The right pan for each job
Quick answer
Which material, shape and size suits each common cooking task, and why the others fall short. There are 20 tables in this set, each one worked through for a specific combination rather than described in general terms.
- Cookware
The right pan to sear a steak
To sear a steak, use a 12 inch bare cast iron skillet.
- Cookware
The right pan to fry an egg
To fry an egg, use an 8 inch PTFE nonstick skillet. Egg proteins bond aggressively to bare metal, and a release coating is the one reliable answer.
- Cookware
The right pan to make a pan sauce
To make a pan sauce, use a 12 inch tri-ply stainless clad skillet.
- Cookware
The right pan to braise short ribs
To braise short ribs, use a 6 quart enamelled cast iron dutch oven.
- Cookware
The right pan to boil pasta
To boil pasta, use an 8 quart disc-base stainless stockpot.
- Cookware
The right pan to cook rice
To cook rice, use a 3 quart tri-ply stainless clad saucepan.
- Cookware
The right pan to deep fry chicken
To deep fry chicken, use a 6 quart bare cast iron dutch oven.
- Cookware
The right pan to stir fry vegetables
To stir fry vegetables, use a 14 inch carbon steel wok. Stir frying needs very high heat and a thin responsive pan, and a flat bottom is essential for a domestic hob.
- Cookware
The right pan to scramble eggs
To scramble eggs, use a 10 inch PTFE nonstick skillet.
- Cookware
The right pan to sear scallops
To sear scallops, use a 12 inch carbon steel skillet. Scallops need a very hot surface and a fast release, and carbon steel combines iron heat with a quick response.
- Cookware
The right pan to make tomato sauce
To make tomato sauce, use a 5 quart enamelled cast iron dutch oven.
- Cookware
The right pan to roast vegetables
To roast vegetables, use a bare or anodised aluminium half sheet pan, 18 by 13 inches.
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The right pan to bake cornbread
To bake cornbread, use a 10 inch bare cast iron skillet.
- Cookware
The right pan to make caramel
To make caramel, use a 2 quart tri-ply stainless clad saucepan.
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The right pan to cook bacon
To cook bacon, use a 12 inch bare cast iron skillet. Even heat across a large flat surface, and a pan that is unbothered by rendering fat and repeated high heat.
- Cookware
The right pan to poach fish
To poach fish, use a 3 quart tri-ply stainless clad saute pan.
- Cookware
The right pan to make risotto
To make risotto, use a 3 quart tri-ply stainless clad saute pan.
- Cookware
The right pan to brown ground beef
To brown ground beef, use a 12 inch carbon steel skillet.
- Cookware
The right pan to make pancakes
To make pancakes, use a 12 inch PTFE nonstick griddle. A flat unbroken surface with even heat, and release reliable enough that the first pancake is as good as the last.
- Cookware
The right pan to simmer stock
To simmer stock, use a 12 quart disc-base stainless stockpot.
Common questions
Where do these figures come from?
Every number on these pages is calculated from the same material properties and published manufacturer specifications that the calculators use, so the two can never disagree. Each page is labelled as resting on either a published standard or a kitchen convention, and where no defensible figure exists the page says so rather than inventing one.
Why are there so many of these pages?
Because the useful answer is almost always specific. A page that tells you what size pan four seared portions need is far more useful than a page about pan sizing in general, and there are genuinely that many combinations worth working through. Each one carries its own worked table rather than a generic one.
Are the prices on these pages current?
Product prices come from live retailer data at build time and they move constantly, which is why every product card carries that warning rather than presenting a figure as fixed. The calculated figures, meaning areas, capacities, temperatures and hardness, do not change.
