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. Because of its straight sides, a 12-inch sauté pan will also have a large, 12-inch-wide cooking surface (about 113 square inches). 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). This means that, given a skillet and a sauté pan of equal diameter, the skillet will have 30% less cooking area than the sauté pan. That's not an insignificant amount.

This non stick coating, which differs from manufacturer to manufacturer, makes these pans an ideal pick for delicate proteins like eggs and fish as well as for reheating leftovers.

   After repairing chipped enamel cookware, it's important to consider its intended use. If the cookware will be used for decorative purposes only, the repaired area may not need to withstand the same level of wear and tear as cookware used for cooking.

Enameled cast iron frying pans boast the same durable construction and heat retention as unfinished cast iron, but with a smooth, elegant enamel coating for easier cleanup. These pans are made the exact same way as an enameled cast iron Dutch oven: Molten iron-carbon alloy is poured into a proprietary frying pan mold and then left to cool, before being coated with an enamel made from powdered glass.

Lid Availability