Aldi Has a $16.99 Copycat of a Popular $150 Pan (It’s My New Favorite)

I have some pretty expensive pots and pans in my kitchen, including some that I picked up at a fabled store in Paris. But my favorite ones didn’t come from a high-end home goods store or a Parisian culinary legend—they’ve come from ALDI’s aisle of specials.

Because I’ve had such good luck finding great products here, I make a point to wander this aisle every time I go shopping. That’s how I recently found my new favorite frying pan. 

Why I Love ALDI Crofton’s 11-Inch Stainless Steel Frying Pan

The Crofton 11-Inch Stainless Steel Frying Pan comes in coated or uncoated, and I chose the uncoated, which has a honeycomb interior design “for scratch resistance and easy clean-up.”  This design also makes it a dead ringer for the Gordon Ramsay-endorsed HexClad frying pan, which costs about $150.

The Crofton pan has an aluminum core sandwiched between two layers of stainless steel, and it’s compatible with gas, electric, glass ceramic, induction, and halogen cooking surfaces. It’s dishwasher safe—plenty of expensive brands are not.

It can also withstand heat up to 428°F, which means if I cook something on the stove, I can finish it in my oven without worrying that I’m going to ruin my pan. There’s a little hook on its handle so it can be hung up on a pots and pans hanging rack. 

After reading these specs on its label, I decided to try one since it only cost $16.99—a fraction of the HexClad—and this is one impulse buy I’m grateful I made. At 11 inches, it’s big enough to fry three to four filet mignons, chicken breasts, or medium-sized pork chops with some room to spare. It’s also a great size for sautéing a bunch of veggies, making a tortilla española or frittata, or stir-frying a big batch of fried rice.

Yet for its large size, it’s light enough that I can still pick it up with one hand when empty (when it’s filled, it’s a two-hander).

To test out the pan, we decided to make some caramelized onions. The pan heats up really fast, and after sautéing the onions for a couple of minutes, I reduced the high heat to low and the onions caramelized perfectly. The pan’s honeycomb design didn’t just look cool —it really did make cleanup a breeze. I see this becoming one of my new go-to pans.

_{To learn more about our approach to product recommendations, see HERE.}