Regardless of size, cast iron skillets are a kitchen essential that can handle a variety of cooking tasks.  Whether you're cooking for one person or more, there's a cast iron skillet to suit your needs.

Offering excellent heat conduction, aluminum frying pans dissipate heat quickly for efficient, even cooking. Uncoated aluminum frying pans have a stick-, rust-, and corrosion-resistant surface and should only be used to cook low-acidic foods since acidic foods, such as tomato paste, citrus, and vinegar, react with aluminum and can alter the flavor of your food. Many professional aluminum frying pans are hard-anodized or feature a non-stick coating to make them non-reactive. Aluminum pans are not compatible with induction cooktops since aluminum is not magnetic.

It is important to consider the design of the pan when cooking specific food items, but generally, these pans are interchangeable.

Large Enamel Pots With Lids

STAINLESS STEEL FRYING PANS

    For those who like pops of color in their kitchen, enamel cookware sets in purple, red, and pink are a great choice.  Not only do these vibrant hues add a fun and playful element to your cooking space, enamel cookware sets also make for stunning dishes.  From sautéing and searing to braising and baking, boldly colored enamel cookware sets are designed to handle a variety of cooking techniques.

What Is A French Skillet?

Lightweight, easy to maneuver, and with unrivaled heat control, the advantages of stainless steel pans make these an absolute staple in any kitchen.

While a lid isn’t customary on a French skillet, it shares several characteristics with a sauté pan, so it’s possible to get one with one if you like to preserve the ingredients while cooking.

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.