What are frying pan ridges for?
I expect frying pans with raised ridges are for a few purposes such as adding "grill lines" to meats and keeping food out of grease somewhat as it collects.
Why or when should I use a frying pan with raised ridges?
Best Answer
Whenever you want grill marks. Or, perhaps, if you want to ensure fat rendered out of meat drips away. Why you would want to do this I do not know.
Pictures about "What are frying pan ridges for?"
Quick Answer about "What are frying pan ridges for?"
Grill pans with distinct ridges raise food higher above the pan bottom so that there's significantly less buildup of steam as the food sears. But because the food comes in contact with only the ridges, it can be slow to cookWhy does a frying pan have ridges?
The ridges are high \u2013 perfect for rendering out that excess fat \u2013 and the pan is reassuringly deep, which helps avoid too much oil splurting everywhere.What is a ridged pan used for?
A piece of cookware, often referred to as a riffle pan, that is used to grill foods in the kitchen using stovetop burners. Typically made as a heavy metal pan containing ridges spaced evenly across the bottom, the Grill Pan is built to closely simulate the grilling process for cooking various foods.What can you cook on a ridged griddle?
You can use it for most foods you can grill on a barbecue, like sliced or whole vegetables and fish on (or in) the skin. Oil the food and have your pan hot before you add the food.What is a frying pan with holes used for?
Perforated pans have holes that let oil and grease drip away, much like grill grates on a standard grill. Similarly, the perforations allow the fire to touch your food for that fired-up flavor you desire from outdoor cooking. So ditch the standard cast-iron skillet, and buy one of these holey pans.Saute Pan vs Fry Pan, and why Saute Pan is the Most Versatile Pan in the Kitchen!
More answers regarding what are frying pan ridges for?
Answer 2
If you roast e.g. slices of eggplant in your grill pan, you need substantially less fat than if you roast it in a flat-bottomed pan: you only need to lightly brush the eggplant with a tiny bit. (So far this is experience, from now on educated guessing and basic physics :) ) I would think this is because you can keep the grill pan at a bit higher heat: there is less contact area with the food, and contact with food cools the pan down, because the food is a lot colder than the pan itself. This means that the smaller contact area itself is heated more intensely and crisps to the beautiful and flavourful black lines (which are also somewhat non-stick!) while retaining just enough structural integrity to be able to turn the slice over and remove it from the pan. If you would superheat a flat-bottomed pan to the temperature you would need to achieve the same effect on the whole face of the eggplant slice, it would have to be quite a bit hotter, your eggplant would be completely blackened, and it wouldn't have as much structural integrity left.
The same is true for most vegetables that have the same sort of consistency and water content: bell peppers, mushrooms, zucchini, ... With meat, I think the same is true, but to a somewhat lesser extent, due to the higher density of meat. With thinner strips though, you can get the same effect.
Answer 3
The ridges also increase the surface area of the pan, and thus the area available to transmit heat. It doesn't help as much as it could though, since food rarely gets down into the ridges to contact that extra surface.
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: RODNAE Productions, Megha Mangal, RODNAE Productions, Ela Haney