Sizzling Plate

However, if you find yourself stir frying, making fajitas and baked dishes more often than not, you may just prefer the skillet for its fantastic heat retention properties. Think a sizzling fajita for a Mexican themed dinner soiree with your closest friends. A skillet can certainly deliver a fantastic impression that will wow your guests.

However, as cookware diameters are measured at the opening (i.e., from side to side of the top), a 12-inch skillet means roughly 10-inches of real cooking surface. Any food that leans on the curved edges is not in direct contact with the heat and won’t cook as quickly as food on the bottom surface. However, the wide opening and relatively light weight of skillets makes them very easy to maneuver so food can be quickly shifted inside. 

From carbon steel to enameled cast iron, we think almost every single kind of pan has its merits. But if you’re just getting into the home cooking game, or you’re looking to expand your toolkit, the sheer variety of pans on the market can feel intimidating—especially if you’re just looking for a good all-purpose pan for weeknight dinners.

You can still find French skillets in professional kitchens because they provide good heat dispersion during cooking. But other cooks have shifted to frying pans over time because of their perceived durability and sturdiness.

Sizzling Plate

    The 8-piece cast iron cookware set, on the other hand, is a more compact option but still provides the essential parts needed for most cooking tasks.  This 8-piece cast iron cookware set is perfect for those who have limited storage space or prefer a minimalist range of cookware.

Saute pans have straight sides and usually come with lids. French skillets, on the other hand, have slightly sloped sides and are typically smaller in size. They also do not usually come with a lid, unlike saute pans.

With their straight sides, sauté pans have similar bottom and top measurements, so a 12-inch pan will offer a cooking area of the same size. Sauté pans are often described according to capacity, and a good choice for home cooking is anywhere from 1 quart to 7 quarts.

The French skillet is a frying pan and a sauté pan rolled into one. You can fry foods in the skillet and sauté or cook with a light sauce that requires more room.