The French skillet is frequently less expensive than a frying pan, but this can vary widely depending on the brand and materials used.

While it is possible to sauté in a straight-sided sauté pan, it's not easy, requiring constant stirring and turning with a wooden spoon or spatula.

The most common answers are “a skillet” or “a pan” — both of which are correct. 

The details: These pans solve the frustration of food sticking, and they require little oil for cooking. Plus they’re lightweight, easy to clean, and affordable. But they can’t take the high heat of a cast-iron or stainless steel frying pan. “You’re not going to get much of a sear in a nonstick pan,” says Cindy Fisher, who conducted Consumer Reports’ cookware tests.

And they don’t last as long as cast-iron, stainless, or copper frying pans. “Nonstick is going to wear out the fastest,” Nitahara says. “The nonstick coating is fragile, and once you scratch it, it’s hard to flip an egg.”

In our tests of nonstick pans, we cook four eggs in quick succession. An excellent rating means all four eggs easily slid out of the pan. A poor rating indicates that some egg residue was left behind. To test nonstick durability, we rub the pan with steel wool for 2,000 strokes or until the coating has worn through.

    In addition to size differences, Dutch ovens are available in a variety of materials, such as cast iron, aluminum, and ceramic.  Generally speaking, cast iron pots are the main ones. Cast iron Dutch ovens are known for their excellent heat retention and durability, making them ideal for long, slow cooking.