Is it worth getting a curved-sidewall saucepan as opposed to a more typical straight-sidewall saucepan?
A saucepan is basically a miniature stockpot or casserole, typically at least 2/3 as tall as it is wide, with one long handle and a possible second, short, helper handle. A saucepot is much the same, only with two short handles, making it harder to pour with only one hand.
Some saucepans or saucepots are curvy. That is, the diameter at the base is smaller than the diameter at the top. These curvy saucepans/saucepots are called sauciers or sauteuses.
So which style should you get if you could choose only one: straight sided or curved?
Example of a straight-sidewall saucepan:
Example of a curved-sidewall saucier:
Example of a Fait Tout/Windsor:
THE SHORT ANSWER
A saucepan has a long handle, and sometimes a short helper handle. A saucepot or half-stockpot is basically a saucepan that has two short handles, which takes up less space on the stovetop, in the oven, and in storage, but which also means they are a lot harder to use one-handed.
Get a cladded saucepan or some other construction (e.g. copper) where the sidewalls conduct heat. This is because you want the sauce to be evenly heated. If you were to use a disc-base saucier with thin stainless steel sidewalls, you would have to stir more often–something that is not always possible in a busy kitchen.
As for curved vs. straight sidewalls, a curved is easier to stir and to use a balloon whisk
Example of a balloon whisk:
Example of a ball whisk:
Lastly, if you plan to use a steamer insert with a saucepan, make sure that the rivets don’t get in the way, and that the sidewalls don’t curve too quickly to prevent the use of the steamer insert.
The Windsor or “Fait Tout” style of saucepan is a cross between a straight-walled and curved-walled saucepan. Think of it as a curved-wall saucier for evaporation purposes. It’s not as easy to whisk as a curved-wall saucier though, and most Windsor/Fait Touts probably can’t accept any steamer inserts. For these reasons I would recommend against getting a Windsor/Fait Tout.
Recommendations
The best value clad saucepan available is probably the Cuisinart MCP193-18N MultiClad Pro Stainless Steel 3-Quart Saucepan with Cover
- The Cuisinart MCP will give you All-Clad Stainless performance (~1.7 mm aluminum) at a more affordable price, but has rivets to clean around, just like All-Clad.
A higher-end option is the Demeyere 5-Plus
There exist even higher-performance saucepans that cost even more, but most people probably don’t need them. Most sauce work is done at relatively low temperatures–you aren’t frying a sauce. So it’s not necessary to get ultra-thick saucepans unless you hate to stir, ever.
Click here to go back to How to Choose Cookware.
THE LONG ANSWER
A saucepan has a long handle, and sometimes a short helper handle. A saucepot or half-stockpot is basically a saucepan that has two short handles, which takes up less space on the stovetop, in the oven, and in storage, but which also means they are a lot harder to use one-handed.
Saucepans, sauciers, and sauteuses all do the same kinds of task: boil/simmer/braise small amounts of liquids such as water, soups, and stews. This includes making sauces.
Boiling thin fluids like water is easy. A thin stainless vessel is all you need, because the water will spread heat around via convection currents (hot water rises, cooler water sinks). The bottom of the vessel can never get too much hotter than the boiling point of water, because steam bubbles will form at the base and rise to the top, carrying a lot of heat with them.
Boiling or simmering thicker fluids like oatmeal, chili, stews, and sauces is a problem for a thin-sidewall saucepan. The fluid may not be thin enough for convection currents to really get going, and if the sole heat source is coming from the bottom of the saucepan, then the bottom fluid may scorch because it can’t transmit heat via direct contact of water and food molecules fast enough. You wind up with a gradient of overheated bottom fluid and underheated top fluid, unless you stir, and you may be distracted or too busy to stir much in a busy kitchen.
The solution is to use a saucepan that conducts heat up the sides. In theory, heating from the sidewalls and base at the same time will lessen the temperature gradient and reduce the need to stir as often. This gives you more margin for error. In practice, the base of the pan will still be hotter than the sidewalls, because the base is closer to the heating source, and there will still be a cold spot in the middle of the saucepan. Nevertheless, any help is better than no help, so I would strongly recommend getting a saucepan with a decent amount of aluminum or copper running up the sides. Cast iron is a relatively poor heat conductor, so don’t even think about getting a cast iron saucepan.
One thing to note about saucepans is that responsiveness is very desirable. If you find yourself overheating a saucepan, you want to be able to cool it down quickly by turning down the heat or taking it off the burner altogether. Aluminum and copper are responsive. Cast iron is not–it holds too much heat and is slow to respond to changes in burner strength. That’s another reason to avoid using cast iron saucepans.
Lastly, a curved saucepan, also known as a saucier or sauteuse, is better than a straight-walled saucepan in some ways:
- Easier access to the corners of the saucepan with a balloon whisk
come with curved edges on one side, allowing you to reach into the corners, plus you could just use a long spoon or a ball whisk
- Faster evaporation when reducing sauces (simmering/boiling to concentrate flavors). With a straight sided saucepan, if you double the quantity of fluid within the saucepan, the volume doubles but the surface area remains the same. Wouldn’t it be nice if the surface area also doubled? That’s what the curved sidewalls are for–they flare up and outwards, so the more fluid you pour in, the more the surface area increases.
Example of a balloon whisk:
Example of a ball whisk:
Curved saucepans do have possible drawbacks, though:
- Some curvy saucepans may be so curvy that they don’t remain straight enough, long enough, to allow full insertion of steamer baskets. Also–and this goes for all kinds of pans, not just curvy saucepans–watch out for rivets that might get in the way of the steamer basket, too.
- Some companies charge more money for curved saucepans than for straight-sidewall saucepans.
The Windsor or “Fait Tout” style of saucepan is a cross between a straight-walled and curved-walled saucepan. Think of it as a curved-wall saucier for evaporation purposes. It’s not as easy to whisk as a curved-wall saucier though, and Windsor/Fait Touts probably can’t accept any steamer inserts. For these reasons I would recommend against getting a Windsor/Fait Tout.
Recommendations
My recommendation would be to go for the curved-sidewall saucepan (also known as a saucier or sauteuse) if it isn’t much more expensive than the straight-sidewall version. They don’t really come with any downsides other than possibly higher prices and potential problems with steamer baskets (all of my steamer basket inserts fit my sauciers so it’s only a potential problem). Unfortunately, curved-sidewall saucepans tend to cost much more than straight-walled saucepans; call it the “specialty piece tax” if you will. Fewer people buy them, so there are lower economies of scale.
The best value clad saucepan available is probably the Cuisinart MCP193-18N MultiClad Pro Stainless Steel 3-Quart Saucepan with Cover
- The Cuisinart MCP will give you All-Clad Stainless performance (~1.7 mm aluminum) at a more affordable price, but has rivets to clean around, just like All-Clad.
A higher-end option is the Demeyere 5-Plus
There exist even higher-performance saucepans that cost even more, but most people probably don’t need them. Most sauce work is done at relatively low temperatures–you aren’t frying a sauce. So it’s not necessary to get ultra-thick saucepans unless you hate to stir, ever.
Click here to go back to How to Choose Cookware.