While they both look almost identical, frypans and skillets each have their own roles to play in the kitchen. Frypans are best used for foods that require lower heat such as eggs, pancakes, and the ever delicate fish. This is because the frypan’s curved edge makes it easier to maneuver the ingredients as you cook.

The ideal cookware size is a personal choice and a lifestyle choice. Smaller skillets and sauté pans are great for one- or two-person meals or quick bites (ex., breakfast scrambles or side dishes), while larger sizes are able to cook family-size portions or complete one-pan meals. 

But to keen observers and cookware enthusiasts (that’s us!), there are some key differences. This article compares and contrasts skillets and pans and shares the best cooking techniques and dishes to use each one.

 Enameled cast iron cookware has become a popular choice for home cooks and professional chefs alike.  This type of cookware offers the durability and heat retention of traditional cast iron, while the enamel coating provides a nonstick surface that requires no seasoning.  Whether it's a pan, pot, or skillet, enamel-coated cast iron cookware is a versatile addition to any kitchen.

A sauté pan is a shallow pan with straight sidewalls. This is the main difference between a sauté pan and a skillet or frying pan, which has slanted sides. The straight sides make the sauté pan better suited for certain tasks that require cooking ingredients in a liquid, such as shallow frying or braising, because these liquids could leak over a skillet’s slated sides.A sauté pan can also be used to sauté, stir-fry, or sear in the same way that a skillet can. However, despite its name, a sauté pan is not necessarily the best pan to use to sauté ingredients, and some chefs actually prefer using a skillet for sautéing because of its slanted sides.

    In addition to serving sizzling plate, the sizzling plates can also be used to serve a variety of other dishes, such as burritos, seafood, and even desserts like s'mores.  The versatility of the sizzle pan makes it a valuable addition to any kitchen, offering endless possibilities for creativity and impressive presentations.

Either a skillet or pan would be a great tool for any home cook. While both can be used to sear a tenderloin steak or chicken breast to perfection, they have their differences for other home cooking methods. Skillets are great if you prefer stir fries and easy pan-to-plate fare. Sauté pans, on the other hand, are perfect for longer cooks, high volumes of food, or any dish with a decent amount of liquid.

French skillets are perfect for cooking steaks and other meats that require high temperature and char.

In the range of cookware, skillets and pans are two of the most commonly interchanged. They are fairly similar in shape, available in almost the same sizes, and are often chunked into the same product category.