Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Many cooks have a collection of frying pans, also called skillets. Many cooks also tend to use them interchangeably. If one frying pan is in the dishpan, another can be used for cooking and there’s a reserve somewhere in the cabinets. However, as a cook gets more and more acquainted with her pans, she’ll find out that they have difference qualities depending on what they’re made of.
One staple of the kitchen is a cast iron skillet. Cast iron skillets are heavy and so won’t dent or warp, no matter how many times they’re dropped or how hot they get. They are so durable that many become family heirlooms and are passed down through the generations even though they’re inexpensive to buy. Though they heat up slowly, they cook evenly and hold on to their heat for a long time. The one thing about these frying pans is that they need to be seasoned. The cook coats the inside with oil and puts the pan in a low oven for a couple of hours. This will prevent the pan from rusting.
Cast iron skillets are great for frying and imparting a brown crust, but they shouldn’t be used for deep frying. This is because the iron can make the cooking fat rancid. They cannot be put in the dishwasher, but they do add a little iron to your diet. They can also go right from the stove top to the oven, which is a definite plus.
The good thing about non-stick skillets is that they’re inert. They don’t alter the color, odor, taste or chemistry of the food they cook. However, they can scratch and it’s best to use plastic or wooden utensils when stirring the food in them. Also, some non-stick pans give off noxious fumes if they’re heated to a very high temperature, and they shouldn’t be heated when they’re empty. However, these pans are great for making crepes and omelets. These pans should also not be cleaned in the dishwasher.
A saute pan is made to gently cook food on the stove top. They’re wide with high sides that protect against splattering and and flat bottoms that help the saute pan heat evenly. The pan should also come with a lid that fits snugly. The best kinds of saute pans seem to be made of aluminum clad in stainless steel.
Hard anodized aluminum pans resist sticking, but they are very durable. Anodizing the pan thickens the film of oxide that forms on aluminum anyway. This makes it extremely hard and allegedly scratch proof. Still, these types of skillets should, like the traditional non-stick pans, be only used with plastic or wood utensils. Hard anodized aluminum pans are much more inert than regular aluminum. They should also not be put in the dishwasher.
