When it comes to cooking, having the right tools can make all the difference. One essential piece of equipment every home cook should have is a high-quality sauté pan. Known for their broad cooking surface and versatile design, sauté pans are perfect for everything from shallow frying to braising and even cooking down fresh greens. But with so many options on the market, how do you choose the best one? Let’s dive into the key features that make a sauté pan stand out, explore a lineup of top contenders, and reveal the clear winner that combines performance, comfort, and value.
Understanding the Sauté Pan: What Makes It Special?
The sauté pan, sometimes called a sauteuse in French culinary terms, is a kitchen staple prized for its combination of a broad cooking surface and medium-high straight sides. This design makes it ideal for a range of cooking techniques:
- Shallow frying: The wide flat bottom provides ample space for even browning.
- Braising: The straight sides help contain liquids and steam for tender results.
- Cooking down greens: The deep enough sides make it easy to stir and reduce leafy vegetables without spilling.
In short, a sauté pan is a versatile workhorse that can handle many recipes, making it a must-have for those who love cooking and want to elevate their culinary game.
Comparing the Best: Seven Sauté Pans Put to the Test
To find the best sauté pan, seven different models were tested, with prices ranging from $59 to $310. Despite the price differences, these pans shared several key specifications:
- Cooking surface diameter: 8.5 to 9.5 inches
- Capacity: 3 to 3.5 quarts
- Oven-safe temperatures: Up to 500°F or more
- All featured clad construction, combining layers of metals for optimal cooking performance
The clad construction deserves special mention. Each pan features an aluminum core that heats quickly and responds to temperature changes, sandwiched between durable stainless steel layers. This combination ensures even heating and easy maintenance—a balance that’s crucial for reliable cooking.
Real Cooking Tests: What They Cooked and How the Pans Performed
Each pan was put through its paces with three cooking challenges:
- Making Swedish meatballs
- Baking Mexican rice
- Sautéing a full pound of fresh spinach
Cooking down spinach is a great test of a pan’s capacity and design because it starts as a large volume and reduces dramatically. This challenge highlighted the importance of the pan’s size and sidewall height.
Key Features That Made a Difference
Cooking Surface Size
One surprising finding was that bigger isn’t always better when it comes to cooking surface. A pan with only 8.5 inches of cooking surface felt a bit cramped, limiting the space for stirring and tossing ingredients.
Sidewall Height
Sidewalls that were too tall, like those nearly 3 inches high, made it awkward to maneuver utensils and stir food comfortably. On the other hand, pans with very short sides (around 2 inches) caused some of the spinach to spill out during stirring. The ideal “sweet spot” for sidewall height was about 2.5 inches—high enough to contain food but not so tall as to hinder cooking.
The Helper Handle
Not all pans included a looped helper handle on the opposite side of the main handle. This small feature is a big deal for stability, especially when lifting a hot, heavy pan full of food out of the oven. Testers unanimously preferred pans with the helper handle for safety and ease of use.
Primary Handle Design and Weight
Longer, straighter handles were favored over shorter, curved ones. A straighter handle distributes weight more evenly, making the pan easier to lift and control. Weight also mattered: pans closer to 3 pounds were preferred over heavier models weighing more than 3.5 pounds, balancing sturdiness with comfort.
The Standout Winner: Made In Stainless Clad Sauté Pan
After thorough testing, the clear winner was the Made In Stainless Clad Sauté Pan. It struck the perfect balance with:
- Ideal dimensions including cooking surface and sidewall height
- Excellent performance in all cooking tests, from Swedish meatballs to spinach
- Comfortable handle design and helpful helper handle
- Reasonable weight close to 3 pounds for ease of use
- An attractive price point of about $149, less than half the cost of the priciest pan tested
Made In is a newer brand in the cookware market, but this pan proves it’s a serious contender for anyone wanting to upgrade their kitchen tools without breaking the bank.
Elevate Your Cooking Experience Today
Choosing the right sauté pan can transform your cooking, making recipes easier to execute and more enjoyable to prepare. Whether you’re searing meat, braising vegetables, or sautéing greens, the right pan helps you achieve consistent, delicious results.
For home cooks passionate about cooking, recipes, bon appétit, investing in a quality sauté pan like the Made In Stainless Clad model is a smart move that pays off meal after meal.
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This article was created from the video Every Home Cook Needs This Pan, This is The Best One | America's Test Kitchen with the help of AI.
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