Food turns out to be the one-stop solution from joy to stress. Not just eating, cooking can also give you a lot of pleasure but only when you have the appropriate types of equipment. Like a spoon and knife, the frying pan is also an essential element of the kitchen. These pans have flat bottoms with slightly elevated or curved sides. They come in diverse materials such as cast iron, non-stick, aluminium, stainless steel and black steel. People prefer these pans over other types of equipment when they want moderate to high heat to cook their food. They are thick enough to prevent the food from burning.
People often get confused about the skillet and frying pan. Both these cookware can handle almost all types of cooking. Both may seem similar, but one should know which one to use. It all depends on how much you would use the spatula to mix the food, the liquid required for cooking and the time and speed of cooking. If your cooking involves a lot of flipping and mixing using a spatula, and you want your food cooked real quick on high heat, go for the frying pan. With these pieces of equipment, you can easily toss your food no matter even if you are a novice chef.
Things to check while buying a frying pan
Size
The size is the prime check to do while buying any cookware. It depends on how many people you cook for, the type of food cooked and the quantity. There are many sizes of pans like
- Mini size: This pan has a diameter of 10 to 12 cm. They are easy to handle and wash. It is preferred by people when they have to cook for only one or two people maximum. One can fry eggs or make egg benedict quickly on these pans while they have to rush to their offices.
- Small size: This pan has a diameter of 20 cm that one can use to prepare foods on small gas hobs. This option enables control over the heat supply. People prefer these pans to cook for two. They can make fried tomatoes, mushrooms, onions, etc. It is perfect for your small kitchen as it does not occupy too much space. They also fit easily into your dishwasher.
- Medium size: It has a diameter of 26 to 28 cm and can serve about 2 to 4 people. A medium or large-sized gas hob can be of great use to cook with these pans.
- Large size: The diameter of 30 to 32 cm differentiates this large pan. It can serve about 4 to 6 people. People usually buy this on combo offers and use it when they have guests at home.
The material
The manufacturers use many materials to produce these pans. The most preferred model is the non-stick frypans. You only have to use very less oil to prepare food with these pans. People who are diet conscious and prefer healthy food buy these pans. Next, is the traditional material called cast iron. They are known to improve the iron content in food. Stainless steel is the next material that is affordable to use. The durable yet weightless frypan is the carbon steel frypan that is good for cooking at high temperatures. It is significant to know how to handle your pan with care while cleaning them to avoid stains and scratches.
Rivets
These pans can either have rivet handles or rivetless handles. Rivet ones are durable and sturdy. They eliminate the need to tight them often as they are permanently attached to the pan. The rivetless handles are easier to clean and maintain. They make cooking easy with no hindrance, as in the rivet type.
Thickness
The thickness of the pan decides the type of heat it can tolerate. The pans with less thickness cannot handle large gas hobs and lead to the burning of the food whereas, pans with more thickness enables the user to prepare food quickly on large gas hobs without scorching. Choose your frying pan as per the hob type you use.
