Saute Pan Shape
The word “saute” is a French word that directly translates to “jump”. This cooking method simply refers to cooking in a pan and making the contents “jump” either by shaking the pan or stirring with a spatula or other utensil. It can also refer to the ingredients “jumping” in the oil as it sputters and cooks. So, technically you can saute food in any pan as long as you have a small amount of cooking fat and are tossing the ingredients in the pan.
Saute pans are specially suited for stirring because of its tall, straight sides, allowing you to stir more vigorously or with larger volumes of food in the pan. They typically come with a lid as well for steaming, since the shape can hold more liquid volume than a skillet. They’re also true to size: 12 inch diameter means 12 inches of cooking surface since none is lost to sloped sides.
Saute pans are extremely versatile, as their volume can accommodate lots of liquid for braising, poaching and stewing in addition to sauteing, roasting and frying. You can brown a roast on the stovetop and then add red wine and stock before braising it in the oven for hours, all without transferring to another cooking vessel. Make a pasta sauce, simmer it and then add the pasta directly to the saute pan and stir without spillage. If your saute pan has a helper handle, this is even safer as you can carry the pan with both hands.
If you are caramelizing or cooking cream sauces in your saute pan, make sure you use a whisk or spatula that can get into the corners where the base and sides meet as food can get missed when stirred and burn.