The Kitchen King: The 10" Frying Pan
Stocking your kitchen can seem like a big commitment. There’s a lot of different tools and gadgets out there and it can be hard to tell what’s a must-have and what’s going to sit unused in your cabinet most of the year. While we can’t tell you whether or not you’ll use that waffle maker every Sunday, we can guarantee that building your cookware set around a 10” fry pan will be your best bet.
Real talk: this skillet is our kitchen workhorse. It’s not too big, it’s not too small… it’s literally the Goldilocks of frying pans. And your stainless steel pan can do everything cast iron can do, but better. Like cast iron, stainless can transition from stovetop to oven just fine, but stainless distributes heat faster and more evenly so everything will be evenly cooked. You’ll never have to worry about your pans leaving a metallic taste in your food, either!
What we love about this frying pan is you can really make such a wide variety of dishes. From roasted chicken breast to sautéed zucchini and asparagus, the options are truly endless when using your frying pan. If you're looking for a new frying pan meal, this blog post can help.
Because of these qualities, we always prefer them to cast iron regardless of what we’re cooking. To prove it, we’ve gathered five frying pan recipes that you never knew you could make in your stainless steel pans.
1. Scrambled Eggs
Most of people reach for their teflon pans to cook their eggs, but you don’t have to! In fact, one of our favorite frying pan recipes is classic scrambled eggs. With the right temperature and amount of fat, you can easily cook scrambled eggs on your 10” stainless steel frying pan.
2. Cornbread
Everyone thinks cornbread needs to be baked in cast iron, but they’re wrong. As long as your pan is well greased, you’ll be able to slide slices of cornbread out of your oven safe stainless steel pan with zero effort.
Pro tip: You’ll have to adjust either your temperature to be a little higher or your cook time to be a little longer to accommodate the difference in material between cast iron and stainless.
3. Mac and Cheese
Don’t think you need to dirty every pot you own to make mac and cheese! With this simple skillet recipe, you can have a one-pan meal ready in no time!
Pro tip: halve this recipe for your 10” skillet or opt for the 12” if you know you’re going to be cooking larger portions more frequently.
4. Roast Chicken
Don’t be shy, roast an entire chicken in your 10” skillet. You get the best of both worlds in this scenario. You can sear the outside of the chicken on the stovetop to get that crispy skin and then move the entire pan—bird and all!—to the oven to finish cooking. A skillet chicken is juicy, crispy, and downright delicious for any weeknight meal. Just be sure to add enough olive oil or butter to prevent difficult clean up later on!
Pro tip: Make a quick pan gravy sauce when the chicken is done cooking. Simply remove the pan from the oven and place the chicken aside to cool. Then you can add some white wine and aromatics to the drippings in the pan. Cook for a couple of minutes and then finish with a couple of pats of butter and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. Voila! You've got yourself a rich sauce that perfectly complements your skillet chicken. To make a complete meal, roast up asparagus or brussels sprouts and cook up a creamy side of mashed potatoes.
5. One Big Chocolate Chip Cookie
Got a sweet tooth? You can even bake a giant chocolate chip cookie in one of these bad boys! Just remember to grease your pan well and keep an eye on your cooking time the first time you try this. This is seriously the best way to impress that dinner date, you’ll thank us for this one.
How to Care for a Stainless Steel Frying Pan
When it comes to cleaning your stainless steel cookware, you want to be careful to keep it in pristine condition for all of your future cooking endeavors. Stainless steel frying pans are no stranger to stains and scorch marks. If you made crispy chicken thighs and can't get all those burnt bits free from the bottom of your pan, we've got a few tricks you can follow to keep your cookware clean and in good condition.
If you forgot to wash your pan and remnants of your skillet dinner are glued to the bottom, first try to clean it as much as you can with a sponge, soap, and water. Wipe away any extra olive oil or vegetable oil with a paper towel and let hot water loosen any other crumbs that might be remaining.
If you are still dealing with stains, try using a stainless steel spot cleaner to get the job done. Our Made It Like New Cleaner can keep your cookware clean, shiny, and in pristine condition.
Can you believe you can cook all these recipes in just one pan? Whether you're cooking up a fried egg, chicken thighs, steak, or pizza, our frying pan can handle any recipe. Try them for yourself and see what investing in a high-quality, easy to clean, dishwasher safe, 10” frying pan can do for your cooking. And don’t forget about grilling the perfect steak, either.