The key distinction between a fry pan and a sauté pan lies in their construction. While both pans may appear similar, they serve different purposes in cooking.
Key Takeaways
- Fry pans have small, outwardly flared sides and do not have a lid, while sauté pans have vertical sides and come with a lid.
- Fry pans are designed for longer cooking at lower heat, whereas sauté pans are meant for quick cooking at high heat with a smaller amount of oil.
- A sauté pan can be used as a frying pan, but a frying pan cannot be used as a sauté pan.
What is a Fry Pan?
A fry pan is a flat-bottomed container usually made of aluminum, with small sides that flare up outwards. It has a long handle but does not have a lid. The main plate of a fry pan is 8-12 inches in diameter. Fry pans are used to brown ingredients without worrying about time and do not require tossing the pan back and forth like sautéing. More fat is used in a fry pan than in a sauté pan, and food is cooked at a lower heat to prevent burning.
What is a Sauté Pan?
A sauté pan has a similar appearance to a frying pan, but its sides are vertical and do not move outwards. It also has a lid, which is essential for sautéing as it allows steam to build up quickly. Sautéing involves cooking food quickly over high heat in a small amount of fat or oil and requires the ability to toss the pan back and forth to flip the food in the pan. The wide, vertical-sided design of a sauté pan prevents ingredients from crowding or spilling out during this process.
What is the difference between Fry Pan and Saute Pan?
• The size of the fry pan is similar to a sauté pan, but the sides are sloping in a fry pan and vertical in a sauté pan to allow for tossing the pan back and forth for cooking the food over high heat.
• Fry pans do not have a lid, while sauté pans use a lid to build up steam quickly over high temperatures.
• Fry pans are designed for longer cooking than a sauté pan.
• One can use a sauté pan as a frying pan, but one cannot use a frying pan as a sauté pan.
Understanding the basic differences between frying and sautéing will help you better appreciate the design differences between fry pans and sauté pans. The main idea behind sautéing is to cook food quickly over high heat in a small amount of fat or oil while flipping the food in the pan by tossing it. When using a fry pan, you cook at a lower heat to prevent the outside of the food from burning while the inside cooks.
