Our cookware expert does not see the lid as an extra for a sauté pan. At 28 cm, lifting comes into play, as you often cook for more people at this size.
In four pans, you cook on a ceramic layer. The Sola Sauté Pan Ceramic Deluxe ø 28 cm and the Sola Sauté Pan Stonehenge ø 28 cm both come with a lid in the box. They are dishwasher safe, but their capacity is not specified. The Ceramic Deluxe has a handle and an extra grip, and nothing is mentioned about the handles of the Stonehenge.
The Beka Sauté Pan Maestro Alu ø 28 cm has a specified capacity of 4.3 liters and a long handle. It comes with a lid and is dishwasher safe. The De Buyer Sauté Pan Ceranoa ø 28 cm has a specified capacity of 4.4 liters and has a handle. There is no lid in the box. It is also not dishwasher safe.
Three pans have a standard layer. They all come with a lid and are dishwasher safe. The Sola Sauté Pan Fair Cooking ø 28 cm has a specified capacity of 3.5 liters, but its handles are not mentioned. For the SCANPAN Sauté Pan CTX ø 28 cm and the SCANPAN Sauté Pan HaptIQ ø 28 cm, that is 2.5 liters, and both have a handle.
The Beka Sauté Pan Cicla ø 28 cm is made of stainless steel and has no layer. It has a specified capacity of 5.1 liters and two side grips, comes with a lid, and is dishwasher safe.
Also, the two pans made of sheet steel have no layer, and both have a specified capacity of 4 liters. They are delivered without a lid and are not dishwasher safe. The De Buyer Sauté Pan Mineral B Element ø 28 cm has a handle, and the De Buyer Sauté Pan Mineral B Pro with 2 handles ø 28 cm has two handles.
How big is a 28 cm sauté pan really?
At the edge, each pan here measures 28 cm, but what fits inside is usually stated in liters on its product page. For most pans, that is 3.5 to 5.1 liters.
In the titles of the CTX and the HaptIQ from SCANPAN, it states 2.5 liters, at a height of about 10 cm. The Ceranoa from De Buyer is 8 cm high, and its title states 4.4 liters. Therefore, the capacity is probably not measured in the same way for each brand.
An induction zone has a fixed width, and therefore the bottom of the pan is a second measurement to pay attention to. Four product pages mention that bottom: 19 cm for the Mineral B Element, 20.5 cm for the CTX and the HaptIQ, and 21 cm for the Ceranoa. Even for the best sauté pan for induction, that measurement remains important.
On paper, the Beka Cicla with 5.1 liters is the most spacious pan here, and it comes with a glass lid. It does not have a handle, so when stirring, you hold it by one of the side grips.
Beka Sauté Pan Cicla ø 28 cm
No lid in the box: which loose lid do you choose?
For the three pans from De Buyer, which are delivered without a lid, we recommend the SCANPAN Lid Classic Glass ø 28 cm. In its full name, the word 'Universal' is also included. If you also have pans of 30 or 32 cm, you can choose a lid from the loose lids that fits all three sizes.
SCANPAN Lid Classic Glass ø 28 cm
With which grip do you carry a full sauté pan to the table?
Every liter of sauce weighs about a kilogram, and in a sauté pan, that adds up on top of the pan itself. At 28 cm, it weighs here between about 1.4 and 3 kilos. For the Ceramic Deluxe from Sola, it states on the product page that you need two hands for a full 28 cm pan. On the other side of the pan, there is a handle for that.
Sola Sauté Pan Ceramic Deluxe ø 28 cm
Also, with sheet steel, there is a pan with a grip for each hand: the De Buyer Mineral B Pro. It can go straight from the fire to the oven. Our article on seasoning shows how to prepare it for first use. Sheet steel and sauce with a lot of tomato do not go well together.
De Buyer Sauté Pan Mineral B Pro with 2 handles ø 28 cm
