Which frying pan is better to buy: selection rules, rating of firms

Which frying pan is better to buy? This device has long been indispensable in the kitchen. With its help, you can fry, stew, simmer, caramelize and do many more things. On modern surfaces, food is cooked practically without fat, and all food is healthy and wholesome. And also a modern frying pan can become a real decoration of the kitchen and delight not only the hand, stomach, but also the eye.

Types of pans

What are the best pans? Humanity has come up with many varieties: large and small, narrowly focused and suitable for everyone. But, if you want to make the right choice, you should familiarize yourself with the main criteria for a particular dish.

Classic

The most versatile option, suitable for the preparation of almost all dishes. Classic products are made from all kinds of materials, they can be of various sizes and heights of the sides, but the main distinguishing features are rounded shapes and an elongated handle. The most popular diameter is 24-28 cm.

Grill pan

The main feature is the ribbed bottom, which leaves its mark on the cooked products. The meat or fish is juicy, as the juice that comes out accumulates in the grooves. The classic device is a heavy weighty body and a convenient cover with a weight.

On such dishes, cook with a minimum amount of fat, and some of the products do not touch the metal at all and do not absorb oil. This way the food retains its natural taste. And if your grill has a non-stick coating, then you can do without oil altogether. This pan is the best for roasting meat in a healthy manner.

Outdoor dishes are especially popular. They provide comfortable cooking and can be easily cleaned from dirt. Separately, you can buy a special grill, which is fixed at the top.

Brazier

It is especially popular with professional restaurant chefs. Most often they are made of high quality steel, and the bottom can be one, two or three layers. This is how heat is distributed in the best way, the food is cooked evenly and does not burn. The roaster is great for the oven and roasting food.

The handles are fixed by spot welding. In addition to being particularly durable, they will not heat up at the most intense fire. Handles are usually small, so it is very convenient to store dishes both in the oven and in the kitchen cupboard, as well as to place them in the refrigerator.

Frying Pan Wok

This type of tableware has become fashionable quite recently, but in China it has been used since antiquity. Distinctive features are rounded and high sides, a small flat (less often convex) bottom of a small diameter. Handles are most often found in the form of small ears. The set includes a domed convex lid and a grate on which cooked food is placed to drain liquid or fat.

In Wok, it is very convenient to prepare sauces and marinades, as well as bulk semi-finished products. These pans have a high heating rate and maintain a constant temperature for a long time. Another feature is that the bottom, due to its narrow diameter, always has a higher temperature than on the walls. Therefore, the effective tossing and moving of food from wall to wall by professional chefs is required first of all to avoid burning, and only then for the sake of show.

Stewpan

This is a symbiosis of pots and pans, in which you can cook almost all dishes: from scrambled eggs to desserts, from soups to sauces. The saucepan has thick sides and bottom, so the food heats up evenly. And the tight-fitting lid keeps the liquid you need until the very end of cooking.

The saucepan is available for most ovens and stoves. The most expensive ones come with thermometers and fluid control levels. If the bottom is additionally grooved, the food will not burn in any way.

Pancake maker

This is a round dish with small sides and a flat, thick bottom (at least 2 mm thick). The lower the rim, the easier the pancakes will slide off during cooking. Most often they have an ergonomic and comfortable handle, since it is with its help that all manipulations are performed. In a small pancake dish, you can warm up dishes or cook the simplest ones.

What pans are made of

Today, the assortment of materials is quite large, from cast iron proven over the centuries and ending with modern alloys. But most often, substances with high thermal conductivity are used, which can keep the temperature. What are the best pans? Reviews indicate that each variety has its own pros and cons.

Cast iron

Such a frying pan heats up very quickly and is one of the best materials for long-term cooking or simmering. She successfully replaces the cauldron. Cast iron has an increased resistance to scorching. And it also forms a natural non-stick coating as a result of oil absorbed into the pores of the metal. It is the most versatile and durable product in which you can even bake in the oven.

There is no special care or any tools for cast iron cookware. The disadvantage of the surface is that with insufficient care, the dishes will begin to rust after a while. To prevent this from happening, it must be dried or additionally calcined after use. Also, cast iron is quite heavy and can crack.

Titanium

Titanium is a chemically inert substance that does not react. This is one of the most expensive coatings. Very few people can afford a completely titanium frying pan, and there is no point in this. The cladding itself is completely harmless. There simply cannot be any toxic secretions in it.

Titanium surfaces are resistant to mechanical stress, and you can cook food with little or no oil. The service life is at least 25 years, and a rather expensive product pays for itself in any case. Do not cook on induction hobs.

Copper

Food is cooked in it quickly, and the heat is evenly distributed due to the high conductivity of the metal. But such a frying pan also cools down quickly. And the dishes serve for a very long time, so almost every apartment has some kind of copper product inherited. Today they are not produced by all manufacturers, since copper is similar in properties to stainless steel and aluminum, but it costs much more.

Inside, copper products are coated with tin, nickel or stainless steel to prevent oxidation. If you feel an unusual taste in the products, it means that copper has begun to oxidize and it is time to restore the protective layer (which is done easily and quickly).

The disadvantage of copper products is that vitamins in it are destroyed much faster, especially vitamin C. But acid-free products (for example, eggs), whip great. Care - non-abrasive pastes, can not be washed in a dishwasher.

Universal stainless steel

There is no non-stick coating in them, but the taste and color of the products is fully preserved. Suitable for both simmering and roasting. Today even the grill can be stainless steel.

This is another good and inexpensive cookware that is not afraid of rust and mechanical damage. Stainless steel is very easy to clean, but when overheated, unsightly streaks can form on the stove. It is very good to simmer the dish in such a frying pan, since aluminum retains heat for a long time. The food on it does not burn, the only thing is that it should be warmed up well and oil should be poured before starting cooking.

Aluminum

These are budget products, lightweight and fast heating. On them, food will burn more often than usual, and the oil smokes due to the high heating temperature. If the pan is heavy enough, then it is made of cast aluminum and performs better than stamped ones. The minimum bottom thickness is 5 mm.

To avoid damaging the surface, use special silicone or wooden spatulas. Such pans should be very carefully cleaned with abrasives and acidic agents.

Teflon

A frying pan with a Teflon coating (polytetrafluoroethylene) is a fashionable and beloved accessory in the kitchen by many housewives. They are not afraid of high temperatures, alkalis or acids. The coating is most often applied to steel or aluminum. The result is a wonderful non-stick surface, much better than cast iron. Teflon polymer coating in its properties is very similar to titanium, only it is afraid of mechanical stress. Often, to enhance the non-stick effect, there is a special pattern on the bottom that reduces product contact with the bottom.

The service life of such pans is up to 5 years. When working, use only silicone or wooden spatulas so that the surface is not scratched. Otherwise, Teflon becomes harmful and such a frying pan should be ruthlessly disposed of. Do not heat pans above 200 (other manufacturers) - 260 (original French Tefal) ° C.

Eco-ceramics

Recent novelty. Ceramic composites (the combination of sand particles) in such pans are different from the clay products we are used to. Most often they are used to cover cast iron or aluminum. The latter are lightweight but very durable. Such a coating is much stronger than Teflon, but it is afraid of falls.

The pans heat up quickly (up to 450 degrees) and cool slowly after turning off. The dishes can be washed and cleaned by all means and use any spoons and spatulas. The surface never absorbs odors, it is chemically neutral and does not react with food.

Such pans cannot be placed on induction ovens. They can also be painted in the brightest and most acidic colors. And eco-ceramic products are becoming the main focus in the kitchen.

Marble or granite skillet

Granite Coated Pans are reliable and durable pans that heat evenly and allow you to cook on the smallest possible flame. Frying food on such dishes will be several times faster. Surprisingly, granite products weigh very little and are quite comfortable to use.

Marble is a newfangled Teflon coating, only interspersed with similar chips. Buying such dishes in Moscow will cost at least 2,000 rubles. These are the best pans with a non-stick coating: they are lighter than cast iron, they are not afraid of mechanical damage and cool down more slowly than Teflon or ceramics. And such a frying pan looks unusually stylish in a similar marble kitchen.

How not to make a mistake when buying

1. Pay attention to the thickness of the walls. The heavy weight of the dishes is not always the determining criterion (for example, in aluminum ones), but the thick walls ensure uniform heating. Wall thickness - not less than 4 mm. Of two pans of the same material, the one in which the bottom and sides are thicker is better.
2. The bottom should be perfectly flat, without flaws, irregularities and bulges. The honeycomb will last less than the usual thickened one. The thicker the surface, the more stable the pan will be on the stove. And it will warm up more evenly. The best thickness is from 6 mm.
3. It is good when there is an outer coating - enamel or varnish. These are the most versatile products, suitable for all hobs.
4. Buy products from trusted manufacturers, especially with newfangled coatings. An expensive product is quite often counterfeited by unknown manufacturers, since the temptation of easy money is great.
5. The more layers of coating, the longer the pan will last. Tableware made of 8 layers (for example, marble) will last at least a quarter of a century.
6. The worst fastening of the handle to the body is with bolts. Sooner or later, they will loosen and fail. But cast ones are much more functional and safer.

We select under the stove

• Which frying pan is best for you? If you are going to buy your first all-rounder, measure the diameter of the top circle. 24 cm are ideal for one person, 28 cm for two or three.
• Copper and aluminum pans are undesirable for glass hobs, as they leave marks.
• If you plan to use the cookware in the oven, you need removable or pure metal handles.
• There are special markings for induction hobs.
• Stamped aluminum products are only suitable for gas stoves, they will deform on electric ones.
• The enamel coating can be used on all surfaces: induction, electric stove or gas.

Manufacturers rating

Which pan to buy? Reviews and reviews on the Internet will tell you the rating of brands that will not let you down, and your dishes made from high-quality raw materials will last a long time.

• Tefal.

It was this French company that came up with the non-stick coating. Today, the best non-stick frying pan is sold in almost every country in the world. Moreover, the Teflon warranty is at least 24 months. Their distinguishing feature is the red Termo Spot indicator, which tells you when it's time to lay food on the surface.

There are a lot of lines and series in Tefal's assortment. There is a collection of cast aluminum Jamie Oliver, with particles of Meteor Ceramic minerals, or Expertise (with a reinforced titanium coating), suitable for all hobs.

• Neva-Metal.

A manufacturer from St. Petersburg, who has combined the best European standards and affordable prices in its products. Grooved bottoms of Neva-Metal cookware ideally distribute heat, and the service life ranges from 2000 to 4000 operating cycles. There is also a wide range of products with removable handles for use in the oven.

The most interesting series: Ferra Induction, light "Pearls" with polymer coating, "Titanium" and "Cast" (3 layers of non-stick coating). The company has even taken care of morning pancakes and pancakes for babies - the "Merry" series allows you to bake dough products with the faces of your favorite cartoon characters.

• Kukmara.

The company from Kazan, in which the choice of aluminum frying pans is the most complete: cast, with a thickened (up to 6 mm) or machined bottom. There are also plenty of types of coatings - non-stick, ceramic, marble.

The most interesting is the Palette series, which looks stylish on kitchen surfaces of the same color. And enameled products by Greblon Decor are not afraid of abrasives, oils or detergents.

Video: which pans are better? Overview