Ironically, a skillet is actually far superior at sautéing food than a sauté pan. To properly sauté, small to medium-sized pieces of food are cooked rapidly in hot fat, with constant agitation. The sloping sides of a skillet allow you to easily shake the pan, performing the jump-flip maneuver that cooks like to show off with. It's more than just ego-padding, though. It's the most efficient way to redistribute the food in the pan, ensuring even cooking for all pieces.

Saute pans have straight sides instead of slanted ones, so a higher volume of ingredients or liquid can fit inside, making this style pan ideal for making sauces. Because of the design, sauces don't splash or slosh around as much, making clean-up a lot easier. Another bonus of this pan style is that most saute pans have a fitted lid, which reduces evaporation. These pans are well-suited for cooking methods such as braising, searing, or shallow-frying. But saute pans are heavier due to a wider base, making skillets easier to lift and move.

Cast Iron Skillets Versatility

Non stick pans have a relatively short lifespan, and require a bit of extra care to protect them from damage.

Sauté pans are very versatile, as their shape allows them to hold liquids. This means they can be used for making sauces in addition to braising, poaching, shallow-frying, searing, and pan-frying (if the ingredients don’t often need to be flipped). 

Baking Bread and Desserts: The versatility of Dutch ovens extends to baking, allowing for the creation of artisanal bread with a crispy crust and a soft interior. They are also suitable for baking desserts such as cobblers and fruit crisps.