Call it a first world problem, buying the right fry pan can be a very difficult task especially with so many different brands, prices, shapes, sizes, materials and features available in the cookware market. We receive hundreds of calls a year from customers all experiencing the same difficulty in deciding the right fry pans or fry pan set for their home, so we have put together this post to help you decide on the right fry pan for your kitchen.
1. “What size should I choose?”
When we receive calls from our customers needing advice to help them choose the right fry pan, we always ask ‘What foods do you cook and how many people do you cook for frequently?’ To give an idea of fry pan sizes and their uses we have created the following chart:
10-12cm Diameter Frypan AKA Mini or Miniature Frypan
Serves: 1
Use: For oven to table serving. Can be used for making a single fried egg or egg benedict and when multiple are used at once, serving a number of sauces, a single portion of fried mushrooms, tapas portions or as a substitute for ramekins for oven baked puddings and desserts.
Advantages: Popular with caterers, restaurants, cafes or for entertaining at home these individual fry pans make great presentation pieces which is why they are so popular in the hospitality industry. Their small size make it convenient to handle.
Disadvantages: The small diameter means it is very limited in the ingredients that it can cook and is only suitable for one person. If cooking for a number of people, a number of these are required and limit to recipes where they are placed in the oven together. We don’t recommend this as an everyday frypan choice.
20cm Diameter Frypan
Serves: 1-2
Use: 1-2 fried eggs or individual omelettes that can be transferred straight to plate. Works well on small gas hobs allowing for more control of heat when cooking. Also great for frying up family portions of chopped mushrooms or onions, truss tomatoes and other small ingredients. A great day-to-day frypan for couples.
Advantages: Can be used on small hobs, easy to handle and clean in a small sink. Doesn’t take up much storage which is great for those who have limited space in their kitchen. For families that have older kids, this is a great breakfast frypan for making breakfast with the spouse or for the teens to use if they like making their own individual breakfasts. Dishwasher safe frypans of this size are generally easy to fit in your dishwasher for easier cleaning.
Disadvantages: Limited in the amount of portions and size of ingredients that can be cooked. Proteins like steak, fish and poultry may not fit the pan unless sliced or diced. The depth of these size pans might be an issue where juices aren’t dispersed widely that can effect the texture of some foods.
24-26cm Frypan
Serves: 2-3
Use: As with the 20cm frypan, these are great for making eggs and generally have slighter greater depths making them ideal for scrambled eggs, frying asparagus or corn cobs and slightly larger portion sizes. Can also be used for frying proteins like steaks, fish, chicken fillets, lamb chops or bacon strips.
Advantages: Their wider diameter allows them to be used effectively on medium size hobs for greater heat dispersion and accommodate larger portion sizes. They are also relatively easy to handle.
Disadvantages: For families or making servings of 4 or more, this size fry pan will not be ideal. There is also some limitation in the size of steaks or kinds of fish that you can cook effectively with this sized pan.
26-28cm Frypan
Serves: 2-4
Use: This is the most versatile sized frypan where it is small enough for cooking for 1-2 people while being large enough to create serves of some foods for up to 4 people. Can be used for frying vegetables and proteins both whole or sliced and chopped.
Advantages: Versatile size makes it great for families of 4 where both individual or family-sized portions can be made. Works well on both medium and large hobs.
Disadvantages: The great size really means that there are limited disadvantages for this size frypan. Not ideal for use with small hobs as even heat distribution is difficult to attain across the entire pan. For family portions, it may be too small for cooking that number of large steaks, pork chops or salmon fillets. Some people may find them slightly difficult to handle, particularly with
cast iron frypans of this size.
30-32cm Frypan
Serves: 4-6
Use: These large frypans are most commonly bought by those cooking family sized portions or those that love to fry whole fish and other large foods.
Advantages: Ability to cook large portions for families or when entertaining. Perfect for cooking whole fish like snapper, large t-bone steaks and pork chops.
Disadvantages: Suitable for large hobs only, can be very heavy and hard to handle for those with smaller hands. For those that may experience difficulty with such sizes, we recommend you consider the frypans that have a second handle especially if you want to use it in your oven too.
2. "Which frypan material is best?"
Deciding the frypan based on the material composition can also be a tough one, many people also swear by a certain kind of frypan with surfaces made of cast iron, non-stick Teflon or titanium, stainless steel or carbon steel. There are also combination of stainless steel with aluminium, such as those by Scanpan which use stainless steel to envelope aluminium cores in the bases of their pans to ensure efficient and even heat conductivity. It really is a decision based on personal taste and to make it easier below is the list of materials and their advantages and disadvantages.
Non-Stick
Nonstick frypans offer convenience in that they are usually very easy to clean as their surfaces allow for food to easily release and aren’t absorbed deeply into the pan. They are commonly chosen by those that prefer to use as little oil as possible when cooking which is ideal for those that are health conscious or dieting. Lately non-stick has seen negative attention by the media as it has been found that some non-stick coatings can release unhealthy fumes when used on high heat. We recommend should you purchase non-stick cookware that you make sure to cook it on a low to medium heat only to ensure healthy cooking and to maximise the life of the non-stick cookware.
Advantages:
- Easy to clean
- Light weight and easy to handle
- Healthy cooking - requires little oil when cooking
Disadvantages:
- Can only cook on medium heat otherwise it can lose non-stick properties.
- Most are not suitable for oven use or limited to 180 °C
- Non-stick properties decline and wear with age. The layers on cheap non-stick frypans tend not to last for many years.
If you want a non-stick pan that will last you years, we recommend that you choose a quality brand for non-stick pans, with toughened non-stick or a number of layers preferably those that are also metal utensil safe. Those that want a superior quality frypan with non-stick properties that will last and are fairly experienced in caring for cookware, we recommend
Woll or
Scanpan.
Cast Iron
An old fashioned form of cookware, cast iron has become incredibly popular again in recent years as they have the reputation for being a highly durable option that if correctly used and cared for will last you a lifetime. They also have chemical-free non-stick properties that if correctly seasoned regularly actually improves with age which is why they are commonly seen in commercial kitchens. Some frypan brands like Lodge manufacture their pans already pre-seasoned for convenience. Seasoning is basically applying a thin coating of oil be it vegetable, olive, sesame, flaxseed or canola oil. Vegetable oil is most commonly used but it also can be decided by your personal preference.
Advantages:
- Chemical-free non-stick option that improves with continued seasoning
- Health benefits of increasing iron content in some foods during cooking. Acidic foods like tomatoes are known to absorb iron positively when cooking
- Superior heat retention and even heat distribution
- Incredibly durable if correctly cared for
- Many can be used in the oven at high temperatures for roasting or baking
Disadvantages:
- Heavy. Cast Iron is a very heavy material which for some can be hard to handle. Some people enjoy the feel of the weight while others may struggle
- Requires seasoning to maintain non-stick and prevent rusting
- While it positively provides health benefits in enabling increased iron consumption, you shouldn’t leave food, particularly acidic foods in the pan for too long after cooking as it can be unhealthy with overconsumption.
Stainless Steel
Stainless steel frypans are very popular as they are affordable, heat efficient with fantastic heat distribution, corrosion-resistant, hygienic and if cared for correctly will last a lifetime. While there are many stainless steel fry pans available, this choice of material is more commonly used with pots as they are fire resistant and can be heated for long periods, making them ideal for cooking soups and recipes that need to be kept on heat for a number of hours. They are also relatively light in comparison to other materials and unlike cast iron, stainless steel pans won't not react to acidic content.
Stainless Steel & Copper
Copper Cookware is a highly popular form of cookware by its striking appearance, with polished rich red tones that provide a sense of grandeur and class, are not uncommon to be found at fine dining establishments and opulent homes.
Advantages:
- Quick to heat, fantastic thermal properties
- Corrosion-resistant
- Can be kept on heat sources for long periods
- Does not react to acidic foods, doesn’t alter flavour
- Highly durable
Disadvantages:
- Can be difficult to clean
- Lightweight steel can burn food easily even on lower heat due to its high heat conductivity
- Good quality stainless steel frypans can be heavy
We recommend that you look at anodised or all-clad stainless steel should you decide to purchase a stainless steel fry pan as both provide superior durability, provide even heat distribution and are fine to be used with metal cooking utensils. The
Scanpan Clad 5 range is compatible with all hob types, is made with 5 ply, 18/10 stainless steel as well as stainless steel cast handles making them suitable for oven use too.
Carbon Steel AKA Black Steel
This is probably the most popular kind of frypan used in commercial kitchens as like cast iron, they are highly durable yet weigh less. What makes them so popular in commercial kitchens beyond their significant durability is that they are affordable and are fine to use on extremely high cooking temperatures for fast cooking. They aren’t popular in many home kitchens as their aesthetic appearance changes as they blacken with use.
Advantages:
- Great value for money
- Highly durable, last a lifetime if cared for
- Provide superior even cooking
- Great for cooking at very high temperatures
Disadvantages:
- Requires seasoning to prevent rusting
- Seasoning doesn’t last as long as cast iron requiring seasoning more frequently
- Blacken and become less aesthetically pleasing with use
- Reacts with acidic foods that will alter and leave a metallic taste
We recommend if you are after a carbon steel frypan to look at our range of French
De Buyer pans or more affordable
Chef Inox. Another brand which has completely taken off in Australia and is loved by the likes of Neil Perry, is the Australian made
Solidteknics Aus-ion range of pans. Made from single pieces of steel (no rivets for greater durability and hygiene), these pans are loved for their superior, natural non-stick when seasoned.
3. "Should I consider buying a frypan set?"
A fry pan set is a great way to get extra bang for buck and versatility. Most sets comprise of two different sizes such 20/28cm, 20/26cm or 24/30cm combinations. A fry pan set is also very helpful when you want to fry vegetables and proteins separately, such as steak and mushrooms, chicken and broccolini, salmon and green beans etc.
To view the frypan sets available
click here
Deciding Factor
When choosing a frypan, to make the process a lot easier and simple and to avoid getting stuck when making a decision, make sure to know what size and material choice you prefer first before browsing. Once decided, it becomes more enjoyable deciding by your personal taste of style, brand or select features. Whichever kind of frypan you choose, we recommend that for longevity that you clean it by hand and avoid using harsh scrubbing utensils like steel wool as this can damage the cooking surfaces and affect the cooking performance. Make sure before using that you also read the manufacturer care instructions that come with your fry pan. Purchasing an appropriate
cookware cleanser that is specific to the material composition of your pan can make cleaning a lot easier and prevent damage to surfaces from harsh scrubbing or improper cleaning chemicals.
