History Main / FryingPanOfDoom

* Frank Bennett is killed with a single blow to the head by a large cast-iron skillet in the book and movie ''Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe''. In the book, he's nailed in the back of the head; in the film, he's hit in the face.

* ''TheStephanieMillerShow'' has a voice impressionist portray former president Clinton's reaction to titillating news stories of the day. Then his wife would hit him with a frying pan after the inevitable innuendo. Mind you, this is a ''liberal'' radio show.

* Rapunzel uses this a lot in ''Tangled'', though it's subverted somewhat in that other characters, such as Flynn, constantly note how effective a weapon it is, to the point where Flynn actually prefers to use a pan and [[spoiler: Maximus later trains palace guards to fight with frying pans instead of swords.]]

* Rapunzel uses this a lot in ''[[Tangled]]'', though it's subverted somewhat in that other characters, such as Flynn, consistently note how effective a weapon it is, to the point of [[spoiler: Maximus later training palace guards to fight with frying pans instead of swords.]]

* In ''HomestarRunner'', Strongbad knocks Homestar out with a skillet when he's watching Caleb Rentpayer.

** In a promotion for a Left 4 Dead DLC, the Frying Pan was added to {{Valve}}'s other hugely popular multilayer game TeamFortress2 as a cosmetic change to the Soldier's shovel and the Demoman's bottle.

* A variation is in ''FinalFantasyIX''. A chef wants to use his frying pan as a hammer to help rebuild Alexandria, but he's told his work is just as valuable making sure everyone else is fed and healthy, so they can rebuild.

* One of the costume objects in ''LittleBigPlanet'' is a frying pan. If you try to do a Sackboy Slap while holding it, you get the expected sound. It's also supposed to knock the target further than a standard slap, OrSoIHeard.

* Iksiel of Atelier Rorona, is the newest Video Game exaample. Since he actual is a cook and runs a cafe, he can be literally considered a LethalChef.

* Tika's most prominent scene in the ''{[[{Dragonlance}} Dragonlance Chronicles]]'' has her bashing a draconian in the head with a cast-iron skillet. The skillet was listed in her equipment (1d8 damage) in a version of the campaign modules on which the novels were based. In the 15th anniversary edition of the trilogy (The Annotated Chronicles), Tracy Hickman notes that Tika had a special weapon specialization, known as "Skillet Bashing", which gave several benefits when wielding a skillet.

* Frank Bennett is killed with a single blow to the face by a large cast-iron skillet in the book and movie ''Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe''.

[[{{Left4Dead}} http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/WEAP_pan_nick.jpg]][[caption-width:245:** Spang** ]]

->''"Let me stress that again: '''heavyweight'''. A thin-bottomed saucepan is useless for anything. (...) A proper saute pan should cause serious head injury if brought down hard against someone's skull. If you have any doubts about which will dent--the victim's head or your pan--then throw that pan right in the trash."''\\

->'''Columbus''': Caleb of Decatur, Georgia writes 'My step-grandparents are trapped in their RV by zombies and I need a good weapon to bust them out, something from around the house.'\\
'''[[CrazyAwesome Tallahassee]]''': Which is why I'm recommending this skillet. Big. Cast iron. Contrary to what you've seen, it won't flatten a face. But the feel of it when you hit something... chills! Your whole arm vibrates. Zombie takes one of these to the head, he ain't getting up.\\
-- Rule No. 6, ''Zombieland''

It should be mentioned that frying-pans-as-weapons are usually wielded [[StayInTheKitchen by females]] (although the occasional chef may be found using it) .

* One of the many blunt objects Akane introduces to [[RanmaOneHalf Ranma's]] skull.
** Used deliberately in a later story arc: when facing the fire-breathing Rouge (in her [[AGodAmI Asura form]],) Ranma and Pantyhose Tarou arm themselves with griddles, pans, pots, and other kitchen utensils that they can use as shields. After Tarou punches Ranma high above the flying Rouge, Ranma comes down on top of her to deliver an overhead frying-pan smash to one of her heads.
* The FryingPanOfDoom becomes Shinobu's weapon of choice in ''LoveHina''. Fitting, since she is the resident chef of Hinata House. And yes, in the manga at least, she ends up smacking [[ButtMonkey Keitaro]] with it at least twice.
** ...when he isn't being smacked around by Naru's [[MegatonPunch fist]] or Kaolla's [[DynamicEntry feet]].
* Ataru from ''UruseiYatsura'' becomes quite proficiant with a frying pan. Which he uses both to block Jariten's flame breath and to bat the floating brat into next week (or off some combo of walls floor and ceiling).
** There's also one PetTheDog moment when Jarten tries to get a mothers day carnation for his mother, but winds up being delayed so that she's just left when he gets back. Ataru promptly uses his frying pan to smack him in a trajectory that lands him right on his mother's bike.

* The primary weapon used in ''Eating Raoul''. '''''BONG!!!'''''
* In ''[[IndianaJones Raiders of the Lost Ark]]'', during the battle in the streets of Cairo, Marion takes out an assailant with a handy frying pan. (It's such a memorable moment that the Marion action figure in the new line comes with a frying pan.) The stunt show at Disney's Hollywood Studios features this as well, with Marion using a frying pan on the roof of a building to knock back a {{mook}} on a ladder (though her backswing hits Indy as well).
* In ''MadMax Beyond Thunderdome'', one of Max's young "followers" wields a metal frying pan during the final chase scene.
* In the movie ''Thursday'', the protagonist gets bound to a chair in his own kitchen. He manages to free himself while alone in the room, grabs a frying pan, and sits back down in the chair with it held behind his back as the villain who was going to torture him returns.
** And proceeds to berate himself for not grabbing the hidden gun nearby instead.

'''WHAM!'''

* The probable TropeNamer comes from the short story "Utensile Strength" by PatriciaCWrede, part of her ''EnchantedForestChronicles'', centered around what to do with "The Frying Pan of Doom". [[spoiler: It's not just a large blunt object--when wielded by the right person, it turns anyone whacked on the head with it into a poached egg.]] The pan is usually so hot that whoever holds it must wear an oven mitt; only its Rightful Wielder can hold it bare-handed.
** Sorry, not the trope namer. I made the name up. Granted, slapping "Of Doom" on the end of a noun isn't exactly a creative way to name something.

* Tika's most prominent scene in the ''{{Dragonlance}} Chronicles'' novels has her bashing a draconian in the head with a cast-iron skillet.
** The aforementioned skillet was listed in her equipment (1d8 damage) in a version of the campaign modules on which the novels were based.
*** Indeed, in the 15th anniversary edition of the trilogy (The Annotated Chronicles), Tracy Hickman notes that Tika had a special weapon specialization, known as "Skillet Bashing", which gave several benefits when wielding a skillet.
* Aunt Petunia attempts to hit [[HarryPotter Harry]] with a frying pan in ''HarryPotterAndTheChamberOfSecrets'', but he dodges it.
** Also, the house elves use them against the Death Eaters along with other cooking implements in ''HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows''.

* In AnneBishop 's ''Black Jewels'' series, a woman throws a pot at her employer during her "moontime." He then takes several of her cooking implements outside to throw around. She thinks that the ProudWarriorRaceGuy is just taking out his anger on things other than her. Turns out he's trying to figure out which of them would make the best weapon for her, then trains her to be literally lethal with a frying pan.

* In an episode of ''FawltyTowers'', Basil Fawlty brains Manuel with a frying pan after mistaking him for a burglar.
** According to TheOtherWiki, Cleese used an real metal frying pan instead of a rubber one, and actually knocked Andrew Sachs (Manuel) unconscious.

* Anya takes out at least one of the Knights of Byzantium with a frying pan in the ''BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' episode ''Spiral.''
** A much more serious example -- in his [[spoiler:fake]] vision of their future together, Xander hits Anya in the head with a skillet after she chews him out for being such a terrible husband.
* {{Dexter}} uses one to knock Rita's ex-husband unconscious after he [[BerserkButton makes one threat too many]]. Dexter then [[spoiler: stages Paul passed out having a relapse, getting him thrown back into prison.]]

* Borderline, but the rotund wrestling announcer Taz had a habit of describing the Big Show's awesome size in food terms -- including his hand, receiving a chest slap from which was likened to being hit with a skillet.
** Well, Taz would ''know'' what it's like to be hit by both the Big Show's hand and a skillet, considering he was part of {{ECW}} and wrestled his share of hardcore/weapons matches.

* [[TheyMightBeGiants "Person Man, Person Man, Hit on the head with a frying pan..."]]

* ''TheStephanieMillerShow'' has a voice impressionist portray former president Clinton's reaction to titillating news stories of the day. Then his wife would hit him with a frying pan after the inevitable {{innuendo}}. Mind you, this is a ''liberal'' radio show.

Part of the [[EddieIzzard Heimlich Gesture]], along with being thumped in the stomach and [[GroinAttack kneed in the bollocks.]]

* This was [[InfinityPlusOneSword the best weapon]] for Peach in ''SuperMarioRPG''.
** She also uses it in ''SuperSmashBros Melee'' and ''Brawl''.
*** It make a [[MostWonderfulSound hilariously satisfying]] ''WHANG!'' sound when it connects, too.
**** Except it sounds stupid and cartoony in SSBB, compared to the first two references.

* After the treasure hunting quest chain ''{{Fable}}'', the prize is a frying pan, which happens to be the weapon with the most augmentation slots in the game, I believe.
** It depends. If you cheat and just dig it up, it has none. If you collect all the clues, it has two--plus two more invisible ones that cease to exist if you don't use them right away. I think. It's been a while since I played that game...
* It's an amazingly powerful anti-zombie weapon in ''DeadRising'', too... of course, you can smackdown a decent number of zombies with it ordinarily, but ForMassiveDamage, use the pan with a handy stove, to create a Red-Hot Frying Pan - which you can then use to toast the zombies' faces! One-hit knockout against any zombie, while also looking hilarious.

* In a rather weird and somewhat different usage of the FryingPanOfDoom, but not as a hand held weapon, you've got the EvilChef boss in ''WarioLand: Shake It!'', Large Fry. He actually rides around in a frying pan as some kind of flying device, uses it to charge at Wario for one attack and slam into the ground from above the screen in another attack, and uses said improbable weapon in quite possibly an evil more improbable way than most.

* In ''FinalFantasyIV'', Yang's Wife (later named Sheila in ''[[FinalFantasyIVTheAfterYears The After Years]]'') gives the heroes a frying pan with which to hit Yang, and doing so '''[[EasyAmnesia cures his memory loss]]'''. It's hinted that this is because it reminded him of the ''many'' times it apparently happened before. It's even hinted that she [[{{Tsundere}} shows her love with physical violence]] in the Japanese version, where the item is actually called the "Frying Pan of Love".
** The "Frying Pan of Love" returns with a ladle (meant for Yang and Sheila's daughter, Ursula) in ''The After Years''. After Yang and Ursula take their beatings, they groggily mumble as though waking up, clearly believing that Sheila was the one who hit them. [[WrenchWench Luca]] is left utterly dumbfounded.

* One of the many melee weapons available in ''ZombiePanic!'' is a frying pan. On a similar note, another is a cooking pot.

* [[http://devilspanties.keenspot.com/d/20080108.html This]] strip from ''TheDevilsPanties''. Comes with a side of GoodAngelBadAngel.

* Hillary Clinton uses one to hit Bill with in the JibJab video "Time For Some Campaignin'"

* [[HomestarRunner Strongbad]] knocks Homestar out with a skillet when he's watching Caleb Rentpayer.

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* An even better example: in an {{ECW}} match between Cactus Jack and the Sandman, Jack grabbed a frying pan from ringside, fully expecting it to be a light aluminum pan bought from the dollar store next to the arena. It was cast-iron. According to Mick Foley (who played Jack), Sandman's brains didn't unscramble for two weeks.

* Hilariously used in ''Throw Momma from the Train'' between Danny Devito and Billy Crystal.

Just as it is in any good kitchen, this is an absolute ''staple'' of slapstick comedy In some cases, it might also be considered the Western counterpart of the HyperspaceMallet. May be found in the arsenal of the ChefOfIron.

* ''BostonLegal''-- Bernard Ferrion killed his mother by hitting her in the head with a skillet, and later killed his neighbor the same way when he thought she was had found out about the first murder. It then showed up ''again'' when Bernard himself was killed the same way by Betty White, after he said that he wanted to kill again.

* In the [[You Can't Do That On Television]] episode about bullying, Barth hits Zilch on the head with a frying pan several times.