Good Housekeeping - Skillet Suppers: 65 Delicious Recipes

Lets give the humble skillet a round of applause. As an indispensable kitchen tool, its the pan that has stood the test of time. We know the skillet is the everyday workhorse to cook eggs, steak, and chicken when time is short. But thanks to Good Housekeeping Skillet Suppers, well tap into the unrealized potential of the skillet, with fabulous recipes for pasta, pizza, casseroles, and even dessert, all custom-designed for this wonder pan. Best of all, one pan means less cleanupand for the busy cook, that is reason enough to grab a skillet and get cooking.

Our skillet dishes are super easy, but it still takes the right pan to do the job. Use this quick checklist to make sure youre using the best skillet for flawless results every time.

SIZE. Our pick is a 12-inch skillet. For food to properly brown (versus steam) the skillet must be roomy enough to hold whats cooking in a single layer with at least one inch between the pieces.

ROLLED RIM. This helps transfer saucy dishes to serving plates without dripping.

BALANCE. A 12-inch skillet is large, so a well-designed handle will make it feel balanced. A helper handle (a small loop handle opposite the main handle) makes lifting a lot easier, too.

STAY-COOL HANDLE. To get a comfortable grip, heat shouldnt travel more than a couple inches up the handle.

HEATS EVENLY. Heat should spread from the area directly over the flame to the pans outer edges without overheating in the center.

KEEPS HEAT STEADY. A heavy-bottomed skillet does a better job maintaining steady surface temperature at high or low heats, which allows more control when cooking.

Nonstick skillets are manufactured with a chemical-compound coating thats applied to aluminum or stainless steel. Chances are you have one (nonstick cookware makes up about 70 percent of the cookware market). However, there are a few caveats to cooking in a nonstick skillet. Heres the lowdown:

Foods dont stick, which is great for egg dishes and for delicate fish dishes.

Cleanup is easy with no bits or stains to scrub.

No extra fat, like oil or butter, is necessary to prevent sticking.

Its safe... over low or medium heat. On high heat, the finish can give off unhealthy fumes (but according to experts, as long as the pans temperature is below 500F, its harmless).

No searing allowed due to the no-high-heat rule. However, cooking over high heat is safe if you have a nonstick skillet with a ceramic coating, although the surface isnt as stick proof.

Dont heat a nonstick skillet when its empty.

Replace pans that begin to flake. Our pick? A heavy-bottomed skillet with more than one layer of nonstick coatingit does a better job of retaining heat and browning food.