Food - Drink
The Major Difference Between A Skillet And A Pan
By ELIAS NASH
Pans and skillets are kitchen must-haves for home cooks, but even experienced at-home chefs may not know that these two cooking vessels are not the same thing, nor can they always be used interchangeably. These are the differences between a pan and a skiller that you should consider before cooking your next meal.
Depth is the key difference between a skillet and a pan. A skillet is deep and wide with a flat bottom and sloped edges, and they are perfect for braising, since you can use them to both sear ingredients and slow-cook the final dish; a skillet can also be used like a frying pan, since a frying pan is the same shape, but shallower and thinner.
On the other hand, sauté pans and saucepans cannot be used interchangeably with skillets. Sauté pans have straight sides compared to a skillet's sloped sides, and while skillets are deep, saucepans have taller sides suitable for boiling sauces; a skillet is not the same as any of these three pans, but it is most similar to a frying pan.