Cookware Guide and Shapes
Pots and pans come in many different shapes, each with specific features that make it ideal for
certain techniques and types of recipes. This cookware guide will help you identify the characteristics
of the wide range of pots and pans, and what purpose each piece of cookware is best suited for
Stockpot
Characteristics:
Tall and deep, stock pots typically range in size from 8 to 16 quarts, large enough to boil water for potatoes, lobsters or pasta, simmer big batches of soup and stew, make large quantities of tomato sauce and, as its name would suggest, make stock. The stock pot has straight sides and is typically taller than it is wide, so that it can fit on one burner and minimize the surface of the liquid, to reduce evaporation. Look for two sturdy, easy-to-grip loop handles and a tight-fitting lid. Most home cooks will find an 8- to 10-quart size is ideal for their needs. An ideal stock pot is made of medium-grade anodized aluminum and stainless steel.
Use it for:
Boiling potatoes and other vegetables such as corn or beets, making stock, cooking soup and stews, simmering large batches of tomato sauce
Sauté Pan
Characteristics:
A sauté pan is similar in appearance to a fry pan or skillet, except that instead of the flared, sloping sides, it has straight sides, about 2 to 3 inches high. This design maximizes the cooking surface, helps to contain the food in the pan as it’s cooking (especially if you’re making tossing motions while sauteeing foods), and it also is the ideal shape for cooking food in which you’re going to be adding liquid to make a sauce. Be sure to buy a pan that comes with a tight-fitting lid so you can use it to cook grains or rice.
Also known as:
Sautoir or Sauteuse (often has slightly sloping sides or two short loop handles)
Use it for:
Sauteeing, browning and pan-frying foods, steaming shellfish, cooking rice and rains, making risotto, braising meat in the oven
Skillet (Fry pan)
Characteristics:
A skillet ranges in size from 7 inches in diameter up to 14 inches or even larger, in the case of commercial products. Skillets typically have one long handle (larger models might have a loop “helper” handle to aid in lifting) and short sides that flare outward. The flared sides help food to cook quickly and to let moisture escape so that food browns without steaming. A skillet differs from a sauté pan because of the flared sides. For cooking eggs, use a nonstick skillet.
Also known as:
Fry pan
Use it for:
Stir-fries, scrambling or frying eggs, sautéing vegetables or protein.
Sauce Pan
Characteristics:
The saucepan is the classic shape we think of when we hear the word “pot.” With tall sides and a long handle, this pan is most effective when it’s made of a heavy metal like copper, anodized aluminum or stainless steel with a heat-conductive core (like copper or aluminum). It comes in a range of sizes, from 1 to 5 quarts, so choose a size or two that will fit your typical cooking style. A tight-fitting lid (for steaming foods or cooking grains and rice), as well as a handle that will stay cool are also important.
Use it for:
Cooking sauces, custards, grains and rice, soups and cooking or steaming vegetables.
Double Boiler (used with sauce pan)
Characteristics:
This two-part pan consists of a saucepan that holds around 2 inches of simmering water over the stove burner and a smaller pan that nests over it, in which you can gently heat foods like chocolate or egg-based custard over a steady, moderate heat. Many double boilers come with a lid that will fit both the insert and the bottom pan, which enables the bottom pan to be used on its own. A makeshift double boiler can also be made by nesting an appropriately sized metal bowl into a saucepan, as long as there is enough space for water to simmer below without touching the bottom of the bowl.
Also known as:
Bain-marie
Use it for:
Melting chocolate and butter, cooking custard and cream- and egg-based sauces without curdling, cooking polenta, reheating or keeping foods warm
Sauciér
Characteristics:
A round pan with high sides, a bowl-like shape, and a long handle, a saucier is excellent for making liquidy recipes that require lots of stirring. Unlike a straight-sided saucepan, food won’t get trapped in corners and overcook or burn. The saucier’s broad surface area makes it good for sautéing foods, as well as for making soups and sauces. While they come in sizes ranging from 1 to 5 quarts or more, a 3- to 4-quart size will likely be very versatile for making soups and larger batches of sauces. Look for a saucier made of heavy, conducive metal, such as clad stainless steel.
Use it for:
Sauces, risotto, sautéing, soups, custards, rice, oatmeal
Used for recipes like:
Heating the milk mixture for Potatoes Au Gratin
Che’f pan
Characteristics:
The chef’s pan combines design elements of a skillet, saucepan and stir-fry pan for a versatile pan. It has a long handle, is deeper than a skillet, and has a rounded shape and flared sides so that liquid can evaporate easily or sauce can be stirred with a whisk. This pan is similar in shape and function to a saucier.
Use it for:
Braised dishes, risotto, cooking grains and rice, stir-fry, reductions
Grill pan
Characteristics:
A grill pan can be round, square or rectangular, with the latter shape often big enough to cover two burners to maximize cooking surface (however, be aware that with a pan this big, the pan might heat unevenly). Look for a pan that’s made of heavy, conductive metal, and in which the grill lines are punched out so that they’re indented on the underside, which will cause them to heat better than a pan in which the grill lines are molded and the pan’s underside is smooth. A nonstick pan is easier to clean, but an uncoated one might give better grill marks.
Use it for:
High-heat cooking of large pieces of vegetables and individual portions of protein, such as steaks, hamburgers, chicken breast and fish fillets
Used for recipes like:
Grilled Tofu with Asian Noodle Salad
Grilled Tuna Steaks with Asian Sesame Crust
Tangine
Characteristics:
The unusual shape of the tagine fits its purpose perfectly. A glazed terra cotta cover, shaped like an upside-down funnel, sits atop a round, shallow pan. The conical shape of the cover allows rising condensation to collect and drip back down into the food, keeping it moist. The base can either be made of terra cotta, which is traditional, or of stainless steel or cast iron, to allow the cook to brown the protein first.
Use it for:
Traditional Moroccan tagines and other stews
Steamer insert
Characteristics:
A steamer insert has a perforated bottom and fits on top of another pot. It should have a snug-fitting lid so that the simmering water from the bottom pot can rise through the holes in the base and be contained within the steamer to gently heat or cook the food. Often you can find steamer inserts sold as a package with the appropriately sized saucepan and a lid which fits them both. Otherwise, be sure that the steamer you buy will snugly fit one of your pots. The steamer should be made of stainless steel.
Use it for:
Steaming vegetables, shellfish, Asian dumplings or buns, tamales and more. Can also double as a colander
Omelete pan
Characteristics:
An omelet pan has a similar shape to a skillet, but with sloping sides and an out-turned lip that help the omelet slide right out of the pan. Choose a pan that’s relatively lightweight, and which has a comfortable handle. An 8-inch pan should be a good size for making a 2- or 3-egg omelet, and a nonstick coating will help keep eggs from sticking.
Use it for:
Making omelets and crepes
Dutch Oven
Characteristics:
A Dutch oven is typically made of a heavy, sturdy material like cast iron, which allows for slow, even heat distribution, and it’s coated in a nonreactive material like enamel, which also makes it fairly easy to clean. It is round (or occasionally oval-shaped, which is good for whole roasts) and deep, with two loop or tab handles and a tight-fitting lid. This pot can be used on the stove or in the oven. It comes in a wide range of sizes, measured by quart capacity. A 5- to 7-quart size is a good choice for a family of four.
Also known as:
French oven
Use it for:
Braising, simmering stews and soups, oven roasting, cooking large quantities of rice, grains or beans. Larger sizes can be used to boil water for cooking potatoes or pasta.
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