All-in-one skillet recipes are especially convenient for busy nights because you can cook your whole dinner with only one pan to wash. But convenience turns into disaster if your pan is too small.

There you are, three-quarters of the way through a recipe and you can't even stir without food flying over the sides of the pan. That's why so many of our recipes call for an extra-deep, 12-inch skillet with a lid.

For under $30 you can get a pan that will make your life easier for years. On the label, this sort of pan is often called a chicken fryer or chef's pan. The distinguishing factors are the deep sides that stand two inches or even higher and the fact that the pan comes with a lid. Typical sauté skillets tend to have more sloping, shallow sides that rise to about 1 1/2 inches and do not come with lids.

It may not sound like much, but that extra half-inch of sides makes all the difference.

In addition to more volume, the extra-deep skillet gives you a larger cooking surface. When flash-frying chicken breast halves, you can do four or five at the same time in an extra-deep skillet, but a regular sauté pan requires cooking in two separate batches. The lid makes it possible to steam rice and bring the recipe to a boil quickly.

We used to specify a nonstick skillet, but lately there’s been a bit of controversy over nonstick surfaces. The current thinking is they’re safe so long as you don’t get the pan too hot. So no more firing up the nonstick to high, which is a disappointment when you’re in a terrific hurry.

You can find extra-deep skillets at prices well over $100. We’ve tried the more expensive nonstick pans and find they don’t last that much longer or cook that much better. (This is not true of pans that aren’t nonstick, but that’s another story altogether.) Check out our store for a glimpse at one inexpensive skillet we happen to like.