Rondeau v. Big Saute w/Lid

[caleb]

The 11" saute I use at the New York house is flaking teflon crap, and it's got to go pronto. Time for a real piece of equipment.

I've always had conventional saute pans with a handle and lid, and I'm thinking of going with something in a similar style again.




I've never used a rondeau though, and in practice I'm not sure how exactly they differ beyond handle shape and style. I'm thinking of something like this, or this. I'm not a big fan of square sides, and these are a bit more splayed than the splayed sauces I'm seeing.




Can anyone weigh in here and help me make a choice of style for an all around pan? Is it annoying to not have the long handle of the saute when you're on the stovetop? Is the rondeau a better configuration for a pot starting on the stovetop and going into the oven? Other concerns?

[Too Tall]

If you do not have a dutch oven or similar I can see your attraction to the rondeau. In practice I'd find that saute with lid alot more versatile by itself.

[ericpmoss]

I have the Bourgeat sautee pan, largest model, or maybe 2nd largest. It's a pure joy. I like the use of the long handle when on the stove so I can manipulate the pan a bit without getting too close to a high flame. It's perfect for risotto, so one can slop the rice around plenty w/o it going over the edges. It's easy to stir with a silicone spatula, with no corners to dig into. I wish it had a helper handle, but that's all.

[caleb]

Thanks for the thoughts, guys.

I realize, prompted by TooTall's comment, that I'm missing my dutch oven and trying to compensate. I have an enameled cast iron dutch oven in Minneapolis that will eventually make its way to New York, and I've been trying to avoid buying a duplicate. I hadn't previously thought about it, but I miss having it around.

I think in the long run what I want is the Matfer splayed saute I mentioned above, and that ericmoss speaks so highly of. I cook a lot of things that involve browning/searing and deglazing with an acid, so that model seems like the ideal solution.

At the risk of turning this into the cookware equivalent of one of Lionel's help-me-choose-a-bike threads, I'll admit I haven't made up my mind yet, but I'm on a bit of a stovetop cookware bender. This week I ordered a Wok Shop hammered carbon steel wok, a De Buyer Mineral B 11" crepe pan, and a Mauviel 9.5" rounded and splayed saute.

I'm particularly looking forward to giving the Mauviel splayed saute a try as a way of getting a feel for a sauteuse-style pan, since the Matfer pictured above looks to me like it's about half way between a saute and a sauteuse.

So this will be my test mule, in a bigger size, with the matching lid:



I figure that it's different enough from the Matfer that if I like it I won't mind having them both.

[Too Tall]

Following this. I like your process.

[ericpmoss]

Good choice on the crepe pan. An Indian friend of mine has the deBuyer, and loves it, using it every week for dosas. They turn out perfectly every time.

I followed spopepro's lead on Turkish copper, and ordered the Soy Turkiye copper crepe pan. No idea if it's any good, but it's shiny, so it holds my attention. :)

[caleb]

No idea if it's any good, but it's shiny, so it holds my attention. :)

That's sort of where I'm at with copper cookware generally right now. It has my attention, but I want to make sure I know exactly what I want before taking the plunge.

And those Soy hammered pans are amazing.

[nick k]

Something to think about if sear/brown/deglaze is a priority is the size and flatness of the bottom of the pan. I'm looking at some of the shapes and flared sides above and wondering if you might be limited to small portions. No bigee if you're cooking for 1 or 2, I guess?

[UnfilteredDregs]

Cooking with clay brings a whole new bent to things:



Rondeaux - For The Stovetop (Clay Cookware) - The Art of Claypot Cooking - Bram