A frying pan is handy kitchen equipment for a college student who tries to make their first meal to a professional chef who makes a signature dish. It can be said that frying pan is a staple product in any commercial kitchen equipment. Frying pan combines the classic round shape of a skillet with a slightly sloped side. With some modern features, frying pans become multipurpose kitchen equipment which is perfect for sautéing, scrambling, and searing.
Before jumping in the discussion, it is important to note that frying pan and sauté pan are two different types of kitchen equipment. Even though you can use two interchangeably, but the shape of a frying pan and sauté pan is different. Frying pan has a sloped side, while the sauté pan has a vertically straight side. Still, you can sauté meats and veggies in a frying pan.
In general, a frying pan is made of various materials such as copper, aluminum, stainless steel, and many more. The popular type of frying pan is the non-stick type. Besides the material, the frying pan does come with different sizes starting from 8”, 10”, and 12”. Some people prefer to use the smaller size but some others prefer to use the large frying pans.
Frying pan size options strongly depends on many factors. If you are still not sure which size of the frying pan to use, here are some advantages and disadvantages of the large frying pan. If you want to know more about different sizes, you can check out livingindoor blog.
Advantages
1. No Need to Buy a Wok or Other Equipment
Compared to other kitchen equipment such as wok, frying pan maybe a little bit more expensive. Many people trade the traditional wok for the modern frying pan for various reasons. The main reason is frying pan and wok share almost the same function. You can make stir-fried food, in large quantities, in a frying pan while saving space for wok storage. Plus, you will need extra equipment when choosing other kitchen equipment such as the lid, metal turner, and so on.
2. No Extra Care Needed
Lots of kitchen equipment requires extra care. Standard cast iron is durable but it can get rusty when not in use over time. However, there are lots of good frying pans that do not require extra care such as best ceramic frying pan, stainless steel or anodized aluminum. You may need to choose this type of frying pan if aimed for the no extra care type. Cleaning up large frying pan is also easier than another type of cooking ware. The extra-large frying pans is still lighter than a wok.
3. Can Be Used for Stir Fry
Kitchen equipment is created to meet the expected function. Many people use a wok to make stir-fried dishes in large quantities but most of them have a problem with storage. However, you can also create the same dish using a large frying pan for cooking in large quantities. Besides, you can also use a frying pan for deep frying with the same result as using a wok.
4. Use Half Oil
You may already understand that cooking stir-fried dish in a wok requires lots amount of oil. So, the dish does not stick to the wok. Using a large deep frying pan, you will only need half of the oil for cooking stir-fry food. Even though you already heat up the wok, follow the instruction in the cookbook, the reality is some food may still stick to the wok.
The large non-stick frying pan with lid allows you to use only a little amount of oil and the stir-fry dish comes out beautifully. Some people concerned about the health issue about Teflon material, but the modern non-stick frypan has already deal with the issue.
5. Can Take Loads of Work
People use the large frying pan for heavy-duty cooking. This kitchen allows you to cook in large quantities at once without dividing it into two or three batches. Even though a wok can do the same work, but an extra-large frying pan with lid has more functions. Besides making stir fry dishes, you can make deep-fried food with a large frying pan as well. Plus, the flat bottom of the frying pan is beneficial to deal with a fragile dish such as tofu and help keep it in shape.
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6. Easier and Safer
For beginners cook, using a large frying pan is easier and safer. Even though you only cook in small quantities, but when you have enough space to work within the frying pan, you will have nothing to worry about. Also, the large frying pan is easy to handle because it does not get burnt easily as a wok does. Cooking in a large frying pan may take some time, but this means that you have enough time to learn and get used to it.
7. Works Well With Any Stove Type
Different from the wok, a large frying pan works well with any stove type including the electric stovetop. The flat bottom frying pan makes it a safe option for cooking because you will not need any extra ring. Also, you do not always need a high power gas stove to cook in a large frying pan because the kitchen equipment is able to hold the heat well.
7. It Does Not Set The Fire Alarm
Some people think that stir-fried food is better with a smoky flavor. But constantly using a cooking method that generates smoke will set the fire alarm quite often. However, you can also create the same smoky effect by using a large frying pan even though the smoke is not as much as using a wok. For this purpose, you will only need to reduce the amount of food that you cook.
Disadvantages
Compared to other frying pan sizes, the large frying pan can be a little bit heavier. You may not be able to hang it on the wall but store it under the kitchen counter. The large frying pans may take some space to store but it does not take as much space as other kitchen equipment. In general, the large frying pan is a versatile kitchen equipment that you can use for any cooking purpose.
