Cooking pan

People have used a variety of cooking pans and pots for food preparation throughout history. Vessels for cooking include saucepans, frying pans (or fry pans), woks, double boilers, and bain-maries. Pans used for cooking are most often made of a metal such as stainless steel, aluminum, or enamelled iron, but may also be made from glass, pottery, or ceramic. Cooking pans usually have a handle which is often made from a plastic material that resists heat, but many cooking pans have no handles, or more than one handle.

Shallow cooking pans are most often used for frying; deeper pans may be used to boil or steam food, or may be used for deep-frying in oil. The smallest cooking pans may hold only a few ounces, while the largest have a capacity of several gallons or more, in order to cook large quantities of food.

Modern cooking pans are frequently coated with a substance such as teflon in order to minimize the possibility of food sticking to the pan surface. This has advantages and disadvantages for flavor and ease of use. A small amount of sticking is needed to cause flavorful browning, and nonstick pans cannot be used at high temperatures. On the other hand, they are easier to clean and do not result in burned food as often. When frying in pans without such a coating, it is usually necessary to use vegetable or animal fat to prevent sticking.

A Griddle is a hot plate similar to an electric frying pan. It has multiples square mettle grooves enabeling the contents to have a defined pattern. Similar to a WaffleMaker.

See also pressure cooking.