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Home & Kitchen with Caraway
Sauce Pan Sizes: Know Before You Buy
Are you excited to get some new Sauce Pans for your kitchen? Read on to learn everything you need to know about Sauce Pan sizes before you buy.
Sauce Pans are a staple in most of our kitchens. Their versatility is especially important when youâre living in a place with minimal kitchen space or value a minimalist kitchen design (or both!).Of course, one of the challenges that comes with buying one is determining which size is right for you. Not sure of which size to get?
Read on to learn what you should know before you buy.
What Is a Sauce Pan?
A Sauce Pan is a type of cookware that is round and usually has tall sides, a long handle, and a lid. Just as the name suggests, Sauce Pans are often used for preparing the sauces for your dish.
Their talents arenât reserved for just that. Sauce Pans can also be used for other types of cooking methods and tasks, such as heating up soups or vegetables or boiling eggs. The tall sides of this cookware makes it a wonderful vessel for cooking up small amounts of all sorts of food.
While all Sauce Pans tend to have this versatility, they do vary in terms of size.
Here, we highlight the different sizes they come in.
What Are the Sauce Pan Sizes?
Sauce Pans come in a wide range of sizes, but they tend to be categorized as small, medium, or large. These are usually determined by how many quarts they can hold.
Though they do exist, small Sauce Pans are less common than the other sizes. The two most common ones are medium and large Sauce Pans, which hold two quarts and four quarts, respectively. Our Sauce Pan actually exists right in between the medium and large sizes, with the ability to hold three quarts.
With the various sizes of Sauce Pans out there, the dimensions of the cookware can also change depending on the brand. Although our cookware each comes as a set size, you might find other Sauce Pans out there that have taller sides with a smaller diameter and vice versa.
Know Before You Buy: Things To Consider
Not all Sauce Pans are made the same, and thatâs okay. There are many reasons why a larger or smaller Sauce Pans with a wide or short diameter might serve you better in the kitchen. At the end of the day, you have to think about your cooking needs and what would work best as a tool in your kitchen.
Letâs discuss some of the things you should know about various Sauce Pan sizes and factors to consider before buying one.
Heat Conduction and Retention
A general rule of thumb is that the larger the surface area, the longer it takes to heat up. Therefore, larger Sauce Pans wonât heat up as quickly as smaller pans.
Of course, the downside to the smaller ones heating up so quickly is that you run the risk of burning your food and having it get stuck to the bottom of the cookware. However, with the right material, that issue is avoided.
For example, our Sauce Pan is made with a naturally slick ceramic coating, which ensures that the cookware heats up with no cold spot and cooks food evenly. Additionally, the ceramic creates a non-stick surface, so you wouldnât have to worry about food sticking to the cookware regardless.
Large Sauce Pans do come in handy when youâre using them for long, slow simmering. If thatâs the cooking method you want to pursue, weâd recommend our Dutch Oven. The extra room of the Dutch Oven is ideal for heating up greater quantities of food evenly.
What larger Sauce Pans lack in heat conduction they make up for in heat retention. The size of the Sauce Pans is directly linked to how long it stays hot after removing it from the stovetop. The science of convection and conduction are key to the perfect meal.
Generally speaking, smaller Sauce Pans donât retain heat as well as larger Sauce Pans because they have less surface area and material to absorb the heat. As a result, they cool down faster.
However, our Sauce Pan, as well as all of the other items in our Cookware Set, are the happy mediumânot too small and not too large.
Maneuverability
With all the tossing, flipping, and stirring of food youâd be doing, itâs important to find a Sauce Pan that is easy for you to maneuver. While our Sauce Pan weighs a comfortable 4 pounds, larger Sauce Pans tend to be a little heavier, which makes them more difficult to maneuver.
When youâre cooking a recipe that requires the cookware to sit on the stove for a long period of time, such as with simmering, a larger Sauce Pan isnât the worst option.
However, if youâre using the cookware for cooking methods that require constant transferring on and off the stove, a more lightweight Sauce Pan that is easier to handle would be better for you. Ultimately, the size that you choose for your Sauce Pan should take into account what you primarily want to use it for.
Stovetop Space
It makes sense that the larger your cookware is, the less youâll be able to fit on your stovetop. Most stovetops can hold up to four 4-quart Sauce Pans. Some are slightly narrower than that and would naturally only be able to hold fewer.
Regardless of your stovetopâs size , you do have to be mindful of the other pots and pans that sit on it. Itâs hard to determine what all can sit on your stovetop if youâre buying all different sizes.
To play it safe, itâs good to buy sets that include cookware of similar sizes. Not only does that ensure that you wonât be struggling for room on your stovetop, but youâll have exactly what you need: no clutter included.
Storage
As you can imagine, bigger cookware takes up more space in your kitchen. If youâre living with a smaller kitchen, you have to utilize your space well to ensure that thereâs no clutter or cookware sticking out of every which way.
If youâve taken everything into consideration and decide that a large Sauce Pan is the way to go for you, then there are definitely ways that you can accommodate it in your kitchen. However, if youâre learning towards a smaller one, or perhaps youâre still unsure, we'd have to recommend our entire Cookware Set from Caraway.
The Cookware Set comes with the 3-quart Sauce Pan as well as all the other cookware items. Cooking is only part of the fun. Choosing a unique color to match the aesthetic of your kitchen is also an essential part of home design. But ultimately, beautiful design is all about intentionality, which boils down to smart storage solutions.
Our Cookware Set comes with a free storage unit, including the Magnetic Pan Racks and the Canvas Lid Holder. With these units, you donât have to worry about where you can store your cookware. Keeping your Cookware Set stored properly ensures easy access while youâre making your way through your favorite recipes.
A Sauce Pan That Fits Like a Glove
Just like with any decision in your life, itâs important to weigh your needs as well as your options. If you look for kitchen essentials armed with the right knowledge, take everything you need to into consideration, then youâre guaranteed to find a Sauce Pan that fits like a glove.
Sources:
How Cooking Works: Convection and Conduction | The Spruce Eats
How to Measure Stove Tops | Hunker
29 Minimalist Kitchen Ideas - Tips for Designing a Minimalist Kitchen | Elle Decor
The Difference Between a Sauté Pan and a Saucepan | Food Network
