A pan that sits empty of water or sauce on a high setting demands the most from its base. That is why a better base makes the greatest difference in the pans you use for frying. If you read reviews and forums about induction, you hardly see complaints about the saucepan—you see them about frying pans, woks and sauté pans.

Spend your money on a better base in this order:

1. The frying pan, the sauté pan and the wok: you fry at high heat in these, so a base made of multiple metal layers pays off first.
2. The roasting pan: searing puts a lot of strain on the base, but the long braising afterwards requires little. Cast iron or enamelled steel brings that good base with it.
3. Saucepans and small pans: water and sauces absorb the heat, so your money does not need to go here first.

If you have the budget for one better pan, start with the pan you use most often for frying.

In a top 10 of pans for induction a wok would stand next to a saucepan, while those two ask slightly different things of their bases. So for each type we put first the pan whose product page describes the sturdiest base. In doing so we follow the advice of our pan expert: on induction the base is decisive.

For frying pans, sauté pans and woks that is consistently a SCANPAN, with five layers of metal that carry the heat to the edge. We do not count the standard non-stick coating of those three as PFAS-free layers. Beside each stands a pan with a ceramic coating or without a non-stick layer; those two, like enamel, do count as PFAS-free. Apart from the hob we discuss which non-stick coatings are PFAS-free.

Frying pan: SCANPAN HaptIQ, or without a coating the Beka Maestro 5-Ply

In the SCANPAN Koekenpan HaptIQ ø 28 cm the product page says the heat runs from the centre to the edge. You fry on a standard non-stick coating. The pan next to it, the Beka Koekenpan Maestro 5-Ply ø 28 cm, has no non-stick layer; its five layers have an aluminium core. The frying pans after these two, each with the reason, are listed in our ranking of frying pans for induction.

SCANPAN Koekenpan HaptIQ ø 28 cm

Beka Koekenpan Maestro 5-Ply ø 28 cm

Sauté pan: SCANPAN CTX, or without a coating the Beka Cicla

The sauce and the dish-washing factor also influence which sauté pan we choose for the whole dish. On induction we let the base decide, and then a different pan wins: the SCANPAN Hapjespan CTX ø 28 cm.

According to the product page, the heat from its five layers of metal reaches all the way to the rim of the pan. The dishwasher is no problem for this SCANPAN, and it also has a standard non-stick coating. Without a coating you cook in the Beka Hapjespan Cicla ø 28 cm, a stainless-steel pan with an encapsulated three-layer base.

SCANPAN Hapjespan CTX ø 28 cm

Beka Hapjespan Cicla ø 28 cm

Wok: SCANPAN CTX, or with a ceramic coating the Sola Ceramic Deluxe

A Chinese restaurant woks on a burner that gets much hotter than an induction plate, so at home on your plate it will be stir-frying. For that our pan expert advises a wok with a non-stick coating, large enough for the whole dish. Cast-iron woks, which are recommended on forums, are also listed among the wok pans for your induction hob.

The SCANPAN Wokpan CTX ø 32 cm carries the heat up along the sides as well with its five layers of metal, according to the product page. Like the frying pan and sauté pan from SCANPAN it has a standard non-stick coating, and its bottom—the part that sits on your plate—measures 13.5 cm. With the Sola Wokpan Ceramic Deluxe ø 30 cm next to it you cook on a ceramic layer without PFAS. Its product page mentions an induction base and thick walls, but not how that base is constructed.

SCANPAN Wokpan CTX ø 32 cm

Sola Wokpan Ceramic Deluxe ø 30 cm

Roasting pan: Sola Cast Iron

With a roasting pan the better base is in the material itself, because cast iron is magnetic through and through. The Sola Braadpan Gietijzer Rood ø 24 cm of 3.2 liters is made of enamelled cast iron, and enamel counts as a PFAS-free layer. This pan in other sizes and colours, and lighter pans of enamel on steel, belong to the cast-iron and enamel roasting pans for induction.

Our pan expert calls enamelled cast iron "the holy grail" among roasting pans: you'll cook in it for the rest of your life. If you put the Sola with stew into the oven, you will lift a lot: the pan alone weighs 4.94 kilos.

Sola Braadpan Gietijzer Rood ø 24 cm

Saucepans and small pans: Beka Cicla

You cook pasta, soup and vegetables in the Beka Kookpan Cicla ø 24 cm of 5.2 liters. Like the sauté pan from the same line it has three layers of metal, encapsulated in the base. A glass lid is included, and the pan is dishwasher-safe and oven-proof up to 200 °C. You choose a larger stockpot or a smaller saucepan from the saucepans in other sizes.

Beka Kookpan Cicla ø 24 cm

For sauces and rice you grab the Beka Steelpannenset Cicla 3-Delig, with the same base. These are three light saucepans of 16, 18 and 20 cm, each weighing between 0.61 and 0.94 kilos.

Beka Steelpannenset Cicla 3-Delig

Pan set: Sola Ruby, if your kitchen is still empty

The Sola Pannenset Ruby 5-Delig Premium Triply RVS brings four saucepans from 16 to 24 cm and a small pan, all stainless steel without a coating. The product page describes three layers of metal that run up into the walls, and the pans are dishwasher-safe.

Such a set suits a kitchen that doesn't yet have any pans. The pans you fry in you buy separately, and those are where a good base is most valuable. If you're looking for a set with a coating or with a frying pan included, which pan set we recommend for induction.

Sola Pannenset Ruby 5-Delig Premium Triply RVS

You can also cook well on induction with a pan you already have, or with a simpler base:

• A pan that cooks well on induction does not need to be replaced, even if it stood on gas for years. For those who have just switched from gas, we explain how to test your current pans on the new hob.
• A cast-iron or enamel roasting pan you already own usually works on induction because of its material, so you don't need a new one for stews.
• A pan with an encapsulated or multi-layer base is enough for soup, sauce or a fried egg. If you often sear meat at high heat or stir-fry, you get the most benefit from a pan that carries the heat into the wall or to the rim.

The same type of pan in a different size or colour, or from another brand, can be found in the overview of pans for induction.