How hot can this pan go in the oven?
Quick answer
A pan's oven ceiling is the lowest of its coating, its handle and its lid, and it is almost never the metal. A stainless pan with a silicone-sleeved handle tops out around 400F even though the steel would take 600F, and a 500F enamelled dutch oven with a phenolic knob is limited to about 375F until the knob is swapped for stainless.
These are the temperatures manufacturers publish for each class of part. Your own pan's documentation always wins over a general figure.
The coating sets the ceiling here at 600F. No coating to degrade. The handle decides.
Broiler use is a separate question. Many coatings and nearly all glass lids are prohibited under a broiler even when the oven figure looks high enough, because the element radiates directly onto the surface.
Published figures: riveted stainless handles 500F to 600F, silicone sleeves about 400F, phenolic handles about 350F, wooden handles not oven safe at all, glass lids 350F to 425F, phenolic lid knobs about 375F, enamel 500F, PTFE nonstick 400F to 500F, ceramic nonstick 350F to 450F.
Oven-capable cookware
Prices come from live listings and move constantly. Use these to see the shape of the category, then check the current figure.
- MALACASA
MALACASA 4.4QT Ceramic Casserole Dishes for Oven, 9x13 Baking Dishes, White
4.4 qt$24.28 Check pricePrices change often - M MCIRCO
M MCIRCO 8 Piece Deep Glass Baking Dish with Lids, BPA free,Gray
8 pieces$35.99 Check pricePrices change often - All-Clad
All-Clad D3 Stainless Steel 12" Fry Pan with Lid, Made in the USA
12 in$149.95 Check pricePrices change often - Le Creuset
Le Creuset Enameled Cast Iron Round Dutch Oven, 5.5 qt., Flame
5.5 qt$278.99 Check pricePrices change often - Le Creuset
Le Creuset Enameled Cast Iron Round Dutch Oven, 7.25 qt., Cerise
7.25 qt$325.99 Check pricePrices change often
Common questions
Why is my handle the limiting factor and not the pan?
Because the metal of a pan is far more heat tolerant than anything attached to it. Stainless and cast iron are unbothered by ordinary oven temperatures, while a silicone sleeve softens around 400F and a phenolic handle chars around 350F. Handles exist to stay cool in your hand on the hob, and the materials that do that job well are exactly the ones that fail first in an oven.
Can I put a nonstick pan in the oven?
Usually yes, within the maker's published figure, which is commonly 400F to 500F, and many lines prohibit the broiler outright. PTFE begins to break down near 500F, which is why published ceilings sit below it. Ceramic nonstick is generally published lower, around 350F to 450F. Check the pan you own rather than assuming, because the figures vary considerably between lines.
What about the lid, does it count?
Yes, and it is very often the lowest number in the whole stack. A tempered glass lid is commonly rated 350F to 425F and prohibited under a broiler, and enamelled cast iron pots frequently shipped with phenolic knobs rated around 375F on a pot rated to 500F. If the pot goes in covered, the lid is part of the calculation. Uncovered, it is not.
Is it dangerous to exceed the rating, or just bad for the pan?
Both, depending on the part. Exceeding a coating rating degrades it and, with PTFE, can release fumes that are rapidly fatal to pet birds. Exceeding a handle rating can char or weaken the attachment, and a handle failing on a full hot pan is a genuine injury risk. A glass lid pushed past its rating can shatter. None of these are cosmetic.
How do I raise the ceiling on a pan I already own?
The realistic options are to remove the lid, or to replace a phenolic knob with a stainless one, which many makers sell as a spare part and which is the single most effective upgrade. Handles and coatings cannot be changed. If you regularly need high oven heat, that is an argument for an all-metal pan, which is why cast iron and bare clad stainless go straight under a broiler.