How many inches is considered to be a large skillet?

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Ilovemeatloaf

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I often see recipes that say to make them in a large skillet, but the largest skillet I have is 10 inches and I sometimes don't think it is big enough so i end up not trying the recipe. When a recipe calls for a large skillet , how big do they mean? Do they mean something that is like 14 inches? How big is your biggest skillet and where did you find it? I have been looking for a bigger skillet at walmart and i don't think they have anything bigger than 10 in.
 
I use my 3.5 quart sauté pans more than anything else. I like how the straight sides contain everything inside. I only use a skillet for recipes of 2 cups or less.

I have two sauté pans. One is 11 inches wide and the other is 10 inches and a little deeper. I love these pans.

I bought my 3.5 quart, 11 inch All-Clad sauté pan when I received some money for a freelance job and my birthday. Several years later, my husband bought me a set of Calphalon pans for Christmas that included another sauté pan - it's deeper than the All-Clad. They both have their uses.
 
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I have several 12-inch skillets. One of which is made of cast iron.

I don't think I've ever seen a 14-inch one but they may be available from restaurant supply sellers.

My 12-inch ones seem to be large enough for any recipe I've come across and I've been cooking for nearly 60 years.

Edited to add: I just did a little Internet sleuthing and there are a number of 14-inch skillets available. However, I would imagine that something that large, filled with food, would be a bit difficult to manage.
 
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I often see recipes that say to make them in a large skillet, but the largest skillet I have is 10 inches...
Do you have a gas or electric stove? If you're cooking with electric, you probably shouldn't use a pan much bigger than the size of your burner. If your burner measures 10", a 12" pan is probably the maximum since you don't want more than an inch of overlap beyond the outer edge of the burner for efficient cooking.
 
When I have lots of ingredients that I don't think will fit easily in my skillet, I substitute my large cooking pot instead.
 
I'm sure they are talking about 12 inch. Who even has 14 inch pan? Ok, I do, but that is not a common size by any stretch.


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I'm sure they are talking about 12 inch. Who even has 14 inch pan? Ok, I do, but that is not a common size by any stretch.
Sent from my iPhone using Discuss Cooking
I've got you beat - I have a 16" Calphalon


http://www.amazon.com/Calphalon-Com...p/B00005CET9/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top?ie=UTF8


It's not really a saute pan, as it's thinner than regular Calphalon pans. I've successfully used it on a 4" gas burner. It works for things that are lightly sauteed and then left to simmer for a while, or get finished in the oven (like my paella). It doesn't heat the periphery as much as the center, but for some dishes it works fine. I don't think Calphalon makes it any more.
 
I have a slew of skillets: Non-stick in 8-, 10-, and 12-inch from Target for less than 30 bucks for all three; cast iron in in 8-, 10-, and 12-inches, tri-ply in 10 and 12 inches; and a humongous 8 quart tri-ply saute pan. The most used are the non-stick and when the non-stick gets scratched or quits non-sticking for any reason, I throw them in the recycle bin and go buy 3 more! I used to buy the really cheap non-sticks at the restaurant supply place, but they're aluminium and won't work on an induction burner.
 
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