To sauté is to quickly cook food over high heat. The chef’s aim is to lightly brown the exterior of the food while keeping it moist. To accomplish this, sauté pans are constructed with wide, round bases; shorter sides than a sauce pan or stockpot; long handles; and they typically have lids to contain the hot butter or oil. The wide base is meant to allow enough room between items so that they brown rather than steam; the shallow edges allow for air circulation, again preventing steaming, and they also allow the cook to prepare pan sauces. It is important to purchase sauté pans that will be large enough to cook the amount of food you plan on cooking; if you cannot leave enough space between chicken breasts or fillets of fish, you will not get the results you desire.
In addition to finding sauté pans with the attributes above, it is important to know how well it will conduct heat. The better conductor of heat the material is, the faster the pan will heat up and cool down. However, striking a balance between conductivity and suitability for your lifestyle is important. For example, copper is the best heat conductor, but is very expensive and much more labour intensive to maintain. Anodized aluminium sauté pans are an excellent choice for everyday cooks; they conduct heat very well, are less expensive than copper, and are easy to maintain.
Finding a sauté pan with a heat-resistant handle is a great idea; these newer additions prevent accidents and trips to the doctor, as many people accidentally grab hot handles with bare hands.
The final question in choosing a sauté pan is whether or not to choose one with non-stick lining in it. A pan with non-stick lining cannot be used over a very high heat, which is what you need for sautéing. In addition, many non-stick pans cannot go into the oven, which you frequently do after searing meats in a sauté pan. Non-stick pans can be excellent choices for some situations, but may not be the best for sauté pans.
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