The sauté pan is one of the kitchen’s most underrated stovetop multi-taskers. With their deep, straight sides and flat bases, these pans can be used for searing, sautéing, and frying, and can contain quite a bit of volume. Since they also typically come with lids, they’re exceptional for covered braising and even steaming—the high sides of the pan allow it to hold more liquid than frying pans and skillets and keep moisture and steam trapped. We tested some and discovered a few for any budget, any kitchen, and any stove.
Best Overall
Misen 3-Quart Sauté Pan
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- Affordable
- Solid construction
- Excellent heat distribution
- Oven safe maximum isn’t specified
For new and experienced cooks, this sauté pan from Misen checks a lot of boxes—it’s well-built, safe for use with induction stoves, and easy to clean. With a thick 5-ply construction, this pan weighs in at just under 4 pounds (without the lid) and has a generous surface area of 9.75 inches, one of the largest on our list. This means it makes excellent contact with your heat source and also provides plenty of room for cooking, useful if you’re looking to brown an exceptionally large piece of meat or multiple chicken thighs at once.
During our testing, we found that this pan was well-balanced and its handle was quite comfortable to hold, an important factor when transporting it on and off the stove. It gave excellent browning to chicken cutlets and thighs, and the lid’s tight fit helps retain moisture when braising meats and wilting spinach.
Material: Stainless steel, aluminum | Dishwasher Safe: Yes | Induction Friendly: Yes | Oven Safe: Not specified
Best Splurge
All-Clad D3 Tri-Ply 3-Quart Stainless Steel Sauté Pan
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- Feels great in the hand
- Plenty of cooking space
- Easy to clean
- Slower heating than other models
All-Clad’s D3 series is a perennial favorite among cooks, thanks to its solid construction and consistently excellent performance. This sauté pan has two layers of durable stainless steel surrounding an aluminum core, a riveted stainless-steel handle, and a tight-sealing lid. It’s compatible with all stove types, including induction, and is also oven-safe up to 600 degrees.
We love how nice this pan feels in the hand—it was comfortable to grip and proved to be easy to control during cooking. The pan heats up a little on the slower side, but distributes heat wonderfully, giving a nice and even browning to chicken thighs and cutlets, with little to no hot spots detected. The shape of this pan was also quite roomy considering its 3-quart capacity.
When it came time to clean up, this pan came out sparkling clean with a little dish soap and a nylon scrubber. (We even ran it through the dishwasher with no issues.) Overall, this sauté pan is built well and performs great—making it totally worthy of its high price tag.
Material: Stainless steel, aluminum | Dishwasher Safe: Yes | Induction Friendly: Yes | Oven Safe: Up to 600 degrees
Best Budget
Calphalon Tri-Ply Stainless Steel 3-Quart Saute Pan with Cover
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- Light enough for people with strength or mobility issues
- Easy to clean
- Induction and oven-friendly
- Doesn’t heat as evenly as higher-end brands
For the cost-conscious, this 3-quart sauté pan from Calphalon has a lot of similar features to higher-priced brands: tri-ply construction, a helper handle, the ability to go from stove to oven, and a lid to help lock in moisture when cooking. It’s also induction-friendly and dishwasher-safe.
We like how wide and flat the bottom of this pan is, allowing you to center it on your burner easily. During testing we did notice that this pan doesn’t heat as evenly as higher-end brands, so heat management is important here—you’ll have to keep an eye on your food to ensure even browning. That being said, we were able to successfully braise chicken thighs quickly and fry chicken cutlets without sticking. The clear glass lid allowed us to keep an eye on whatever we were cooking.
While this pan doesn’t perform as efficiently or effortlessly as a more expensive version, it’s still a strong choice for its price range. If you don’t cook often or are just learning how to use stainless steel cookware, this is a great starter piece for those who aren’t ready to invest in a pricier sauté pan.
Material: Stainless steel, aluminum | Dishwasher Safe: Yes | Induction Friendly: Yes | Oven Safe: Yes, maximum temperature not specified
Best Nonstick
Caraway Saute Pan
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- Top notch nonstick performance
- Compatible with all cooktops
- Stylish design
- Handles tend to get hot
Caraway has made a splash on the DTC cookware scene with its array of gorgeous nonstick pots and pans that actually perform. The brand’s sauté pan features an aluminum core with a nonstick ceramic coating and riveted stainless steel handles. It’s compatible with just about every stovetop, including induction, and is oven-safe up to 550 degrees. It is available in an array of colors and has a modern silhouette that looks great in any kitchen.
From the get-go, we loved how gorgeous this pan is and found the large handles comfortable and easy to hold. During testing, we also noted how quickly and evenly it heats, only requiring low to medium heat settings to achieve an adequately hot pan. It also has excellent slip, which means you can reduce the amount of oil you use when cooking. The only thing we could really find wrong with this pan is that the handles tend to get hot when the pan is in use, so you’ll want to keep an oven mitt or kitchen towel nearby to protect your hands.
Like most nonstick cookware, it’s better to clean this pan by hand with warm water and mild dish soap—thanks to its slippery surface, it’s very easy to wipe out any food debris too. While this sauté pan is a little more expensive than others, we think it’s a great investment piece, especially if you like the ease of nonstick cookware.
Material: Nonstick ceramic-coated aluminum, stainless steel | Dishwasher Safe: Hand wash recommended | Induction Friendly: Yes | Oven Safe: Up to 550 degrees
Best 5-Quart
Made In Stainless 5-Quart Clad Saucier
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- Top notch overall performance
- Oven safe up to 800 degrees
- Induction friendly
- Slightly reduced cooking surface
If you love a sauté pan silhouette but need a large volume option, the Made In 5-quart Saucier is for you. This pan’s 5-ply construction makes it very sturdy and gives it excellent heat conduction and distribution. A generously sized helper handle makes it easier to transport this piece on and off the stove, or in and out of the oven, and the stay-cool handle is riveted in place for secure handling. While this piece isn’t called a sauté pan, it has similarly straight sides to the rest of the models on this list. The minor differences include taller side walls and rounded edges, which actually make it easier to whisk sauces and ease fond out of the corners for better flavor.
We tested Made In’s similarly built 3-quart sauté pan, which has the same 5-ply build fabrication and 800-degree heat threshold. We love how comfortable the handle was to hold and how balanced the pan felt. It gave chicken thighs a nice, even browning and rendered bacon slowly and evenly, with minimal hot spots. The lid’s fit helped to keep moisture locked in, with minimal steam escape. This saucier’s rounded edges minimized the cooking surface by about an inch, but also offered more height, which allows for more volume when braising, steaming, or creating sauces.
Material: Stainless steel, aluminum | Dishwasher Safe: Yes | Induction Friendly: Yes | Oven Safe: Up to 800 degrees
Final Verdict
For a sauté pan that performs well, is easy to clean, and has a fair price point, we selected the Misen 3-Quart Sauté Pan as our Best Overall pick. If you want a sauté pan that has similar features to higher-end models, but don’t want to spend a lot, the Calphalon Tri-ply 3-Quart Stainless Steel Sauté Pan is an excellent budget-friendly option.
How We Tested Sauté Pans
Several items on this list were fully tested by our Lab team, who put the pans through two rounds of Lab and real-world testing to accurately assess their attributes. We braised and pan-fried chicken to accurately assess how evenly and thoroughly each pan heated, as well as noting the amount of chicken we could add without overcrowding. Additionally, we wilted leafy greens to further analyze the capacity. After all the testing was done, we recored the ease or difficulty of getting the pan back to looking brand new. Our other recommendations are options we have tested out before and added because of their impressive cooking capabilities.
What to Look For When Buying a Sauté Pan
Material
Sauté pans come in many different material choices, but the most common is stainless steel because of its versatility and low maintenance requirements. Cookware material often comes down to personal preference, from how rough you are with your pans, to how willing you are to maintain them.
Stainless steel is non-reactive, allowing you to cook acidic foods—think tomato or wine sauces—without damage to the pan’s finish. Since most stainless steel is multi-clad, the layers also ensure the pan is sturdy. This material is also easy to maintain since it doesn’t require extra seasoning between uses.
Ceramic pans typically feature a metal base (usually aluminum) and are coated with a silica-based ceramic coating that makes the surface nonstick. These pans are often lighter weight than their stainless steel counterparts because of the absence of cladding. Ceramic finishes are typically easy to clean but are susceptible to scratches, so be wary of using sharp utensils on its surface.
Traditional nonstick pieces are similar to ceramic, but use a PTFE coating on top of an aluminum base. These tend to have more delicate finishes that are susceptible to scratches but allow for exceptionally easy cleaning. Most nonstick pieces are not meant for high-heat cooking, so it will be harder to get a good sear on proteins. One of the biggest draws of traditional nonstick is that it is often one of the most affordable materials, but they do need to be replaced every few years.
Hard-anodized aluminum pieces use a chemical treatment to create a nonstick surface on an aluminum base. Since there is no coating involved, the finish is more durable than ceramic or traditional nonstick surfaces. These tend to be metal utensil resistant, but you may still want to stick to wooden or silicone tools to protect their surfaces.
Size
A typical size for a sauté pan is 3 quarts, which is enough to fit around six moderately-sized chicken thighs, or two medium-sized steaks at once. Since these pans are multi-taskers, you may want to factor in how much volume and what types of foods you usually work with and adjust accordingly. Typically, sauté pans for home use go up to a 6-quart size, but if you’re feeding a crowd or want a more industrial model, larger, commercial-grade versions are available through restaurant and catering suppliers.
Care and Maintenance
The low, shallow profile of sauté pans makes them one of the widest and bulkiest pieces of cookware to wash and store. While many of these models are marked dishwasher-safe, you may find that washing them by hand is easier and can help prolong the life of your pan. Dishwashing detergent can often have adverse effects on certain finishes (i.e. pitting, discoloration, extra wear), but if you prefer to use a dishwasher, verify with the manufacturer’s info that your pan is indeed dishwasher safe. To avoid thermal shock, ensure your pan is completely cool before submerging it in water.
FAQS
What is a sauté pan best for?
Sauté pans are multitaskers, so you can use them for just about anything—searing proteins, sautéing, shallow and deep-frying (depending on the depth of your pan), braising, steaming, and more.
What is the difference between a frying pan and a sauté pan?
Frying pans typically feature shallow, angled sides that make it easier to flip and toss ingredients without the use of utensils, and also allow you to slide its contents—like omelets or scrambled eggs—onto a plate. Sauté pans have taller, straight sides that can accommodate more liquids and typically also come with lids that let you trap moisture and steam.
What oil is best for sautéing?
It depends on what you’re cooking and at what temperature. High-heat cooking requires an oil with a high smoke point, like soybean oil, vegetable oil, or peanut oil. If you’re using a gentler flame, you can opt to use olive oil or avocado oil, which have lower smoke points.
How do you properly sauté?
For sautéing, you want to use a wide, shallow pan and just a little touch of fat. Heat the pan over a medium flame, then add your preferred fat of choice, then add your ingredients. The word sauté means “jump” in French, and refers to the action of causing your ingredients to “jump” by using your wrist to toss a pan’s contents without using utensils. If you haven’t quite gotten the hang of this motion, you can use a spatula or wooden spoon to help move ingredients around in the pan until they’re cooked to your liking.
