Cast iron bacon presses and steak weights are versatile kitchen tools that offer a range of benefits for cooking enthusiasts and professional chefs. This article explores the features, applications, and advantages of these culinary tools, highlighting their ability to elevate the cooking process and enhance the flavors of various dishes.

New alternatives such as stainless steel, aluminum, copper, and hard anodized have emerged. Aluminum and stainless steel are the most popular types today.

“There are a few things to consider when you’re buying cookware, including how you cook, durability, and price,” says Lance Nitahara, an assistant professor at the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in Hyde Park, N.Y. “On the low end of the price scale are nonstick and cast iron; copper is on the high end. But each does a different thing.”

Below, you’ll find advice on how to choose the right frying pan for how you cook, plus highlights of top-performing pans from CR’s tests, listed alphabetically and not by rank. You can see how all the pans we test perform in our frying pan ratings and learn more about the different types of pans in our cookware buying guide.

One of the drawbacks of copper frying pans is that they require special care and maintenance to keep them looking their best. They must be regularly polished and treated with a special solution to prevent discolouration and tarnishing.

You cannot use metal utensils on aluminum pans. Since aluminum is a soft metal, using metal utensils on an uncoated aluminum surface can damage its surface. You can use metal utensils, except for sharp kitchen knives, on hard-anodized aluminum pans. The anodization process adds a thick layer to the aluminum, which increases its durability and scratch resistance.