The sloped sides on frying pans allow easier evaporation of water, therefore the food you are cooking will caramelize easier. In pots, and other straight sided pans, not so much. The steam tends to roll up the sides, the back down into the pan. Us... read more
Chili should generally be made in a pot. Soups, stews, and generally liquids, especially in large quantities, are made in pots, so it won't boil over and because they hold more volume. Frying pans are better for relatively dry foods because it's easier to reach in and move around. read more
Pans are used often for frying meats, eggs and pancakes. At this point, it may seem like pots and pans are clearly different objects. Things can get confusing, though. For example, a pot can correctly be called a pan, but a pan can't correctly be called a pot. So if you ask a chef for a pan, you could get either a pot or a pan. read more
To add to the confusion, this pan is also sometimes called a frypan or frying pan. The slanted sides make this pan perfect for stir-frying and quick cooking techniques where you're moving ingredients around a lot in the pan. read more