Choose the smallest frying pan that lets your normal meal lie comfortably on the flat base. A 20cm pan can be ideal for one egg, 24cm is a useful starting point for modest meals, and 28cm gives fish, burgers or vegetables more space. Portion sizes and pan shapes vary, so diameter is a starting point rather than a serving guarantee.
Check the hob, sink and cupboard too. A broad pan that heats poorly on your usual zone or feels awkward to lift is a poor fit, even if dinner fits inside it.
Start with what you cook most often
Before comparing sizes, think about your most repeated pan jobs. A frying pan used for eggs and pancakes has a different ideal size from one used for salmon fillets, four burgers or a heap of vegetables.
Give food enough space to brown without buying a pan you find awkward to use. Heating speed depends on the body, base and hob, not diameter alone.
Also check whether the measurement is the top rim or the flat cooking base. A pan sold as 28cm may have a noticeably smaller flat area once the sides curve upwards. That matters if you want fish fillets or omelettes to sit flat rather than crowding the pan.
20cm, 24cm and 28cm frying pans compared
| Pan size | Best for | Watch-outs |
|---|---|---|
| 20cm | One egg, a small omelette, reheating a single portion, toasting nuts or making a quick breakfast for one. | Too cramped for batch cooking, larger pancakes or browning several pieces of food without steaming them. |
| 24cm | Modest meals such as omelettes, pancakes, bacon or small vegetable portions; check the actual flat base for fish or larger pieces. | May still feel small for family meals, large tortillas or anything that needs a lot of surface area. |
| 28cm | Family portions, larger pancakes, several burgers, bigger fish fillets, more vegetables and food that needs space to brown. | Can be heavier and harder to store or wash. Check magnetic base size and hob-zone fit. |
If you have settled on a size, compare our recommended non-stick frying pans for their cooking performance and care. Ninja Extended Life Ceramic 20cm suits compact jobs; Salter Marblestone 24cm is a budget hob pan; Tefal Jamie Oliver Cook’s Direct 28cm gives food more room. The Stellar Rocktanium 30cm goes wider still, with a greater lifting and storage burden.
Pan diameter is a starting point: compare the flat cooking base, portion size and space needed for the handle and any lid.If you are replacing your main pan, use this table as a starting point rather than a rule. Compare depth and weight as well as diameter: a deep, thick-based 28cm pan can be harder to lift when full than a shallow one.
When 20cm is enough
A 20cm non-stick pan suits frequent small jobs, with less bulk to lift, wash and store.
Choose 20cm if breakfast is the main job. It is a sensible size for one fried egg, a small omelette, a single pancake or warming a small portion without leaving a large pan half empty.
It also suits buyers who already own larger stainless steel or cast-iron cookware and only want non-stick for delicate foods. If you rarely cook more than one portion in non-stick, a smaller pan can be cheaper, lighter and less annoying to care for.
The drawback is crowding. Once food overlaps, it traps steam and browns less evenly. A 20cm pan can make sense as a second pan, but it is usually too limiting as the only frying pan in a busy household.
When 24cm makes a useful middle ground
A 24cm pan can cover small meals without taking the space of a broad dinner pan. Compare the flat base with the food you normally cook: two large fillets can need more room than a small omelette, even when both are meals for two.
Try 24cm as a starting point if your usual portions are modest. Move up when food would overlap, and down when most jobs are a single egg or side dish. Body thickness, depth and handle shape can matter as much as the difference in rim size.
It is also a useful size for mixed cookware cupboards. A 24cm non-stick pan can handle eggs, pancakes and delicate fish while your saucepan set handles boiling pasta, simmering sauces and cooking vegetables with a lid.
When 28cm is worth the extra space
A 28cm frying pan earns its keep when surface area is the point. Choose more space when food would overlap in a smaller pan. A 28cm pan can reduce cooking in batches for vegetables, chicken pieces or larger pancakes; check the actual flat base against your portions.
The extra space is not free. A larger non-stick pan can feel awkward once it has food in it, especially if the handle is long or the base is heavy. It can also overhang a small hob ring, leaving the outside cooler than the centre. If you use an induction hob, check that the magnetic base meets your hob’s detection and zone-size requirements. Our induction cookware checks explain why the rim diameter alone cannot settle this.
For family cooking, 28cm can be the right main pan. For a small flat, narrow cupboard or single-person kitchen, it can become the pan you avoid because it is a nuisance to wash and store.
Do you need more than one frying pan?
Two non-stick pans are useful only when they do different jobs. A 20cm and 28cm pairing makes sense if you cook small breakfasts but also want a larger pan for family meals. A 24cm and 28cm pairing works if you often cook two parts of a meal at once.
- One pan: match your most frequent meal, then check what else it must handle.
- Small breakfast and larger dinner: 20cm plus 28cm can serve different jobs.
- Two parts of a meal at once: 24cm plus 28cm can help, if both fit on your hob together.
Try not to buy a three-pan bundle just because the price looks attractive. If the smallest pan is too tiny and the largest pan is too awkward, the middle one may end up doing nearly all the work.
Size is only one part of the decision. Our non-stick buying checks cover base construction, coating labels and the care routine before you settle on a model.
Storage, weight and lids can change the answer
Pan size affects more than what fits in the cooking surface. A larger pan takes more cupboard width, needs more sink space and may not sit neatly with your existing lids. It is also easier to damage non-stick coating if several pans are stacked tightly without protection.
Weight matters because frying pans are moved more than saucepans. You lift them to swirl batter, slide food out, shake vegetables and carry them to the sink. If a 28cm pan feels heavy when empty, it will feel worse when it is full.
Lids are worth checking before you buy. Many frying pans are sold without one, and a matching lid can be surprisingly useful for steam-frying vegetables, melting cheese or finishing food gently. If you already own a lid that fits, that may make a lidless pan more practical. If you need one, universal pan lids* are an optional alternative to a matching lid. Check the actual rim fit, stability and steam vent, plus the lid’s separate oven limit. A size range on a label does not guarantee a secure fit on every pan.
Where saucepan sets fit
A frying pan is not a replacement for a saucepan. If you need lids, depth and controlled simmering, a saucepan set may solve the real problem better than another non-stick skillet.
Use a frying pan when food needs a broad cooking surface: eggs, pancakes, fish, bacon, burgers, halloumi and vegetables that need browning. Use saucepans for boiling, steaming, reheating soup, cooking grains and making sauces where depth and a fitted lid matter more than a broad flat base.
If your cookware cupboard is sparse, it may be better to buy one well-chosen non-stick frying pan and put the rest of the budget into a practical saucepan set. If you already have covered pans, focus your frying-pan budget on the size you will use most.
Choose the pan you will actually lift, store and use
Picture a normal meal on the flat base, then check the pan’s weight, handle and hob fit. A 24cm pan is a useful middle starting point, but a regular single-egg breakfast or a wide meal can make 20cm or 28cm the better everyday choice.
The best size is not the biggest pan you can fit on the hob. It is the pan that makes your normal meals easier without becoming heavy, awkward to clean or annoying to store.
Sources and checks
These checks are useful if you want to compare pan materials, hob compatibility, lids and handles before ordering.
- John Lewis cookware buying guide: compare UK retailer guidance on cookware materials, hob suitability, lids, handles and care points before choosing a pan or set.
