Pan frying is a method of cooking something (usually a meal) by completely drowning it in hot oil or fat in a pan. A frying pan is a type of cooking tool that is used for this method of cooking. A saute pan is quite similar to a frying pan, with the exception that the edges of the saute pan slope inward.
While both a saute pan and a frying pan have sloped sides, the sides of a saute pan are often significantly higher than those of a frying pan. This is the primary distinction between the two. Because the meal is not pan-fried or deep-fried, sautéing often requires only two teaspoons (30 mL) or less of oil.
This is due to the fact that sautéing does not use any of those cooking methods. While the shallower edges make it easier for the cook to toss the food, the higher sides are designed to prevent oil from splattering over the top of the cooktop.
Frying Pan vs Saute Pan:
Difference between Frying Pan and Saute Pan:
- Sauteing uses a fraction of the oil that frying does.
- Sauteing uses a fraction of the oil that frying does.
- A frying pan’s big, flat cooking surface and relatively low edges make it much simpler to pour off excess frying oil than it would be from a saute pan.
- Saute Pans are ideal for cooking methods that call for high temperatures, such as searing or browning.
- Saute Pans are ideal for cooking procedures at
high temperatures, such as searing or browning. - Because the sides of the sauté pan slope inward, turning food in the pan is made much simpler.
- The Sauté Pan is a pan with sloped sides that is significantly higher than the Frying Pan.
- The Frying is a small pan with a large surface area.
- The Sauté Pan is a pan with sloped sides that is significantly higher than the Frying Pan.
What Is Frying Pan?
A frying pan is a type of cooking device that allows food to be fried by completely drowning it in hot oil or fat. Because of its big, flat cooking surface and relatively low sides, it is easier to drain the frying oil from this pan than it is from a saute pan. Skillets can also be referred to as frying pans.
Because it allows for an even distribution of heat while food is being cooked, metal, such as cast iron, is the greatest material for use in the construction of a frying pan.
Advantages of using a Frying Pan:
- They can also be used on camp stoves or portable cookers, where high sides are not required, and are
available at a lower cost and weigh less than a frying pan. - Better suited for cooking in a deep fryer (because of the low sides).
- The design of the frying pan makes it easy to move food around in the pan without hot fat spilling over the edge, and the high edges make it easier to toss food. Both of these advantages make using a frying pan a worthwhile investment.
Disadvantages of Frying Pan:
- Because it lacks high edges, it is difficult to toss food; hence, if stirring or tossing is required, food can easily fall out or spill over. This increases the likelihood that food will be wasted.
- When using a frying pan, there is a greater risk of the food catching fire because there are no high sides to prevent the heat from coming into direct contact with the flame.
- Due to the lack of high sides that prevent oil from being poured off after cooking, foods like fried chicken that are prepared in a frying pan are more likely to end up greasy than they would be if they were cooked in another type of pan.
- Because they aren’t as deep, the oil level in a pan is more likely to grow too high, and it’s much easier to spill grease all over the place when using these pans.
What Is Saute Pan?
It is recommended to use a sauté pan for any recipe that calls for cooking at a high temperature, such as searing or browning. While both a saute pan and a frying pan have sloped sides, the sides of a saute pan are often significantly higher than those of a frying pan.
This is the primary distinction between the two. Because the meal is not pan-fried or deep-fried sautéing often requires only two teaspoons (30 mL) or less of oil. This is due to the fact that sautéing does not use any of those cooking methods. While the shallower edges make it easier for the cook to toss the food, the higher sides are designed to prevent oil from splattering over the top of the cooktop.
Cooking items such as chicken or steak, as well as fish such as salmon or trout is easy and efficient when using a saute pan.
Advantages of Saute Pan:
- A more extensive area for cooking
- Tossing items in a skillet with higher sides makes it simpler to prevent food from escaping the pan while tossing.
- It is possible to use it on induction cooktops since it is shallow enough not to disrupt the magnetic field
that is being produced by the induction coil that is located below it (unlike standard pans with deep sides). - Doesn’t take up as much storage space, which makes them better suitable for kitchens that are smaller and have fewer cabinets or no pantry at all (in which case you might prefer a roasting pan instead, but that will get us into different kinds of cookware entirely).
- Less likely to topple over when loaded with oil, making them safer for individuals who are concerned about situations of this nature (which can be a problem with Frying Pans since they will spill more easily).
- Can be cleaned in the dishwasher on all surfaces other than the induction top. Because it is made entirely of metal, it is much simpler to determine whether a pan is ready to be used for cooking without having to glance at the burner that is underneath it.
- Enamelled cast iron handles to stay cool enough during normal use that you won’t need a pot holder or oven mitt unless it’s been sitting in the oven for hours and there’s a really good chance that it’ll have burned itself hotter than any stove can safely get it and even then it needs to be left in the oven for a lot longer before its own heat will burn you. In other words, unless it’s been sitting in the oven for hours, you won’t
Disadvantages of Salute Pan:
- The sloping sides make it more difficult to pull stuff out of the pan after cooking because you can’t just tilt it all up in one go.
- The higher sides make it simpler to pour the fat out of the pan.
- Higher sides mean that foods like scrambled eggs will be fluffier and more likely to stick, so for this reason, some people consider using a frying pan that is better suited for making omelettes. This is because higher sides allow more air to be trapped inside the pan, which in turn increases the likelihood of sticking.
- If you want to make a few different recipes at the same time, you’ll need many different skillets and saute pans (such as an omelette and pancakes).
- Due to the all-metal structure, it is more difficult to determine whether or not your pan is ready to be used for cooking without first looking at the burner that is underneath it.
- Because of the sloping sides, you’ll need to use a utensil to retrieve food that’s fallen into the gap which isn’t necessary with frying pans that have high flat sides. This is in contrast to frying pans that have high sides that are flat throughout the entire surface.
Frying Pan vs Saute Pan Which is better?
It is highly dependent on the dish that you are preparing.
Are you boiling pasta? Frying up some bacon? Sautéing veggies?
It all depends on the food, but in general, a frying pan is going to be the most suitable cooking vessel for deep-frying because of its flat design and taller sides.
If you want to prepare anything like an omelette or pancakes, you should use a saute pan rather than a regular frying pan since it is easier to stir or toss the food in a saute pan than in a regular frying pan.
However, using a frying pan is preferable in the second scenario because it has shallow sides that slope away from the centre and prevent grease from splattering all over the place which is something that can easily go wrong when cooking bacon. A frying pan can be used in either scenario however, it does have advantages and disadvantages depending on the nature of the dish being prepared.
Therefore, choosing between a frying pan and a sauté pan comes down to personal preference, unless you have a clear idea of the kind of dish you intend to prepare or are preparing food for a large number of people.
Conclusion:
Both frying pans and sauté pans are used for frying food however the primary distinction between the two is the form of the pan. Cooking space in frying pans is elevated to a greater degree.
Tossing ingredients in a saute pan is made simpler by the sloped edges of the pan which prevent food from flying out of the pan even when the pan is tilted. Because you can use a utensil to remove food that has fallen into the space between the sloping edges, it is also simpler to retrieve food that has fallen into the space.
If you are going to be producing meals that require deep frying then you should probably use a frying pan rather than a skillet because it has a larger cooking surface and steeper sides, both of which help to prevent fat from splattering all over the place while it is being cooked.
A saute pan is preferable to a frying pan if you want to avoid splattering grease when you throw things in the pan since the sides of the saute pan slope gently downward. In the end it comes down to personal preference.
