decorative perforated metal

A frying pan can be made of a variety of high-quality metalcore materials. It was originally constructed from heavy cast iron, which is incredibly solid and durable.

With tall sides and a wide base, sauté pans pack more weight. Larger sauté pans may even come with a secondary helper handle, which is a small loop handle attached opposite the main long handle as well as a cover or lid. This is helpful, as the weight of larger sauté pans is difficult to move around, especially since they can hold plenty of food. 

Here’s a fun fact; did you know that there’s a frypan called the French skillet, only with much higher, sloped sides? It looks rather like a slight cross between the fry pan and skillet.

Here’s where things may get a little confusing, so we’ll start with the basics. For one, both frypans and skillets have handles attached to its side. One difference is that frypans usually have shorter handles compared to the longer one on skillets. The skillet’s longer handle allows for an easier time to move the pan around the stovetop or to transfer it into the oven for baking.

Can You Put Stainless Steel Pans in the Oven?

A sauté pan is a shallow pan with straight sidewalls. This is the main difference between a sauté pan and a skillet or frying pan, which has slanted sides. The straight sides make the sauté pan better suited for certain tasks that require cooking ingredients in a liquid, such as shallow frying or braising, because these liquids could leak over a skillet’s slated sides.A sauté pan can also be used to sauté, stir-fry, or sear in the same way that a skillet can. However, despite its name, a sauté pan is not necessarily the best pan to use to sauté ingredients, and some chefs actually prefer using a skillet for sautéing because of its slanted sides.

Ceramic frying pans are made from a non-toxic, non-reactive material that is known for its non-stick properties and fast heating capabilities. They are ideal for cooking delicate dishes and reducing the amount of oil needed for cooking. However, they are prone to scratching and may not be suitable for high-heat cooking.

Aside from being available in a range of different colors, the main advantage of enameled cast iron over unfinished cast iron is that it’s much less likely to rust, and is also relatively easy to clean and maintain. And while these pans are more of an investment than mass-market unfinished cast iron cookware, they offer invaluable convenience and elegance that’ll last for several lifetimes.