If you're new to cooking, then you may be wondering about the differences between some common cooking techniques — such as pan-frying and deep-frying. Both methods clearly include frying in some way, but what exactly separates the two? Deep-frying, as the name suggests, refers to cooking foods by fully submerging them in hot oil. Meanwhile, pan-frying refers to cooking foods in a small amount of fat, such as oil or butter, in a shallow pan.
With pan-frying, the oil should come up between a quarter and halfway up the pan. This is slightly different from sautéeing, which uses the smallest amount of oil — essentially, just a minimal amount. So, pan-frying uses more oil than sautéeing but less oil than deep-frying; sometimes, it's referred to as "shallow-frying," which reflects the technique (namely, the amount of oil used) a bit more accurately.
Additionally, pan-frying refers to flipping the food just once (while sautéeing may require more movement, such as tossing or frequent flipping). As for the temperatures that each technique requires, pan-frying typically calls for you to cook over medium heat, usually heating the oil or fat first. With deep-frying, the temperatures must be more exact — typically between 350 and 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
What to know about pan-frying Now that we know the difference between the two, an important question comes next: which foods should you pan-fry, and which foods should you deep-fry? Some of the best options for pan-frying are me.