Gracious! The pan is warm! (7)
I believe the answer is:
cordial
'warm' is the definition.
(similar in meaning)
'gracious the pan' is the wordplay.
'gracious' becomes 'cor' (both are exclamations of surprise).
'the pan' becomes 'dial' (I am not sure about this - if you are sure you should believe this answer much more).
'cor'+'dial'='CORDIAL'
'is' is the link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for cordial that I've seen before include "Affable type of sweet drink?" , "7 [HEARTY]" , "Hearty, affectionate" , "Warmly welcoming to the drink" , "Pleasant - soft drink" .)