Have you ever struggled with frying pans that are supposed to be non-stick, but you keep burning your food, no matter what you do? Having a reliable frying pan can help make cooking much easier. With a multitude of uses, everything from making stir-fries and pasta to pancakes and omelets, the humble frying pan can be used to make just about anything. Japanese frying pans are incredibly reliable, versatile, and easy to maintain. Yet there are so many different brands and materials to choose from, it becomes difficult to know what the best Japanese frying pan is!
Our editors searched Japanese e-commerce sites like Amazon, Rakuten, and Yahoo! Shopping for the best Japanese frying pans and put them all to the test!
We tested each frying pan for the following:
So just which Japanese frying pans will stand out above the rest? Use this guide as a reference to help you make your decision before purchasing.
After working at an Italian restaurant for six years, Akiko Kazama changed careers and began working at a cooking school before going independent. Akiko then helped launch cafes, catered for events, and supervised cooking for online media outlets and magazines. In 2013, she established her own cooking school, Kitchen Studio Ningyocho Kitchen, which primarily focuses on home cooking. In recent years, she has been active as an expert in taste testing, cooking utensils, and cooking appliances, and is familiar with a broad range of fields related to food.
mybest US' editing team consists of experienced members who have backgrounds in writing, editing, translation, and more. We are dedicated to researching what makes a product or service the best to users in the US in order to create top-quality articles. From skincare, to kitchen appliances, and to DIY supplies, our mission is to find the best ones for you.
The experts featured in these contents reviewed the contents of the buying guide.
Products or services listed have been independently ranked by the mybest Editorial Team based on the relevant research as of 11-04-2022. Experts featured in this article did not participate in the selection and ranking process.
Before purchasing a frying pan, we would like you to consider the following points. We also included some information about how to store and take care of your pan to get the best out of it.
Most frying pans are manufactured with a coating that prevents food from sticking to the surface. You see a lot of frying pans coated with either Teflon or a fluorine resin, making them much more resistant to scratches and damage.
However, no coating lasts forever, and each type of coating offers different pros and cons.
One of the most common types of coating found on aluminum frying pans is a fluorine resin coating, otherwise known as polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE).
Fluorine resin is actually a soft material that's prone to scratching, making it not the most durable material out there. In order to compensate for fluorine resin's lack of durability, manufacturers have added diamond particles as well as marble particles, which are materials known for their hardness, which are referred to as diamond or marble coatings, which are best for those who want the coating on their pans to last longer.
In recent years, fluorine resin blended with titanium, a material that is resistant to corrosion from acids and salt, known as titanium coating, is becoming increasingly popular.
While Teflon-coated pans are common, Teflon is actually a type of fluororesin coating. In fact, Teflon is simply a type of fluororesin coating which has been trademarked by the American company The Chemours Company (formerly DuPont).
However, where Teflon coating is different from your standard fluororesin coating is the fact that there are five ranks, which vary depending on the materials and thickness of each layer: Basic, Select, Select-Premium, Platinum, and Platinum Pro. The higher the rank, the more expensive they become, but also the more durable.
Usually, manufacturers will label what rank Teflon coating the pan uses on the package, so take a look when buying a new frying pan.
The latest innovation in frying pan coating material is ceramic. While fluorine resin coatings can only withstand up to roughly 280℃ (536°F), ceramic can withstand around 400℃ (752°F), meaning that even if your pan gets too hot, the coating is less likely to come off.
Additionally, ceramic is much harder than fluorine resin and therefore tends to be more durable. However, they're not resistant to impact and can chip easily, so handle them with care. On top of that, you can quickly burn your food if you don't use enough oil.
Frying pans run in a number of sizes, ranging from 4 to 12 inches, so choose the one that best suits your cooking needs and household size.
We also found that the weight of your frying pan will have a large effect on how easy it is to use. Being able to deftly flip and stir your ingredients is important, so try not to purchase a pan that's too heavy.
Even those of you who tend not to make dishes that require constant flipping and stirring will notice the importance of a lightweight pan when washing it, as you'll be able to do so easily while holding it with just one hand.
Most frying pans are made of either aluminum, iron, or stainless steel.
Among those choices, aluminum pans have the best thermal conductivity and are available at a range of different prices, so you'll be able to choose one that best suits your budget. And if you can find one with a decent coating, you'll be able to cook easily with it as well as wash it with little to no stress at all.
Stainless steel pans, are slow to heat up, but they also are slower to cool down, making them great for dishes that you want to keep the heat on for long as well as dishes that you finish off with residual heat. Stainless steel pans are also heavier than aluminum frying pans.
There are some pans that are made from a combination of stainless steel and aluminum to take advantage of the benefits of both materials!
On the other hand, for those of you out there who take cooking seriously, you'll want to choose a frying pan that best suits your recipe needs.
$28.84
Kohnan's LIFELEX frying pan is an original design by the company, based on the needs and wants of their female staff. With a stylish wood-like handle, this pan would easily fit into any fashionable kitchen.
This frying pan ranked highly in terms of how lightweight it was and how easy the handle was to grip. At only roughly 21 ounces, this pan is easy to use even for the elderly. We also liked how the handle didn't slip at all.
Even after significant wear and tear, we could easily remove our egg with the help of a spatula. As for evenness in heat distribution and conductivity, we found that the sides were not as quick to heat up compared to the center, but it was within an acceptable range and didn't negatively affect our cooking.
This product is definitely worth considering if you're looking for an easy-to-use frying pan.
$16.71
Bestco's Phylite IH Frying Pan is coated with a premium-grade fluororesin coating and has passed a friction resistance test of 2 million scratches with a metal spatula. The exterior of the pan has a mirrored finish, allowing it to blend in with any kitchen.
We particularly liked how evenly this frying pan distributed heat, with very little difference in temperature between the center and the sides of the pan. Additionally, we liked how the center of the handle is tapered, making it easy to grip.
However, we did find that in our non-stick test, our egg got stuck on the surface of the pan and was difficult to remove smoothly, costing it points.
$28.81
Kyocera's Cerabrid® Frying Pan is coated with a hard ceramic coating and can be cleaned with a melamine sponge. Kyocera claims that this pan heats food with far-infrared rays which trap in the flavors of your food.
In our heat distribution test, we found that it was able to evenly distribute heat well. When new, it was fantastically non-stick, allowing us to move our egg around without even having to use a spatula. We also liked how it only took about 5 minutes to boil water, suggesting that this pan heats up quickly.
However, after taking some sandpaper to the pan, we found that our egg stuck to the center, meaning this frying pan isn't the most durable. We also found that while the pan weighs roughly 30 lbs, the handle was pretty narrow, making the pan feel heavier than the weight would suggest.
$87.56
Urushiyama's Moderno Frying Pan is made of cast aluminum. The bottom of the pan is relatively thick and heats evenly without cooling off too quickly.
During our heat distribution test, we found that the center of the pan was slightly hotter than the edges, but it was relatively even. The eggs peeled off smoothly and there were no burnt pieces leftover when we cooked it right after purchase.
However, after some wear, the eggs ended up sticking a lot. We also found that the handle girth was relatively skinny, making it hard to hold.
$19.26
Keyuka's Timant II IH Frying Pan features a coating made with diamond particles, which the manufacturer claims is compatible with metal spatulas, excluding those that are particularly sharp.
While the anti-stick coating was not as good as the higher-ranking frying pans, we could easily remove our eggs with the help of a spatula. The coating was long-lasting and didn't change much even after rubbing it with sandpaper.
The handle is oval in shape and has a good width, giving us a strong sense of stability when held. Since it is pretty lightweight, we felt that this pan was extremely suitable for stir-fries and fried rice. However, since it took approximately 5 minutes 43 seconds for our water to reach boiling temperature, it isn't the quickest in terms of heating up, so that led to a slight loss in points.
$84.97
Iris Ohyama's Diamond Coated Frying Pan has a thick bottom layer that gradually gets thinner on the sides, leading to a surprisingly lightweight product. It's claimed to have gone through a wear resistance test of more than 50 thousand times by the manufacturer.
At an astonishing weight of 25 ounces, this pan is extremely easy to cook with. The handle is firm and has a good thickness that supports the pan well. The heat conduction was also really good so we would recommend this product for those who prefer cooking quickly.
Unfortunately, after the sandpaper test, our eggs started to get stuck to the center of the pan. The center of the pan also recorded a higher temperature than the sides during our heat unevenness test.
$24.22
Hokuriku Aluminum's Senren Cast Frying Pan is treated with a Teflon Platinum Plus surface coating. This pan is made of cast aluminum with a thick bottom and thinner sides, which the manufacturer claims to balance lightness and durability.
After some wear, our eggs started to get slightly stuck to the surface, but this wasn't too stressful, as we were able to easily remove them with a spatula. The handle was big and felt stable, but didn't fit the best in our hands as it wasn't very ergonomic.
It took 5 minutes and 47 seconds for our water to boil, which wasn't the best score for our heat conductivity test. It was able to heat relatively evenly, but the edges didn't seem to get very hot.
$51.99
Teleken's Flavor Stone Sauté Pan claims to utilize infrared rays generated from ceramics to help keep your food juicy and flavorful. The base has 3 layers while the top has another 3, which leads to a 6 layer pan that is anti-stick and cooks evenly.
We were able to cook and remove our eggs easily when it was new, but after some wear, there were more and more areas where our eggs would stick to the pan.
The pan heated up evenly overall, and the thick, rounded handle fit easily into our hands and helped give us a firm, stable grip.
$24.46
Pearl Metal's Super Blue Marble Light IH-Compatible Frying Pan features 6 layers of coating on the inside.
When it was new, we were able to remove our egg with no stress, but after wearing it down, we found that our egg stuck all over the pan, ruining our thinly cooked egg. We also found that the edges of the pan didn't get as hot as the center.
However, while the handle was on the slimmer side, it was well-balanced with the weight of the actual pan itself, making it easy to hold. Weighing a svelte 22.8 lbs, this frying pan is best for cooking dishes that require a lot of pan movement.
$50.55
As the name implies, Hokuriku Aluminum's Meister 2-Layer Clad Frying Pan is made from stainless steel and aluminum layered on top of each other. The inside of the pan is coated with a Teflon Platinum coating.
When new, while we found some burnt pieces, overall we were able to remove our egg neatly. After wearing it down, we were able to remove the egg with a spatula, but it got stuck everywhere on the pan.
Finally, the metal handle had no curved grip, and the edges dug into our hands, making it hard to hold. As for heat distribution, while there were no glaring hot or cold spots, we did find that the edges didn't get piping hot.
We purchased the top best-selling Japanese frying pans from Japanese websites like Amazon and Yahoo! Shopping and put them all to the test.
We tested each frying pan for the following:
For the sake of consistency, all the frying pans we bought were roughly around 26 cm (10.2 in.).
First, we tested how non-stick each pan was. To do this, we cooked eggs with the pan without using any oil to check how non-stick the frying pans were when brand new.
Then, in order to simulate wear and tear, we rubbed sandpaper onto the center of the pans and then cooked more eggs.
Next, we tested each one for how well each pan conducts heat, since frying pans that quickly get hot are easier to use.
To test this, we poured 600 ml (roughly 2.5 cups) of water into the pans and turned on the heat to check how fast the water would boil.
Next, we tested how evenly each pan distributed heat.
After heating each pan for one minute, we then photographed them with a thermographic camera to check for any hot or cold spots.
In this test, we checked how each pan weighed.
Lighter pans were given higher scores, as lighter pans are usually easier to use.
Finally, we checked how easy it was to hold the handles of the pans.
To test for this, we gripped each handle to check whether or not it had uncomfortable edges that dug into our hands as well as how non-slip they were.
It would be sad if after going through all the trouble of buying a frying pan with a superior coating, you find that food is gradually becoming stuck on it over time. However, there are things you can do to make your frying pan last longer!
First, make sure you're being careful with your heat. If the temperature of the pan gets too high, it will damage the coating over time. Steer clear of using too high a heat when cooking and avoid heating it when it's empty.
If you're using a gas stove, turn the heat on so that the flame is just barely touching the bottom of your pan. Also, try and avoid cooling the pan suddenly right after you finish using it.
Be careful not to scratch the surface! Some frying pans allow for use with metal spatulas and some don't so we recommend using a spatula made of either wood or heat-resistant silicon. We also recommend cleaning it with a soft sponge as opposed to something harder like steel wool.
Each frying pan is different when it comes to what to watch out for so be sure to check the package and read through the instruction booklet carefully to get the most out of it and its coating.
Frying pans with detachable handles can easily be stacked like bowls and stored away but ones without can be a bit more tricky. We recommend partitioning off a part of your drawer or cupboard like in the picture above.
Even if your drawer or cupboard doesn't have its own partitioning, you can easily purchase something like a case or shelf to stick in there, making storage a lot easier.
Also, for those of you with space in your kitchen and who love to show off their cookware, we recommend hanging them either on the wall or above your workspace.
If you want to make tamagoyaki, the Japanese rolled omelet served in sushi restaurants and used in bento lunches, you'll be able to make them even without a special rectangular frying pan. Let's talk about how to do that.
After it's rolled up, place it at the far side of the pan and pour your remaining egg mixture into the near side. Repeat the process from before and you're done! We recommend anyone who loves their rolled omelet to give it a try.
While in the market for a new frying pan, why not check out other stove-top essentials? Heighten your presence in the kitchen and increase your cooking repertoire!
Also, check out our list for the best spatulas so you can buy one that matches your newly purchased frying pan both in style and in utility!
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