They have a single, long handle, like fry pans, but also usually feature a smaller side handle to help the cook lift the added weight of more food. Saute Pans also usually come with a lid designed to hold in moisture. This makes them much more useful for slow cooking with sauces.

Outdoor Cooking: The potjie pot is well-suited for outdoor cooking, making it a popular choice for camping, barbecues, and outdoor gatherings. Its robust construction and ability to withstand open flames and coals make it an ideal companion for outdoor culinary adventures.

Best for: searing a nice crust on meats, such as chops and steak (not good for acidic foods, like tomato sauce, as the iron reacts, imparting a metallic flavor)

A ceramic frying pan is also non-stick, but, unlike common non-stick pans which are coated with some chemical substance, ceramic pans are coated with a silica gel made from sand or ceramic stone.

CAST IRON FRYING PANS

Now this is a pretty tricky one. Frypans and skillets both rarely come with lids. When a frypan does come with a lid, it’s often made from glass which allows you to monitor food easily. Even so, it’s pretty rare for a lid to be available unless you specifically purchase the lid as an add-on.

Saute pans have straight sides instead of slanted ones, so a higher volume of ingredients or liquid can fit inside, making this style pan ideal for making sauces. Because of the design, sauces don't splash or slosh around as much, making clean-up a lot easier. Another bonus of this pan style is that most saute pans have a fitted lid, which reduces evaporation. These pans are well-suited for cooking methods such as braising, searing, or shallow-frying. But saute pans are heavier due to a wider base, making skillets easier to lift and move.

A note on storage: Our favorite way to store frying pans is to hang them. But if you have a nonstick cookware set and you'd rather stack them, make sure to place a couple of paper towels or reusable pan separators between each so they don't scratch one another.

Carbon steel cookware boasts the naturally non stick properties and great heat retention of cast iron, combined with the cooking speed and heat control of stainless steel. We’d recommend reaching for carbon steel when cooking steaks, cornbread, or anything else cooked over high heat—though it’s versatile enough to use for low-heat cooking as well.

Related: What To Cook With Your Roasting Pan

Cast Iron Grill Pan In Oven