Most cooking sites have an article telling you what all the essential cookware pieces are. The lists number from as few as 2 (a frying pan and a sauce pan) to as many as 10 (including every basic pan type plus other tools like knives, a cutting board, etc.).
We think the most practical number--cookware only--for most people is 5: a skillet, a sauce pan, a Dutch oven, a roasting (or baking) pan, and a baking sheet. And the sizes are important, so we talk about that, too.
If you have these pieces in the right size, plus a few essential tools (knives, cutting board, strainer, spatula, turner, whisk), you can make just about anything, from pancakes to Thanksgiving dinner. This doesn't include baking, but you can get some baking done with these pieces, too.
The 5 Essential Cookware Pieces at a Glance
Here's a table with the 5 essentials, and links to buy them on Amazon.
Skillet/Frying Pan (10-12") Demeyere Proline (about $$220-300) All-Clad D3 skillet w/lid (about $100-$130) Misen (about $100 for 12") Tramontina Tri-Ply Clad (about $50 for 12") |  |
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1. Skillet/Frying Pan (11"-12")
See our favorite clad stainless skillet on Amazon (Demeyere Proline, about $300)
See our other favorite best-value skillet on Amazon (Tramontina Tri-Ply Clad, about $50)
See Misen skillet at Misen (12-inch about $100)
See our favorite sauté pan on Amazon (All-Clad, about $200)
"Skillet" and "frying pan" are interchangeable terms that mean a shallow, curve-sided pan used for sautéing food. (Some people disagree and say they are different pans, but the differences are negligible.)
A sauté pan has straight sides and is almost always sold with a lid (skillets are usually not, but a few are, like the All-Clad option we link to in the table above), but the two types of pans can be used interchangeably for most frying tasks.
We prefer skillets because they're easier to handle. The sloped sides make flipping food easier, whether you're using a spatula or the chef shake, and also allow for better browning. But if you prefer a sauté pan, it's a fine choice: the straight sides mean more flat cooking surface, but also make it somewhat bulkier.
For the definitive differences, see Should I Buy a Skillet or a Sauté Pan? The Differences Explained.
Heritage Steel 4 quart sauté pan: high quality.
In any case, every kitchen needs needs a good skillet or sauté pan. It will be your most used pan, and also your most abused pan, needing to survive high heat, hot cooking oil, rapid temperature changes, and, sometimes, heavy duty scrubbing. You can scrimp on most other pans without sacrificing much, but you should invest in a high quality, durable, great-performing skillet or sauté pan.
The right one will last a lifetime.
Most culinary experts agree that clad stainless steel is the best all-around, daily use cookware. All of our recommendations for essential pieces are good quality clad stainless cookware--but if you can only afford one piece of good clad cookware, make it your frying pan.
How Frying Pans and Sauté Pans Are Used
Frying pans are used for myriad cooking tasks: pan frying, stir frying, and other "dry heat" cooking methods ("dry" meaning you use small amounts of cooking oil and no other liquids--as opposed to deep frying, poaching, or braising, which are "wet heat" cooking methods). This means you'll use it for everything from frying bacon and pancakes for breakfast to making burgers, chicken, or fish for dinner. You'll also use a skillet for frying potatoes, cooking down greens, and many other side dishes--so you're likely to need more than one.
You will also use a frying pan for stovetop-to-oven dishes (like frittatas), so you want one that can withstand high oven and broiler temperatures.
You can use sauté pans for most (if not all) of these tasks, too, plus liquid cooking like poaching and braising.
(Hint: If you bought a set of cookware and have both a skillet and a sauté pan, the lid from the sauté pan will probably fit your skillet.)
Features of a Good Frying Pan or Sauté Pan
The best frying pans have two equally important traits: durability and excellent heating properties. (We are assuming here that the pan is made from safe materials.)
Durability. Because a frying pan has to withstand high temps, hot oil, and heavy use, it has to be durable. Poorly made pans will heat poorly and can warp, rust, and corrode.
For clad stainless cookware, which we recommend, stainless handles and lids (as opposed to plastic handles and glass lids) are the most durable. All of the clad stainless pans we recommend have stainless handles and lids. Glass lids aren't as good, but pans with glass lids are usually less expensive.
Cast iron and carbon steel are also extremely durable, though they require seasoning and are heavier than most clad stainless (the exception being the Demeyere Proline skillet).
The least durable option is any nonstick coating. Anodized aluminum is durable, but most anodized aluminum pans have a nonstick coating. The only one we know of that doesn't is Viking's 5-Ply Hard Anodized Stainless (which is great, but expensive).
Heating Properties. A skillet should heat evenly and retain heat well. For this to be the case with clad stainless steel cookware, the heating core (which is aluminum and/or copper) needs to be thick. This is much of what you pay for when you buy premium clad stainless cookware.
Cast iron and carbon steel heat unevenly, but with more pre-heating the heat evens out. And their heat retention is unsurpassed, particularly cast iron. Heat retention is especially important for frying, deep frying, and braising, but even though clad stainless can't compare to cast iron, the heat retention is adequate for most cooking tasks.
Shape. Most people prefer a frying pan with a good amount of flat cooking surface. This means fairly steep sides, like this Tramontina skillet (about $50):
Or this Demeyere Proline skillet:
All of our recommendations have a good amount of flat cooking surface.
Other Nice Features: You can also look for extras like a helper handle (most 12-inch frying pans have one, most 10-inch frying pans do not), a curved lip for mess-free pouring, and an included lid--frying pans typically do not come with lids, but sometimes you can find them (such as this All-Clad frying pan with lid included).
The frying pan gets the hardest use of any pan in your kitchen, so this is where you should invest your money. You can go cheap on other cookware and not regret it, but not so with a frying pan (or sauté pan if that is your preference). You want to get the best one you can afford.
The Best Size for a Frying Pan
A well-stocked kitchen should have a few frying pans of different sizes, or a skillet and a sauté pan of different sizes. Frying pans are measured in diameter from rim to rim (so the flat cooking surface will always be less than the given size). For a daily use pan, we recommend a 12-inch frying pan (or 5-6 quart sauté pan) for most people.
Anything smaller can be limiting, requiring you to cook in batches because you won't be able to fit everything in the pan at the same time (and this can be true even if you're only cooking for two). A crammed skillet also won't brown food very well. Instead, it steams food, so it's important to have plenty of room in a skillet.
You may also want a 10-inch frying pan or smaller sauté pan for side dishes, cooking for one, etc.
If you frequently make crepes, omelets, or cook for just yourself, you may find an 8-inch frying pan useful. But in general, an 8-inch frying pan is awfully small.
Sauté pans are measured in volume. A 3-4 quart sauté pan is roughly equivalent to a 10-inch skillet, while a 5-6 quart sauté pan is roughy equivalent to a 12-inch skillet. Sauté pans have more flat cooking surface because of their straight sides, but they are also bulkier and can be harder to maneuver..
If you buy a set, pay careful attention to the size of the pieces. They can vary quite a bit among brands. Bigger pieces are more versatile than smaller pieces.
How Much to Spend on a Frying Pan
Although you should consider a frying pan an investment piece, you don't need to break the bank if it's not in your budget. Yes, our favorites are spendy: both the Demeyere Proline and the All-Clad D3 will set you back more than a hundred dollars, even in the smaller sizes. These pans are built like tanks and will last forever, and you will appreciate their heft and quality every time you use them.
When you consider that these products will last a lifetime, the cost-per-year-of-use is small, so if you can afford a top notch brand, we recommend buying one. (Especially the Demeyere Proline, which has about 75% more aluminum than the All-Clad, making for much superior heating properties.)
However, there are a few less expensive brands that are almost as good, such as Tramontina Tri-Ply Clad. If you go with this brand, a 12-inch skillet will set you back about $50.
About Cast Iron and Carbon Steel Skillets
There are good things to be said about investing in a $35-dollar-or-less Lodge cast iron skillet, which will last forever and take hard use and abuse even at this low price. Cast iron excels at high heat searing (steaks!), and carbon steel is a close second. A stainless steel skillet is more versatile and we think should be your first priority, but cast iron and carbon steel are also good options if you can't afford good quality clad stainless.
If you can handle the weight, cast iron will provide the best heat retention (thus the best browning). Carbon steel also browns well and it's lighter than cast iron, but heavier than clad stainless.
For more information, see our articles The Best Cast Iron Skillets: How Much Should You Spend? and The Best Carbon Steel Pans.
About Nonstick Frying Pans
Nonstick frying pans aren't a "top 5" pan for us because they so many limitations, such as heat restrictions, mediocre browning, short life span (most only last a couple of years), and serious health and environmental concerns. As nice as nonstick can be for eggs and other sticky or delicate foods, cast iron and carbon steel are more sustainable options, and even clad stainless steel works if you know how to use it.
Recommendations
Here are our frying pan recommendations:
Buy a Demeyere Proline (atlantis) Frying Pan:
BUY All-clad D3 skillet with lid:
BUY Misen skillet:
BUY Tramontina tri-ply clad frying pan:
2. Sauce Pan (3-4 Qt.)
How Sauce Pans Are Used
A sauce pan is an essential cookware piece because it's your go-to pan (actually a pot) for anything that uses liquids. You can do everything with a sauce pan you wouldn't do with a skillet or sauté pan: soups, pasta and rice, hot cereals, boiling veggies (steaming too if you have a steamer insert), sauces, custards and puddings, gravies, reductions, and much more. It's a kitchen workhorse that you'll use every day if you cook every day.
For more info on sauce pans, see our article How to Choose the Best Sauce Pans for Your Kitchen.
Features of a Good Sauce Pan
Again, assume that we have chosen safe cookware that is non-reactive and free of toxins.
Heating Properties and Durability: As with all types of pans, you want a durable pan with good heating properties.
A sauce pan doesn't need to be as durable as a skillet because cooking with liquids isn't as hard on cookware as cooking with oil. However, you want a sauce pan with some heft so it heats evenly, resists warping, and will work even if you're using it for viscous foods (e.g., oatmeal, stew), dry heat cooking, or deep frying.
Heating properties aren't as important as for a skillet because liquids spread heat evenly through natural convection. Don't buy super cheap--clad stainless steel makes the best sauce pans--but you also don't have to spend a fortune unless you need a high-end pan because you often make delicate sauces, which require even heating and excellent thermal conductivity (copper is the best choice here--the opposite of cast iron).
Design: A sauce pan should have straight sides. Curved sides are pretty, but they're harder to scrape food out of, clean, and store (stacking!). It should have a tight-fitting lid--preferably stainless--a handle that feels comfortable to grip and is good for stabilizing and maneuvering. If it's larger than 3 quarts, a helper handle is a nice feature.
Many recipes call for a "heavy-bottomed" sauce pan. A heavy bottom ensures the best heat spreading and will also help prevent sticking, scorching, and warping. Any well-made clad stainless sauce pan will be "heavy-bottomed." Demeyere Atlantis sauce pans have about the heaviest bottom you'll find on any cookware on the market (but they're also a little hard to handle because they're so heavy).
Sauce pans can have a wide, shallow shape or a tall, deep shape (you can see this difference in our two picks shown above). Neither design is better, so go with your personal preference for this type of pan.
Pouring: Some sauce pans have grooved lips, which are nice for pouring, but not essential. Our favorite, the All-Clad D3 sauce pan, does not have a lip but still pours nicely. The cheaper Cuisinart MultiClad Pro sauce pan does have a pouring lip--but it isn't as pretty or as heavy as the All-Clad sauce pan.
The best sauce pans are clad stainless: they have good heating properties, provide decades of service, and are easy to care for--yes, food can sometimes stick, but you can soak and scrub them, which makes for easy cleaning.
The Best Size Sauce Pan to Get
For an all-around sauce pan, we recommend a 3 quart size. This is the minimum size for boiling pasta easily. A 1- or 2-quart is good mostly for heating cans of soup, making small batches of sauces, and other small jobs.
A 4-quart is also a good choice, especially if it's going to double as a small stock pot or soup pot.
Anything larger and we are straying into stock pot territory.
About the All-Clad D3 Sauce Pan: The All-Clad sauce pan is a workhorse. It has a wide, not-too-deep shape that makes it great to cook with. It has straight sides, lacking a lip for pouring. Other All-Clad lines do have a lip (such as the Copper Core and the D5), but these cost quite a bit more without offering much more functionality.
The D3 also has the traditional All-Clad grooved, U-shaped handle. This handle gets a lot of bad press, but we like it, especially for sauce pans. The grooved shape makes it easy to stabilize--if a sauce pan full of hot liquid has ever slipped out of your grip, you'll appreciate how nearly impossible it is for that to happen with this handle design.
For more information, see our articles All-Clad Copper Core: Is It Worth It? and All-Clad D3 Vs. D5: Which Is Better?
About the Cuisinart MultiClad Pro sauce pan: Although lighter than the All-Clad D3 and (we think) not as pretty, this pan comes in a close second. It's design is deeper and narrower than we like (harder to wash), but it's well made and has the grooved lip the D3 lacks. The finish isn't quite as polished and the stainless may not be quite as high quality as All-Clad, but that is reflected in the much lower price.
For a fraction of the cost of All-Clad, this is a great sauce pan.
BUY All-Clad d3 sauce pan:
BUY CUISINART MC-PRO SAUCE PAN:
3. Dutch Oven (5 Qt or Bigger)
See our favorite all-around Dutch oven on Amazon (Le Creuset)
About $340
See our favorite best-value Dutch oven on Amazon (Lodge)
About $80
If you buy a set of clad stainless cookware, it's likely that you'll get a Dutch oven. Even so, you won't regret investing in an enameled cast iron Dutch oven. It's a piece most cooks will get a lot of use out of.
How Dutch Ovens Are Used
A Dutch oven is primarily for braising--covered, wet heat cooking in the oven--but it's a great all-around pan you can also use as a skillet, stock pot, or even a large sauce pan. This makes it ideal for soups, stews, and braises, which start out with searing mirepoix and meat, then adding liquid and simmering.
Because of its all-around versatility and one-pot dinner functionality, you'll find yourself reaching for your Dutch oven frequently. Its two short handles that make it ideal for oven braises and for serving at the table right out of the pot.
Features of a Good Dutch Oven
for a closer look at Dutch ovens, see our Enameled Dutch oven article
Cast iron doesn't heat very evenly (compared to the aluminum in clad stainless cookware), but its heat retention is superb, so that once heated through, it hangs onto heat extremely well. (Compensate for uneven heating by pre-heating for several minutes before adding food.) The excellent heat retention is what makes it great for oven braising, baking, and deep frying.
The heavy lid provides a tighter fit than you'll get from lighter stainless lids, so enameled cast iron pots lose less liquid, another reason they're so great for braising.
Durability is a given. Lower priced enameled cast iron may require a bit more careful handling, as the enamel will be more prone to chipping. But in general, these pots are tough as nails: they'll take a lot of use and abuse and last for decades (and you can use steel utensils with them too).
What about cast iron Dutch ovens that aren't enameled? They're less expensive, and they last forever. They need to be seasoned, and they're not great for acidic foods--so enameled cast iron is the more versatile option.
Le Creuset vs. less expensive brands. You can get a nice enameled cast iron pot for a tenth of the price of Le Creuset, so why spend the money on Le Creuset? Mostly durability, but there are a few other considerations such as weight, balance, handle design, and shape.
The Best Sizes for a Dutch Oven
The best size depends how you cook and how many people you cook for, but a good size is 5-7 quarts. This is the size you need for an average pot roast or chicken, or to feed a family of 4-6, do meal prep, or have enough leftovers for a second meal.
We don't recommend going below 4 quarts unless you want it primarily for sides or cook for just yourself. You can go larger, too, but these pans are quite heavy, so the bigger you go, the harder they are to lift.
BUY le creuset dutch oven:
BUY LODGE DUTCH OVEN ON AMAZON NOW:
4. Roasting Pan (or Large Baking Pan)
See our favorite all-around roasting pan on Amazon (Cuisinart Chef's Classic)
About $65
You can also go with a glass or ceramic baking dish (about $20) which easily doubles as a cake pan, lasagna pan and more (but you won't be able to fit a turkey in it):
How Roasting Pans Are Used
A roasting pan is for roasting meats in the oven. You can also use it for casseroles, lasagna, baking, and more.
Roasting is different than braising in that the food is exposed to the hot oven air in order to produce a crispy, browned exterior. Many frying pans and sauté pans also work, but often aren't big enough, or shaped right, for the cuts of meat you use a roaster for.
Why a Roasting Pan Is Essential
A roasting pan is only essential if you roast meat. If you're a vegetarian, a roasting pan is definitely not a kitchen essential. However, this is the type of pan you can use for many things, including casseroles, baking, and more.
In fact, a designated roasting pan may not be essential even if you do eat meat. If you like to bake, you probably have one or two vessels that you could use for roasting. A 9x13 cake pan works, as do any other shallow (but not too shallow) glass or ceramic pans.
However, you may want a pan just for meat--particularly if it comes with a roasting rack, which allows air to circulate all around the cut of meat and produce a fully browned exterior. This is hard to achieve in a cake pan. (Although you can buy roasting racks separately that will fit in a baking pan, roasting pan, or baking sheet.)
Features of a Good Roasting Pan
Because it's for oven use, a roasting pan has an entirely different set of criteria for what makes it good than other cookware on our list.
With a roasting pan, heating properties are less important than for any other cookware. An oven heats food from all sides, so the pan itself transfers very little heat into the food. So, you can use pretty much any type of pan for roasting, whether glass, ceramic, stainless, or even nonstick, and it will produce fine results.
You can even use disposable aluminum roasting pans. Just be sure to put them on a baking sheet when using for large or heavy meals.
Here are some features of a good roasting pan:
- Easy-to-grip handles (important because those pans are hot--and the pan can be heavy!)
- Large enough for what you want to use it for
- Easy to clean (e.g., straight sides w/no lips, not a lot of nooks and crannies to collect gunk)
- Comes with a roasting rack (many do not).
You don't need clad stainless. The pans we recommend are some of the cheapest roasters we've found.
If you want a high-end roaster, by all means spend the money: you'll never regret getting the good stuff. But if you're looking for ways to cut corners or stick to a budget, any roasting pan will work.
About the Chef's Classic roasting pan: Chef's Classic is an affordable Cuisinart line of cookware. This roasting pan is clad stainless steel and has everything you need: lots of room, comfortable handles, and durable stainless steel construction.
The pan comes with a stainless steel rack, too, which is a great feature.
About the OXO GoodGrips Glass Baking Dish: This is a great, versatile piece that you can use for preparing baked goods as well as roasting meat. It might be a little small for certain cuts (turkeys, for example) and it doesn't come with a rack, but it's more versatile than a dedicated roasting pan. If you don't roast a lot of meat, a glass or ceramic baking dish is a good choice (or even a stainless or aluminum cake pan).
The Best Size for a Roasting Pan
In general, you want a pan that's about 16 inches by 13 inches, not including handles. This is large enough for most turkeys, which means it will work for just about everything else.
If you have a small oven, make sure the roasting pan you buy will fit. Handles aren't always included in the dimensions, so be aware of this when you buy.
A 13x9 inch baking pan also works for most meats (but probably not a turkey). You can find some pans that come with a roasting rack, like this one.
If you're more interested in versatility than size, a glass or ceramic baking dish that you can use for dozens of tasks is a great choice--it just isn't big enough for a whole turkey.
BUY Cuisinart Chef'S Classic Roasting pan:
buy OXO GoodGrips Glass Baking Dish:
See set of 2 baking sheets with rack on Amazon (HKJ Chef)
About $22
Baking sheets, also known as sheet pans, are a kitchen essential. If you use an oven, you will use sheet pans.
How Sheet Pans Are Used
Baking sheets have become hugely popular in recent years for making sheet pan suppers, easy one-pan meals where you toss the meat and veggies straight in the oven for a quick roast. But they're great for dozens of cooking tasks, including:
- cookies
- sheet cakes and bars
- pizza
- fish
- roasting bacon (best done with a rack)
- roasting veggies
- catching drips from pies and casseroles (Tip: cover with foil for easy cleanup)
- under pie plates for easy lifting out of the oven without breaking the crust (Tip: cover it with foil for easy cleanup)
- under disposable pans for easy handling
- dehydrating fruits and veggies
- sheet pan dinners
- heating leftovers and takeout food.
Quarter sheet pans--9x13 inches or so--make great, inexpensive trays to corral kitchen clutter, too.
Features of a Good Sheet Pan
Think of sheet pans as being inexpensive and replaceable. Because no matter how much you spend, you're going to want to replace them every few years. At least, you will if you use them as often as you're likely to.
They're available as aluminum and stainless steel. Aluminum is cheaper, but stainless steel is a more stable, non-reactive metal. Whichever you choose, they're hard to keep looking new: they get stained pretty quickly at high oven heats and are hard to get looking like new again. But it doesn't matter because they're just as useful no matter how stained they get.
Sheet pans should be a standard size, as well, so it's easy to find racks that fit them (such as for oven bacon). The most common size of sheet pan is actually a half sheet pans, which is 13x18 inches; quarter sheet pans, the other most common size, are 13x9 inches.
Not all sheet pans come in these standard sizes, so if this is important to you, be sure you're getting the size(s) you want before you buy.
Recommendations
You may want to get a sheet pan with a rack included, or you may want to buy a rack separately. Both are good options.
Amazon has a huge array of sheet pans in all shapes, sizes, and materials. Check out the Amazon selection here.
Or, check out our favorites:
BUY set of 2 steel sheet pans (different sizes):
BUY SET OF 2 steel SHEET PANS WITH RACK:
Extra Pieces
These are in no particular order, because what makes a piece good (maybe even an essential one) is based on your own cooking style and preferences.
Nonstick
For nonstick, we recommend cast iron or carbon steel. We don't recommend any cookware with a nonstick coating.
Cast iron: Cast iron has been around for thousands of years and is the original "nonstick" cookware. It requires seasoning but once properly seasoned, it provides a slick surface that is almost as good as PTFE, without the potentially unsafe chemicals.
Cast iron is slow to heat because it's so heavy, but once heated, though, it hangs onto heat better than any other cookware material. This makes it great for high heat searing (putting a thick, crusty sear on a steak, for example) and deep frying, as well as most other frying tasks.
Cast iron is inexpensive and durable, and many people consider it an essential in the kitchen. Why don't we? Well, it's quite heavy, requires seasoning, and isn't great for acidic foods. So clad stainless is more versatile, but cast iron is a fairly close second.
The artisan cast iron pan market has taken off in recent years, so you can spend ten times what you would on a Lodge skillet. For that money, you get a smoother cooking surface and a fancier design, but the heating properties are the same because cast iron is cast iron. For this reason, we recommend buying an inexpensive cast iron skillet: the cooking surface smooths out with use, so unless you're really impatient, there's no reason to spend a lot on cast iron skillets.
Carbon steel: Carbon steel is cast iron's sightly lighter cousin. It requires similar seasoning to create a slick surface, as well as similar care and use. Most brands are inexpensive, and many people are huge fans of carbon steel frying pans.
Carbon steel's drawbacks are that with its lighter mass and thinner walls, it lacks cast iron's superb heat retention. It's better than most stainless steel pans, but not as good as cast iron.
If you're averse to nonstick cookware because of its possible health hazards and averse to cast iron for its weight and bulkiness, carbon steel is a good alternative.
Consider this, as well: carbon steel is lighter than cast iron, but it's still heavy. Don't let that thin-looking wall fool you.
Q deep sauté pan is a fantastic multi-purpose pan. In fact, it's one of the most versatile pans you can have in your kitchen.
How a Deep Sauté Pan Is Used
You can use a deep sauté pan for pan frying, deep frying, poaching, sauces, soups, stews, making stock, braising, making pasta, rice, and beans, plus numerous other cooking tasks.
Thus, in a pinch, you can do pretty much anything in it: it's shallow enough to work as a frying pan, yet deep enough to use for braises, soups, stews, and stocks. You can think of it as a large skillet, large sauce pan, or small stock pot.
Features of a Good Deep Sauté Pan
As with all our recommendations, you can assume that we are only looking at safe, non-toxic cookware.
Heating Properties. Like any other piece of cookware, you want it to have heat evenly and retain heat reasonably well.
Durability: You want a pan that's going to last. Durability is built in to a clad stainless pan like the All-Clad D3 deep sauté pan. Stay away from nonstick options.
Shape/Size: You want a deep sauté pan to be, well, deep. There are a lot of options shallower than our favorite, but are still good choices, such as this Tramontina Tri Ply Clad 6 Quart Deep Saute pan:
The All-Clad pan has the deepest sides we've found, but you may prefer a slightly shallower design, which makes the pan more useful as a large skillet but less useful for soups, stews, and braises.
The All-Clad and Tramontina models shown here are both 6 quarts. 5 quarts is the smallest you should go, because anything smaller than that is just a standard sauté pan.
Design: A grooved lip is nice for pouring. A lid is also a must, preferably stainless. If it has a helper handle, that's a huge plus as well, because this pan can get heavy when it's full--and if it's full of hot oil, a helper handle is a necessity for safety,
BUY All-Clad d3 6 qt deep sauté pan:
BUY tramontina tri-ply clad 6 Qt deep sauté pan:
Sauté Pan
See our favorite all-around sauté pan on Amazon (All-Clad D3)
See our favorite best-value sauté pan on Amazon (Cuisinart MC Pro)
A sauté pan isn't a kitchen essential because you can do pretty much everything a sauté pan can do with a skillet. But they're a nice piece to have: the straight sides result in less spattering than a skillet, they have more flat cooking surface than comparably sized skillets, and they come with a lid for wet cooking methods--and, for an added bonus, this lid will often fit your similar-sized skillet, too.
Some cooks prefer a sauté pan to a skillet, but a lot of cooks prefer to use a skillet when they can and a sauté pan when they have to because sauté pans are bulkier. For these reasons, we consider a sauté pan a nice extra, but not a kitchen essential.
And if you do want a sauté pan, consider the deep sauté pan (above), which is much more versatile than a standard sauté pan.
What You Use A Sauté Pan For
As discussed above, a sauté pan is essentially a skillet with straight sides. It's usually sold with a lid, while a skillet is rarely sold with one. These two things give you a clue about the difference between the pans: a sauté pan is designed primarily for wet cooking methods (poaching, braising, etc.), while a skillet is used primarily for frying.
Another clue is how they're measured. Skillets are measured by diameter across the top. Sauté pans are measured by volume: 3 quart, 4 quart, 6 quart. This is another clue that they're designed for liquid cooking.
And it's true: sauté pans, with their straight sides and lids, are perfect for cooking down big batches of greens, for poaching chicken breasts, even for deep frying--whereas the sloped sides of a skillet, as well as its lack of a lid, make it less than ideal for these jobs.
If you had to pick only one of them, the sauté pan is the better choice because it's a more versatile pan. But their squarish shape makes them bulkier, allows for less evaporation, and makes it harder to use a turner.
For more details about the differences between these pans, see our article Should I Buy a Skillet, a Sauté Pan, or Both?
Features of a Good Sauté Pan
Like every pan, it's a combination of safety, even heating, durability, and good design. For design, you want a tight fitting lid, comfortable handle, and a helper handle if the pan is large. Clad stainless steel is the best choice. Avoid nonstick sauté pans.
BUY the All-Clad sauté pan:
BUY the Cuisinart Multiclad Pro sauté pan:
The best woks are carbon steel, which means they're inexpensive and durable. They're a good addition to your cookware collection if you like Asian food and have the storage space for this large, bulky piece of cookware.
For a detailed discussion of woks, see our article How to Choose the Best Wok for Your Kitchen.
How You Use a Wok
Woks are used for stir frying. Stir frying is an Asian cooking technique in which the food is cut into bite-sized pieces before cooking. Because pieces are small, food cooks rapidly and almost always at the highest heat possible. You use the sloped sides to manipulate the food in the pan: once the meat is cooked, for example, you can push it up the sides while you give the veggies a quick sizzle in the bottom, where it's hottest. Finish with a sauce, which bubbles and thickens quickly.
When stir frying, prepping takes the longest, and the cooking itself usually takes under 10 minutes.
Though most people use woks for stir frying, they can be surprisingly versatile. You can use them for steaming (with bamboo steamers), soups, even braising and stews. If your wok comes with a lid (some do, some don't), you can use it for almost everything you use a deep sauté pan for.
Problems with Woks
Getting good wok performance at home can be difficult. Restaurants have high-powered wok burners, often concave, or large enough so the wok sits well inside the burner, to create more surface contact on the bottom.
This is hard to do at home. The small bottom on the wok creates little contact with the heat source. A gas stove works best because the flames spread heat around the pan better, but even so, most home gas ranges aren't powerful enough to get a wok hot enough for optimal wok cooking.
This doesn't mean woks aren't valuable for home use. They are--but you may not get results like the takeout from your local Chinese restaurant.
Can you get similar results from a large skillet or sauté pan? Yes, for the most part. This is why we consider a wok an optional piece of cookware. But if you enjoy Asian stir frying, home wok cooking can be a lot of fun, and it's generally an inexpensive piece.
Ways to Improve Home Wok Performance
- As we already said, buy a flat-bottomed wok if you're going to use it on your conventional stove. A convex bottom will have almost no contact with the heat source.
- Gas hobs are better than electric hobs.
- Stir-fry in batches, removing cooked food to a bowl or plate. This allows the wok to stay hotter and brown better, producing results closer to those of a restaurant. Throw everything back into the wok at the end to heat through before serving.
- Buy a special wok burner (use with caution!):
Features of a Good Wok
You can find all sorts of "Americanized" woks, some with nonstick coating, or made out of tri-ply clad stainless, or so flat-bottomed that they're not much more than an extra large chef's pan.
If you want an "authentic" wok, your best bet is an inexpensive carbon steel wok. Carbon steel is traditional, durable, and should last a lifetime.
Like all carbon steel cookware, woks need to be seasoned. Once seasoned, they are easy to use. The almost nonstick surface is easy to cook with and easy to clean, requiring a quick wipeout and a quick oiling to prevent rusting. (You can scrub and use soap if necessary, but it often won't be.)
As far as size, 14 inches, measured across the top, is the traditional size, and the best size for most cooks. You want a large wok so you can stir fry with vigor and not have to worry about food flying out of the pan. Also, the size sets it apart from other frying pans and sauté pans.
And remember, get a flat-bottomed wok for best results on a home burner.
NOTE: If you have an electric or induction cooktop, you may want to bypass a wok altogether. Induction heats only the bottom surface, and heat won't travel up the sides of a wok like the flames of a gas burner.
BUY A wok:
If you don't want to commit to a wok but want a larger, more general purpose pan that can function like a wok, a chef's pan is a good way to go.
How a Chef's Pan Is Used
Chef's pans are large, versatile pans, good for many cooking tasks including pan frying, deep frying, stir frying, braising, poaching, and more. In fact, they get their name for being a versatile pan--one that a chef can put to many different uses.
A similarly shaped pan is called a sauciér pan, but it's smaller, and therefore not as versatile. (Click here to see one on Amazon.) Sauciér pans are so called because they're used primarily for making sauces: their rounded sides leave no spots for a whisk to miss.
If you're cooking for just one or two, or like to make sauces, go for the sauciér instead of the chef's pan.
Features of a Good Chef's Pan
Like all pans, safety, even heating, and durability are the important features--and since this is a pan you'll use for many tasks, good heating properties are a must (not an option, as with sauce pans, Dutch ovens, and stock pots). Our favorite is All-Clad's D3 clad stainless chef's pan.
These pans should always come with a lid. A stainless lid is best because it's more durable.
A helper handle is a nice feature because these are large pans.
BUY All-Clad saucier/chef's pan ON AMAZON NOW:
Sets Vs. Individual Pans?
Sets are a great way to get a lot of pieces all at once for a good price. But you have to be careful.
If you don't use all the pieces in the set, is it really a good deal? You also have to pay careful attention to the size of the pieces, because all too often, the pieces are small. It's common for sets to have two small sauce pans--1-quart and 2-quart, for example--and two small skillets--8-inch and 10-inch. These pans are too small for most everyday uses, unless you routinely cook for just 1-2 people. And even then, forget about meal prepping or making enough for leftovers.
But it's nice to have matching pieces, and you can add to your set with larger (or smaller) pieces to match as you figure out what you need. So if you do buy a set, we suggest you buy a small set--5 to 7 pieces--and one that has pieces you know you'll use.
Another strategy, particularly if you stick to the essentials, is to invest in two or three top quality pieces and spend less on the pieces that don't need top-notch heating properties. For example, invest in an indestructible Demeyere Proline skillet, an All-Clad Deep Sauté pan, and a Le Creuset Dutch oven, then choose Cuisinart Multiclad Pro or Tramontina for the rest of your pieces, or go with inexpensive cast iron or carbon steel for your second (or third) skillets.
There's no right or wrong answer here. It's all about what you want and how much you want to spend.
Essential Cookware FAQs
Here are some common questions about essential cookware pieces.
How Many Pieces of Cookware Do You Really Need?
There's no definite answer because it depends on your cooking style, but most cooks need at the very least a skillet, a sauce pan, a roasting pan, a Dutch oven, and a baking sheet. With these five pieces you can accomplish almost everything.
How Do You Decide Which Pieces Are the Most Important?
It depends on your cooking style. What may be essential to one cook may not be to another. For example, if you like stir fries you may consider a wok an essential pieces, but if you don't, then you don't need a wok. Most cooks need a skillet and a sauce pan, and a pan for roasting. Baking sheets are also incredibly useful, as are Dutch ovens for braising and making large pots of soup and stew.
Is a Nonstick Pan an Essential Piece of Cookware?
No, nonstick is not essential in any kitchen. Everyone can learn to cook on other surfaces, so nonstick is not an essential pan. The coating wears out quickly and has a lot of safety and environmental concerns, so it's a good idea to avoid nonstick pans.
What Else Are Essential Kitchen Pieces?
There are many tools beyond cookware that are essential to a well-stocked kitchen, but this list varies considerably according to cooking style. Some basic pieces include knives, cutting boards, turners, spatulas, whisks, and strainers. The list of essential kitchen tools can be very long or very short, depending on many different things.
Final Thoughts
Most cooking sites have an article on essential cookware pieces, and the lists vary considerably. Our list looks only at cookware, and is comprehensive enough to include every cooking task, but small enough that it's not overwhelming. Our list of extras allow you to round out your collection based on your individual cooking style.
We leave baking and other kitchen tools for another post.
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Cast-iron skillet: For searing a nice piece of steak, a cast-iron skillet —a naturally nonstick surface—is a workhorse. It s great for searing and or roasting.
A cast iron skillet is definitely a nice piece, especially since it’s cheap and will last forever. You’re right, we should def add that to the nice but not essential pieces. Thanks for your input!
Thank you so much for giving so many details about frying pans and how to choose one. I initially assumed all pans were the same and that you can pick anyone you want since it won't matter, but I never knew different sizes were used for different things. I'll keep your article handy when I start shopping for kitchenware so I won't have to make guesses about what kind of frying pans I should buy.
Thank YOU for commenting! We greatly appreciate it. Glad the article was helpful.
Thank you so much for the well written detailed article. It’s very clear and very informative, such a great article!