TL:DR: A saucepan is a versatile piece of cookware that has straight sides and a long main handle. They’re used for soups, sauces, boiling liquids, and making desserts. If you’re looking for a new saucepan, this article will cover my top recommended products.

I’ve been interested in cooking ever since I was little. My mom encouraged my interest by letting me help her in the kitchen as I was growing up, then freeing me to make my own recipes once I was old enough. I’ve been a cooking hobbyist for about a decade and a half now, and I’ve made it a point to try out different kinds of cookware.

My saucepan is one of the pieces of cookware I keep going back to. It’s a smaller one at two quarts, but it’s perfect for risotto, hard-boiled eggs, and reheating soups. It’s also excellent for delicate tasks like making pastry cream, pudding, or chocolate sauce.

If you’re wondering what the difference between a saucepan and a stockpot is or what the best material is for pans, or if you have any other questions, reach out to a Curated Kitchen Expert. Curated has a service that allows you to chat with a real live Expert to help you find exactly what you’re looking for. And, best of all, it doesn't cost anything!

How to Pick the Best Saucepan for the Job

While a saucepan bears a strong resemblance to a pot with its straight, tall sides, it’s categorized as a pan because it only has one long handle. Saucepans are versatile pieces of cookware, as they can be used to cook rice, sauces, scald milk, or brown butter. Many of the tasks saucepans are used for are delicate, as they tend to be on the smaller side, such as making custards or cream fillings.

Saucepan Construction

To get a saucepan that will perform the various functions you expect, there are certain features to look for. The way that the pan is constructed can have a big effect on your cooking results, so here are some aspects to consider when buying one.

Lid

A saucepan should absolutely come with a lid, as you’ll want to be able to cover what you’re cooking to trap heat, particularly if you plan to boil water. There are two primary types of lids:

• Glass: Lids made of glass are attractive and allow you to check inside without opening the lid and releasing some of the heat. But a glass lid doesn't hold heat as well as metal, especially as most of them have a vent. Glass also isn’t oven safe to as high a temperature as metal and can break.
• Metal: A lid that’s made of the same material as the rest of the pan gives it a uniform look. Metal lids are better at trapping heat and are extremely durable. They’ll also be oven safe to the same temperature as the rest of the pan.

The lid shape is also important, as a domed lid is better for retaining moisture in what you’re cooking. The water will bead on it and fall back into the pan much more than with a flat lid. Opening a pan with a flat lid can also result in water running off it all over your stove — which, while not harmful, is certainly annoying.

Handle

What you consider to be a comfortable handle is going to be subjective and based on your hand size. However, saucepans are often used to pour, and as they’re smaller pans, you’re likely to be moving them around a lot. Having a handle that makes you feel you have a sure grip, doesn’t get hot on the stovetop, and is long enough to balance the pan well makes a big difference.

Material

Saucepans can be made out of many different materials. Which one will suit you best will depend on your personal preferences.

• Stainless steel: The majority of your choices are going to be stainless steel because of how durable it is. As stainless steel isn’t the most conductive material out there, another metal layer is usually added, which is what is meant by a “ply.”
  • Tri-ply or 3-ply: This is the most common and most user friendly. All it means is that there is a layer of another metal, usually aluminum but sometimes copper, that is sandwiched between layers of stainless steel. Doing this makes the pan heat more evenly and adds more heft to it to increase durability.
  • 5-ply: A five-ply pan will have an additional layer of conductive metal and stainless steel. This is said to make the pan heat even more evenly, as well as increase its ruggedness. While that is likely true, most home cooks will more likely notice that it takes longer to heat and is heavier than a three-ply.
  • 7-ply: If five layers aren’t enough, then there’s seven-ply. In the majority of circumstances, you’d only want a seven-ply pan for bragging rights. For a professional chef, the extra layers may well make a difference in terms of even heating and durability, but for most regular cooks, it’ll just be heavier, slower to heat, and more expensive.
• Hard anodized aluminum: Aluminum distributes heat evenly and is incredibly light, but it’s prone to scratches and reacts to acidic foods, like tomatoes. The process of creating hard anodized aluminum involves bonding its oxidation to the metal, making it scratch resistant and non-reactive to acids. It also grants it nonstick properties, though additional nonstick layers are often added. It isn’t the best for high temperatures, though, and is usually a dull color.
• Cast iron: Cast iron saucepans are uncommon but not unheard of. Most saucepan options will be enameled, but seasoned cast iron can also make a good saucepan. It has excellent heat retention, but cast iron cookware requires extra care and attention.
• Copper: Copper cookware is a specialty item as it has a high price tag. Copper is an excellent conductor of heat but is reactive to acids, which is why the majority of copper cookware has stainless steel interiors. Some of them will even have an aluminum core like a stainless steel pan for better durability and heat conduction. But copper isn’t ferromagnetic, so a pot with a copper bottom won’t work on induction cooktops.

Best Saucepans

Because saucepans are common in the majority of kitchens, there are a lot of options out there. Here are my top picks for saucepans.

1. Zwilling Spirit 3-Ply Stainless Steel Saucepan

This saucepan has an aluminum core to aid in even heating and a handle that stays cool, so you won’t have to reach for a towel to pick it up. The tempered glass lid allows you to monitor what you’re cooking without lifting the lid. It also comes in one-quart, two-quart, three-quart, and four-quart sizes, meaning that you can have different-sized pots for making soup, pasta, and hard-boiling eggs.

2. Demeyere Industry Stainless Steel Saucepan

If you're looking for a heavy-duty pan, Demeyere’s Industry saucepan is five-ply with aluminum layers. It’s made in Belgium and is induction compatible, broiler safe, and dishwasher safe. It has a distinct all-stainless styling, making it stand out from other saucepans. Demeyere’s products are more expensive than their competitors, and while this saucepan heats evenly and performs well, there’s not really enough of a difference to justify the price difference, unless you like the styling or that it’s made in Europe.

3. Caraway Home Saucepan

Caraway is known for its ceramic-coated bakeware, but they also make cookware. This saucepan has a nonstick ceramic coating over an aluminum core. It comes in a variety of colors, allowing you to add some brightness to your cookware collection. Ceramic is highly nonstick, making it easy to clean, but it's a bit fragile. Abrupt or uneven temperature changes can crack ceramics, and nonstick layers tend not to hold up over time, so it’s hard to say just how durable this saucepan will be long term.

4. Le Creuset Signature Sauce Pan

If you love cast iron, then this enameled cast iron saucepan is for you. Constructed similarly to the French manufacturer's Dutch ovens, this saucepan comes in a wide variety of colors, is made in France, and is oven and dishwasher-safe (though I’d highly recommend handwashing it to preserve the enamel). It has a helper handle on the front to make moving it easier, and the flared rim makes it easier to get a whisk inside it. Even though it’s a small saucepan, only coming in a 1.75-quart and 2.25-quart capacity, it’s the most expensive one on this list.

5. GreenPan Valencia Pro Healthy Ceramic Non-Stick Saucepan

GreenPan’s goal is to make nonstick cookware that’s healthy to use and free of forever chemicals, and to that end, they coat their pans with ceramic. This pan is made out of anodized aluminum, making it so that it’s lightweight and heats evenly. The ceramic coating is diamond infused, making it safe for metal utensils, though the manufacturer recommends silicone for longevity. It has a magnetic base that makes it induction compatible, is oven safe, and has a stainless steel handle. Like with most nonstick coatings, though, it’s hard to say how long the coating will last.

Find the Best Saucepan for You

When picking out a common type of cookware, it can be hard to know what the best choice is, as every company claims that something about their pan makes it better than everyone else’s. If you’re wondering about how many plies your pan should have, what material it should be made out of, or even what size to get, start a chat with a Curated Kitchen Expert! Every one of our Experts is a dedicated cook who knows all about kitchen equipment. They’d be more than happy to help you pick out the perfect pan for you — all for no charge!