ChezButtons's Profile
Long handle fry pan vs loop handle multi-function pan
I'm thinking of getting a new fry pan. The Demeyere pans look great and I was all set to get the 11" Proline with a helper handle when I saw the multi-function pan they also offer. Looks like I could use it for frying plus a bunch of other stuff. The loop handles on the multifunction have me wondering, though. Will I miss the long handle when I fry? I think I might but I can't say the reason. Why do fry pans and sauce pans have long handles, anyway? Maybe to keep your hand away from spattering fat. Or maybe the longer handle stays cooler. Long handles make it easy to carry a pot/pan with one hand, but since I would need the helper handle on this heavy fry pan anyway, the long handle has no advantage for carrying. The short loop handles certainly make things easier to store.
Anyway, I'd love to hear any advice on getting the multifunction vs the fry pan. I mainly want something for pan-frying and making pan sauces. But I'd like to do more braising and steaming (and who knows what else that I haven't learned yet). I've been using an old Farberware dutch oven for these, but the FW seems really thin on the bottom and prone to overheating.
Also (related to my previous complaint about my All-Clad saute pan being "domed" in the middle with a moat at the sides - thanks to all who chimed in), are the Demeyeres flat on the interior?
My All-Clad pan's interior isn't flat and things are getting crispy....
The cooktop is level on both axes, and the liquid always gathers on the same side of the pan. It shouldn't matter for saute-ing, though. I just need a flat bottom pan on both sides for frying, as you said.
My All-Clad pan's interior isn't flat and things are getting crispy....
meggie t, this is the 11" saute pan with vertical sides and a second handle. I think what I need is a what AC calls a fry pan (with the slanted sides). Good to know about yours -- mine's not a mutant.
My All-Clad pan's interior isn't flat and things are getting crispy....
Good thoughts, Chemicalkinetics. I'm probably using the wrong tool for the job. I should just buy a bigger slope-sided fry pan than my current one and leave the saute pan for saute-ing. Eureka! And to Kelli, I always let the pans cool before I clean them and am very careful about adding liquid to deglaze. I'm so paranoid about the bottoms warping with this flat cooktop.
For the incurably curious, I attach a photo of the saute pan in question with diluted bitters in it. You can see the convexity of the pan as well as the moat ring on the edge. Liquid gathers a bit to one side of the pan, also. I checked the cooktop with a spirit level, and it's dead level, so I guess this is a pan "feature." But as CK says, I should be using it for saute, where it really doesn't make a difference. Looks like I'm going shopping! But do I stick with All-Clad?? A question for a different post :)
My All-Clad pan's interior isn't flat and things are getting crispy....
Fascinating article on the Benard-Marangoni effect! Kelli2006, I started to measure the height difference and noticed that there's actually a small "moat" around the pan edge. (And this is the straight-sided saute pan, not the fry pan - I misspoke). My All-Clad slope-sided 10" fry pan doesn't have this problem.
Which got me thinking. I used this saute pan on a glass cooktop with a 9" burner, its largest. The pan base is about 10.5" wide. Is it possible that the heat raised the middle of the pan leaving behind the moat? Maybe. The sad part is that I've used this pan once to brown chicken since I got it, and ONLY on medium heat. Getting gas to this house is not an option (wah!), and so replacing this cooktop isn't a solution. Do I give in and get cast iron (although the one the NYT article had a bad hot spot, so...) Maybe these All-Clad pans are quite delicate or not suited to this cooktop. Or maybe moats are normal. I'll try Prudhomme's technique and maybe the lecthin, too. Mad scientist in the kitchen!
My All-Clad pan's interior isn't flat and things are getting crispy....
I saw this question posted a few months ago but there weren't many responses.... so I'll give it another shot. I have a stainless All-Clad 11" fry/saute pan and I notice that the interior is higher in the middle than the perimeter. Whatever oil I add runs to the sides leaving a dry spot in the middle where things naturally start to burn. I guess I could use more oil...I need to add over a 1/4 cup to just cover everything, and that seems like a lot. The exterior bottom is completely flat, which it oughta be, since I just got it a week ago from All-Clad as a warranty replacement (for the third and final time). Are all large fry pans like this? How do you deal with it? Should I get some other brand of pan or just resign myself to deep frying everything?
