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Are Frying Pans and Skillets the Same?

Slightly sloped sides;Suitable for shallow frying only;Can be manufactured from different materials (carbon steel, cast iron, etc.);Can come with non-stick surfaces;Not complemented with lids.

Stainless steel is a highly durable material and doesn’t chip, peel or scratch easily like soft metals such as aluminium. As chefs have to handle vigorous, pan-clanging cooking day in and day out, they tend to lean toward stainless steel cookware instead of aluminium cookware.

Another massive reason why stainless steel cookware has always been the chef’s favourite is the fact that it doesn’t react with acidic foods. This means, unlike aluminium cookware, stainless steel keeps metals from leaching into your meals, resulting in healthier and tastier servings.

However, aluminium cookware has its own set of advantages too. For example, aluminium is a faster and more responsive conductor of heat, making it a great choice for fry pans. 

Best for: Almost any food that needs searing, including steak and burgers. Cast-iron pans are ovenproof, so you can use them to roast meats like beef or pork and to bake cornbread, deep-dish pizza, shepherd’s pie, and more. And they retain heat so well that they’re a good choice for deep-frying chicken, doughnuts, or other foods because they keep the oil at a constant temperature.

The details: Cast-iron frying pans are practically indestructible, and they’re handed down for generations in many families. That makes their typically low price even more attractive. And if well cared for, cast iron develops a patina that releases food almost as well as nonstick. But the pans are heavy, and you have to be patient when heating them up because they don’t come up to temperature fast. Once they do, however, they retain heat.

Our tests of coated and uncoated cast-iron pans show how versatile this cookware can be. We sear steaks, brown scallops, and bake cornbread to see how well a cast-iron pan works for home cooks. The best pans ace all these tests. We also judge how easy they are to clean. Because of the enamel coating, the coated pans are a bit easier to clean than the uncoated ones.

Here are two recommended cast-iron pans from our tests.