Choosing a frying pan is surprisingly complicated. There's a huge choice of shapes, sizes and materials, so think carefully before you buy.

Keen cooks will need a selection of frying pans, including at least one pan that is suitable for a hot oven or under the grill.

Types of pan

An ordinary frying pan has shallow outward-sloping sides and slightly rounded corners. Pans with ridged bases produce attractive stripes.

Deeper, straight-sided pans, known as sauté pans, have high sides to prevent spattering. They come with a lid which allows the food to cook at a gentler pace once you've browned it.

Omelette and crêpe pans have flat bottoms, shallow outward-sloping sides, and more-or-less straight corners. The shape helps you manoeuvre the batter and do any necessary flipping.

All-purpose chef's pans have generously rounded corners and high outward-sloping sides. Use them for fry-ups, stir-fries, casseroles and sauces. They come with a glass lid so you can keep an eye on the contents.

Size

Using the right-sized pan makes a real difference to the finished dish. A small amount of food cooked in a big pan is likely to burn because the juices will spread and dry up. If you crowd too much food into the pan, it will stew in its own liquid instead of browning and crisping.

Weight

Choose a pan that feels heavy for its size. Lightweight pans tend to buckle and develop hot spots. If the pan is very big, an ear-shaped helper handle opposite the long one will make lifting easier.

Materials

Anodized aluminium is one of the best materials. It conducts heat quickly and evenly and doesn't buckle.

Stainless steel is easy to clean but doesn't conduct heat well on its own. The base of the pan should have a copper or aluminium core to spread heat quickly and evenly.

Cast-iron is heavy and slow to heat up, but once hot it stays hot then keeps a steady heat.

Heavy-gauge steel conducts heat well, but needs seasoning with oil. Over time, it will build up a non-stick surface.

Titanium is amazingly light-weight and has a rock-hard non-stick surface that's almost impossible to damage. But it comes at a price.

Care

Follow the manufacturer's advice.