Cookware & bakeware · Pan

Frying pan / skillet

A wide, shallow pan with sloping sides and a long handle for frying, searing and sautéing on the hob.

Essential in most kitchens · Used on the stovetop · 592 recipes

Photo: Unknown author, via Wikimedia Commons (public-domain)

What it is

A round pan, usually 20–30 cm across, with low flared sides and a single long handle. Sloping sides let steam escape and make it easy to flip and slide food out; this is what separates it from a sauté pan, which has straight, taller sides and often a lid. Also called a skillet.

What it’s for: Fast, high-heat cooking of thin or small pieces of food where browning matters and liquid should evaporate quickly.

How to use it

Choose a size that holds the food in one layer without crowding.
Preheat the empty pan over medium to medium-high heat for a minute or two.
Add oil or fat and let it shimmer before adding the food.
Leave food undisturbed until it releases and browns, then turn or toss.
Lower the heat for delicate items like eggs or for finishing sauces.

Good to know

Tasks: searing meat and fish, frying eggs, sautéing vegetables, toasting spices and nuts, making pancakes and omelettes, reducing pan sauces
Cooking methods: Pan-fried, Shallow-fried, Sautéed, Toasted, Stir-fried
Materials: stainless steel, aluminium, non-stick coated aluminium, cast iron, carbon steel, copper
Care and cleaning: Let it cool before washing to avoid warping. Wash non-stick pans by hand with a soft sponge and avoid metal utensils; stainless steel can be scrubbed and deglazed. Cast iron and carbon steel need drying and a thin coat of oil (see cast-iron skillet).
Limitations: Too shallow for deep-frying, stews or large amounts of liquid; overcrowding makes food steam instead of brown.

Safety

Keep the handle turned inwards, away from the edge of the hob.
Never pour water onto very hot oil; smother an oil fire with a lid and turn off the heat.
Do not overheat an empty non-stick pan.

If you don’t have one

Cast-iron skillet — Works for any frying-pan task; heavier and slower to heat but better for searing.
Wok — Fine for sautéing and stir-frying; less good for flat items like pancakes.

Equipment guide

How it works: Heat from the burner passes through the base by conduction and into food that is in direct contact with it. The low, sloping sides let steam escape quickly, so the food's surface dries out and can rise above 100 °C, which is what makes browning (the Maillard reaction) possible. The thickness and metal of the base decide how evenly heat spreads and how much heat is stored to keep cooking when cold food is added.

Material	Good	Watch out
Stainless steel, clad (tri-ply or multi-ply)	Non-reactive with acids, takes high heat, dishwasher-tolerant; the aluminium or copper core spreads heat evenly; builds fond for pan sauces.	Food sticks unless the pan is preheated with fat; heavier and slower to respond than bare aluminium.
Non-stick (PTFE or ceramic sol-gel coating on aluminium)	Eggs, fish and pancakes release with little fat; easy to clean; forgiving for beginners.	Coatings wear out (ceramic often faster than PTFE); PTFE should not be heated empty or above about 260 °C; poor at building fond; needs non-metal utensils.
Cast iron (bare, seasoned)	Very high heat capacity, so it holds temperature when cold food goes in; excellent for searing; oven-safe; lasts generations.	Heavy and slow to heat; heats unevenly on small burners; needs seasoning and drying; long simmering of acidic sauces can strip seasoning and give a metallic taste.
Carbon steel	Lighter and thinner than cast iron, heats faster, seasons to a slick surface; takes very high heat.	Rusts if left wet; needs seasoning; reacts with acids until well seasoned; thinner pans hold less heat than cast iron.
Aluminium (plain or hard-anodised)	Light, conducts heat about 15 times better than stainless steel and heats quickly; anodising hardens the surface and stops reaction with acids.	Plain aluminium reacts with acidic and alkaline foods and can discolour them; thin gauges warp; not magnetic, so it needs a steel base for induction.
Copper (lined with stainless steel or tin)	The most responsive common pan metal: heats and cools very quickly and evenly; ideal for sauces and sugar work.	Needs a lining because bare copper reacts with food; tin linings melt at about 232 °C and need re-tinning; heavy at good thicknesses; polishing to keep it bright.

Stainless clad frying pan: General searing, sautéing and pan sauces; the workhorse in professional kitchens.
Non-stick frying pan: Eggs, omelettes, delicate fish, pancakes; keep for lower-heat jobs.
Carbon steel pan: The classic restaurant sauté pan for high-heat work; seasons to near non-stick.
Sauté pan: Straight sides and a lid; holds more liquid, better for shallow braising and sauces.

Buying guidance

Starting out: A 24–28 cm non-stick pan for eggs and delicate food plus, when budget allows, a 28 cm stainless clad pan for browning.

Keen cook: Add a carbon steel or cast-iron pan for hard searing, and keep non-stick only for eggs and fish.

Professional: Kitchens buy carbon steel and clad stainless in several sizes and treat non-stick as consumable.

Base diameter (the flat cooking area, often 4–6 cm less than the rim) matched to your burner
Clad or thick base: about 2.5–3 mm total for clad stainless
Induction-compatible (magnetic) base if needed
Oven-safe handle (metal, or rated to at least 200 °C)
Riveted or welded handle that stays cool and feels balanced

No brands or prices — check current reviews before buying.

Techniques:Toasting Searing Pan-frying Shallow-frying Sautéing Poaching Tadka (tempering)Bhunao Spice roasting (dry-roasting)Reduction Deglazing Flambé