frying pan

frying pan A frying pan, also called frypan or skillet, is a flat-bottomed cookware used for frying, searing and browning foods. It typically ranges from in diameter with relatively low sides that flare outwards, a long handle and no lid. Larger pans may have a small loop handle on the opposite side to the main handle. A pan of similar dimensions, but with less flared, more vertical sides and often with a lid, is called a sauté pan. While a sauté pan can be used as a frying pan, it is designed for lower-heat cooking.

frying pan A frying pan, also called frypan or skillet, is a flat-bottomed cookware used for frying, searing and browning foods. It typically ranges from in diameter with relatively low sides that flare outwards, a long handle and no lid. Larger pans may have a small loop handle on the opposite side to the main handle. A pan of similar dimensions, but with less flared, more vertical sides and often with a lid, is called a sauté pan. While a sauté pan can be used as a frying pan, it is designed for lower-heat cooking.

Variants

Non-stick

A process for bonding Teflon to chemically roughened aluminium was patented in France by Marc Gregoire in 1954. In 1956, he formed a company to market non-stick cookware under the "Tefal" brand name. The durability of the early coatings was poor, but improvements in manufacturing have made these products a kitchen standard. The surface is not as tough as metal and the use of metal utensils (e.g. spatulas) can permanently mar the coating and degrade its non-stick property. For some cooking preparations, a non-stick frying pan is inappropriate, especially for deglazing, where the residue of browning is to be incorporated in a later step such as a pan sauce. Since little to no residue can stick to the surface, the sauce will fail for lack of its primary flavouring agent.

Electric

An electric frying pan or electric skillet incorporates an electric heating element into the frying pan itself and so can function independently of a cooking stove. Accordingly, it has heat-insulated legs for standing on a countertop. (The legs usually attach to handles.) Electric frying pans are commonly made in shapes that are unusual for 'unpowered' frying pans, notably square and rectangular. Most are designed with straighter sides than their stovetop cousins and include a lid. In this way, they are a cross between a frying pan and a sauté pan. A modern electric skillet has an additional advantage over the stovetop version: heat regulation. The detachable power cord incorporates a thermostatic control for maintaining the desired temperature. With the perfection of the thermostatic control, the electric skillet became a popular kitchen appliance. In 1953, Sunbeam introduced the Automatic Frypan with built-in temperature controls, which helped the device gain widespread popularity. Although it largely has been supplanted by the microwave oven, it is still in use in many kitchens.

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