Our content is meticulously curated through independent research, testing, reviews, and AI-driven recommendations, all designed to present you with the finest product choices.
When you make a purchase through our links, it could result in us earning a commission.
Last Updated:
Sauté pans are indispensable kitchen staples, engineered for versatility in cooking techniques like frying, searing, and sautéing. Their wide, flat bottoms and tall, straight sides maximize surface area, facilitating even heat distribution and ample space for ingredients to be tossed and stirred. With ergonomic handles and durable construction, these pans offer both comfort and longevity. Ideal for everything from browning meats to caramelizing vegetables, sauté pans empower home chefs and culinary enthusiasts to create flavorful dishes with ease. Elevate your cooking experience with the precision and reliability of our top choice, the T-Fal 5-Quart Jumbo Cooker Sauté Pan.
Finding a High-Quality Sauté Pans: A Buying Guide
Balance your cooking skills with cookware that perfectly falls between a Dutch oven and a slanted skillet. Featuring immense versatility, the sauté pan is your best option to sear, simmer, braise, bake, deep-fry, and of course, sauté a variety of food. Now that you know you need a sauté pan for your kitchen, the only question is which one to buy.
Keep reading to find out more about our favorite picks of 2023.
What Makes Sauté Pans With Lids More Preferable
Do you cook regularly? Then you already know the importance of having a good sauté pan in the kitchen. There is a wide variety of sauté pans with tons of great features that you can choose from. However, the most preferable models are those that come with lids.
So why should you get a sauté pan with a lid? Because if there’s a lid, you have the option of using the pan with or without it. For dishes that require locking in the heat in the pan, having a lid is essential. Similarly, if you’re searing or frying some food in lots of oil, covering it with the lid will keep the oil from splattering everywhere.
And while you can use other lids of a similar size, having a matching one that comes with the sauté pan is definitely better as it will perfectly sit on the top without letting the heat or moisture escape.
Additionally, you can use the sauté pans with lids to perfectly reduce sauces and searing meats. Since these pans have taller, straighter sides, they offer a larger cooking surface for preparing such food with convenience. And while they’re the best cookware for sautéing, these pans are also great for steaming, frying, and searing – all of which may require covering the pan with a lid for best results.
Pick the Most Efficient Sauté Pan – Factors To Ponder Over
The variety available can be pretty overwhelming to compare, especially if you’re not aware of what to look for. To help you make a smart choice, we’ve jotted down all the important factors that must be taken into account before making your final decision.
Material
The cookware material should be one of your key considerations, and a sauté pan is no exception. You need to invest in a sauté pan that lasts you for years and offers you maximum efficiency and convenience in cooking. The best material for a sauté pan is one that provides excellent heat conductivity.
The most common materials available are stainless steel, aluminum, and copper. Some manufacturers also feature multiple materials for a smoother cooking experience, such as non-stick finish and advanced heat conductivity.
Size
Like any other pan, sauté pans are also available in various sizes to suit different needs. These usually range between 1-quart and 9-quart sizes. However, the ideal size falls between 3-quart and 6-quart, depending on your need.
Pick the correct size by deciding how many people you cook for, as well as the kind of cooking you will do using a sauté pan.
Handle
It is recommended that you choose an ergonomically designed handle, which allows easy maneuvering and ensures a better grip. The handle should be made of a material that stays cool during the cooking process, so you can easily hold it while using or picking up the pan.
The handle should also be securely attached to the sauté pan. A hanging hole at the end of the handle is a plus, which allows you to easily hang your sauté pan with the rest of your collection.
Lid Design
If you’re choosing a sauté pan with a lid, its design is also an essential factor to consider. The best sauté pans of 2023 should have a lid that seamlessly covers the top. You can choose between glass lids or lids made of stainless steel which is the same material as the pan. The advantage of a glass lid is that it allows you to keep an eye on your food without taking it off time and again. On the other hand, the former style could give it a more traditional look.
Regardless of what you buy, make sure it is oven-friendly before popping it in.
Functionality
Last but not the least, the functionality of the pan should be the ultimate deciding factor once you’ve ticked the rest. The pan should be able to provide you with an excellent cooking experience. If features like a pour spout or a helper handle are vital to you, make sure you get a pan one with those features.
Tips for a Lasting Sauté Pan
How easy it is to clean a sauté pan says a lot about its quality and longevity. The following tips will help you to clean your sauté pans and ensure it lasts a lifetime. First off, even if it is dishwasher-friendly, it is best to always wash your sauté pan by hand. Mild soap with warm water is all you need to wash them clean. Also, take note to not use metal utensils to stir as they may damage the surface. The best materials for utensils are silicone, plastic, and wood as they’re gentle on the surface and do not peel off the pan’s non-stick coating. It’s important not to use extremely high heat. You should stick to the ideal heat-withstanding level of your pan. Wild flames can burn the handles and ruin the rivets. Lastly, storing leftovers on a sauté pan – or any pan for that matter – can degrade the quality of your cookware and is not recommended.
Top Picks
Best Overall:
T-Fal 5-Quart Jumbo Cooker Sauté Pan
Most Durable:
Hexclad Deep Saute Pan
Highly Rated:
Calphalon Hard-Anodized Nonstick 5-Quart Sauté Pan
Contender:
Cuisinart Chef’S 5 ½ Quart Sauté Pan
Honorable Mention:
Gotham Steel Nonstick Sauté Pan With Lid
Also Consider:
Ninja Foodi Neverstick Hard Anodized Sauté Pan
The only real difference between the two is the shape of the sides of the pan. If the sides are short and slanted, it’s a skillet, which is also known as a frying pan. If the sides are comparatively taller and straight, it is a sauté pan. However, despite this very insignificant difference, these two utensils can be used for entirely different purposes.
What are the best dishes to cook in a sauté pan?
A sauté pan is excellent cookware for a variety of recipes that require frying, poaching, searing, baking, braising, or any other task that requires large volumes of oil. This particular cookware falls right between a saucepan and a frying pan. The tall sides allow safe cooking despite the added liquid. It’s great cookware for braising vegetables, chicken legs, preparing sauces, and even cooking up any type of curry. The possibilities of the best dishes to cook in a sauté pan are endless.
Is buying a sauté pan worth it?
If you like sautéing, poaching, and braising food, a sauté pan is a great option. Plus, they’re much easier to maneuver than frying pans. Any cooking task that involves liquid that’s too much for a frying pan to contain but too little for a Dutch oven is best suited for a sauté pan. So if that’s the kind of convenience you need for cooking, a sauté pan is definitely a worthy investment.
