For purchasing guidance, please read our review of the best stainless steel skillets and our sauté pan round-up. But whichever pan you choose, there are a few things to keep in mind while shopping.

Advantages:

French skillets and frying pans can share many similarities in size and material. However, the main difference lies in the shape of their sides. Frying pans have sloping lower sides, whereas French skillets have straighter and higher sides, giving them a more luxurious appearance.

What is the difference between a frying pan and a skillet?

Why chefs prefer stainless steel cookware over aluminium cookware?

The frying pan is undoubtedly cookware that you use daily. It is adaptable and can do varied cooking that no other equipment can.

Cooking Eggs On A Cast Iron Griddle

    When using a cast iron griddle on an electric stove, it's important to make sure the skillet is properly seasoned.  Seasoning your cast iron griddle creates a non-stick surface and prevents rust.  To season the cast iron griddle, coat the cooking surface with a thin layer of vegetable oil and heat on the stove until it starts to smoke.  Repeat this process a few times and your cast iron griddle is ready to use.

Coated cast iron pans are glazed with an enamel coating. This eliminates the need for seasoning and makes it easier to clean them. It also prevents iron from leaching into food. Enameled cast iron, however, doesn't resist sticking as well as seasoned bare cast iron. It also doesn't withstand searing heat and can chip easily if dropped.

Aluminum is lightweight but strong and doesn't warp when exposed to high heat. Since they're such good conductors of heat, aluminum frying pans are great for frying and sautéing foods. The main drawback of aluminum is that it reacts with alkaline and acidic foods. This causes corrosion and leads to leaching of the metal into the food, which acquires a metallic taste.

Can You Put Non-Stick Pans in the Dishwasher?

Here are two recommended nonstick skillets from CR’s tests.