You can use French skillets to prepare various foods, including fried and boiled dishes. You can also use these skillets for poaching liquids or shallow frying.

Contrary to what many expect, skillets are actually great for sautéing and stir-frying. The lighter weight makes them easy to shake, and their sloped sides helps redistribute the food back to the bottom of the pan. The wide opening also allows access to the cooking surface, making it easy to stir the ingredients.

Uses Of The French Skillet

Do chefs use non-stick cookware?

Carbon-steel pans are thinner and lighter than cast iron pans. They heat up quickly but lose heat just as fast. Like cast iron pans, they can also be seasoned to make them non-stick. They distribute heat evenly and are oven safe. Their main disadvantage is that they're prone to rust easily if not cared for properly.

As for the skillet, you’ll get the option of a larger cooking surface with more cooking volume due to its slightly deeper depth. This makes it easier to cook large cuts of meat and batches of food.

“There are a few things to consider when you’re buying cookware, including how you cook, durability, and price,” says Lance Nitahara, an assistant professor at the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in Hyde Park, N.Y. “On the low end of the price scale are nonstick and cast iron; copper is on the high end. But each does a different thing.”

Below, you’ll find advice on how to choose the right frying pan for how you cook, plus highlights of top-performing pans from CR’s tests, listed alphabetically and not by rank. You can see how all the pans we test perform in our frying pan ratings and learn more about the different types of pans in our cookware buying guide.

The major difference between stainless steel and non-stick cookware is the material used for the bottom of the pan. This non-stick material, as discussed earlier, is easy to clean but requires more frequent and gentle cleaning.

On the other hand, stainless steel pans can handle rough cooking and cleaning while requiring very little maintenance thanks to their sturdy nature.

When making your choice, consider the material of the pan, its heat distribution properties, and how easy it is to clean and maintain. Take into account any drawbacks, such as the need for special care and maintenance or the limited lifespan of the non-stick coating.

Carbon Steel Frying Pans

While no non stick pan will last forever, high-quality construction and care make a difference. That's why chefs rely on our professional-grade Non Stick for brunch service—whether scrambling eggs, rolling omelettes, or cooking frittata, eggs won't stick and cleanup remains easy, no matter how many times it's used in service.