Carbon steel costs you extra effort at three moments: with tomato sauce, with the lid and with washing up. That puts it in fifth place, although it excels at intense searing. In places 1 through 4 those moments go without extra effort. Within those four we order by what each pan costs you: patience when searing, or a higher price class for an extra like oven compatibility.

An induction hob recognizes all five pans, and which sauté pan works best on induction we explore in a separate article. They are all 28 cm, so you always compare the same size.

1. Sola Ceramic Deluxe: everything except the oven

On the stove the Sola Hapjespan Ceramic Deluxe ø 28 cm requires no technique or extra care. You sear meat or fish on the ceramic coating, and the sauce simmers under its own lid with a silicone rim. If the pan gets heavy from sauce, you also grab its extra handle. Aluminum with a non-stick coating, like this Sola, is our pan expert's standard choice for sauté pans because it makes cooking easy.

You cannot finish the dish in the oven with this pan, but the pans in places 2 through 5 can. With this Sola you choose a coating again, and that will wear off over the years: then you'll face the same choice as now.

Sola Hapjespan Ceramic Deluxe ø 28 cm

1. Beka Cicla: stainless steel all the way to the oven

Often you look for a new sauté pan because the coating on the old one is worn. With the Beka Hapjespan Cicla ø 28 cm that can't happen, because its stainless steel has no non-stick coating. It has a glass lid, and with its two side handles it can go into the oven up to 200 °C. After the meal it may go in the dishwasher.

If you come from a coated pan, searing in stainless steel takes some getting used to. It sits in the same price range as the Sola and can do more. Still, the Sola takes the lead because you can sear on it without practice.

Beka Hapjespan Cicla ø 28 cm

1. Beka Maestro Alu: ceramic convenience with oven compatibility

For a frittata or casserole you need the pan to go from the stove into the oven. With a ceramic coating that can be done in the Beka Hapjespan Maestro Alu ø 28 cm, up to about 200 °C. This aluminum pan with its own lid can also go in the dishwasher, and its coating is listed as PFAS-free in the specifications.

You pay a higher price class for that oven capability. It shares a coating that can wear off with the Sola, so that step up is only worth it if you use the oven.

Beka Hapjespan Maestro Alu ø 28 cm

1. SCANPAN CTX: a coating that can take a metal spoon

SCANPAN makes the coating of the SCANPAN Hapjespan CTX ø 28 cm resistant to a metal spatula, whisk or spoon in the sauce. The pan itself is built from five layers of stainless steel and aluminum and comes with a lid. It can go in the oven up to 250 °C, and it's dishwasher safe.

In the specifications its coating is called 'standard'; for the other four pans it's listed as 'PFAS-free'. If you want to avoid PFAS, it's wise to first find out what PFAS-free means for a pan. You get the most out of it with metal utensils in the sauce and a hot oven, although it is the most expensive of the five. A standard coating also doesn't last forever.

The two pans without a non-stick coating last the longest: the Cicla at place 2 and the Mineral B Pro at place 5. With the Mineral B Pro you maintain the seasoned layer yourself, and after a tomato sauce that sometimes means re-seasoning. In places 1, 3 and 4 you cook on a coating, and despite all precautions food will eventually stick to that. The Maestro Alu and the CTX are in a higher price class, and that usually comes with a thicker coating you can use for longer.

Because the Sola and the Cicla are in the same price range, the calculation is simple. If the Cicla lasts for years, it beats the per-year cost of two or more coated pans in the same time. If you prioritize ease and accept replacing the pan, place 1 is a good choice. Even the most affordable sauté pans in our range have a coating and a lid.

If nothing is sticking yet and the coating is undamaged, your current sauté pan can still be used, even if you were already thinking about a new one. In case of doubt hold it under a lamp: metal showing through the coating, or a damaged coating, is the sign to replace it.

A steak or a fried egg after which nothing more fits in the pan doesn't need a high rim. For that a frying pan is the better pan. A stew that needs long cooking belongs in a Dutch oven at home.

Under all sauté pans besides 28 cm you will also find sizes 24 and 32 cm, and there you can filter by brand, material and non-stick coating.