Investing a little extra time in choosing the right skillet to buy saves you from making a bad choice you have to suffer with for a while. Higher prices don't always translate into superior cooking performance. Professional cooks report equally good cooking results with skillets bearing moderate prices. Just keep the tips mentioned below in mind when you buy your next skillet.
Instructions
1. Look for a skillet that does not have an interior non-stick surface coating. Skillets must brown meats and poultry well enough to form what chefs call "fond," the crispy bits remaining in the pan that form the basis for tasty sauces. Non-stick skillets do not produce this fond.
2. Make sure the skillet has flared rather than straight sides. Pans with straight sides are used to saute vegetables and other ingredients. Only flared-sided pans qualify as traditional skillets.
3. Measure the skillet to be sure its diameter measures 12 inches. Smaller skillets are not large enough to hold a man-sized steak. Skillets with 12-inch diameters are not heftier in price and contain just enough interior surface to brown all pieces from a cut-up chicken in one layer.
4. Prefer the skillet without "clad" construction. Clad-style skillets contain many layers of metal inside the sides as well as the bottom of the skillet. These extra layers cause the price of the skillet to skyrocket without improving the skillet' performance.
5. Choose skillets weighing no more than three to four pounds. Heavier-weighted skillets make handling difficult. If you buy lighter skillets, they don't brown foods adequately.
6. Buy the skillet with stainless steel handles that remain cool. You don't want to grope for heat-resistant gloves every time you need to handle the pan for turning or flipping ingredients.
Tags: straight sides
