The World's Largest Operational Frying Pan

In 1963, the Ramsey Feed Company of Rose Hill created the ultimate tribute to the area’s poultry industry by building the world’s largest frying pan.

This 15-foot-wide behemoth can be found a short drive off Interstate 40. A sign posted in front of the pan asserts that it weighs 2 tons, holds up to 200 gallons of cooking oil, covers an astonishing 176 square feet, operates on 40 propane burners and can hold up to 365 whole chickens. It even has a 6-foot handle sticking off of one side, not that anyone could ever use it.

The pan is so large it must be broken into wedges for cooking purposes. As such, it doesn’t look as much like a cast iron frying pan as other "World's Biggest Frying Pan" contenders in Brandon, Iowa or in Long Beach, Washington. But this entry in the obscure competition of world’s largest fryer has a leg up on both of these other frying pans: It’s still operational.

The only guaranteed time of year to find it full of chicken is during the North Carolina Poultry Jubilee. The festival dates change from year to year but typically take place around November, when East Coast fall foliage is at its prime. There are other occasions when the pan gets fired up though, like fundraisers for charitable organizations.