Frying pan

[4] Before the introduction of the kitchen stove in the mid-19th century, a commonly used cast-iron cooking pan called a 'spider' had a handle and three legs used to stand up in the coals and ashes of the fire.

[5] Traditionally, frying pans were made of cast iron, carbon steel or copper lined with tin, for their different qualities and properties.

However, they are also highly reactive with most foods, so today a large number of copper pans are sold with a tin lining which can be replaced when it wears out.

Cast iron pans are used because although they do not conduct heat very evenly, they do retain it quite well, making them useful for searing meats and vegetables.

Carbon steel cookware is used because over time it can develop a highly nonstick patina of polymerized oil called seasoning useful for cooking protein that is prone to stick, such as fish and eggs.

Frying pans made from bare cast iron or carbon steel can also gain non-stick properties through seasoning and use.

A process for bonding Teflon to chemically roughened aluminium was patented in France by Marc Gregoire in 1954.

[6] The durability of the early coatings was initially poor, but improvements in manufacturing have made these products a kitchen standard.