What Is a Skillet?

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.

The geometry of a pan can affect how easily moisture is driven off of food, and how rapidly a sauce will reduce. It's often claimed that the sloped sides of a skillet help moisture exuded by cooking meats evaporate more rapidly, allowing you to sear more efficiently. And this is true, but only given the same cooking area. In other words, a 12-inch skillet with a 10-inch cooking area will sear foods more efficiently than a 10-inch sauté pan. The corollary to this, of course, is that, given an equal amount of food that needs searing over super-high heat (some steaks, for example), the large surface area of a sauté pan does not offer any significant advantages over a skillet—you'll still have to cook in just as many batches.

Carl Schmidt Marburg Fry Pan Marble Non-Stick Coating 20cm

How to Clean a Cast Iron Skillet

    Once the bacon begins to sizzle and release some fat, carefully position the bacon press on top of the bacon slices. Ensure that the press is evenly distributed over the bacon to promote uniform cooking.

Like skillets or frying pans, our 3.5 qt Saute Pan can be used to cook on the stovetop. Unlike a frying pan, a Sauté Pan is usually much deeper. The Saute Pan's straight, vertical sides are designed to hold a greater volume and prevent spills while limiting the cook's access with a spatula.