Saucepan

For general cooking, choose straight-sided pans that are reasonably deep (to contain heat). For sauce-making, a slopesided pan will allow more rapid reduction and easier stirring and whisking. Pans come in a range of sizes – ideally a set of 4 pans, from 1 litre (1¾ pints) up to 3.5 litres (6 pints) -will meet most needs. Handles should be long enough to give a safe grip away from the heat, and if they are not heat-resistant, you will need to protect your hand with an oven glove when lifting the pan. Suitable materials are heavy-gauge aluminium, stainless steel with copper or aluminium in the base and steel-lined copper.