Saute Pan: Essential Kitchen Tool?

Do you need a sauté pan? The answer depends on what type of cook you are.

A sauté pan is a hybrid between a saucepan and a frying pan. It has straight sides, a lid, and a larger surface area than a frying pan. This makes it ideal for searing meat, reducing sauces, and preventing splashes.

A frying pan, on the other hand, has slanted sides, no lid, and a smaller surface area. This makes it perfect for stir-frying, quick cooking, and easily moving ingredients around.

If you're an occasional cook, a frying pan might be all you need. But if you're a serious home chef, you'll want both. A sauté pan is ideal for shallow frying, braising, and recipes that require transferring between the stove and the oven. A frying pan is better for scrambling eggs, stir-frying vegetables, and any cooking tasks that don't involve much liquid.

So, do you need a sauté pan? If you're just starting out, a frying pan will do. But if you're looking to upgrade your cookware, a sauté pan is a worthwhile investment.

Sauté pans are ideal for shallow frying or braising

Sauté pans are a hybrid between a saucepan and a frying pan. They are deeper than a frying pan, with straight sides and a lid. This makes them ideal for shallow frying or braising, as they can contain more liquid and prevent it from splashing out.

The straight sides of a sauté pan provide a larger surface area than a frying pan of equal diameter. This makes them perfect for searing large cuts of meat, such as a steak, or browning chicken thighs. The extra space means you can fit more in, reducing the need for multiple pans. The straight sides also make it easier to prevent spillages, which is perfect when cooking sauces.

The lid that comes with a sauté pan is also beneficial for locking in heat and moisture. This is particularly useful when simmering casseroles or stews, as it prevents the dish from drying out.

Sauté pans are also great for transferring dishes from the hob to the oven, and many are oven-safe. They are a versatile pan that can be used for a wide variety of dishes, and their straight sides and lids make them ideal for shallow frying and braising.

Sauté pans are better for containing liquids

Sauté pans have straight sides, whereas skillets have sloping sides. This means that a sauté pan can contain more liquid than a skillet. The straight sides of a sauté pan are more effective at keeping liquids — broth, oil, or sauce — from splashing outside the pan. The sloped sides of a skillet, on the other hand, make it easier to toss, flip, and release food.

The straight sides of a sauté pan also allow you to fit a higher volume of liquid into the same amount of oven space. Straight sides also make the liquid less likely to splash out as you move the pan around or transfer it into and out of the oven. It also allows the lid to fit more tightly, minimising evaporation. This extra volume is a great advantage when performing tasks like shallow-frying a pan full of meatballs in a half-inch of oil, or braising a dozen chicken thighs in white wine.

If you're cooking something with a sauce, whether it's a curry, chilli, or a casserole, you're far less likely to slosh it all over your hob if the pan you're using has straight sides and a bit of depth. A sauté pan may be preferential over a large saucepan or stock pot because you not only have the depth but also the space to brown meat.

Sauté pans are heavier than skillets

The weight of a sauté pan often necessitates the addition of a "helper handle" on the opposite side of the main handle to facilitate lifting and moving.

The weight of a sauté pan is not usually a big deal because they are not designed to toss and flip ingredients. On the other hand, skillets are made to be manoeuvrable and easy to handle with one hand.

Sauté pans are less suited to stir-frying

The shape of the pan also affects the cooking surface area. A 12-inch skillet, for example, will have 30% less cooking surface area than a 12-inch sauté pan. This means that, when stir-frying, you may need to cook in more batches with a skillet than with a sauté pan. However, the larger surface area of a sauté pan can be advantageous when searing a large steak or browning chicken thighs.

The straight sides of a sauté pan also make it better at containing liquids. The sloped sides of a skillet, on the other hand, make it easier for liquids to splash out of the pan. This means that a skillet is better suited to cooking tasks that don't involve much liquid.

Finally, the weight of a pan can also be a factor when stir-frying. Sauté pans are heavier than skillets, which can make them more difficult to toss and flip.

Sauté pans are better for larger volumes of food

Sauté pans have straight sides, which means they have a larger surface area than skillets of the same diameter. This means that they can fit a higher volume of liquid and food than skillets. For example, you can fit 12 pieces of chicken in a 12-inch sauté pan, whereas a skillet of the same diameter will only fit around 8 or 9 pieces.

The straight sides of a sauté pan also make it less likely that you will slosh liquid over the side of the pan. This is especially useful if you are cooking something with a sauce, such as a curry, chilli, or casserole.

Sauté pans are also great for transferring from the hob to the oven, which is useful for finishing off meat, a frittata, or a toad-in-the-hole.

If you are cooking for a large number of people, a sauté pan is a good choice.

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