Sauté pan

A sauté pan is a wide, flat-bottomed pan with straight sides about 6 to 8 cm (2.5 to 3 in) high, a long handle, and usually a lid. Large ones have a small helper handle on the other side. It sits between a skillet and a pot. The wide base browns food well, and the tall sides hold liquid, so you can sear chicken and then simmer it in sauce in the same pan.

How to use it

Good jobs for it:

• Searing meat or vegetables, then adding stock or tomatoes to simmer or braise with the lid on.
• Shallow-frying, where the tall sides cut down on splatter.
• Making a pan sauce after searing.
• Cooking greens that wilt down from a large pile.
• Finishing pasta in its sauce.

A 28 to 30 cm (11 to 12 in) pan holding about 3 to 4 liters (3 to 4 quarts) suits most home cooking. Heat it with a little oil before adding food, the same as a skillet.

Substitutes

A large, deep skillet works for most recipes, though liquid evaporates faster and it can spill when shaken. A wide Dutch oven works for searing then simmering, though the higher sides slow browning.

Common mistakes

• Overcrowding the pan. Food releases water and steams instead of browning. Leave space between pieces.
• Trying to toss food. Despite the name, the straight sides make it hard to flip food the way chefs do to sauté. A sloped skillet is easier for that.
• Covering the pan while searing. Steam builds and stops the crust from forming. Add the lid only once the liquid goes in.
• Using a pan with a plastic handle in the oven. Check the handle before braising.

In recipes

"Large straight-sided pan" or "deep frying pan with a lid" in a recipe means a sauté pan. The French sauteuse has sloped sides and is closer to a deep skillet, but many recipes use the names loosely.