For those who cook for the whole family or for guests, it’s best to serve everything at once. Our pan expert first looks at what absolutely needs to be in one pan, considering the weight and your cooktop.
When do you need more space than a 28 cm pan?
If your 28 cm pan is often too full, first place a second pan next to it before looking for a larger one, says our pan expert. This way, you can distribute the food over two cooking zones. That second pan can also be a different type, for example, a non-stick pan for fried eggs.
A 30 or 32 cm pan is suitable when everything needs to be ready at the same time in the same pan. Think of meat for the whole table that you sear all at once, or fried potatoes for everyone. Even those who occasionally cook for guests may find a large frying pan worth the space in the cupboard. The 28 cm frying pans are the size below, and there are also pans with a non-stick coating among them.
What does a large frying pan weigh, and how long is it with the handle?
From light to heavy, these are the large pans we recommend.
The Blackwell Frying Pan Carbon Steel ø 30 cm is made of 2 mm sheet steel and weighs 1.5 kg when empty. With the handle, it is 53 cm long, and the bottom measures 23.8 cm. It does not have a second handle.
Blackwell Frying Pan Carbon Steel ø 30 cm
Made from the same 2 mm sheet steel is the Blackwell Frying Pan with Handle Carbon Steel ø 32 cm, which weighs 1.82 kg when empty. It is 59.3 cm long with the handle and has a bottom of 25.4 cm. It has a handle as a second grip.
Blackwell Frying Pan with Handle Carbon Steel ø 32 cm
The Beka Frying Pan Maestro Stainless Steel with Helper Handle ø 32 cm is made of three layers of stainless steel and weighs 1.88 kg when empty. It has a helper handle as a second grip. The length with the handle and the size of the bottom of this pan are unknown.
Beka Frying Pan Maestro Stainless Steel with Helper Handle ø 32 cm
Also the Beka Frying Pan with Helper Handle Stark ø 30 cm has a helper handle. It is made of pre-treated cast iron and weighs 2.5 kg when empty. Like the Maestro, the length with the handle and the size of the bottom are unknown.
Beka Frying Pan with Helper Handle Stark ø 30 cm
Heavier are the two pans made of 3 mm sheet steel. The Blackwell Frying Pan Sheet Steel Lyonnaiser Pan ø 32 cm weighs 2.62 kg when empty and is 62 cm long with the handle. Its bottom measures 26 cm, and it does not have a second handle.
Blackwell Frying Pan Sheet Steel Lyonnaiser Pan ø 32 cm
At 2.98 kg, the De Buyer Frying Pan Mineral B Pro ø 32 cm is the heaviest. With the handle, it measures 61 cm, and the bottom is 22.5 cm. This pan also does not have a second handle.
De Buyer Frying Pan Mineral B Pro ø 32 cm
Even without food in it, there is almost one and a half kilos between the lightest and the heaviest of these pans: about a 1.5-liter bottle of water. With a heavy pan, our pan expert finds a second handle pleasant, especially when lifting it with food inside. The Blackwell with handle, the Maestro, and the Stark have one, and of those three, the Blackwell is the lightest. If you use a handle, lifting with the 30 cm Blackwell is the least: 1.5 kg.
With the handle, most large pans here are 53 to 62 cm long, a good half meter. All six pans can go in the oven, but do check if your oven and cupboard are spacious enough for that length.
Does a large frying pan work on your cooktop?
The bottoms of the six large pans range from 22.5 to 26 cm, and a pan of this size belongs on the largest zone of your cooktop. If that zone is more than 2 cm smaller than the bottom, your food will remain paler at the edge while it burns faster in the middle.
Of those six, the Mineral B Pro has the narrowest bottom, 22.5 cm, although it is also the heaviest. The Lyonnaiser pan from Blackwell has the widest at 26 cm and therefore requires the largest zone. If your largest zone is also too small for the Mineral B Pro, place two smaller pans on two zones.
A flex zone, where you link two zones into one elongated one, seems like a solution. According to the Consumers' Association, such a flex zone does not work well on many cooktops, so don’t count on it for a large pan. On gas, such a pan belongs on your largest burner.
Is a large frying pan without a non-stick coating manageable?
With the three Blackwells and the Mineral B Pro, all made of sheet steel, you start with seasoning. Washing these pans is done by hand, even with the nearly 3 kg Mineral B Pro. They are not a good idea for tomato sauce: the acid costs them part of their seasoned layer.
Without first seasoning, you can fry in the Stark, which is already pre-treated, and in the Maestro made of stainless steel. Of all large pans, only the Maestro can go in the dishwasher.
Convenience is a good reason for a non-stick coating, according to our pan expert. You can now order such a pan from us up to 28 cm. For eggs and pancakes without hassle, choose a 28 cm pan with a coating, possibly alongside one of the large pans of 30 or 32 cm.
