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Pot vs Pan: The Core Differences

I have been scouring the internet trying to find whether there is enough information on pans vs pots but unfortunately, the information available is quite scanty.

I believe there are so many people out there who are also trying to differentiate between pots and pans in a detailed manner.

The good thing is that I will walk you through the differences and any other details you should know as well. So, without wasting much time, let’s get right into it.

If you haven’t spent much time in the kitchen, it can be pretty hard to differentiate between pots and pans. Most people tend to argue that pots are deep while pans are shallow but this is not always the case.

Some pans tend to be deep meaning you might confuse them with pots. The appearance of some pots and pans can be confusing at times but there are some guidelines you can use when trying to differentiate pots from pans. One of the most noticeable differences between pots and pans is the sides.

Pans tend to have sides that extend only an inch or two from the bottom. On the other hand, pots are deeper and have high sides that run straight up from a circular base.

In most cases, the sides of a pan usually slant slightly while those of a pot is always straight. The other key difference between them is that pots usually have two handles that are attached directly opposite to each other.

On the other hand, most pans usually come with one long handle that is mounted from the side of the pan. So, apart from those physical differences, what other attributes can one use to differentiate pots vs pans?

Well, at this point we can only use their purpose in the kitchen. Pots are mostly used when boiling water for pasta and when making stews or soups.

Pots are designed to be used when liquids are involved. The reason why are best suited for soups and stews is that their elongated sides allow liquids to heat faster.

Instead of just heating from the bottom, the heat spreads evenly to the sides thus cooking the stew to cook evenly. As I mentioned earlier, pans are shallow and that implies that they can only be used to cook fast foods.

They are ideal for sautéing and frying food. Their wide base allows for small amounts and shallow layers of food to cook quickly.

This is why pans are great for cooking pancakes, eggs, stir-fries, and crepes. The other difference that is common with these two items is the number of attachments they have.

Pots come with more attachments in order to maximize their usefulness. Some of these attachments may include steamers, pasta inserts, and double boiler attachments.

On the other hand, pans don’t come with a lot of extra attachments because they don’t have enough room. I believe you guys are now familiar with pot and pan and it will be easy for you to distinguish between the two.

Their uses might differ but you are not restricted to use them for similar cooking techniques.

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