Pan with Straight Sides: What’s It Called and Why Use One?
Ever stare at your pans and wonder why one stands tall with straight sides, while another slopes gently? That flat, upright-wall pan isn’t just a regular frying pan—it's called a sauté pan. People tend to mix up sauté pans and skillets (also known as frying pans), but they’re not the same at all.
Sauté pans have those classic straight, vertical sides for a reason. They hold in sauces, stop food from jumping out when you stir, and even help you squeeze more into the pan without spills. If you like to simmer a creamy sauce or poach eggs without making a mess, a sauté pan is your best friend. Plus, they usually come with a lid, making them perfect to braise or steam things, too.
- The Name Game: Sauté Pan vs. Skillet
- Why Straight Sides Matter in Cooking
- Everyday Uses for a Sauté Pan
- Tips for Buying and Caring for Straight-Sided Pans
The Name Game: Sauté Pan vs. Skillet
People often call any pan a frying pan, but when you start cooking for real, the difference between a pan with straight sides (sauté pan) and a skillet (frying pan) actually matters. Here’s what stands out: a sauté pan always has straight, tall sides that climb up at a right angle from the bottom. A skillet or frying pan, on the other hand, has flared, sloped sides that make it easy to flip or slide out food, but it’s not great for holding in liquids.
If you’re still unsure, peek at the handles and lids. Sauté pans almost always come with lids and may even have an extra helper handle on the opposite side. Skillets usually don’t bother with a lid, and their sides make stirring easy, but you’re more likely to spill if you get too ambitious with the sauce.
- Sauté pan: Straight, high sides. Usually comes with a lid. Good for searing, simmering, or anything saucy.
- Skillet (frying pan): Sloped sides. Mostly lid-free. Awesome for frying, scrambling, and tossing ingredients quickly.
Check out this quick side-by-side:
| Feature | Sauté Pan | Skillet |
|---|---|---|
| Sides | Straight, vertical | Sloped, flared |
| Lid | Usually included | Rarely included |
| Best for | Sauteing, simmering, braising | Frying, browning, flipping |
Once you get how each works, you’ll save yourself mess and wasted time. Grab the right pan, and suddenly cooking gets a whole lot easier.
Why Straight Sides Matter in Cooking
Straight sides on a pan aren’t just a design choice—they totally change how you cook. With a pan with straight sides, the key difference comes down to how it handles food and liquids. Those tall edges keep sauces from sliding out, which is a lifesaver if you’re making anything like chicken piccata, pasta sauces, or a simple pan gravy.
Ever tried searing a bunch of chicken thighs only to run out of space on a sloped-edge pan? The upright walls on a sauté pan help you fit more food on the surface, so everything browns evenly. You don’t have to worry about food tipping or crowding. Plus, stirring or tossing ingredients is less stressful when you’re not trying to dodge runaway onions or mushrooms flying across your stovetop.
Another perk: straight sides cut down on splatter. Sautéing onions in butter? Simmering curry? The edges act like a mini fence, catching those tiny oil pops that you’d usually end up scrubbing off your stove. If you ever splash liquids into the pan, the high walls catch most of it, so cleanup is a breeze. This design is also great for recipes with a fair amount of liquid, since it holds more volume—think shallow poaching or gentle braising.
Here are some specific ways straight sides make life easier in the kitchen:
- Reduces spills—so you waste less food and save cleanup time.
- Helps cook larger amounts evenly since you can fit more in a single layer.
- Makes it simple to finish dishes in the oven, since many sauté pans are oven safe.
- Better for when you need to deglaze the pan using wine or broth—the liquid spreads around instead of running out.
According to a 2023 survey from Cookware Trends Magazine, 68% of home cooks say they get fewer kitchen messes when they use a straight-sided sauté pan for sauces and stews compared to a regular frying pan.
Everyday Uses for a Sauté Pan
If you’ve ever tried to make one-pan pasta or reduce a sauce and had it spill over the sides, the straight walls of a pan with straight sides save the day. Sauté pans aren’t just for restaurant chefs. They shine in home kitchens when you want a little more control (and less mess).
First off, these pans make sautéing veggies less chaotic. You can toss and stir without pile-ups or runaway mushrooms leaping over the edge. The high walls catch any splash from deglazing, so you don’t end up scrubbing the stove after dinner. Since they have more surface area than saucepans, you can brown meat, stir-fry, or even shallow-fry chicken cutlets. Need to cook a bunch of onions for French onion soup? Pile them in—straight sides give you all that extra room.
If you love making dishes with lots of sauce, like chicken piccata or a quick curry, here’s where a sauté pan shines. The shape keeps liquids in check while helping the food cook evenly, and the lid (which most sauté pans have) turns the pan into a steam chamber for simmering or wilting greens. Plenty of folks use their sauté pans for dishes like:
- Paella or risotto—enough space to stir and cook evenly
- Shakshuka—eggs poach right in the sauce, no spills
- Stir-fried noodles—sides keep those noodles in line!
- Quick one-pot dinners or skillet meals
- Reheating leftovers evenly, without drying them out
For anyone who wants less cleanup, a sauté pan lets you do the browning, simmering, and finishing all in one spot. According to a cookware survey from 2024, 65% of home cooks say they’re more likely to try new recipes when cleanup is simple. No surprise: a sauté pan helps here.
Tips for Buying and Caring for Straight-Sided Pans
If you want a kitchen workhorse that lasts, picking the right straight-sided pan—yep, your pan with straight sides, also called a sauté pan—actually matters. Let’s keep things simple but smart so you get your money’s worth.
First off, look for material. Stainless steel with an aluminum or copper core is a top pick because it heats evenly and doesn’t warp easily. Nonstick coatings work for easy clean up, but they don’t last as long and can’t take high heat. Cast iron pans with straight sides exist and give awesome browning, but they’re heavy and need seasoning. If you cook with induction, make sure your pan is induction-compatible—many stainless models are, but check to be sure.
Check the handle too. Riveted handles feel sturdy and won’t wiggle loose over the years, which is what you want when you’re moving a heavy pan from stove to oven. For more flexibility, go for a pan with an oven-safe handle and make sure the lid fits tight. A good lid makes simmering and braising a breeze.
Not sure what size to buy? The most useful sauté pans are about 3 to 5 quarts—big enough for batch cooking, but not so huge you’ll curse it when it’s time to wash up. Here’s a quick size guide:
| Pan Size | Best For |
|---|---|
| 3 qt (10-inch) | Pasta sauce, sautéed veggies, chicken breasts |
| 5 qt (12-inch) | Family meals, stir fry, one-pan dinners |
For care, always let your hot pan cool before washing (plunging it into cold water risks warping). Hand wash with a soft sponge. If your pan is stainless steel, a bit of baking soda or Bar Keepers Friend can get rid of burnt-on spots. Nonstick? Stick to wood or silicone utensils—metal will scratch.
- Store with soft cloth between pans to avoid scuffs.
- If your pan's seasoning fades (cast iron types), rub a light oil on after drying.
- Don’t use high heat on nonstick pans—medium does the job for most dishes.
With a little attention, a quality sauté pan will handle everything from breakfast eggs to dinner stir-fries for years. You really don’t have to baby it, just treat it right and you’ll get great meals and fewer kitchen headaches.