Which sauté pan is best?
The sauté pan is a staple in every kitchen. It’s useful for cooking any kind of meat, simmering sauces, frying foods to golden brown and almost any other method of cooking you can imagine. There are many areas of the kitchen where it may be safe to skimp, but the sauté pan isn’t one of them.
What to know before you buy a sauté pan
Material
- Aluminum: One of the more inexpensive options, aluminum are almost always anodized, making them harder and more durable via a chemical process. They’re very conductive to heat and typically include nonstick finishes as well.
- Stainless steel: Stainless steel pans have a wide range of qualities, thanks to the fact that they require using other metals in their core like aluminum or copper to conduct the necessary amounts of heat. Cheap stainless steel sauté pans have a core that only covers the bottom of the pan, while higher-end stainless steel sauté pans have a core that spreads over the entire pan.
- Copper: This very high-cost material is the most beautiful and most difficult to maintain. Copper pans are highly conductive, but they’re prone to scratching and discoloration that requires frequent polishing to avoid.
- Cast iron: Cast iron is the most durable material you can find, though admittedly, a solid cast iron sauté pan is quite rare. They’re reactive to acidic foods and must be seasoned with oil regularly, but they can last for generations.
What to look for in a quality sauté pan
Stove-to-oven
Just about any sauté pan can be placed into the oven to finish off your recipe, but pay close attention to the manufacturer’s guidelines for maximum oven temperature before you do so.
Handle
Some sauté pans attach their handles using screws, which can wiggle loose over time. Try to select a sauté pan with handles attached by rivets to ensure they stay in place. Also keep in mind that metallic handles can become too hot to hold without an oven mitt — some sauté pans have silicone-coated handles to avoid this issue.
How much you can expect to spend on a sauté pan
Sauté pans can be found for prices as low as $20 and as high as a few hundred dollars. Cast-iron sauté pans are the only lower-cost sauté pans with a vastly higher quality than the $30 price would suggest. Otherwise, you’ll want to spend around $50-$75 on a good-quality sauté pan of other material types.
Sauté pan FAQ
Can you safely put a sauté pan in the dishwasher?
A. It’s considered best practice to handwash any cookware, not just sauté pans, as opposed to throwing it in the dishwasher. The temperatures and humidity can wear out nonstick coatings, discolor copper and rust cast iron. If it’s listed as dishwasher-safe, just make sure it won’t hit anything in the dishwasher during the cycle.
Which size of sauté pan is best?
A. The right size sauté pan depends on how many people you’re regularly cooking for. A 3- to 4-quart sauté pan is better for one or two people, with 5- and 6-quart sauté pans better handling the amount of food necessary for larger families and gatherings.
Should you buy cookware individually or in a set?
A. That depends on your personal needs. If you’re setting up your kitchen for the first time, it can be much easier to buy a set that contains all the necessities. If you already have most of what you need or you’re replacing old cookware, feel free to purchase what you want individually based on exact specifications and desires.
What’s the best sauté pan to buy?
Top sauté pan
What you need to know: This high-quality pan is nonstick and comes with a lid, so you can see what you’re cooking.
What you’ll love: The textured interior aids with browning and searing while keeping cleanup easy. You can use it on any stovetop, and it’s safe for metal utensils. It has taller sides, so you can cook with higher liquid volumes.
What you should consider: Though you can put it in the dishwasher, it’s recommended that you handwash it.
Top sauté pan for the money
What you need to know: You’d be hard-pressed to find a sauté pan of higher quality than this OXO Good Grips selection.
What you’ll love: It is dishwasher-safe and can be placed into an oven at a maximum recommended temperature of 430 degrees Fahrenheit.
What you should consider: If you have an induction stovetop, look elsewhere, as this sauté pan is incompatible.
Worth checking out
What you need to know: It isn’t perfect, but with a great lifetime warranty and plenty of interior space for cooking, you won’t be disappointed.
What you’ll love: A nonstick surface, strong stainless steel handles and a maximum oven temperature rating of 450 degrees round out the feature set of this sauté pan.
What you should consider: This sauté pan has been known to warp and chip after a few uses.
Prices listed reflect time and date of publication and are subject to change.
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