The 8-Inch Nonstick Skillet I Use Way More than I Ever Expected

In theory, I understood that an 8-inch skillet would be small. I wasn’t ordering one for the purpose of cooking a whole fish or whipping up a one-pan meal for four. If I’m being honest, I bought an 8-inch skillet purely out of curiosity. 

I already loved my de Buyer carbon steel pan and was curious about the performance of the brand’s nonstick cookware. I found a good deal on one from de Buyer’s Choc Induction line, so I went for it. Turns out, yes, it is quite small. When the pan arrived and I pulled it out of the packaging, I couldn’t get over how cute it was. 

I promptly put it to the test: I fried up an egg and got beautiful results. This pan lends itself wonderfully to cooking just one or two eggs, melting a knob of butter, warming a sauce, or anything else for which nonstick would be useful, but pulling out my larger skillet feels too cumbersome.

The one drawback: Although all four burners on my induction stovetop are the same, for some reason the tiny de Buyer only makes a reliable connection on one of them. But we all have our favorite burners anyway, right?

Because this little pan is so, well, little, it’s incredibly easy to pull out quickly. It’s tiny, but that’s what I like about it. Again, it’s really perfect for a single egg. It’s also the right size for just one chicken breast or a pork chop. And I love it for toasting up nuts and spices. After countless uses, this pan is still as nonstick as when I took it out of the box. Plus, it’s a looker. It looks just like my fancy carbon steel skillet — only with that useful nonstick finish.

Do you have an 8-inch skillet that you love? Tell us about it in the comments below.