Top Electric Skillets (2026): Countertop Frying Pans, Ranked

The best electric skillet for most people is the Presto 16-Inch — a big, even-heating nonstick surface with a dial that holds a set temperature. An electric skillet frees up your stove, holds a steady temperature better than a burner, and its high walls let you fry, braise, and cook big one-pan meals or serve a crowd. Below are the best electric skillets we’d actually cook in, from a value 12-inch to a fold-away 16-inch — every one confirmed in stock.

How we chose the best electric skillets

Every pick was scored against the same criteria, and we confirmed each product is currently in stock on Amazon before including it:

  • Real-world quality — materials, construction, and durability, not marketing claims.
  • Fit for purpose — sound design and the right fit for the job each product is meant to do.
  • Value across budgets — from a solid budget pick to a premium best-in-class option.
  • Owner consensus — thousands of verified reviews and Amazon’s Choice standing, cross-checked against known failure points.
Golden’s List is reader-supported — we may earn a commission from links on this page, at no extra cost to you. Prices pull live from Amazon. Learn more.

Electric skillets: the 3 best, compared

The 3 best electric skillets, ranked

1Presto 16-Inch (Glass Cover) Best overall

A big 16-inch nonstick surface with high sidewalls that roasts, fries, grills, stews, bakes, and makes casseroles — plus a tempered-glass cover and a removable heat-control dial that holds an exact temperature and lets the whole skillet wash clean (fully immersible). Roomy enough for a crowd. The electric skillet most kitchens should buy.

Sale
Presto 06852 16-Inch Electric Skillet with Glass Cover
  • Roast, fry, grill, stew, bake, make casseroles and more
  • Great for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and entertaining
  • Tempered glass cover with stay-cool handle
  • Doubles as a buffet server
  • Big 16-inch pan with high sidewalls provides extra cooking and serving capacity

2Presto 12-Inch (Glass Cover) Best value / compact

The 12-inch Presto — the same even nonstick heating, adjustable temperature dial, glass cover, and fully-immersible easy cleanup in a smaller, easier-to-store size, for around forty dollars. The value pick for one or two people, smaller kitchens, and everyday frying and sautéing off the stovetop.

Presto 07117 12-Inch Electric Skillet with Glass Cover 12 Inch Modern
  • VERSATILE PRESTO ELECTRIC SKILLET: Roast, fry, grill, stew, bake, and even make casseroles with this all-in-one electric skillet, perfect for a wide variety of meals from breakfast to dinner
  • TEMPERED GLASS COVER: The durable tempered glass cover with a stay-cool handle makes it easy to monitor your food as it cooks and is ideal for buffet-style serving, making every meal convenient and stylish
  • PREMIUM NONSTICK SURFACE: The nonstick surface, inside and out, ensures stick-free cooking and easy cleaning, eliminating the need for scrubbing. Perfect for low-maintenance meal preparation
  • HIGH SIDEWALLS FOR GREATER CAPACITY: Designed with high sidewalls, this Presto skillet offers more cooking capacity, making it perfect for family meals or larger dishes, all while saving you from using the oven or range burner
  • AUTOMATIC TEMPERATURE CONTROL: The Control Master heat control automatically maintains the ideal cooking temperature, ensuring your dishes are cooked to perfection without constant monitoring

3Presto 16-Inch Foldaway Best for storage

The big 16-inch cooking surface with legs and a handle that fold down flat — so a family-size electric skillet stores in a fraction of the space when you’re done. Same nonstick, adjustable temperature, and immersible-for-cleaning design. The pick for large-capacity cooking when cabinet space is tight.

Presto 06857 16-Inch Electric Foldaway Skillet
  • Roast, fry, grill, stew, bake, make casseroles and more
  • Removable base for easy cleaning and storage
  • Handles fold down to detach pan from base
  • With the handles folded in, the base fits inside the pan for compact storage
  • Big 16-inch pan with high sidewalls provides added cooking and serving capacity

Electric skillets: buyer’s guide & FAQ

What is an electric skillet good for?
A lot — frying (chicken, bacon, hash browns), sautéing, braising and stewing, one-pan skillet dinners, pancakes and breakfast for a crowd, and even keeping food warm at the table or a buffet. Its high walls hold more than a stovetop pan, and the steady thermostat is great for anything you want at a constant temperature. It also frees up the stove and adds a big cooking surface for entertaining.
Electric skillet or electric griddle — what's the difference?
A griddle is a flat open surface (no walls), best for pancakes, eggs, and smash burgers for a crowd. An electric skillet has high walls and usually a lid, so it can do everything a griddle can PLUS fry, braise, stew, and hold liquid — more versatile for one-pan meals. If you mainly make breakfast, a griddle; if you want to fry and braise too, a skillet.
Can you fully submerge an electric skillet to clean it?
Yes — on most models (including these Presto skillets), you remove the heat-control probe/dial, and then the skillet itself is fully immersible and can be washed in the sink (some are dishwasher safe). Never submerge the removable heat control or get it wet. This immersible design is a big convenience versus scrubbing a fixed appliance. Check your model, but the picks here all detach for easy cleaning.
What temperature settings does an electric skillet have?
Most have an adjustable dial from a warm/keep-warm setting up to around 400-450°F, which covers everything from simmering and braising to frying and searing. The thermostat cycles the heat to hold your set temperature steadily — more consistent than eyeballing a stovetop burner, which is a real advantage for frying and anything temperature-sensitive. A keep-warm setting is handy for serving and buffets.
What size electric skillet should I get?
A 16-inch skillet is the family and entertaining size — it cooks a lot at once and doubles as a serving/warming surface. A 12-inch suits couples, small households, and tighter storage. If space is your concern, a fold-away 16-inch gives big capacity that stores small. Match capacity to how many you cook for; the high walls mean even a 12-inch holds a generous amount.

More kitchen gear, ranked

Meet your guide
M
Melissa
Home, Kitchen, Beauty & Fitness

I’ve spent years writing about and recommending the products people actually live with — the kitchen gear, home goods, and beauty finds that earn their place on a shelf. At Golden’s List I lead editorial across Home, Kitchen, Beauty, and Fitness, digging through reviews, specs, and real owner feedback to separate the genuinely great from the merely popular — and making sure every pick is in stock with a live price before it makes a list. Meet the whole team →

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