If this
http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B00004S9HH.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg is what you're talking about, a famous maker of cast-iron cookware calls it a chicken fryer. Another commercial cookware site called it a fry pan. We have one (though considerably more seasoned) that my father-in-law bought decades ago so his wife could fry enough potatos for the entire family (meaning, I gather, that there had been times when he hadn't gotten enough!); we just call it the deep skillet. That thing has caused a couple of minor domestic fracases (fracasees?): we have rather limited storage in our kitchen (and hopefully that situation will be improved this weekend), and occasionally my husband will put it in the oven as a place to keep it. I, never expecting anything to be in there, come along and preheat as usual, and discover much later that I have a very hot iron skillet (and lid) to find a safe place for so that I can bake whatever.
