Best for: Almost any food that needs frying, browning, or searing. Because it’s ovenproof, stainless is also a good choice for foods that you start on the stovetop and then move to the oven to finish, like thick pork chops.

The details: Nitahara says that 95 percent of the pans used in the CIA’s teaching kitchens are stainless steel because they can take a lot of punishment. “The only time we don’t use them is on egg day, when we use nonstick,” he says. He adds that the shiny surface of a stainless pan makes it easy to see whether your food is browning.

In CR’s tests of stainless steel pans, we measure heating evenness by cooking pancakes, and we gauge how evenly a pan sautés by cooking potatoes until they’re tender. We also conduct a cleaning test to see how easy it is to remove cooked-on food. You’d think that all stainless pans would be about the same to clean, but our tests show that some require a lot more scrubbing than others.

Here are two recommended stainless steel pans from CR’s tests.

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.

If you were to buy only one of these skillets, it should be stainless steel. Stainless steel is your everyday hero. There's a reason why stainless steel cookware sets are so coveted. It can cook everything and doesn't need any special treatment. No time to wash? It's ok to leave stainless steel soaking in water.

But to keen observers and cookware enthusiasts (that’s us!), there are some key differences. This article compares and contrasts skillets and pans and shares the best cooking techniques and dishes to use each one.

Restaurant Dining: Sizzling steak plates and platters are a popular choice in restaurants, where they are used to present sizzling entrees directly to the table, creating a memorable and visually striking dining experience for patrons.

You can put a copper pan in the oven if you’re making a dessert like a tarte Tatin, but remember that copper can’t take the high heat of cast iron or stainless, so most manufacturers don’t recommend temperatures above 450 °F.

In our tests, we put copper skillets through the same heating evenness and sauté performance tests as stainless steel pans, which are also uncoated. We also cook foods that require controlled heat, including risotto, a gooey banana tarte Tatin, and melted white chocolate. All the copper pans perform well, Fisher says.

Here are two recommended copper pans from CR’s tests.

STAINLESS STEEL FRYING PANS

How to Measure a Fry Pan

The most common answers are “a skillet” or “a pan” — both of which are correct. 

It depends. Not every non-stick pan is oven-safe, so you should confirm with your pan's manufacturer. Some non-stick pans are oven-safe up to 500 degrees Fahrenheit.

You can put a copper pan in the oven if you’re making a dessert like a tarte Tatin, but remember that copper can’t take the high heat of cast iron or stainless, so most manufacturers don’t recommend temperatures above 450 °F.

In our tests, we put copper skillets through the same heating evenness and sauté performance tests as stainless steel pans, which are also uncoated. We also cook foods that require controlled heat, including risotto, a gooey banana tarte Tatin, and melted white chocolate. All the copper pans perform well, Fisher says.

Here are two recommended copper pans from CR’s tests.

    Yellow and green enamel basins bring a cheerful and lively atmosphere to the kitchen, perfect for those who like bright, vibrant colors.