Frying pan
Flat-bottomed cookware for frying, searing, and browning foods.
A frying pan—also known as a frypan or skillet—is a piece of flat-bottomed cookware designed for frying, searing, and browning food. Its diameter usually falls between 20 and 30 cm (8 to 12 inches), and it features relatively low sides that slope outward, a long handle, and no lid. On larger pans, a small loop handle may be placed opposite the main one. A sauté pan is similar in size but has straighter, more vertical sides and often comes with a lid. Although a sauté pan can do the work of a frying pan, it is better suited for cooking at lower heat.
**History** Copper frying pans existed in ancient Mesopotamia. The ancient Greeks knew them as *tágēnon* or *teganon*, while the Romans called them *patella* or *sartago*. The word "pan" comes from the Old English *panna*. Before the kitchen stove became common in the mid-1800s, a cast-iron pan called a "spider" had three legs and a handle, allowing it to stand in hot coals and ashes. Once stoves gained popularity in the late 19th century, flat-bottomed, legless pans were introduced, marking the arrival of the flat cast-iron skillet.
**Frying Pan Relatives** A versatile pan that blends features of both the sauté pan and the frying pan has higher, sloping sides that are often slightly curved. It goes by several names: *sauteuse* (literally "a sauté pan"), *evasée* (meaning a pan with sloping sides), or *fait-tout* (French for "does everything"). A "rappie pan," made from aluminum or stainless steel, is used to prepare rappie pie, an Acadian potato dish.
**Construction** Traditionally, frying pans were made from cast iron, carbon steel, or copper lined with tin, each offering different qualities. Copper pans conduct heat very well, making them ideal for even sautéing, but they react with many foods, so most modern copper pans have a tin lining that can be replaced when it wears out. Cast iron pans don't distribute heat evenly but hold it well, which is useful for searing meats and vegetables. Carbon steel cookware can develop a nonstick patina of polymerized oil—called "seasoning"—over time, making it good for cooking sticky proteins like fish and eggs. While professional kitchens still use these materials, many consumer pans now use aluminum or stainless steel. Modern frying pans vary widely in materials and construction, including aluminum (plain or anodized), cast iron, copper, stainless steel, and clad stainless steel with an aluminum or copper core. A nonstick coating is sometimes applied to the pan's surface. Bare cast iron or carbon steel pans can also become nonstick through seasoning and regular use.
**Variants**
*Non-stick* In 1954, Marc Gregoire patented a process in France for bonding Teflon to chemically roughened aluminum. He founded a company in 1956 to sell non-stick cookware under the "Tefal" brand. Early coatings were not very durable, but manufacturing improvements have made them a kitchen staple. The surface is less tough than metal, and using metal utensils like spatulas can permanently damage the coating, reducing its nonstick properties. Non-stick frying pans are not suitable for all cooking tasks, such as deglazing, where browned residue must stick to the pan to form a sauce. Because little to no residue adheres, the sauce lacks its primary flavoring agent.
*Electric* An electric frying pan, or electric skillet, has a built-in heating element, so it can work without a stove. It has heat-insulated legs for sitting on a countertop, often attached to the handles. Electric frying pans are frequently made in square or rectangular shapes, which are uncommon for unpowered pans. Most have straighter sides than stovetop models and include a lid, making them a cross between a frying pan and a sauté pan. A modern electric skillet offers heat regulation: the detachable power cord includes a thermostatic control to maintain the desired temperature. Once this control was perfected, the electric skillet became a popular kitchen appliance. Sunbeam introduced the Automatic Frypan with built-in temperature controls in 1953, helping it gain widespread use. Though largely replaced by the microwave oven, it remains in many kitchens today.
- field
- Cookware
- known_for
- Flat-bottomed pan for frying, searing, and browning
- materials
- Cast iron, carbon steel, copper, aluminium, stainless steel
- typical_diameter
- 20 to 30 cm (8 to 12 in)
- ancient_origins
- Mesopotamia, Greece, Rome
Lore & Background
Copper frying pans were used in ancient Mesopotamia. Frying pans were also known in ancient Greece, where they were called tágēnon (Ancient Greek: τάγηνον) and teganon (τήγανον) and Rome, where they were called patella or sartago. The word pan derives from the Old English panna. Before the introduction of the kitchen stove in the mid-19th century, a commonly used cast-iron cooking pan called a 'spider' had a handle and three legs used to stand up in the coals and ashes of the fire. Cooking pots and pans with legless, flat bottoms were designed when cooking stoves became popular; this period of the late 19th century saw the introduction of the flat cast-iron skillet. A versatile pan that combines the benefits of both the sauté pan and the frying pan has higher, sloping sides, often slightly curved. This pan is called a sauteuse, an evasée, or a fait-tout. A 'rappie pan' is a pan used to make rappie pie, an Acadian potato dish, made from aluminum or stainless steel. Traditionally, frying pans were made from cast iron, carbon steel or copper lined with tin. Copper pans are highly thermally conductive but reactive; cast iron retains heat well; carbon steel can develop a nonstick patina called 'seasoning'. Nowadays, most frying pans are created from metals such as aluminium or stainless steel, sometimes with a non-stick coating.
Reader's Guide
The frying pan is a fundamental kitchen tool whose design has evolved from ancient copper vessels to modern non-stick and electric variants. Its significance lies in its versatility for high-heat cooking techniques like searing and browning, as well as its role in the development of cookware materials. The introduction of the flat cast-iron skillet in the late 19th century marked a shift from hearth-based cooking to stovetop use. The frying pan's legacy endures in both professional and home kitchens, with materials like cast iron and carbon steel still valued for their seasoning properties, while modern clad stainless steel pans provide even heat distribution.
Did You Know?
- Copper frying pans were used in ancient Mesopotamia.
- The word 'pan' derives from the Old English 'panna'.
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