Sauté Pans

A sauté pan combines a generous cooking surface with the depth needed for recipes that contain more liquid. It’s particularly useful for one-pan dinners and dishes that start with a sear and finish with a simmer.

Here’s what makes the shape so versatile:

• Room to cook: The wide cooking surface provides space for browning, searing, sautéing, and reducing.
• Straight, high sides: The added depth helps contain ingredients and liquids when stirring, simmering, or preparing saucy dishes.
• A fitted lid: Covering the pan helps retain heat and moisture when steaming, simmering, or braising.
• Ceramic nonstick options: GreenPan’s PFAS-free ceramic nonstick provides easy food release and cleanup.
• Versatile cooking: Move from quick stovetop techniques to longer, slower preparations without changing pans.

If you’ve ever wondered what sauté pans are used for, think beyond sautéing. Braised chicken thighs, risotto, paella, pasta sauces, vegetables, curries, and one-pan meals can all make good use of the pan’s combination of surface area and depth.

Choosing the right sauté pan depends on your cooking habits, household size, cooktop, and the types of recipes you prepare most often. Start by considering material and construction.

GreenPan offers sauté pans across different collections and constructions. Ceramic nonstick options provide easy food release and straightforward cleanup, making them practical for everyday cooking. Stainless steel options are well suited to techniques where developing browning and fond is a priority, including searing meats and preparing pan sauces.

Size is another important consideration. Choosing enough capacity gives ingredients room to cook without unnecessarily crowding the pan:

• Smaller sauté pans: Useful for side dishes, sauces, reductions, and smaller portions.
• Medium sauté pans: A versatile option for everyday dinners and one-pan recipes.
• Large sauté pans: Provide additional capacity for family-style meals, batch cooking, and entertaining.

Sauté pans tend to offer more depth and volume than frypans of a similar diameter. That added capacity is particularly useful when a recipe moves from frying or searing to adding liquids and simmering.

Cooktop compatibility also matters. GreenPan offers sauté pans for gas and electric stovetops, with induction-compatible options available across select collections. Always check the individual product specifications for cooktop compatibility.

The shape of a sauté pan makes it easy to move between cooking techniques in a single piece of cookware. Use the broad base to sauté vegetables, brown proteins, or develop a sear. Then add liquid and take advantage of the high sides and lid when the recipe calls for simmering, steaming, or braising.

For browning, give ingredients enough room to make good contact with the cooking surface rather than overcrowding the pan. Depending on your recipe and cookware, you can then add liquid to incorporate the browned bits into a pan sauce.

The lid adds another layer of versatility. Cover the pan when you want to retain moisture and heat, then remove it when a recipe needs additional evaporation or reduction.

GreenPan sauté pans may also offer features such as oven-safe designs, dishwasher-safe components, and handles designed for comfortable use. Exact oven limits, dishwasher compatibility, handle construction, and other features vary by collection, so check the specifications for your individual pan before use.