Best for: Almost any food that needs frying, browning, or searing. Because it’s ovenproof, stainless is also a good choice for foods that you start on the stovetop and then move to the oven to finish, like thick pork chops.

The details: Nitahara says that 95 percent of the pans used in the CIA’s teaching kitchens are stainless steel because they can take a lot of punishment. “The only time we don’t use them is on egg day, when we use nonstick,” he says. He adds that the shiny surface of a stainless pan makes it easy to see whether your food is browning.

In CR’s tests of stainless steel pans, we measure heating evenness by cooking pancakes, and we gauge how evenly a pan sautés by cooking potatoes until they’re tender. We also conduct a cleaning test to see how easy it is to remove cooked-on food. You’d think that all stainless pans would be about the same to clean, but our tests show that some require a lot more scrubbing than others.

Here are two recommended stainless steel pans from CR’s tests.

With their straight sides, sauté pans have similar bottom and top measurements, so a 12-inch pan will offer a cooking area of the same size. Sauté pans are often described according to capacity, and a good choice for home cooking is anywhere from 1 quart to 7 quarts.

The occasional pouring spouts also make skillets ideal for reductions as you can easily pour it out without manually scooping. Not forgetting that skillets are often the outdoor enthusiasts’ favourite companion thanks to its almost indestructible and robust nature.

Fry pans are specifically designed for frying and can be used to fry almost anything with less oil than deep-frying. They can also be used for other cooking methods and are versatile enough to replace other pots.

Enameled cast iron frying pans boast the same durable construction and heat retention as unfinished cast iron, but with a smooth, elegant enamel coating for easier cleanup. These pans are made the exact same way as an enameled cast iron Dutch oven: Molten iron-carbon alloy is poured into a proprietary frying pan mold and then left to cool, before being coated with an enamel made from powdered glass.

    If you are in the market for a new cooking set for your kitchen, consider the various options available such as 8-piece cast iron cookware set, 10-piece cast iron cookware set， 13-piece cookware set, or 20-piece cast iron cookware set.  Each set offers a different combination of pots, pans, and other essential accessories to help you prepare a variety of dishes.

Picture a piece of cookware with a large flat bottom — one with short sides, a long handle, and the perfect shape for cooking up a tasty seared steak. What comes to mind?