Skip to content
FriendsPantry
Saucepan

Cookware & bakeware · Pot

Saucepan

A deep, straight-sided pan with a long handle and a lid for boiling, simmering and making sauces.

Essential in most kitchens · Used on the stovetop · 684 recipes

Photo: Erik Streb, via Wikimedia Commons (CC-BY-SA-3.0)

What it is

A round pan with tall vertical sides, a single long handle and usually a fitted lid, typically holding 1–4 litres. It is smaller and lighter than a stockpot, which has two side handles and much greater capacity.

What it’s for: Heating and cooking liquids and the foods cooked in them, in small to medium quantities.

How to use it

  1. Pick a size that is no more than about two-thirds full once everything is added.
  2. Bring liquids to the boil over high heat with the lid on to save time.
  3. Reduce to a gentle simmer and leave the lid ajar if liquid needs to evaporate.
  4. Stir sauces and porridges regularly so they do not catch on the base.

Good to know

Tasks
boiling eggs and pasta, cooking rice and lentils, making sauces and custards, heating milk, blanching vegetables, reheating soups
Cooking methods
Boiled, Simmered, Poached, Blanched, Steamed, Stewed
Materials
stainless steel, aluminium, non-stick, enamelled steel, copper
Care and cleaning
Soak burnt-on residue in warm soapy water before scrubbing. A heavy, layered base resists scorching. Dry stainless steel to avoid water spots.
Limitations
Too small for big batches of stock or pasta for a crowd; the narrow base is poor for browning.

Safety

  • Turn the handle away from the front of the hob.
  • Lift lids away from you to avoid steam burns.
  • Milk and starchy liquids can boil over suddenly; watch them.

If you don’t have one

Equipment guide

How it works: The burner heats the base and the liquid inside carries heat around by convection: hot liquid rises from the base and cooler liquid sinks. Tall sides keep the liquid deep, which slows evaporation compared with a wide pan. Thick sauces convect poorly, so the layer touching the base can overheat and scorch unless the base spreads heat well and the sauce is stirred.

MaterialGoodWatch out
Stainless steel, clad (tri-ply or multi-ply)Non-reactive with acids, takes high heat, dishwasher-tolerant; the aluminium or copper core spreads heat evenly; builds fond for pan sauces.Food sticks unless the pan is preheated with fat; heavier and slower to respond than bare aluminium.
Stainless steel with an encapsulated base discCheaper than full cladding; the thick base spreads heat on the bottom.Sides stay cooler than the base and sauces can catch where disc meets wall; small discs give hot spots on large burners.
Aluminium (plain or hard-anodised)Light, conducts heat about 15 times better than stainless steel and heats quickly; anodising hardens the surface and stops reaction with acids.Plain aluminium reacts with acidic and alkaline foods and can discolour them; thin gauges warp; not magnetic, so it needs a steel base for induction.
Non-stick (PTFE or ceramic sol-gel coating on aluminium)Eggs, fish and pancakes release with little fat; easy to clean; forgiving for beginners.Coatings wear out (ceramic often faster than PTFE); PTFE should not be heated empty or above about 260 °C; poor at building fond; needs non-metal utensils.
Enamelled steelLight, inexpensive, non-reactive and easy to clean.Thin, so hot spots and scorching are common; enamel chips and exposed steel rusts.
Copper (lined with stainless steel or tin)The most responsive common pan metal: heats and cools very quickly and evenly; ideal for sauces and sugar work.Needs a lining because bare copper reacts with food; tin linings melt at about 232 °C and need re-tinning; heavy at good thicknesses; polishing to keep it bright.
Straight-sided saucepan
General boiling and simmering; 1–4 litres.
Saucier (curved sides)
Rounded junction between wall and base lets a whisk reach everywhere; best for custards, risotto and reductions.
Milk pan
Small, often non-stick with a pouring lip, for heating milk.

Buying guidance

Starting out: One 2-litre and one 3–4 litre pan with lids, stainless with a thick base.

Keen cook: Add a saucier for sauces and custards, and a small 1-litre pan.

Professional: Fully clad or copper sauciers for sauce work; heavy-gauge aluminium for bulk.

  • Capacity: 1–4 litres
  • Heavy base (encapsulated or fully clad) to prevent scorching
  • Tight-fitting lid
  • Pouring lip and internal volume markings are useful
  • Induction-compatible base if needed

No brands or prices — check current reviews before buying.

Techniques:Deep-fryingSautéingConfitBoilingSimmeringPoachingSteamingBlanchingTadka (tempering)Dhungar (charcoal smoking)ReductionEmulsificationRoux thickeningClarificationPicklingGelification

Related tools

Recipes that use it

672 more