frying pan

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable

   A shallow pan with a long handle, used for frying food.

   Grammar: Countable: a frying pan, two frying pans. Often used with 'in' or 'on': cook it in a frying pan.

   Patterns

   • in a frying pan
   • on a frying pan
   • heat a frying pan
   • a non-stick frying pan

   Heat some oil in a frying pan before adding the onions.

   She bought a new non-stick frying pan for making pancakes.

   The recipe says to use a large frying pan so the vegetables aren't crowded.

2. 2phrasefixed phrase

   Used in the idiom 'out of the frying pan into the fire', meaning to go from a bad situation to an even worse one.

   Grammar: Always used in this fixed expression; you cannot change the words.

   Patterns

   • out of the frying pan into the fire
   • go out of the frying pan into the fire

   He left his old job to escape the stress, but it was out of the frying pan into the fire—the new one was even worse.

   Moving to a cheaper apartment only created more problems; it was out of the frying pan into the fire.

Word forms

Common combinations

non-stick frying pan

A non-stick frying pan makes cooking eggs much easier.

heat a frying pan

Heat a frying pan over medium heat before adding the butter.

in a frying pan

Fry the chicken in a frying pan for ten minutes.

large frying pan

Use a large frying pan so the pieces don't overlap.

Synonyms and how they differ

skillet

Skillet is the usual American word for a frying pan, especially a heavy cast-iron one; it is less common in British English.

frypan

Frypan is a shorter American variant; it is less formal and less common than 'frying pan'.

Word family

fry verb

To cook food in hot oil or fat.

frying noun

The act or process of cooking food in hot oil.

Commonly confused: frying pan or saucepan? frying pan or wok?

Practice

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Write a sentence using “frying pan”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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