A skillet is a flat-bottomed pan with slightly sloped sides, used for cooking food on a stovetop. You might use a skillet to fry eggs for breakfast, sauté vegetables for dinner, or sear a steak. The sloped sides make it easy to slide a spatula under food or flip things like pancakes.

Skillets come in different materials. Cast iron skillets are heavy and durable, holding heat so well that cooks have passed them down through generations. They need special care: you season them with oil to prevent rust and keep food from sticking. Nonstick skillets have a smooth coating that lets you cook with less oil, making cleanup easier. Stainless steel skillets conduct heat evenly and can go from stovetop to oven.

The words skillet and frying pan mean basically the same thing, though some cooks use “skillet” for heavier pans and “frying pan” for lighter ones. When a recipe says to “heat a skillet over medium heat,” it means to warm up your pan on the stove before adding ingredients. A well-used skillet becomes one of the most important tools in any kitchen.