What’s the Difference Between a Skillet and a Sauté Pan? | Equipment Review



A cross between a skillet and a saucepan, this versatile pan can be used for shallow frying, searing, braising, and more.

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41 Comments

  1. Love ATK! However, I did feel like the title of this video was a bit misleading? I was hoping for a little bit more of a comparison between sauté pans and skillets! Regardless, you all have convinced me that I probably need a saute pan haha

  2. The tests said they were plunged into cold water and tested for warping, but I didn't see any results for that testing. I've had problems clad pans either warping of the kind with the disk on the bottom having their layers delaminate, so it would have been helpful to know how these pans fared with that test.

  3. I really wish that your tests also determined how flat the bottom of the pans are, especially after being exposed to hot and cold. I have a glass top electric range and that is important information for me to determine which pans will be best in my application. I have bought some stainless steel sauté pans before that I can’t use anymore because they no longer sit flat on the range and therefore develop pronounced hot spots.

  4. Aluminum is NOT induction compatible. Aluminum is a non-ferrous element and is therefore non-magnetic and incompatible with induction cooking which uses electro-magnetism to heat the pan. The only part of the pan that is compatible with induction cooking is the stainless steel cladding. This will likely cause uneven heating and possible warping on an induction cooktop.

  5. The handles describe the ONLY problem I had with Vollrath tri-ply. Cooking, I didn't notice a difference vs All-Clad. The handles though, if you didn't get the silicon handles, which do go bad over time, the all-metal handles were stubby and had pointy parts on the bottom.

  6. So what brands did not meet your approval?

    Did you consider watching your cooks (in your videos) fuss with handles that are to high and would not go in the oven without touching the rack above?

    What about copper as a player in the cladding? Far better than aluminum.

    Sorry,, but my criteria of a good saute pan is a different and penalty longer list.

  7. I feel like the title of this video (“What’s the difference between a skillet and sauté pan”) is a bit misleading. This video was helpful overall in what to look for in a sauté pan, but it wasn’t about the difference between the two. A minor change in phrasing such as, “how to choose a good vs. great sauté pan” seems more suitable for the content.

  8. I believe that the definition of sauté pans and frying pans has been reversed. And I blame All-Clad.
    You sauté in a slope-sided pan in order to move the food away from the center of the pan & away from heat. You also need a slope-sided pan to easily remove food from the pan and onto a dish to set it aside or return it later to the pan.
    On the other hand, you need a frying pan (or most skillets) with straight sides to keep the oil in for frying.
    It's just dangerous to fry with hot oil in a slope-sided pan.

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