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As a professional kitchen gear tester, writer, and editor, I have covered a lot<\/em> of cookware: Dutch ovens<\/a>, nonstick<\/a> and cast iron skillets<\/a>, you name it. And while I love covering all those types of pots and pans, there\u2019s one in particular I use at least daily that doesn\u2019t get much air time: the saucepan<\/strong>. <\/p>\n For some reason, people don\u2019t talk or ask about saucepans often, but let\u2019s change that! Saucepans are ideal for cooking grains, boiling a serving or two of pasta, blanching veggies, making a batch of barbecue sauce<\/a>, reheating chili<\/a> or soups \u2026 the list goes on. <\/p>\n There are as many saucepans as there are uses for them, so to find the best ones, I tested models from top brands \u2014 stirring, whisking, and pouring again and again. Let\u2019s get to it.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n For more details on the best saucepans, including our testing methodology, shopping tips and deals, and maintenance, keep reading or just hit the links below.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Tramontina\u2019s 4-quart saucepan<\/a> offers fantastic performance at a budget-friendly price (high-end saucepans, like our top splurge pick<\/a>, easily go for $200-plus when not on sale). It\u2019s usually about $75 at full price, but it\u2019s currently on sale for less than $70, making it an even more valuable purchase.<\/strong> It has tall, straight sides, a spacious cooking surface, a sturdy main handle, and a helper handle. The Tramontina<\/a> is made from stainless steel, which cooks evenly and allows you to easily monitor browning. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n I also liked this saucepan from Zwilling<\/a>, which is a solid pot with a grippy, cup-shaped handle. The main handle is a tad<\/em> short and doesn\u2019t have a helper handle, but it\u2019s another great option if you have a slightly larger budget.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Who it\u2019s best for<\/strong>: Anyone who wants a great stainless steel saucepan, but doesn\u2019t want to spend more than $100. If you\u2019re looking to invest in your cookware, there\u2019s no better pick than All-Clad\u2019s<\/a> (the brand\u2019s stainless steel saut\u00e9 pan<\/a> is a Kitchn favorite). This saucepan heats beautifully; cooks evenly; has tall, straight sides; has a helper handle; and has a stainless steel interior (which makes monitoring browning easy). The pan\u2019s cupped handle provides a non-slip grip and <\/em>stays cool on the stovetop. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Who it\u2019s best for<\/strong>: Anyone looking to invest in a stainless steel saucepan. This nonstick 4-quart saucepan from Zwilling<\/a> (also currently on sale) offers impressive performance at a reasonable price point.<\/strong> Nothing stuck during testing and the food cooked evenly. I love its helper handle; pour spouts; tall, straight sides; perforations in the lid for draining water; and its cup-shaped handle that felt super grippy and stayed cool on the stovetop. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n The dark interior makes it more difficult to monitor browning, and it\u2019s the heaviest of all the saucepans I tested. I was still able to pour from the saucepan using one hand, but this might be too heavy for some people. Overall, this a great nonstick saucepan and is incredibly easy to clean, too.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Who it\u2019s best for<\/strong>: Anyone who is looking for a nonstick saucepan that\u2019s easy to clean and cooks well. To rate each saucepan, I performed the following tests:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n I judged all of the saucepans on the following criteria based on a scale of 1 to 5 (1 being the worst and 5 being the best):<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Saucepans come in many sizes, but I find that a 4-quart pot is best. You can always cook less in a larger saucepan, but you can\u2019t cook more in a smaller one. I think it\u2019s helpful to have both a large and <\/em>small saucepan, but if you\u2019re only going to get one, go for the 4-quart version. For this testing, I focused on 4-quart saucepans, but included some 3-quart models if that was the largest size the pan came in. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n You want it hefty enough to heat food evenly (thin pans tend to have more hotspots and can scorch food), but light enough so it\u2019s still easy to pour from even with one hand. During testing, I found that saucepans weighing less than 3 1\/2 pounds without<\/em> their lids were the sweet spot. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n With this weight, I got the cooking results I wanted and could still comfortably tilt the saucepan to pour out boiling water, swirl it around while browning butter, and easily pour pastry cream<\/a> into a fine mesh strainer.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n The best saucepans have tall walls and straight sides, which don\u2019t cut down on the saucepan\u2019s usable cooking area. Saucepans with light interiors are also preferable to ones with dark interiors, as this helps for monitoring, like if you\u2019re making browned butter or if you\u2019re saut\u00e9ing aromatics for risotto<\/a>. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n If I can\u2019t firmly and securely grip a pan\u2019s handle, I can\u2019t lift it well \u2014 which means I also can\u2019t swirl or pour with ease. The handle shouldn\u2019t be too skinny or too rounded, both of which are tougher to hold and tend to slip from your hand as you pour. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n I prefer handles that are cupped, meaning they have indentations at the top to ensure a non-slip grip. The best handles were also at least 7.25 inches long because that length will help keep your hands comfortably away from the heat source. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n This brings me to my next handle-centered point: Does the saucepan\u2019s handle stay cool while cooking? If it doesn\u2019t, I don\u2019t want it. And, finally, saucepans that have a helper handle opposite the regular handle are, well, the most helpful. A helper handle is useful for moving the saucepan around the stovetop and if you need extra leverage when pouring. It\u2019s not a must-have, but it is very nice. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n This mirrors that of a nonstick skillet<\/a>: For things that are super gooey, a nonstick saucepan means easier cooking and cleanup. This includes making sauces or reheating macaroni and cheese<\/a>. And to no one\u2019s surprise, cleaning pastry cream off of the nonstick saucepans was much easier than the stainless steel models. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n However, with stainless steel saucepans, you get longevity. Nonstick cookware has a finite lifespan<\/a>, but a great stainless steel saucepan will last for years. Because of this, I recommend buying a stainless steel saucepan first<\/em> and a nonstick saucepan to complement it. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n With all of the saucepans, I made sure their interiors didn\u2019t dull or become splotchy after cleanup. While you could <\/em>put a saucepan in the dishwasher, I don\u2019t recommend it \u2014 I\u2019d definitely suggest hand-washing any cookware you want to last. The heat and detergent from the dishwasher can tarnish stainless steel cookware and cause nonstick cookware to lose its, well, nonstick-iness faster, so they\u2019re items you shouldn\u2019t put in the dishwasher<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n I\u2019m a professional kitchen equipment tester and was the former tools editor here at Kitchn. I previously worked at America\u2019s Test Kitchen and my reviews on topics like stand mixers, induction burners, toaster ovens, and multicookers have been published in Cook\u2019s Illustrated, Cook\u2019s Country, and on the America\u2019s Test Kitchen website. My work has also been featured on America\u2019s Test Kitchen\u2019s and Cook\u2019s Country\u2019s television programs.\u00a0And again, I use my saucepan at least once a day.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n We will do our homework, going wildly in depth with our testing. But we\u2019ll condense the info into easy, breezy summaries, so that you can see what we picked and why, and then move on with your life. Because we know you\u2019re busy!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Do you have a question about saucepans? Leave it in the comments below!<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nThe Best Saucepans We Tested<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Best Overall Saucepan: Tramontina Covered Saucepan<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Good to know<\/strong>: This saucepan comes in several different sizes<\/a>, including 1.5, 2, and 3 quarts.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nBest Splurge Saucepan: All-Clad 4-QT Saucepan<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Good to know<\/strong>: All-Clad makes some of the best cookware out there \u2014 and the saucepans are no exception. When I say you can\u2019t go wrong<\/a> with any of them, I mean it. This saucepan also comes in a 1.5-, 2-, and 3-quart version<\/a> (which is currently on sale!).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nBest Nonstick Saucepan: Zwilling Clad CFX Ceramic Nonstick Saucepan <\/span><\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Good to know<\/strong>: This pan comes in three smaller sizes \u2014 1 quart<\/a>, 2 quart<\/a>, and 3 quart<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nHow We Tested the Best Saucepans<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
How We Evaluated the Best Saucepans<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
What to Look for When Buying a Saucepan <\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
What Material is Best For a Saucepan?<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
How Do You Clean a Saucepan?<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Kitchn\u2019s Best List Promise<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n