Sauté Pans – how are they different from standard frying pans and why do you need them?
Deep pans called sauté pans are a special kind of pans with a large surface and high edges which are used for:
- sautéing,
- poaching,
- braising,
- or deep frying
The construction of a deep pan, with straight, tall rims, a long handle and a large cooking surface makes it a perfect pan for cooking ingredients in a liquid, stirring larger amounts of ingredients, preparing one-pot dishes or different kinds of stews. For this reason, the sauté pan is perhaps the most versatile pan you can have in your kitchen – see our best-selling deep pans here or read how to choose the best pans for your kitchen in our complete guide on pans here.
Using a saute pan with a lid helps you to lock in moisture for cooking dishes like curries and stews protects your food against drying out or burning and makes your meals much more tender and aromatic.
What makes pan a saute pan?
- straight and relatively tall sides
- a wide and flat bottom
- large surface area and large volume for even results
- a long handle and an extra, small handle on the opposite side, which makes it easy to transfer the pan from the cooker to the kitchen top or to the table for serving food directly in a pan
- most saute pans have lids that lock the heat and enable stewing
What is the difference between a sauté pan and a chef’s pan?
A chef’s pan (also called a saucier) is a special kind of deep, sauté pan and a hybrid between a frying pan and a classic pot. It is universal, and offers a large cooking surface and high rims just like deep pans but has sloped sides. Chef’s pans are perfect for searing, sautéing, cooking eggs, making sauces, and much more.
In Kulina we offer a wide range of sauté pans and chef’s pans made from high-quality materials and offered by reliable brands such as de Buyer, Woll, Mauviel or Eva Solo. Some of them have a titanium non-stick surface or handles that make them suitable for use in the oven. A deep pan is one of the must-haves in every kitchen so make sure you invest in a premium-quality saute pan that will allow you to achieve great cooking results for ages.