I think I'm finally happy with my current range of pans. I have a good quality non-stick 9" (purchased at a discounter) that I use only for eggs. It is perfect for a 3-egg omelette, and I think this is the max size needed for this purpose. Otherwise, I have an assortment of cast iron ones. One is about 10-12" and is only used for big quantities. The others are about 8-9". Cast iron is heavy, but very cheap for the quality it delivers. I've finally learned how to season and care for it. I grew up in a house where Mom washed EVERYTHING in soap&water, so I never really appreciated CI until I moved out and did some on-line research. Its weight can be a challenge - my CI wok lives permanently on the stovetop because it is huge and I can't be bothered to stow it anywhere. I've finally learned to avoid pot/pan sets. While this seems to be the way many retailers like to sell cookware, I find that my fav cooking pots are very different materials to my fav fry pans.

"-----Hrmm Pressure Fryer sounds like something I bet Dcarch could make.--" As a matter of fact I had converted a regular pressure cooker into a pressure fryer. But i will not give that much details because it can be very dangerous if you don't have the required understanding of what can happen. First you need to modify the pressure "giggler" to allow for lower pressure built up. Then all gasket material will need to be of material which can withstand around 400F. I even changed the handles to all metal. An oil fire is a very dangerous fire, the cooking should be done outdoors. I am happy with the end results of regular frying, it is not worth the trouble to pressure fry. dcarch

Wow, thanks for all the responses everyone! Arkansas girl-Yes, the burner gets super hot. Hotter, I think, than the old stove. I DO have an electric wok by Breville, that is nice. Due to grease splattering, can only use it sitting on top of the stove, under the hood. I'm a little nervous about it sitting on top of the glass, though I suppose if I were very careful, it's a possibility. Thanks! Caliloo-Will try preheating longer! Dcarch-Will check that all is working (Seems to be) and will get rid of water on the veggies, etc. Appreciate the tips. Stir fryi- I use a Calphalon wok, in fact I have two by Cal. One I hate & will probably give away, one is not bad, though not terribly traditional either, as it has stick resistant coating. The chicken has terrible texture and flavor. As I mentioned, not necessarily all to blame on my new stove, lol! Ci-lantro- You're too rugged for me! I'm a little chilly inside my kitchen as it is right now! I'm willing to work at this, but I'm not cooking outdoors! If you cook outdoors, I'd love to come sample your cooking though!(I love cilantro!) Ann-I'm encouraged that you, a gas cooking aficianado, are having good luck with your electric stove & sound pleased with it. I agree, btw, cleaning it is quite time consuming every night...looks great when I'm finally done though! Bumblebeez...HI! I hear what you are saying. I bought the second Calphalon wok because it had a flat bottom. Paid $40.00 for it, so it's not all that great a pan. Cheap stainless steel is the culprit, I think. It is, however, the ONLY flat-bottom wok I have seen. Thanks for your reply...will keep a lookout for the elusive flat wok! Doucanoe-Another satisfied customer! Thanks, it's good to hear that. Yes, the cleaning process (& it IS a process) is a bear. Rob-Yes, I may have to reach for the Breville wok and be verrrry careful placing it on the glass cooktop so I can use the vent above. Grease splatters everywhere when I stir fry! My other concern about using the wok on top of the stove is the heat not coming from the stove "shocking" the glass & breaking it. The owner's manual to this stove was very intimidating...lots of "don'ts." Momj47-Will keep looking for that flat-bottomed wok. Thanks. Johnliu-Great tips...thanks so much!! I will follow up on your suggestions. Maybe I do put too much in the pan at once. Yes, I do use a coated, non-stick wok(which in reality is very sticky, btw)...not good either. Will make more effort to reduce the moisture of all ingredients. Do y'all use chicken breast meat or thigh meat to stir fry, or does it depend on the recipe? I saw a recipe today that used thighs, & I usually use breast. Thigh meat is more tender as a rule, so I may try that too. Went to the Chinese grocery store today & wanted to ask the shopkeeper there for tips but she was just swamped, so I didn't. Was so happy to come home & find all these suggestions. I'm going to be busy trying them out! Sounds like there may be hope. Thanks again, everyone!

They are all frying pans in our kitchen except cast iron & those are skillets. We use the term spatula very generically. It can mean either the SS spatula to turn the pancakes or the silicon to get the brownie batter out of the bowl & into the pan. The only one that gets its own special name is the off-set spatula. Girls were not allowed to take shop in my HS. I didn't take HE because I hated the thought of sewing. I did not have to take typing because my home teacher had taught me to type 120 WPM by the time I was 12 by watching the evening news sitting on the side of the bed & typing what I heard. She focused me on speed/accuracy only. I had to learn formatting on my own. My HS had a girl's softball team but I don't even remember if they had competitive games against the other district HSs? If so, they sure were not hyped like the guy's sports. I was unable to do things like cheerleading or dance because practice was after school & I had a school arranged job from 12:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. The job was in lieu of my taking HS classes. I only went to class until 11:30 taking whatever I wanted. All I took were foreign languages (French, German, & Spanish) & a couple literature classes. Dad would not pay for my college unless I became a nurse or teacher...that's all girls should do outside the home. I had trouble applying to colleges 'cause I didn't take the regular HS classes. I took the entrance tests & did great but it was always the same, "Tricia, so how many years of science did you take in HS?" Me, "I did not take any science, history, math, etc. in HS". College entrance counselor, "Oh", followed by a sigh & stare. I puttered around taking various college classes on my own for several years but with no real direction. Didn't matter to me 'cause I had a great job as an international traffic coordinator for a large pharmaceutical company shipping to 102 countries using all those foreign languages I'd learned. A decade later, my current DH, without my knowledge or consent, submitted an art portfolio & application he'd put together of my drawings to an art & design school. I'd gone out to get the mail one day & saw a letter from this school. Thinking it must be an advertising brochure I was anxious to look at it as a fun diversion from cleaning the house. It was my acceptance letter. I phoned DH. He said, "Happy Birthday, honey!" And so began my life as a fine arts student. I just purchased 3 new silicon spatulas. For some reason, when it was just me doing the cooking all I needed was one. Now that DH is our primary cook he needs three! :) /tricia