What is the difference between saute pan and skillet

It is important to remember that you cookware are tools and like any other tool, the one that is best suited for the job will help you achieve the best results.

If you have been reading this then it is fair to say that you are at least quite passionate about cooking and making fine food. Non-stick saute pan image. Maybe you have read in a recipe that you need a skillet pan for this or a saute pan for that. Well, we are going to address this issue in this article. What is a skillet? They have been designed like this because they are better suited to making sauces and, as the name suggests sauteing Because they are generally used for cooking things at lower temperatures they often come with nonstick coatings.

If you are cooking a sauce for a pasta dish then this is the pan that you would be using. What is a frying pan? No matter. Just remember that if the sides are slanted then it is a frying pan or a skillet.

Skillet vs frying pan. Question: What is the difference between a Skillet and a frying pan? What is a french skillet?

But, because they still have such a wide cooking surface, you can still effectively reduce a sauce when needed. A skillet is all about the wide cooking surface and low sides. Instead, the short sides allow you to toss ingredients well and reduce liquids incredibly fast. Both pans are great multitaskers. If you have the space, each one deserves a spot in your kitchen.

For the best skillet around, the All-Clad D3 inch skillet is the way to go. To see how each of these pans stack up against the competition, check out my full breakdowns of the best saute pans and the best skillets on the market. William is a classically trained chef, who spent years cooking in top NYC restaurants before bringing his talents home to Colorado.

Now a stay-at-home dad, William has brought his passion for professional cooking home, where he continues to cook and bake for his wife and daughter.

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. William Mack. About the author William is a classically trained chef, who spent years cooking in top NYC restaurants before bringing his talents home to Colorado.

Contact Us. About Us Cookware Knives Appliances. Privacy Policy. Picture a piece of cookware with a large flat bottom — one with short sides, a long handle, and the perfect shape for cooking up a tasty seared steak. What comes to mind? In the range of cookware , skillets and pans are two of the most commonly interchanged.

They are fairly similar in shape, available in almost the same sizes, and are often chunked into the same product category. This article compares and contrasts skillets and pans and shares the best cooking techniques and dishes to use each one. A lot of the confusion between skillets and pans comes from their names. Skillets, for one, are also called frying pans or frypans. Pans are open to even more interpretation. In addition, skillets and pans are available in very similar sizes typically 8-inch, inch, or inch diameters and materials stainless steel, aluminum, multi-ply, and nonstick coating.

A skillet, on the other hand, has sides that flare outward at an angle. But the real question is, when should you use each one, and do you really need both? The difference in shape affects five main factors: surface area, volume, weight, tossing ability, and evaporation.

Pans are measured according to the diameter of the lip, not the diameter of the cooking surface. Most home burners can only comfortably fit a pan of around 12 inches in diameter. A skillet, on the other hand, loses at least an inch on each side, making the effective cooking area only 10 inches wide about 79 square inches. That's not an insignificant amount. Straight sides also make the liquid less likely to splash out as you move the pan around or transfer it into and out of the oven.

It also allows the lid to fit more tightly, minimizing evaporation. This extra volume is a great boon when you're performing tasks like shallow-frying a pan full of meatballs in a half inch of oil, or braising a dozen chicken thighs in white wine. While this weight is no problem when the pan is sitting still on the stovetop or in the oven, the lighter weight of a skillet makes it superior for shaking and stirring to promote even cooking of vegetables or pieces of chopped meat.