In the kitchen, any of us becomes a chef at least for a while. Good pans for a cook are like good paint for an artist. But in order for a culinary masterpiece to appear at the end of cooking, you need to choose the most suitable one from them. How to choose a pan and whether it is so simple – we understand.
How is the frying pan
Despite its outward simplicity, a modern frying pan is difficult to manufacture and demanding on the materials used.
The base of the pan (fezze), made by stamping, casting and forging, is covered on the outside with a decorative layer, and on the inside with a non-stick coating. The only exception is cast iron pans that do not have a non-stick coating. Some of them have only a decorative outer coating of enamel.
Pan handles are both cast (for cast products) and prefabricated (for stamped and forged products). There are different combinations of handles:
Most prefabricated handles are riveted to the base of the pan or screwed to a cast or welded goujon. In the production of pans, this element received a specific name from the French goujon , meaning one of the varieties of fasteners.
Characteristics of the frying pan
pan diameter
The first thing you need to decide when choosing a pan is its size. It depends on how many products you can cook in it. The diameter of the pan is determined by the inside diameter of the top. It is customary to divide all pans into three groups:
It is believed that medium-sized frying pans are designed for cooking for one, a maximum of two people. Large families will need larger pans for cooking. In a small diameter frying pan, it is convenient to heat up small portions of food.
More precisely, you can choose the size of the pan by determining its volume. Its size can be correlated with the amount of food being cooked.
At the same time, it is necessary to take into account the recommendations of manufacturers not to overfill the pan with food and leave at least a quarter of its volume free.
The diameter of the bottom of the pan must be taken into account not only when determining its volume. When choosing a frying pan, you need to focus on the size of the burners of the stoves and hobs. The diameter of the heating element should not exceed the size of the bottom of the pan. And when using gas stoves, the flame should only touch the bottom and not fall on the handles and side of the pan.
The height of the walls (side) is an important indicator in determining the volume of the pan. The higher the rim, the more food you can cook at one time.
pan types
A universal frying pan (or simply a frying pan) is the best solution for any family. It combines the main functions of different models – frying, stewing, languishing.
Already by its name , the grill pan speaks of its main purpose – to fry. The material, thickness of the bottom and the presence of ribs in it for draining juice and excess fat are selected in this type especially for fast frying of products. Grill pans come in both round and square shapes. More pieces of meat are placed on the square, they can be placed more densely, preventing the burning of fat in free areas.
The pancake pan is designed for baking pancakes and fritters. The low sides of the pan make it quick and easy to remove baked goods from the pan. In a pancake pan, you can cook scrambled eggs for one or two people.
The wok came to us from Asian cuisine. Its rounded bottom and thin walls of high sides are designed primarily for quick frying of products. They are processed at the highest possible temperature – from 200 degrees.
For use on stovetops and hobs, the bottom of the wok is flattened to fit the size of the burners.
Saucepan – a frying pan with a high side is used for stewing meat, sautéing vegetables, for preparing sauces and creams, for boiling dough products.
When choosing a frying pan, it is important to decide which stoves it is suitable for .
For electric, glass-ceramic and halogen stoves, frying pans with a flat bottom surface are suitable. These stoves preheat burners that transfer heat to the pan. Therefore, the tight contact of the pan with the burner is so important. For rational use of the energy of the stove, the diameter of the bottom of the pan must correspond to the burner. A slight (up to 20%) excess of the burner size is allowed.
Gas stoves are “omnivorous”, any frying pans are suitable for them. Problems can only arise when using small pans – a large flame should not fall on the handles and side.
Induction cookers heat up with a high-frequency magnetic field not the burner, but the dishes themselves. Therefore, for such stoves, frying pans made of magnetizable metals – steel and cast iron – are needed.
To use pans made of non-magnetic aluminum or copper, steel discs are pressed into them.
