grey ironing board cover_96 inch round tablecloth

The difference between a sauté pan and a skillet is a subtle but important one, and it all comes down to shape. A sauté pan, from the French verb meaning to jump (sauter), has a wide, flat bottom and relatively tall, vertical sides. A skillet, on the other hand, has sides that flare outward at an angle. But the real question is, when should you use each one, and do you really need both?

Stainless steel is a versatile material and holds heat well. Many stainless steel skillets are safe to place in the oven (make sure there aren't any plastic parts, though), which is handy when a recipe calls for searing fish or meat and then placing it in the oven to finish cooking. This saves time because you don't have to transfer the ingredients to another dish to bake or roast in the oven. This is, of course, also useful in terms of clean-up being that you don't have to dirty up another receptacle.