Yes, pan-frying and deep-frying are different.   Pan-frying is a dry heat method of cooking that relies on oil or fat as the heat transfer medium. The oil creates a little steam which helps cook the immersed part of the pepper, while the exposed topside allows any steam to escape. In practice, pan-frying is cooking technique that uses more fat or oil than sautéing and less than deep-frying (in which the product is fully immersed). The food also cooks at a lower temperature than both sautéing and deep-frying. As a guideline, about 25% of the food being pan-fried is generally immersed in the oil or fat.   Deep frying means cooking food in oil deep enough to cover it to allow the food to float in the oil.