With their sizeable bottom and weight, however, sauté pans actually aren’t best for shaking and flipping food around. Instead, sauté pans are built for larger, longer cooking. If the dish requires a good amount of liquid and not much stirring, such as shallow-fried falafels or braised lamb shanks, a sauté pan is perfect for the job.

Durability: Cast iron Dutch ovens are built to last and can withstand high temperatures and heavy use. When properly cared for, they can be passed down through generations, making them a long-lasting investment.

Are Frying Pans and Skillets the Same?

Aluminium frying pans are also great for high-heat cooking, and they distribute heat evenly, making them ideal for cooking delicate dishes such as omelettes and pancakes. They are also safe for use on all stovetops, including induction.

Cast iron is another material to consider because it retains heat extremely well, although it's not the best heat conductor. That means, cast iron takes a while to heat up. Cast iron is best for searing, sauteing, and baking.

But you'll want to factor in that this material is a lot heavier than stainless steel and can be harder to maneuver and lift. There are certain sauces or foods that aren't recommended to be prepared in a cast-iron skillet. If you're simmering a tomato sauce or other acidic foods, or foods that are more likely to stick, such as eggs or crepes, opt for a skillet that isn't cast iron.

The sides are usually only 1-2 inches high, as the purpose of the pan is to fry food, not simmer it.

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

Dutch Oven Use  

Cleaning and Storage: After use, it is important to clean and dry the skillet thoroughly to prevent rusting. Proper storage in a dry environment and occasional re-seasoning will help maintain the quality of the cast iron over time.

Cast Iron Griddle For Grill

Best for: Almost any food that needs searing, including steak and burgers. Cast-iron pans are ovenproof, so you can use them to roast meats like beef or pork and to bake cornbread, deep-dish pizza, shepherd’s pie, and more. And they retain heat so well that they’re a good choice for deep-frying chicken, doughnuts, or other foods because they keep the oil at a constant temperature.

The details: Cast-iron frying pans are practically indestructible, and they’re handed down for generations in many families. That makes their typically low price even more attractive. And if well cared for, cast iron develops a patina that releases food almost as well as nonstick. But the pans are heavy, and you have to be patient when heating them up because they don’t come up to temperature fast. Once they do, however, they retain heat.

Our tests of coated and uncoated cast-iron pans show how versatile this cookware can be. We sear steaks, brown scallops, and bake cornbread to see how well a cast-iron pan works for home cooks. The best pans ace all these tests. We also judge how easy they are to clean. Because of the enamel coating, the coated pans are a bit easier to clean than the uncoated ones.

Here are two recommended cast-iron pans from our tests.

Saute pans have straight sides and usually come with lids. French skillets, on the other hand, have slightly sloped sides and are typically smaller in size. They also do not usually come with a lid, unlike saute pans.

Saute vs Frying Pan