Pots and Pans and Their Uses

A large, deep, straight-sided pot for preparing stocks and simmering large quantities of liquids. Stockpots with spigots allow liquid to be drained off without disturbing the solid contents or lifting the pot. Sizes: 8–200 quarts (liters).

Saucepot.

A round pot of medium depth. Similar to a stockpot but shallower, making stirring or mixing easier. Used for soups, sauces, and other liquids. Sizes: 6–60 quarts (liters).

Brazier.

A round, broad, shallow, heavy-duty pot with straight sides. Also called a rondeau. Used for browning, braising, and stewing meats. Sizes: 11–30 quarts (liters).

Saucepan.

Similar to a small, shallow, light saucepot, but with one long handle instead of two loop handles. May have straight or slanted sides. Used for general rangetop cooking. Sizes: 1½−15 quarts (liters).

Sauté pan, straight-sided.

Also called a sautoir. Similar to a shallow, straight-sided saucepan, but heavier. Used for browning, sautéing, and frying. Because of its broad surface area, the sauté pan is used for cooking sauces and other liquids when rapid reduction is required. Sizes: 2½–5 inches (65–130 mm) deep; 6–16 inches (160–400 mm) in diameter.

Sauté pan, slope-sided.

Also called a sauteuse. Used for general sautéing and frying of meats, fish, vegetables, and eggs. The sloping sides allow the cook to flip and toss items without using a spatula, and they make it easier to get at the food when a spatula is used. Sizes: 6–14 inches (160–360 mm) top diameter.

Cast-iron skillet.

Very heavy, thick-bottomed fry pan. Used for pan-frying when steady, even heat is desired.

Double boiler.

A pot with two sections. The lower section, similar to a stockpot, holds boiling water. The upper section holds foods that must be cooked at low temperatures and cannot be cooked over direct heat. Size of top section: 4–36 quarts (liters).

Sheet pan or bun pan.

A shallow, rectangular pan (1 inch/25 mm deep) for baking cakes, rolls, and cookies, and for baking or broiling certain meats and fish. Sizes: full pan, 18 × 26 inches (46 × 66 cm); half-pan, 18 × 13 inches (46 × 33 cm).

Bake pan.

A rectangular pan about 2 inches (50 mm) deep. Used for general baking. Available in a variety of sizes.

Roasting pan.

A large rectangular pan, deeper and heavier than a bake pan. Used for roasting meats and poultry.

Fish poacher.

A long, narrow, straight-sided pan with a removable rack insert. Used for poaching whole fish.

Wok.

A round-bottomed steel pan with two loop handles. Used for stir-frying, especially in Chinese cuisine. Woks are best used with special burner units that have a high heat output and a broad ring-shaped support that holds the wok steady during cooking.

Hotel pan, also called counter pan, steam table pan, or service pan.

A rectangular pan, usually made of stainless steel. Designed to hold foods in service counters. Also used for baking, steaming, and subsequent serving. Also used for storage. Standard size: 12 × 20 inches. Fractions of this size (½, ⅓, etc.) are also available. Standard depth: 2½ inches (65 mm). Deeper sizes are also available. (Standard metric pan is 325 × 530 mm.)

Bain-marie insert, usually called simply bain-marie.

A tall, cylindrical stainless-steel container. Used for storage and for holding foods in a bain-marie (water bath). Sizes: 1–36 quarts (liters).

Stainless-steel bowl.

A round-bottomed bowl. Used for mixing, whipping, and producing hollandaise, mayonnaise, whipped cream, and egg white foams. Round construction enables whip to reach all areas. Available in many sizes.