillet — and when you should opt for stainless steel or cast iron instead.

What to Use a Nonstick Skillet For

What's not to love about a pan that cooks food evenly and releases it easily? Use a nonstick skillet for delicate foods that cook best over medium to low heat.

1. Eggs

Scrambled, over easy, or folded into omelets, eggs cook best in a nonstick skillet. No amount of oil can help stainless steel or cast iron pans compete against a nonstick surface.

2. Pancakes and Crepes

Properly flipping pancakes and crepes comes down to using a nonstick surface, whether a skillet or griddle. The nonstick surface allows your spatula to swoop up your pancakes with ease, no tearing mid-flip.

3. Cheesy Dishes

Cheese sticks to skillets, so prepare foods like quesadillas and grilled cheese sandwiches in a nonstick pan to keep every ounce intact.

4. Seafood

A nonstick skillet will become your best friend when cooking scallops and fish with a tender texture. Firmer, meatier seafood like salmon and tuna can benefit from a nonstick pan but cook well in cast iron and stainless steel, too.

5. Nuts

You can also use your nonstick skillet to toast nuts. It's easy to stir a pan on the stove (versus toasting them in the oven) to achieve even cooking.

What Not to Use a Nonstick Skillet For

With the exception of some newer nonstick cookware, nonstick pans can't tolerate high temperatures. Never preheat an empty nonstick pan (it will get hot fast) and never cook with it over high heat.

1. Searing and Charring Meat

Searing and charring require higher temperatures than nonstick pans are made for. Plus, a nonstick pan won't give your steak that perfect crust or chicken skin the crispiness that makes it especially good. Meat cooks much better in cast iron or stainless steel cookware.

2. Making Pan Sauces

Just as meat can't sear in a nonstick skillet, nonstick cookware isn't suited for pan sauces, which depend on the caramelized bits that build up when you brown meat on cast iron or stainless steel.

3. Acidic Ingredients

Acidic foods like tomatoes, citrus, and wine can wear down your skillet's nonstick surface, making it not as effective over time.

4. Broiling Food in the Oven

Some nonstick pans can go in the oven, and you can check the bottom of your pan or the manufacturer's instructions to know if this includes yours. Oven safe or not, however, your nonstick pan isn't made to withstand the broiler's high heat.