Misplaced Pages

Frying pan: Difference between revisions

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.
Browse history interactively← Previous editContent deleted Content addedVisualWikitext
Revision as of 20:18, 31 January 2010 edit68.234.106.57 (talk)No edit summary← Previous edit Latest revision as of 15:56, 2 January 2025 edit undoKolano123 (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users684 edits Reverting edit(s) by 117.219.53.29 (talk) to rev. 1261987073 by AntiDionysius: Possible vandalism (RW 16.1)Tags: RW Undo 
(689 intermediate revisions by more than 100 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Short description|Flat bottomed pan for cooking food on a stove}}
{{Unreferenced|date=May 2007}}
{{Redirect|Skillet||Frying pan (disambiguation)|and|Skillet (disambiguation)}}
{{otheruses}}
] frying pan]]
{{redirect|Skillet|the Christian rock band|Skillet (band)}}

]
A '''frying pan''', '''frypan''', or '''skillet''' is a ] used for ], ], and ] foods. It is typically a 20 to 30 cm diameter dick (8 to 12 inch) flat pan with relatively low sides that are flared outwards, and no lid. In contrast, a pan of similar diameter with low but vertical sides is called a ]. A '''frying pan''', '''frypan''', or '''skillet''' is a flat-bottomed ] used for ], ], and ] foods. It is typically {{convert|20|to|30|cm|inch|0|abbr=on}} in diameter with relatively low sides that flare outwards, a long handle, and no lid. Larger pans may have a small grab handle opposite the main handle. A pan of similar dimensions, but with less flared, more vertical sides and often with a lid, is called a ]. While a ] pan can be used as a frying pan, it is designed for lower-heat cooking.


== History == == History ==
]. The handle is ornamented with floral engravings and ends in the shape of a goose head.]]
Copper frying pans were used in ancient ]. Frying pans were also known in ancient ] (where they were called ''téganon'') and ] (where they were called ''patella'' or ''sartaginem'').


Copper frying pans were used in ancient ].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/dailylifeinancie00neme|url-access=registration|page=|quote=Copper frying pans were used in ancient Mesopotamia.|title=Daily Life in Ancient Mesopotamia|last=Nemet-Nejat|first=Karen Rhea|date=1998|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|isbn=9780313294976|language=en}}</ref> Frying pans were also known in ], where they were called {{Transliteration|grc|tagēnon}} ({{langx|grc|τάγηνον}}) and teganon (τήγανον)<ref>, Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, ''A Greek-English Lexicon'', on Perseus</ref><ref></ref> and ], where they were called ''patella'' or ''sartago''. The word ''pan'' derives from the ] {{Lang|ang|panna}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pan|title=Pan - Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary}}</ref> Before the introduction of the ] in the mid-19th century, a commonly used cast-iron cooking pan called a 'spider' had a handle and three legs used to stand up in the coals and ashes of the fire. Cooking pots and pans with legless, flat bottoms were designed when cooking stoves became popular; this period of the late 19th century saw the introduction of the flat cast-iron skillet.
The frying pan remained little changed for many years. Whether made of tinned copper or cast iron the frying pan had a broad, shallow body and a long handle to keep the cook’s hand out of the fire.

=== Etymology ===
''Pan'' derives from the ] ''panna''.<ref>http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pan</ref> The feature that distinguished pans from other utensils were their flat bottoms. (This is why sauce pans and sauté pans, while very different in shape, are nonetheless called "pans").

The first recorded usage of the term ''frying pan'' in English was in 1382 by ] in a translation of the ] Bible, ] 23:29: "The prestis..to the fryinge panne." The term ''fry pan'' rarely occurs before the 1950s, when electric fry pans rose in popularity. When it does, it is often as the ''double fry'' or ''omelette pan''. Frying pans with legs, once common in open ] cookery, were generally called ''spiders'' both in England and in America.

Skillets were originally deep, much like modern sauce pans, but the term is now used interchangeably with "frying pan."

The Roman term, ''sartaginem'' has survived in modern Spanish as ''sartén'', and in modern Portuguese as ''sertã''. The Roman ''patella'' survived in modern Italian as ''padella'', in modern Spanish as ''paella'', and in modern French as ''poêle''. Frying pans were probably also used to prepare grain dishes, the antecedents of ] made with rice.

=== Electric frying pans ===

The common frying pan was among the first objects to be electrified in the 1890s. A British example dates from 1898. It had an element fitted below the pan and socket at the end of the wooden handle. Due to the cost of electricity it was a luxury item. It never gained popularity when electricity became more widespread, as the increasing efficiency of gas and electric hot plates meant that the traditional pan was just as effective and easier to use.

In 1911, ] introduced an electric chafing dish. Made of sheet steel, it could be turned over and used as a hot plate. Little development followed. The main setback was developing a dependable and easily variable heat control that could compete with a traditional hotplate. In 1953, Sunbeam introduced the Automatic Frypan. It was a square cast-aluminium pan with a built-in element. The black plastic handle featured a heat control and “fry-guide” reminiscent of the “mix-finder” of the ] Mixmaster. S. W. Farber, Inc. produced the first stainless steel electric frying pan in 1954.

The electric fry pan could also stew, ], and bake. With the lid on, it could be used for roasts and ]s. By the 1970s it was also known as a ''multicooker''. This versatility was limited by its size and was soon challenged by the microwave. Although still in production, the electric frying pan never gained mass acceptance as a replacement for its traditional rival.

=== Non-stick frying pans ===

Frying pans with ] surfaces were introduced by ] in 1956 under the Teflon brand name. The durability of the early coatings was not good, but improvements in manufacturing have made these products a kitchen standard. It was necessary for cooks using non-stick pans to learn to avoid using metal spatulas and knives that can permanently mar the coating.


== Frying pan relatives == == Frying pan relatives ==

A versatile pan that combines the best of both the sauté pan and the frying pan has higher, sloping sides that are often slightly curved. This pan is called a ''sauteuse'' (literally a sauté pan in the female gender), an ''evasée'' (denoting a pan with sloping sides), or a ''fait-tout'' (literally "does everything"). Most professional kitchens have several of these utensils in varying sizes. A versatile pan that combines the best of both the sauté pan and the frying pan has higher, sloping sides that are often slightly curved. This pan is called a ''sauteuse'' (literally a sauté pan in the female gender), an ''evasée'' (denoting a pan with sloping sides), or a ''fait-tout'' (literally "does everything"). Most professional kitchens have several of these utensils in varying sizes.


A "rappie pan" is a pan used to make ], an ] potato dish. The pan is made from ] or ].<ref>Pamela Goyan Kittler, Kathryn Sucher ''Food and Culture''Cengage Learning, 2007 {{ISBN|049511541X}}, page 519</ref>
Another close relative is the chafing dish, which by the late nineteenth century was a pot or pan that sat in a lower pan of hot water. Both chafing dishes and frying pans were supported by a stand over a flame below. The heat maintained the water at a simmer, which allowed for the slow cooking of foods like soups and ]s.


== Construction == == Construction ==
]s being ] in a frying pan]]


Traditionally, frying pans were made of ]. Although cast iron is still popular today, especially for outdoor cooking, most frying pans are now made from metals such as ] and ]. The materials and construction method used in modern frying pans vary greatly and some typical materials include: Traditionally, frying pans were made of ], ] or ] lined with tin, for their different qualities and properties. Copper pans are highly thermally conductive, making them useful for evenly sautéing. However, they are also highly reactive with most foods, so today a large number of copper pans are sold with a tin lining which can be replaced when it wears out. Cast iron pans are used because although they do not conduct heat very evenly, they do retain it quite well, making them useful for searing meats and vegetables. Carbon steel cookware is used because over time it can develop a highly nonstick patina of ] oil called seasoning useful for cooking protein that is prone to stick, such as fish and eggs. While all of these materials are still commonly used in professional kitchens, many modern materials have supplanted them in the consumer market. Nowadays, most frying pans are now made from metals such as ] or ]. The materials and construction method used in modern frying pans vary greatly and some typical materials include:
* ] or ]

* ]/]
* ] * ]
* ] * ]
* ] * ]
* ] * ]

A coating is sometimes applied to the surface of the pan to make it ]. Frying pans made from bare cast iron or carbon steel can also gain non-stick properties through ] and use.


==Variants==
With the exception of cast iron frying pans, a ] (Teflon) coating can be applied to the surface of the pan to make it non-stick. This is popular for frying pans sold to the home user but less so for those used by professional cooks and restaurants. Cast iron naturally becomes non-stick through proper use and so would not benefit from a Teflon coating.
===Non-stick===
{{Main|Non-stick pan}}


A process for bonding ] to chemically roughened aluminium was patented in France by Marc Gregoire in 1954. In 1956 he formed a company to market ] cookware under the "]" brand name.<ref>{{cite book|first=Richard L.|last=Myers|title=The 100 Most Important Chemical Compounds: A Reference Guide|publisher=ABC-CLIO|date=2007|isbn=978-0313337581|page=276}}</ref> The durability of the early coatings was initially poor, but improvements in manufacturing have made these products a kitchen standard. The surface is not as tough as metal and the use of metal utensils (e.g. ]) can permanently mar the coating and degrade its non-stick property.
== Use and care ==
{{also|Pan-frying}}
{{Refimprove|date=November 2007}}
Cast iron frying pans must be ] before use and periodically afterwards.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kitchensavvy.com/journal/2005/02/seasoning_fryin.html |title=Seasoning Frying Pans}}</ref>


For some cooking preparations a non-stick frying pan is inappropriate, especially for ], where the residue of browning is to be incorporated in a later step such as a pan sauce. Since little or no residue can stick to the surface, the sauce will fail for lack of its primary flavouring agent.
Many traditionalists maintain that a cast iron frying pan should never be washed but rather wiped clean after each use. Washing destroys the anti-stick finish that forms through use and can promote rust and other problems.
<ref>{{cite book|last=Emery|first=Carla |title=The Encyclopedia of Country Living: An Old Fashioned Recipe Book
|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=8vqp_XLfNKYC&pg=PA41&dq=clean+cast+iron&client=firefox-a&sig=ACfU3U0mLaza7wJQ-j5DWO3PNgiFTzoNGw|year=2003|publisher=Sasquatch Books|language=|isbn=157061377X|page=41}}</ref>


===Electric===
Frying pans made from copper will require polishing to remove ]. Aluminium and stainless steel frying pans generally do not require much maintenance. Frying pans with non-stick coatings should not be overheated (such as using for searing) or else the coating will melt. Like ], ] depends on conduction and convection. In pan-frying, a layer of oil has four functions: it lubricates the surface; increases contact between the food and the pan; reduces cooking time; and increases flavor and color.
]


An electric frying pan or electric skillet incorporates an electric ] into the frying pan itself and so can function independently off of a ]. Accordingly, it has heat-insulated legs for standing on a countertop. (The legs usually attach to handles.) Electric frying pans are common in shapes that are unusual for 'unpowered' frying pans, notably square and rectangular. Most are designed with straighter sides than their stovetop cousins and include a lid. In this way they are a cross between a frying pan and a sauté pan.
When frying battered fish or chicken, the oil covers the pan but not the food, but when frying pancakes, the oil is but a thin film to keep the batter from sticking. Asian cooks fry rice with all kinds of meats, seafood, vegetables, and nuts. Chinese fried rice is pan-fried in a skillet or ] with very little oil, perhaps one tablespoon per cup of rice.


A modern electric skillet has an additional advantage over the stovetop version: heat regulation. The detachable power cord incorporates a thermostatic control for maintaining the desired temperature.
== World's Largest ==


With the perfection of the thermostatic control, the electric skillet became a popular kitchen appliance. Although it largely has been supplanted by the ], it is still in use in many kitchens.
The world’s largest functional frying pan—4.5 metres (15 ft) in diameter—adorns the ], (pop. 1,330) town square and can fry 365 chickens at once during poultry festivals.<ref>http://www.americanprofile.com/tidbits/north-carolina/p/3.html</ref>


== See also ==
This frying pan beat out the previous world record sized frying pan that was produced by Mumford Sheet Metal Works in ], in 1950. Made for the annual ], it was used to fry over 100 tons of chicken. The pan measures {{convert|10|ft|m|abbr=on}} in diameter, beating out the {{convert|9.6|ft|m|abbr=on}} ], frying pan built in 1941 for their annual Clam Festival.
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]


==References== == References ==
{{reflist}} {{Reflist}}


==External links==
]
* {{Commons category-inline|Frying pans}}


]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]

Latest revision as of 15:56, 2 January 2025

Flat bottomed pan for cooking food on a stove "Skillet" redirects here. For other uses, see Frying pan (disambiguation) and Skillet (disambiguation).
A stainless steel frying pan

A frying pan, frypan, or skillet is a flat-bottomed pan used for frying, searing, and browning foods. It is typically 20 to 30 cm (8 to 12 in) in diameter with relatively low sides that flare outwards, a long handle, and no lid. Larger pans may have a small grab handle opposite the main handle. A pan of similar dimensions, but with less flared, more vertical sides and often with a lid, is called a sauté pan. While a sauté pan can be used as a frying pan, it is designed for lower-heat cooking.

History

Copper frying pan dated end 5th to early 4th century BC, Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki. The handle is ornamented with floral engravings and ends in the shape of a goose head.

Copper frying pans were used in ancient Mesopotamia. Frying pans were also known in ancient Greece, where they were called tagēnon (Ancient Greek: τάγηνον) and teganon (τήγανον) and Rome, where they were called patella or sartago. The word pan derives from the Old English panna. Before the introduction of the kitchen stove in the mid-19th century, a commonly used cast-iron cooking pan called a 'spider' had a handle and three legs used to stand up in the coals and ashes of the fire. Cooking pots and pans with legless, flat bottoms were designed when cooking stoves became popular; this period of the late 19th century saw the introduction of the flat cast-iron skillet.

Frying pan relatives

A versatile pan that combines the best of both the sauté pan and the frying pan has higher, sloping sides that are often slightly curved. This pan is called a sauteuse (literally a sauté pan in the female gender), an evasée (denoting a pan with sloping sides), or a fait-tout (literally "does everything"). Most professional kitchens have several of these utensils in varying sizes.

A "rappie pan" is a pan used to make rappie pie, an Acadian potato dish. The pan is made from aluminum or stainless steel.

Construction

Sausages being pan fried in a frying pan

Traditionally, frying pans were made of cast iron, carbon steel or copper lined with tin, for their different qualities and properties. Copper pans are highly thermally conductive, making them useful for evenly sautéing. However, they are also highly reactive with most foods, so today a large number of copper pans are sold with a tin lining which can be replaced when it wears out. Cast iron pans are used because although they do not conduct heat very evenly, they do retain it quite well, making them useful for searing meats and vegetables. Carbon steel cookware is used because over time it can develop a highly nonstick patina of polymerized oil called seasoning useful for cooking protein that is prone to stick, such as fish and eggs. While all of these materials are still commonly used in professional kitchens, many modern materials have supplanted them in the consumer market. Nowadays, most frying pans are now made from metals such as aluminium or stainless steel. The materials and construction method used in modern frying pans vary greatly and some typical materials include:

A coating is sometimes applied to the surface of the pan to make it non-stick. Frying pans made from bare cast iron or carbon steel can also gain non-stick properties through seasoning and use.

Variants

Non-stick

Main article: Non-stick pan

A process for bonding Teflon to chemically roughened aluminium was patented in France by Marc Gregoire in 1954. In 1956 he formed a company to market non-stick cookware under the "Tefal" brand name. The durability of the early coatings was initially poor, but improvements in manufacturing have made these products a kitchen standard. The surface is not as tough as metal and the use of metal utensils (e.g. spatulas) can permanently mar the coating and degrade its non-stick property.

For some cooking preparations a non-stick frying pan is inappropriate, especially for deglazing, where the residue of browning is to be incorporated in a later step such as a pan sauce. Since little or no residue can stick to the surface, the sauce will fail for lack of its primary flavouring agent.

Electric

Electric frying pan

An electric frying pan or electric skillet incorporates an electric heating element into the frying pan itself and so can function independently off of a cooking stove. Accordingly, it has heat-insulated legs for standing on a countertop. (The legs usually attach to handles.) Electric frying pans are common in shapes that are unusual for 'unpowered' frying pans, notably square and rectangular. Most are designed with straighter sides than their stovetop cousins and include a lid. In this way they are a cross between a frying pan and a sauté pan.

A modern electric skillet has an additional advantage over the stovetop version: heat regulation. The detachable power cord incorporates a thermostatic control for maintaining the desired temperature.

With the perfection of the thermostatic control, the electric skillet became a popular kitchen appliance. Although it largely has been supplanted by the microwave oven, it is still in use in many kitchens.

See also

References

  1. Nemet-Nejat, Karen Rhea (1998). Daily Life in Ancient Mesopotamia. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 126. ISBN 9780313294976. Copper frying pans were used in ancient Mesopotamia.
  2. τάγηνον, Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon, on Perseus
  3. Harry Thurston Peck, Harpers Dictionary of Classical Antiquities (1898), Sartago
  4. "Pan - Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary".
  5. Pamela Goyan Kittler, Kathryn Sucher Food and CultureCengage Learning, 2007 ISBN 049511541X, page 519
  6. Myers, Richard L. (2007). The 100 Most Important Chemical Compounds: A Reference Guide. ABC-CLIO. p. 276. ISBN 978-0313337581.

External links

Category: