>A thinner pan will heat much faster but will be liable to hot spots. No, it won't (unless you're talking about a thinner cast iron pan). Cast iron has terrib

>A thinner pan will heat much faster but will be liable to hot spots. No, it won't (unless you're talking about a thinner cast iron pan). Cast iron has terrible thermal conductivity. A thinner pan made of a better metal, such as aluminum or copper, won't have hot spots. IMO, the best pans are stainless steel, with plates of copper and/or aluminum in the bottom for even heat distribution. Stainless steel looks nice (unlike cast iron) and is easy to clean with steel wool or even oven cleaner if you have something really stuck in there, and with the conductive layers inside has superior performance.