Care

Is Your Pan Oven Safe? Here’s How to Find Out

Brush up on the basics before you get cooking.

By Emily Borst
Aug 28, 2023
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Having at least one pan that you can turn to for anything from high-heat cooking to oven-finishing is essential for home and professional cooks alike. The more pans you can count on, the better, especially when it comes to having an oven-safe skillet.

Unfortunately, finding a Pan that can do it all can sometimes feel impossible. Read on to find out more about why oven-safe pans are essential parts of any kitchen, along with which types of oven-safe pans we recommend.

What Is an Oven-Safe Pan?

Much like its name suggests, an oven-safe pan is a skillet or Frying Pan, Saute Pan, or Saucepan that can be used in the oven as well as on the stovetop. This is advantageous for any cook who wants to finish a dish in the oven, like a Dutch Baby, or even a steak, or just to keep a dish warm while preparing the rest of the meal.

Most manufacturers are very upfront about whether or not cookware is oven-safe, and usually denote with a symbol on the pan or care instructions. Be sure to pay attention to the heat maximums a pan can endure—this is often listed in the product specifications or care guidelines.

Many cookware materials are oven-safe, but some features of pans—like plastic or wooden handles— make the pan as a whole unsuitable for the oven. Of the materials that are oven safe, there are a few standouts.

What Are the Best Oven-Safe Cookware Materials?

There are a few types of cookware materials that are the best suited for oven cooking, due to their heat conductivity and ability to be used at high temperatures. Here are some of our picks for the best oven-safe pans.

1. Carbon Steel

The pan with the highest heat tolerance tops our list for obvious reasons. Oven-safe up to 1200F, Carbon Steel Frying Pans are lightweight, have incredible heat retention, and are lightweight enough to maneuver around the stovetop, in and out of the oven, or even over an open flame.

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2. Stainless Steel

We also highly recommend Stainless Steel. Our Stainless Clad Frying Pan is oven-safe up to 800F, making it the perfect choice  for oven-finishing a sauce or keeping a meal warm. Our entire Stainless Clad collection  also features a Stay-Cool Handle, making it easy to transport in and out of the oven without burning your hand.

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3. Cast Iron

Cast Iron is also a highly effective pan for oven usage, as it can handle temperatures up to 600F. However, note that these pans are quite heavy—and with food in them, maneuvering out of the oven may be difficult. For this reason, we generally recommend Carbon Steel over Cast Iron for oven-finishing.

4. Non Stick

When it comes to putting Non Stick in the oven, it’s important to double check with the manufacturer. Some Non Stick Frying Pans aren’t able to be used in the oven due to the chemicals used to produce their non-stick surface, which could release and leach into the food if exposed to high temperatures.

Luckily, our Non Stick Frying Pan is oven-safe up to 500F and is made with a professional-grade non stick coating, so you can oven-finish without worrying about what’s ending up in your food.

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What Cookware Is Not Oven Safe?

Now that you have your list of guaranteed oven-safe pans, it’s equally important to know what pans are not able to be used in the oven.

1. Ceramic

Ceramic cookware has been having a profound moment on social media, and with an array of eye-catching colors to choose from and promises to replace other pieces of Cookware, it’s not hard to see why. However, one piece of cookware these cannot replace is any oven-safe pan you already own, as most ceramic pans cannot be used in the oven.

This is due to the coating used on many ceramic pans, which is what gives it a non-stick surface. This coating cannot be exposed to high temperatures, which is also why the maintenance instructions for many ceramic pans include temperature limitations of medium-low.

2. Plastic

Any pans that utilize plastic handles or lids cannot be used in the oven, even if the body is constructed of an oven-safe material like Stainless Steel. To avoid having to clean melted plastic, double-check your pan to make sure it doesn’t utilize plastic in any part of its construction before popping it in the oven.

Other Tips For Oven Safe Cookware

There are a few extra steps you can take when using oven-safe cookware to ensure not only your own safety, but the safety of your cookware and food.

Use Heat-Safe Utensils

If you’re stirring your ingredients in the oven or right after removing, be sure you’re using heat-safe silicone or wooden tools—the last thing you want is to melt your utensils into your meal.

Be Cautious

Even if your pan features a stay-cool handle, you should be using heat protection and being careful whenever handling a pan and food in or directly out of the oven.

Let it Cool

After removing your pan and food from the oven, be sure to let both cool before eating or placing on your table without utilizing trivets. Hot pans can scorch surfaces as well as skin, so use caution after removing your pan from the oven.

Ready to Cook?

Once you’ve figured out if  your pan is oven-safe, your options of what you can cook are truly endless. Just be sure to confirm the maximum temperature your pan is oven-safe to, and get cooking.