If you're in the market for a new frying pan, you're probably asking yourself that age-old question:
Should I get a skillet or a sauté pan?
Which is better?
Is there even a difference?
The pans are similar, but there are definite differences in design and function, and those differences can matter to what you're cooking and what your cooking style is.
Some of our favorites:
SEE THE DEMEYERE PROLINE SKILLET ON AMAZON
Skillet Pans Vs. Sauté Pans: Basic Differences
 Skillet/Frying Pan |  Saute Pan |
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First of all, the terms skillet and frying pan are used interchangeably. Some sources claim that a skillet has slightly higher sides than a frying pan, but most people--both cooks and manufacturers--use the terms to mean the same thing.
However, a sauté pan, is different.
The main differences between skillets and sauté pans are:
- Skillets have curved or sloped sides and rarely come with a lid (though some do).
- Sauté pans have straight sides and always come with a lid.
Other differences are:
- Skillets are measured in diameter across the top rim (inches or centimeters). Sauté pans are measured in volume, typically quarts or liters.
- Skillet pans are designed for dry heat cooking like pan frying and stir frying with a small amount of oil.
- Sauté pans are designed for both dry heat cooking and liquid cooking like braising and poaching.
- Because they have straight sides, sauté pans have a larger flat cooking surface than skillets of a similar size.
Despite the differences, you can use these pans for similar tasks. If you're braising or poaching, a sauté pan is the better choice because the straight sides and lid are designed to hold liquids safely and slow evaporation.
You can find both pan styles in all types of cookware material, including clad stainless, nonstick, glass/ceramic, aluminum, copper, cast iron, and carbon steel.
Let's look at each pan in more detail.
What Is a Skillet (Frying Pan)?
Once again, a skillet/frying pan is shallow, with curved or sloped sides that facilitate quick evaporation which make it ideal for browning.
Use a skillet for pan frying, stir frying, and sautéing. Skillets are typically sold without lids because they're designed for tasks that do not require covering.
However, people often do want to cover a skillet to control evaporation or to let food cook through, so lids are often sold separately, and occasionally come with the pan. You can also buy generic lids to fit pans of specific sizes, or universal lids to fit any pan.
Types of Skillets
There are several types of pans in the skillet category, including crepe pans, woks, and chef's pans. We talk more about those below. For now, here are some of the most popular actual skillets.
Some skillets have angled but not curved sides, like a Lodge cast iron skillet. This is still considered a skillet, not a sauté pan, because of the angled sides and lack of a lid:
A French skillet may have slightly higher sides than a regular skillet pan, but its sloped sides put it firmly in the skillet camp. The higher sides and lack of a lid (and lip) are what make this a French skillet:
Other styles of French skillets include carbon steel skillets, most of which have straight sides and are sold without lids (we know of no exceptions to this). This Matfer-Bourgeat French skillet is one of our favorites:
Most skillet pans have one long handle, and larger ones have a helper handle on the opposite side:
Less common are skillet-type pans with two short handles. Short-handled skillets are often a little deeper than long-handled skillets, making them usable as small roasting pans. This makes sense as the two short handles make them easier to put in the oven:
Technically, a shallow pan with two short handles is called a rondeau, brasier, or sauteuse pan--especially if it has a lid--but it is essentially a deepish, short-handled skillet. (Don't get too hung up on these unfamiliar names, as they can vary among makers and get confusing. "Short-handled skillet" is the best way to think about these. The point to remember is that if you do a lot of oven roasting, a short-handled skillet pan can be useful.)
And we can't forget nonstick skillets, which are good for eggs, though we aren't huge fans because they don't last long and they create a lot of environmental issues:
How Skillets Are Sized
Skillets are sized by the rim diameter in inches or centimeters:
The most popular frying pan sizes are 10-inch and 12-inch, but they can be as small as 6-inch or as large as 17-inch. Note that a skillet this large is probably going to have two short handles so it can fit in an oven.
What to Know About a Skillet's Cooking Surface
Note that the given size of a skillet (i.e., 10 inches, 12 inches, etc.) is not equivalent to the amount of cooking surface it has: a 10-inch skillet pan does not provide 10 inches of cooking surface. This is because of the sloped sides.
The curve of a skillet can vary from fairly straight, like the Demeyere Industry pan, below left, to extremely sloped, like the Anolon Nouvelle nonstick skillet on the right:
Slightly sloped sides = larger flat cooking surface.
Sharply sloped sides = smaller flat cooking surface.
The more sloped the sides, the less flat cooking surface there is. This affects the usability of the pan. In other words, if you want a frying pan with more flat cooking surface, buy one with fairly straight sides (or go with a sauté pan--though this is not a no brainer decision, for reasons we'll get to in a minute).
So Which Skillet Design Is Best?
We think a 12-inch clad stainless steel skillet with slightly angled sides is the best choice for most people. Clad stainless steel is the most versatile cookware, usable for everything (if you know the right techniques), and the 12-inch size accommodates most cooking tasks. Clad stainless pans are durable, non-reactive, don't require seasoning, and will last for decades.
If you're cooking for one or two, then a 10-inch skillet may be large enough, unless you like leftovers or do meal prepping.
This All-Clad tri-ply skillet with a lid is a great option for a versatile skillet.
However, many cooks like to have more than one type and size of skillet, which makes sense.
In fact, most serious cooks own a few skillets (plus a sauté pan or two) in various sizes and styles. They may have an 8-inch skillet for small jobs, a nonstick skillet for eggs, a 10- or 12-inch clad stainless for general use (we recommend the larger size for the most versatility), a cast iron skillet for high heat searing, and a sauté pan for braising and poaching--plus maybe a deep sauté pan for deep frying and many other tasks (a deep sauté pan is one of the most versatile pans in your kitchen--more on this in a minute).
What's the best general purpose skillet?
This varies depending on your cooking style, but our recommendation for a general purpose skillet is a 12-inch clad stainless skillet. Even better if it comes with a lid.
What Is a Sauté Pan?
A sauté pan (pronounced "saw-tay") has straight sides--that is, sides at a right angle to the cooking surface. It should always come with a lid. The sides can be slightly deeper than those of a skillet.
You use a sauté pan for sautéing and pan frying (just like a skillet), but you can also use it for liquid cooking methods and those that require a lid: poaching, braising, and cooking down big batches of greens.
You can use a skillet for these tasks too--IF it has a lid and IF it's deep enough--but a sauté pan is designed for them: the straight sides provide slower evaporation, and they're safer to cook liquids in.
Types of Sauté Pans
There aren't as many variations of sauté pans as there are skillet pans, but here are a few.
The deep sauté pan has taller sides than a standard sauté pan. Here is the All-Clad tri-ply 6qt deep sauté:
Note the helper handle, which is more common on sauté pans than skillets because they're bulkier and heavier than frying pans.
Sauteuse Pan: If a sauté pan has two short handles, it often has a domed lid and is called a rondeau, brazier, or sauteuse pan (similar to short-handled skillet pans--another reason not to get too hung up on the name):
How Sauté Pans are Sized
Sauté pans are sized by volume-another hint that they're designed for cooking with liquids (while frying pans are not).
In the US, the volumetric measure is usually quarts but can also be in liters.
Helpful hint: A 3- or 4-quart, shallow-sided sauté pan is roughly equivalent in size to a 10-inch skillet, while a 5- or 6-quart, shallow-sided sauté pan is roughly equivalent in size to a 12-inch skillet.
This is a bit of an apples-to-oranges comparison as far as cooking surface, which we talk about more below. But it's handy to know, because the lid to your 3- or 4-quart sauté pan (or 6-quart deep sauté pan) will probably fit your 10-inch skillet. And the lid to your 5- or 6-quart shallow sauté pan will probably fit your 12-inch skillet.
So if you have a skillet that didn't come with a lid, you may already own a lid that fits it.
Cooking Surface
Because the sides of a sauté pan are vertical, the entire bottom of the pan is cooking surface. Thus, it has more flat cooking surface than a similar-sized frying pan.
So you get more bang for your buck with a sauté pan. But that doesn't always make it the better choice. (More on this in a minute.)
When to Use a Skillet?
We already talked about this, but to summarize:
Use a skillet pan or frying pan:
- For high heat searing
- For general purpose sautéing, pan frying, and stir frying
- When you're using a dry heat method (small amount of liquid/oil) or very little liquid (like a pan sauce)
- When you want to do the "chef toss" to move food around the pan
- When you don't need a lid.
If you do a lot of shallow dry heat cooking--that is, using small amounts of oil to sauté, stir fry, or pan fry--a frying pan (skillet) is an excellent choice.
The sloped sides facilitate flipping food over more easily with a turner (as you would do for pan frying fish, chicken thighs, burgers, etc).
The sloped, shallow sides facilitate rapid evaporation. This is optimal for high-heat searing and producing a nice crust.
Summary: A skillet is the best choice for pan frying, stir frying, sautéing, and high-heat searing. It's also the best option for doing the chef toss and when you don't need a lid.
When to Use a Sauté Pan?
Use a saute pan:
- For high-heat searing
- For general purpose sautéing, pan frying, and stir frying
- For wet heat cooking (braising, poaching)
- When you need a lid (for simmering, poaching, braising, reducing greens, etc.).
If you do a lot of pan frying but also want a pan you can use for braising, poaching, deep frying, and other things that involve a lot of liquid, a sauté pan is the right choice.
A sauté pan is not the best choice for stir frying, where you use high heat and continually move small pieces of food up the sides of a pan to control temperature. Stir frying is best done in a skillet, chef's pan, or wok.
Summary: The straight sides and lid make a sauté pan great for cooking with liquids: simmering, poaching, braising, and even deep frying. It also works for sautéing, searing, and pan-frying but is not quite as optimal as a skillet.
So Which One Is Best (If I Can Only Have One)?
A sauté pan is a skillet, but a skillet isn't a sauté pan.
What this means is that you can pan fry, sear, and in a pinch, even stir fry in a sauté pan. But you can't go the other way: you can't braise, poach, or reduce greens in a skillet.
Because a skillet doesn't have a lid. And also because it's not safe to cook with liquids in a skillet because of the sloped sides.
Which makes the sauté pan the more versatile pan.
However: most cooks prefer using a skillet when possible and a sauté pan when necessary.
Why? Mostly because of maneuverability.
The sloped sides of the skillet pan make it less bulky and easier to handle than comparably sized sauté pans.
So. Here's our recommendation:
If you could only have one pan, you should get a sauté pan for its versatility (and its lid). But if you're like most cooks, you'll probably prefer using a skillet for sautéing and pan frying.
Luckily, for most of us it's not an either/or. You can have one of each or even a few of each. You can have a 10-inch nonstick skillet for eggs, a large cast iron skillet for frying chicken and searing steaks, a 10- or 12-inch tri-ply stainless skillet for daily use, and a sauté pan for braising, poaching, and reducing.
Another pointer is to shop what's on sale. Maybe you're not sure exactly what you want, you just know that you need a bigger pan or a smaller pan or an extra pan of some sort. If you find a good price on a pan that will fit your needs, don't worry about what type of pan it is. Just buy it.
Buying the best deal that will work for you is a smart way to shop.
To keep up with the best online sales and deals, like and follow The Rational Kitchen on Facebook.
If you can have only one pan, the sauté pan is the more versatile of the two. However, most cooks prefer using a skillet/frying pan for its lighter weight and greater maneuverability.
Most cooks own a few skillets (in different sizes and styles) and at least one sauté pan.
Other Options
You don't need to stick to these two options. There are as many types of pans available as you could possibly need to round out your collection. Here are a few options.
Chef's Pan
A chef's pan is so called because it is the favorite choice of many chefs for its versatility. It's large--usually 4 quarts or more--and has long sloped sides and a lid, so it's great for sauteeing, stir frying, sauce making, and simmering.
Wok
A wok is a large, slope-sided pan with a very small flat bottom or even a completely rounded bottom (no flat cooking surface at all). It is specialized for stir-frying, which uses high heat to quickly cook small pieces of meat and vegetables. The steep sides are used to move food away from the heat source while other food cooks. Woks are the original one-pan meal pan. Read more in our article on how to choose the best wok.
Woks are not good for pan frying (that is, sautéing large pieces of fish, chicken, burgers, or other meat) because of their limited flat cooking surface. But some woks come with lids, and people use them as a general purpose pan, not only for stir frying but for pan frying, poaching, braising, steaming (along with a bamboo steamer) and more.
Deep Sauté Pan
The deep saute pan is one of the most versatile pan you can have in your kitchen. You can use it for everything, from pan frying to deep frying to braising to making pasta, soups, and stews.
It looks like a large sauce pan, and you can use it as one. But it is also wide enough to function as a frying pan, and big enough to use as a small stock pot.
It's great for making soups and stews because you can sauté the mirepoix and/or proteins easily, then add the stock and other ingredients for stovetop simmering.
The sides are a little too tall to easily flip pan-fried meat (chicken, pork chops, burgers, fish). But it works in a pinch.
The All-Clad deep sauté pan shown here is as versatile as the chef's pan discussed above. It may not be a pan you hear about often, but it's one of our favorites.
Is Cast Iron a Good Choice for a Skillet?
Cast iron is a very good choice for a skillet. A lot of people prefer cast iron to clad stainless for their all-purpose pan; the fact that it has a semi-nonstick cooking surface makes it an excellent choice for people trying to avoid nonstick cookware chemicals.
Cast iron is durable, inexpensive, and the top choice for searing and deep frying--tasks that require a pan to hang onto heat.
see lodge cast iron skillets on amazon
Cast iron does have some drawbacks, though. It's heavy, it heats slowly and unevenly, and bare cast iron reacts with acidic foods, imparting a metallic taste. (This is less of an issue with well-seasoned cast iron, but liquids and acidic foods eat away at seasoning after awhile--so you have to re-season occasionally if you use it for liquids.)
If you don't mind the weight and that it takes longer for cast iron to heat evenly throughout (it can take several minutes), cast iron is a good, inexpensive option. It's also a decent option for a sauté pan, as the sides are steep and usually a deeper than those on other skillets.
Is Nonstick a Good Choice for a Skillet?
The short answer? No: nonstick is not a good choice for an everyday, general purpose pan.
A lot of people keep a nonstick pan for their eggs and other delicate foods. But it's not a good idea to use nonstick for a general purpose pan.
Nonstick coatings are fragile. They require that you use medium or low heat, and you have to baby them to make the nonstick coating last as long as possible (which is usually less than 5 years, even with the best possible care). This limits the pan's versatility.
And, the slipperiness of nonstick makes it difficult to build up fond--those browned bits of goodness that add flavor to your food.
A well-seasoned cast iron or carbon steel pan is almost as good as bona fide nonstick pan, and about 100,000 times more durable.
And, you do not need an entire set of nonstick. Only skillets benefit from a nonstick surface, so don't waste money on other nonstick pans, because they don't last.
So even though more expensive up front, the clad stainless is a much better way to go.
Don't buy a nonstick pan for everyday use. Save it for eggs and other delicate foods, or consider using a well-seasoned cast iron or carbon steel pan instead: they're almost as nonstick, and last forever.
What's the Best Choice for a Sauté Pan?
The best options depend on several factors: how you'll use it, whether or not you also own a skillet, your cooking style, and more.
The best all-around sauté pan is clad stainless. We'll give you a few recommendations in a minute.
Sauté pans are usually more expensive than skillets--so be sure this is the pan you want before you buy (especially if you choose nonstick). For this reason, we don't recommend nonstick sauté pans: clad stainless is the best way to go if you want a durable pan that will last for decades.
Our Favorite Skillets and Sauté Pans
Here we share some of our favorite pans that go beyond a simple skillet pan or sauté pan.
Your skillet and skillet-like pans get the hardest use of all the pans in your kitchen. They must withstand hot grease, temperature shifts, scraping with utensils, and scrubbing.
Therefore, your skillet should be the one pan you are willing to invest in. A top quality skillet or sauté pan will last for decades of hard use--so even though you may spend more up front, your cost-per-year-of-use will be low.
For more on choosing pans, see The Best Cookware Set for Every Budget or our Guide to the Best Induction Cookware. (Note: you don't have to have an induction cooktop to read this article; it has a lot of great general cookware information.)
If you only invest in one top quality piece of cookware, it should be your skillet (or your sauté pan if that is your preference).
Top Quality Clad Stainless Skillet: Demeyere Atlantis Proline
If you're looking for top-of-the-line, look no further. The Demeyere Atlantis Proline Skillet is of exceptional quality and durability. It has welded handles, giving you a rivetless cooking surface, and has a special finish (called "Silvinox") which makes it easier to clean than other stainless cookware (although don't expect nonstick).
With its heavy construction, the Proline is practically indestructible. It is designed for use with induction, but unlike most induction cookware, which has a layer of magnetic steel on the pan's exterior, Demeyere protects the more corrosion-prone magnetic steel by sandwiching it between two layers of rust-free 18/10 steel.
The Proline has a 3.7mm layer of aluminum, which is almost twice that of All-Clad's tri-ply, and even more than their MC2, which is all aluminum with a stainless cooking surface. This means the Proline has better heating properties and way better heat retention than All-Clad tri-ply (the standard by which all clad cookware is measured).
The pan also has a great shape: fairly steep sides that make for a large cooking surface, and a rolled rim for drip-free pouring.
The Demeyere engineers thought of everything when they made this pan. It has only one drawback: it's heavy. So if weight is an issue, don't get this pan--or get the small one.
Oh, and it's expensive. But in our opinion, worth every penny.
Features:
- 7-ply clad aluminum construction
- 4.8mm thick, with 3.7mm of aluminum interior (almost twice that of All-Clad!)
- "TriplInduc®" technology sandwiches magnetic steel between more durable 18/10 steel
- Super heavy construction won't warp under any conditions
- Welded handles for rivetless cooking surface
- Rolled rim for drip-free pouring
- Silvinox finish for long-term luster and easy cleaning
- Induction compatible but excellent for use on all cooking surfaces
- Made in Belgium.
Drawbacks:
- It's heavy, so get the 9.4-inch, not the 12.6-inch.
- Expensive.
Buy this pan if: You want top notch quality clad stainless, induction compatibility, dishwasher safe, and don't mind the weight.
See the Demeyere Proline on Amazon now:
Excellent Induction-Compatible Frying Pan: All-Clad D3
All-Clad is considered the gold standard in clad cookware. It's high quality, has a nice, thick layer of heat-spreading aluminum, comes with a lifetime warranty, and is made in the USA.
When people think of All-Clad, they generally think of D3, or tri-ply, the original clad stainless cookware with a layer of aluminum sandwiched between durable stainless steel. Tri-ply is great quality cookware, with a 1.7mm layer of aluminum and a total thickness of 2.6mm. That's less aluminum than the Proline (above), but it still provides top notch heating properties while being much lighter weight and easier to handle.
Features:
- 3-ply clad stainless with 1.7mm aluminum layer
- Thick enough to have great heating properties, lightweight enough to be easy to handle
- Rolled rim for drip-free pouring
- Induction compatible
- Dishwasher safe
- Lifetime warranty
- Made in USA.
Drawbacks:
- Expensive.
Buy this pan if: You want great quality, induction compatibility, dishwasher safe, and don't want a heavier pan like the Proline (above).
See the All-Clad D3 Tri-ply skillet on Amazon now:
Great Nonstick Skillet: Anolon Nouvelle Copper
Check out the Anolon Nouvelle Copper nonstick skillet on Amazon
The Anolon Nouvelle Copper nonstick skillet pan is one of the best deals around. It's made of hard anodized cast aluminum attached to a base with an aluminum-copper-aluminum construction encapsulated in induction compatible stainless steel. The base has an astonishing 4mm of aluminum and just over a half-centimeter (0.6mm) of copper in the center. And with a cast aluminum body, the heat-spreading continues all throughout the pan.
At an economical price point, the Anolon Nouvelle offers excellent performance. It's probably the best nonstick cookware on the market right now, at any price. It's not going to be an everyday pan (nor should it be), and it's not going to last a lifetime. But if you're in need of a nonstick pan for eggs or other sticky jobs, this is one of the best choices you can make.
This pan's only drawback is its shape (and this may not be a drawback to you): it's got long sides and a fairly small cooking surface relative to its size. Other than that, this is a great pan.
Features:
- Hard anodized aluminum construction
- Encapsulated base of aluminum, copper, and stainless
- 4mm of aluminum and 0.6mm of copper in base
- Cast stainless handles
- Limited lifetime warranty
- Excellent price point
- Made in Thailand.
Drawbacks:
- Long sides give this skillet a smaller cooking surface than some other designs
- Nonstick surface isn't good for general purpose use.
Buy this pan if: You need a nonstick skillet pan and want top performance and induction compatibility at an amazingly affordable price.
SEE THE ANOLON NOUVELLE SKILLET ON AMAZON NOW:
Great Shallow Sauté Pan: All-Clad D3 (Induction) or All-Clad MC2 (Non-induction)
This pan has everything you're looking for: it's heavy-duty and durable, but light enough to handle easily, it has deep-but-not-too-deep sides, and it comes with a lifetime warranty.
Features--D3 (Tri-ply):
- 3-ply clad stainless with 1.7mm aluminum layer
- Thick enough to have great heating properties, lightweight enough to be easy to handle
- Rolled rim for drip-free pouring
- Induction compatible
- Dishwasher safe
- Lifetime warranty
- Made in USA.
Drawbacks--D3 (tri-ply):
- Expensive.
Buy the tri-ply (D3) sauté pan if: You want a sauté pan with great performance and durability, induction compatibility, and is dishwasher safe.
SEE THE ALL-CLAD D3 4 QT SAUTE PAN ON AMAZON NOW:
As we've already mentioned, though this may not be a pan you'd think to get, it is extremely versatile and can be an asset to any cook, any kitchen, anywhere. It works as a large sauce pan, a saucier, a chef's pan, a (smallish) stock pot, a deep frying pan, and a Dutch oven. It is the original Always Pan.
It's not the best choice for pan frying; the tall sides make it hard to flip food and slow evaporation. But it works. And it is a superb choice for soups and stews: you can sauté your mirepoix, then add your stock. A one pot meal (again--the original Always Pan, and actually big enough to be used as one).
At 6 quarts, this deep sauté is small enough to use for frying and sautéing, deep enough to use as a sauce pan, and large enough to function as a small stock pot or a Dutch oven.
We love, love, love this pan. We can't say enough good things about it. It's one of our go-to pans for so many uses.
See our Ultimate All-Clad Review
Buy this pan if: You're looking for a versatile, durable multi-tasker to add to your collection.
SEE THE ALL-CLAD D3 DEEP SAUTE PAN ON AMAZON NOW:
Final Thoughts
Skillets and sauté pans are used for nearly identical tasks: sautéing, pan frying, stir frying, etc. With its straight sides and lid, a sauté pan can also be used for liquid cooking methods like simmering, poaching, and braising. So the sauté pan is more versatile, but the skillet offers a superior frying experience because the curved sides encourage faster evaporation and make it easier to maneuver your food.
In the end, it's largely a matter of preference. You may prefer the sauté pan for its versatility, or the skillet for its maneuverability. Or, like many people, maybe you want one of each--or maybe you want to branch out and get a sauteuse, chef's pan, or a deep sauté pan instead of a second (or third) skillet or sauté pan.
There is no wrong answer. All are great pans, and all will serve you well.
Help other people buy wisely, too! Please share this article:
I'm rather surprised you didn't include Made-In brand. They're 5ply & their frying pans are made in the USA while their pots & sauce pans are made in Italy. Excellent 2019 start-up out of Austin. Much preferred over All-Clad by me for craftsmanship, comfortable handles, & being 5ply instead of 3ply.
I'm with you on Demeyere Atlantis/Proline though, by far my favorite SS cookware ever! I have their 9.4", 11", & 5.1 quart Saute pan, all of which are impeccable pieces of beautiful craftsmanship, design & function. And a dream to cook with.
Curiously though they appear to have recently dropped the name Atlantis, as my 11" skillet I received less than a week ago only says Proline 7 on the box but the word Atlantis is missing from the packaging, but not from the site I purchased it from.