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The cooking pan is a type of food preparation utensil commonly found in the kitchen which includes many more specific cooking vessels such as saucepans and frying pans (or fry pans). People have used a variety of cooking pans and pots for food preparation throughout history. Other vessels for cooking include woks, double boilers, and bains-marie.
Classically in Western cooking, the best pots were made out of a thick layer of copper for good conductivity and a thin layer of tin to prevent the copper from reacting with acidic foods. Copper pans provide the best conductivity, and therefore the most even heating. They tend, however, to be heavy, expensive, and to require occasional retinning. They are best for such high-heat, fast-cooking techniques as sauteeing.
Cast iron pans also heat evenly, but require seasoning, a thin layer of fat and carbon that coats the surface and prevents sticking. Although they can be washed with soap, they should not be soaked or left wet. Spinach cooked on bare cast iron will turn black.
Enameled cast iron pans, on the other hand, do not require seasoning.
Cooking pans are typically circular, with handles, and come in a variety of sizes In the 20th century, aluminum and stainless steel have been used in the fabrication of pots and pans. Aluminum conducts heat well, and is very lightweight, but food sticks easily to it. Stainless steel has less of a tendency to stick, but is a poor conductor of heat. Neither material rusts or corrodes. Inexpensive pans made out of these materials, however, tend to be flimsy and too thin to spread heat evenly on the cooking surface. This results in hot spots where food burns and sticks. Aluminum also has an unfortunate tendency to react with certain foods; this makes them bitter-tasting, or turns them an unappetizing color. Stainless steel is completely non-reactive.
Hard-anodized aluminum was first introduced by "Calphalon", who claim the process results in a totally non-reactive surface. "All Clad" introduced a technique for fabricating pans made with multiple layers, stainless steel for the cooking surface, and aluminum (or copper) on the outside for conductivity. Both provide much of the functionality of tinned-copper pots for a fraction of the price.
Small, shallow pans are called saute pans or frypans and are generally measured by diameter. Frypans with a gentle, rolling slope are sometimes called omelette pans. Small pots with taller sides are called saucepans and are measured by volume (usually 1–4 quarts). As saucepans get larger, they are called sauce-pots or soup pots (3–12 quarts). Saucepots with sloping sides are called Windsor pans, which provide quicker evaporation than straight sides. Large pots that are wide and shallow are called braisiers, ones that are taller than they are wide are called stockpots (12-36 quarts).
Modern cooking pans are frequently coated with a substance such as teflon in order to minimize the possibility of food sticking to the pan surface. This has advantages and disadvantages for flavor and ease of use. A small amount of sticking is needed to cause flavorful browning (called a glaze); adding liquid to lift the glaze from the pot is called deglazing. Additionally, nonstick pans cannot be used at high temperatures. On the other hand, they are easier to clean than other types of pots, and do not often result in burned food. When frying in pans without such a coating, it is usually necessary to use vegetable or animal fat to prevent sticking.
Nonstick coatings tend to degrade over time, and require vigilant care and attention. In order to preserve the nonstick coating of a pan, it is important never to use metal implements in the pan while cooking or harsh scouring pads or chemical abrasives when cleaning.
A griddle is a flat plate of metal used for cooking. It may be permanently attached to its heat source similar to a hot plate or an electric frying pan.
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