Best for: Almost any food that needs frying, browning, or searing. Because it’s ovenproof, stainless is also a good choice for foods that you start on the stovetop and then move to the oven to finish, like thick pork chops.

The details: Nitahara says that 95 percent of the pans used in the CIA’s teaching kitchens are stainless steel because they can take a lot of punishment. “The only time we don’t use them is on egg day, when we use nonstick,” he says. He adds that the shiny surface of a stainless pan makes it easy to see whether your food is browning.

In CR’s tests of stainless steel pans, we measure heating evenness by cooking pancakes, and we gauge how evenly a pan sautés by cooking potatoes until they’re tender. We also conduct a cleaning test to see how easy it is to remove cooked-on food. You’d think that all stainless pans would be about the same to clean, but our tests show that some require a lot more scrubbing than others.

Here are two recommended stainless steel pans from CR’s tests.

    A cast iron cookware set is a great investment for anyone looking to build a versatile cookware collection.  Cookware Sets often include a variety of pots, pans, and frying pans, providing options for different cooking techniques and recipes.

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 One of the most attractive things about enamel pots is their bright colors.  From classic orange enamel pots to charming pink enamel pots and soothing blue enamel pots, there's a color to suit every kitchen aesthetic.  Colorful enamel coating not only adds a touch of character to your kitchen but also provides a durable and easy-to-clean surface suitable for cooking a variety of dishes.

Now that we’re familiar with their sizes, let’s move on to the differences between frypans and skillets in terms of their cooking surface!

The home chef considering his or her options for cookware can be overwhelmed by the level of choice. It can be challenging to know which frypan is best suited to your needs without getting confused. Read on to discover what you need to consider before investing in your newest piece of cookware.

While on the other side, we have the skillet which is best for cooking food at high heat such as searing, reducing, sauteing, and shallow frying. That’s because of its common construction of cast iron or stainless steel, which causes slow and even heat distribution but excellent heat retention. 

How to Measure a Fry Pan

Whereas skillets are commonly made from cast iron or stainless steel, giving it its rugged and robust nature. You’ll also be hard-pressed to find a “cast iron frypan”, but you’ll often find “cast iron skillets”. Even though stainless steel is one of the common materials used to make skillets, cast iron is the more popular option.