Made In Cookware Frying Pan Protectors, 3 Piece Set (8, 10, 12 in), Graphite, Molded Silicone

Made In Pan Protectors Review: Molded Silicone Separators for Stacked Pans on the Road

Stacked pans are one of the loudest things in a van kitchen. Every bump knocks metal against metal, and on a washboard road a stack of skillets in a drawer sounds like a dropped toolbox. The knocking also scratches. Nonstick coatings get scuffed, seasoned cast iron and carbon steel lose patches of seasoning, and stainless picks up rings. A pan protector sits inside each pan so the next one rests on a pad rather than bare metal.

Our stop van kitchen rattles guide recommends pan protectors and notes that the site didn't review a specific one yet. It also flags a problem with the most common kind: felt that gets wet holds moisture against the pan, which matters for cast iron and carbon steel. The Made In Pan Protectors are molded from silicone rather than cut from felt, which is why we've picked them. Made In publishes exact diameters, heights, weights and thicknesses for each size, and the set is dishwasher safe.

What the Amazon link sells: the Made In Cookware 3 Piece Set (Includes 8", 10", 12") Frying Pan Protectors, Graphite, Molded Silicone, Dishwasher Safe, ASIN B0D9PHWN85, Made In part number KIT-3-PAN-PRO-PE-P. It's three protectors, one each for 8, 10 and 12-inch pans, in graphite. Made In also sells the protectors singly and in other colours, and larger sets matched to its cookware sets. This review covers the 3-piece graphite set.

This review is research-based. VanLifeKitchens doesn't test products hands-on. The specs below come from Made In's product page and the Amazon listing we link to.

Choose this if:

• You stack frying pans or skillets in a drawer or cabinet and want to stop the knocking and scratching.
• You carry cast iron, carbon steel or nonstick pans and don't want felt holding moisture against them.
• Your pans are close to 8, 10 or 12 inches across, so the three sizes cover your stack.

Skip this if:

• You use a nesting cookware set with its own storage system, such as the Magma Nesting 10-Piece, which ships with a bungee cord to hold the stack together.
• You want a protector that also works as a trivet or hot pad. Made In doesn't publish a heat limit.
• You want the cheapest possible fix. A folded tea towel between pans does part of the job for nothing.

What they are

Each protector is a thin, molded silicone disc with a raised edge, so it sits like a shallow dish inside the pan below. Made In describes them as "designed to fit between each size of your Made In Frying Pans for easy, scratch-free stacking". The 1.75-inch height comes from that raised edge, which follows the pan's sloped sides rather than lying flat on the base.

Made In's specs per size:

All three are 1.75 inches (4.4 cm) tall, per Made In. The set weighs about 14.7 oz in total by our sum.

Specifications and sources

Made In's warranty statement covers its products in general ("All Made In Cookware products come with a limited or lifetime warranty"). It doesn't say which applies to the protectors, so check the paperwork or ask Made In if that matters to you.

Will they fit pans that aren't Made In?

Made In designs them for its own frying pans and says so. It doesn't publish a fit list for other brands. What it does publish is each protector's diameter and height, which is enough to check fit yourself.

Measure the top inside diameter of each pan, rim to rim. A protector a little larger than the pan's base and close to its rim diameter will sit in the pan and cover the cooking surface. Silicone is flexible, so a small mismatch is usually fine; a large one leaves the protector curling up the sides or sliding around inside.

Checking the pans on this site against Made In's diameters:

• Lodge L8SK3 10.25-inch skillet: Lodge lists a 10.25-inch diameter. The 10-inch protector is 10.5 inches across, so it should sit close to the rim. Measure yours to confirm.
• de Buyer Mineral B 10.25-inch: the same nominal size as the Lodge. Its sloped sides and 7.3-inch cooking surface make the raised edge useful.
• All-Clad D3 10-inch skillet: a 10-inch pan, the size the 10-inch protector is named for.
• Stanley Wildfare Pro 8.75-inch pan: between the 8 and 10-inch protectors. It nests as a kit with its own plates and board, so it may not need one at all.

These are fit checks on paper, not a tested fit. The cookware complete guide has more on which pans the site covers and how they stack.

Why silicone rather than felt in a van

The rattles guide's caution about felt is the main reason to choose molded silicone:

• Moisture. Felt soaks up water. A pan put away slightly damp, or condensation in a cold van, leaves a wet pad pressed against the metal. That's a rust risk for cast iron and carbon steel. Silicone doesn't absorb water, so it doesn't hold it against the pan, although any water trapped underneath still needs to dry.
• Cleaning. Made In says the protectors are dishwasher safe. In a van without a dishwasher, that also means they can be washed in a basin and wiped dry in seconds. Felt pads are harder to clean once grease gets into them.
• Grip. Silicone tends to grip the pan better than felt, which helps a stack hold its shape. It doesn't stop the stack moving as a unit.

Felt does have one advantage: it's softer and usually thicker, so it may cushion heavier pans better. At 1.4 mm, these are thin. They prevent metal-on-metal contact and scratches. They aren't shock absorbers.

How it fits a van kitchen

One stack, one drawer. The storage guide's cookware section describes "stacking with dividers" as the way to use mismatched pans: put a protector between each one and keep the stack in a deep drawer or cabinet. The 1.75-inch protector height mostly sits inside the pan below, so it doesn't add much to the height of a stack.

Hold the stack in place. The rattles guide is clear that protectors pad contact between pieces but don't stop the stack sliding. Put the stack on non-slip liner such as Con-Tact Grip Premium, keep it in a drawer or bin it can't travel across, and keep heavy pans low. Cast iron belongs at floor level, never in an upper cabinet. A latched drawer, such as one fitted with a Southco MP latch, keeps the whole stack from sliding out when you open it after a drive.

Dry the pans first. Silicone won't hold moisture the way felt does, but a damp pan with a protector on top still traps water. Dry cast iron and carbon steel fully, ideally on a warm burner for a minute, before stacking.

Handles. Protectors deal with the pan surface. Long handles still stick out and knock each other. Alternate handle directions in the stack, or choose pans with removable handles if you're buying new. The nesting cookware for induction guide covers sets designed to stack.

Limitations

• Designed for Made In pans. Made In publishes no fit list for other brands. Check diameters against your pans.
• Thin. At 1.4 mm they stop scratches and knocking, not impacts.
• No published heat limit. Don't use them as trivets or hot pads, and let pans cool before stacking.
• Not a restraint. The stack still needs liner, a drawer that holds it, and a latch.
• Warranty unclear. Made In's general statement doesn't say which warranty applies to the protectors.
• Three sizes only. Small saucepans and very large pans aren't covered.

How it compares on this site

If you're starting from scratch, a set designed to nest solves both the storage and the noise. If you already own good pans that don't match, protectors are the inexpensive way to stack them quietly.

Which guides it fits

• Stop van kitchen rattles: pan protectors and cookware separators, and why felt can trap moisture.
• Storage complete guide: "stacking with dividers" for mismatched cookware.
• Cookware complete guide: which pans to carry.
• Van cookware materials guide: caring for cast iron, carbon steel and nonstick.

Verdict

The Made In Pan Protectors are a small, well-documented fix for one of the most common van kitchen noises. Made In publishes each size's diameter, height, weight and 1.4 mm thickness, the material and the care rules, and the molded silicone avoids the felt problem our rattles guide warns about: no pad soaking up water against cast iron or carbon steel. They're designed for Made In pans, so check diameters against yours, they're thin, there's no published heat limit, and they don't hold a stack in place by themselves. Used with liner and a latched drawer, they make a stack of mismatched pans quiet and scratch-free.

FAQ

Will Made In pan protectors fit other brands of pan? Made In designs them for its own frying pans and publishes no fit list for others. It does publish diameters (8.5, 10.5 and 12.5 inches) and a 1.75-inch height, so measure your pans' inside rim diameter and compare.

Are they silicone or felt? Silicone. Made In describes them as FDA-approved silicone, and the Amazon listing calls them molded silicone.

Are they dishwasher safe? Yes. Made In says they're dishwasher safe. In a van, they also wash and wipe dry quickly by hand.

Can they be used as trivets? Made In doesn't publish a heat limit for them, so don't use them under hot pans. Let pans cool before stacking.

Do pan protectors stop pans rattling while driving? They stop metal knocking on metal inside the stack. The stack can still slide as a unit, so put it on non-slip liner in a drawer that holds it, and latch the drawer.

How thick are they? 1.4 mm, per Made In, with a raised edge that makes each one 1.75 inches tall.

Sources and verification

• Made In, Pan Protectors product page: sizes, 8 and 10-inch diameters, heights, weights and 1.4 mm thickness, FDA-approved silicone, dishwasher safe, designed to fit Made In frying pans, made in China. https://madeincookware.com/products/pan-protectors (checked 2026-10-13)
• Made In, Pan Protectors 12-inch variant page: 12.5 in (31.8 cm) diameter, 1.75 in (4.4 cm) height, 6.8 oz (195 g), 1.4 mm thickness, general warranty statement. https://madeincookware.com/products/pan-protectors/12-inch-made-in-red (checked 2026-10-13)
• Amazon product listing for ASIN B0D9PHWN85, the listing this review links to: title (3 Piece Set, 8, 10 and 12 in, Graphite, Molded Silicone), part number KIT-3-PAN-PRO-PE-P, dishwasher safe, made in China, availability (checked 2026-10-13)