FAQs

Volume

The details: These pans solve the frustration of food sticking, and they require little oil for cooking. Plus they’re lightweight, easy to clean, and affordable. But they can’t take the high heat of a cast-iron or stainless steel frying pan. “You’re not going to get much of a sear in a nonstick pan,” says Cindy Fisher, who conducted Consumer Reports’ cookware tests.

And they don’t last as long as cast-iron, stainless, or copper frying pans. “Nonstick is going to wear out the fastest,” Nitahara says. “The nonstick coating is fragile, and once you scratch it, it’s hard to flip an egg.”

In our tests of nonstick pans, we cook four eggs in quick succession. An excellent rating means all four eggs easily slid out of the pan. A poor rating indicates that some egg residue was left behind. To test nonstick durability, we rub the pan with steel wool for 2,000 strokes or until the coating has worn through.

A skillet, sometimes referred to as a frying pan or a frypan, is a shallow pan with slanted sides. Skillets are commonly used to stir-fry or sauté, which refers to a method of cooking in which ingredients are cooked quickly in a small amount of oil or fat, often over relatively high heat. The slanted sides make it easier to stir, flip, and toss ingredients in the pan so that everything is cooked quickly and evenly. After all, the word “sauté” in French literally means to “jump,” just like vegetables “jump” in a skillet when sautéed or stir-fried.But a skillet has other uses, too, and it is considered to be one of the most versatile pieces of cookware in the kitchen. For example, a stainless steel skillet is great for searing meat, chicken, or fish, or for making simple pasta or pan sauces. Simply put, a skillet is one of the most versatile pieces of cookware in the kitchen. 

Skillets can be made from different types of material. Stainless steel, aluminum, and cast iron are common options. Some skillets are made from a combination of aluminum and stainless steel. Aluminum pans that have a thin gauge (read: not very thick) aren't the best choice since they are more likely to warp.

Similarly to cast iron, carbon steel pans need to be seasoned before use (though some, like ours, do come preseasoned). As if these pans weren’t already versatile enough, carbon steel is also safe to use on the grill as well as over an open flame.

Ironically, a skillet is actually far superior at sautéing food than a sauté pan. To properly sauté, small to medium-sized pieces of food are cooked rapidly in hot fat, with constant agitation. The sloping sides of a skillet allow you to easily shake the pan, performing the jump-flip maneuver that cooks like to show off with. It's more than just ego-padding, though. It's the most efficient way to redistribute the food in the pan, ensuring even cooking for all pieces.

White Enamel Cookware

Cast Iron

Yes. It is safe to use metal, wood, and high-heat silicone utensils on stainless steel pans.