Description of a Frying Pan
Frying pans were originally designed without a lid. The sides are slightly flared outwards rather than straight. Different kinds of frying pans exist today, though the electric ones are a rare buy. The frying pan is often referred to as a skillet in modern cookbooks, as a means of making the frying pan sound more exotic. But they are the same.
How a Frying Pan Cooks
A frying pan is intended to be used to cook food quickly and close to the pan's surface. Frying pans do not work well with thick meats but can be used with sliced meat, fish, poultry, pork chops and chopped or diced vegetables. Frying pans are good at working with Chinese style foods, which consist primarily of sauce, fried vegetables and sliced meats. Browning foods is ideal with a frying pan, and many Western style meals can be prepared this way as well. Pan frying foods is best done with a tablespoon or more of oil. Battered foods, such as breaded fish, do not require oil on top of the food, but only on the surface of the pan.
Types of Frying Pans
The design of a frying pan allows heat to distribute across the surface of the pan evenly, and its flared edges allow for easier draining than regular cooking pans and reduce the possibility of spilling food when draining liquids from the pan. Modern frying pans are made of steel or stainless steel and sometimes aluminum or aluminum with a copper center, although the cast iron or copper frying pans are the choice of master chefs across the globe. Cast iron frying pans are heavier than the steel or stainless steel frying pans but do not require a nonstick coating, as use of the cast iron frying pan becomes stick resistant over time and from frequent use. Nonstick metal frying pans are coated with Teflon or polytetrafluoroethylene. This chemical coating is what makes the home cooking pans resistant to sticking. The downside is that one must be careful not to use cooking utensils that are made of sharp metal. A wooden spatula will suffice.
Frying Pan Maintenance
Frying pans made of cast iron work better if they're not washed with water. Wiping with a dry cloth will prevent the cast iron frying pan from rusting. Also, the nonstick finish that naturally builds up on a cast iron frying pan will be ruined by washing in soap and water. If the frying pan is partially constructed of copper, the pan will need to be polished when tarnish appears on the pan. Using the stainless steel frying pan is virtually maintenance free. Nonstick, Teflon coated frying pans should not be exposed to extreme temperatures, such as holding the cooking side of the frying pan over a fire to dry it. Overheating will cause the Teflon to melt and can ruin both the pan and dinner.
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