As the name implies, the frying pan works best at frying, except for deep frying. It’s perfect for stir-frying, searing meat, and shallow frying since it can handle intense heat while allowing steam to escape quickly.

    If you need smaller enamel cookware, consider adding an enamelware saucepan to your collection.  Perfect for heating sauces, poaching eggs, or cooking grains, this enamelware saucepan versatile pan is a must-have in the kitchen.  

    Cooking on a cast iron griddle is a versatile and enjoyable experience, especially when used on an electric stove.  Whether you're preparing a hearty breakfast or grilling a steak for dinner, a cast iron griddle gets the job done with ease.  Here are some tips for using a cast iron griddle on an electric stove, poaching eggs on the skillet, and cleaning the skillet afterward.

Can a Carbon Steel Pan Go in the Oven?

Pans are measured according to the diameter of the lip, not the diameter of the cooking surface. Most home burners can only comfortably fit a pan of around 12 inches in diameter. Because of its straight sides, a 12-inch sauté pan will also have a large, 12-inch-wide cooking surface (about 113 square inches). A skillet, on the other hand, loses at least an inch on each side, making the effective cooking area only 10 inches wide (about 79 square inches). This means that, given a skillet and a sauté pan of equal diameter, the skillet will have 30% less cooking area than the sauté pan. That's not an insignificant amount.

Here are two recommended nonstick skillets from CR’s tests.

Best for: everyday cooking: stir-fries, all sorts of vegetables and sauces, and meat

    One of the key factors to consider when purchasing a cast iron Dutch oven is the manufacturer.   If you're specifically looking to buy a cast iron Dutch oven, it's worth exploring products from different manufacturers to compare prices and features.  

However, the issue arises when the pan you’re using is designed for a specific purpose. For instance, a stainless steel French skillet is not suitable for cooking crepes as effectively as a non-stick frying pan since the crepes will stick to the uncoated flat bottom, making them difficult to flip.