If a recipe calls for a heavy-bottomed saucepan, it can leave a lot of home chefs scratching their heads wondering whether their saucepans will be good for the job.
Surely any old saucepan can get the job done? Does a saucepan really need a heavy bottom? We hope to answer these saucepan questions in this article.
What Is a Heavy-Bottomed Saucepan?
A heavy-bottomed saucepan is a saucepan with a thicker base than other saucepans.
How thick? There’s no exact definition, but if the base of your saucepan is noticeably thicker than the sides, it is “heavy-bottomed”.
You might not think a thicker base on a saucepan makes much difference. However, a thicker base absorbs and distributes heats more evenly than a thin base.
A thinner saucepan base tends to have areas called hotspots. These areas, of course, heat up quicker than other parts of the base and can cause food to burn easily.
Why Use a Heavy-Bottomed Saucepan?
Most saucepans on the market nowadays have a heavy bottom because they can be used for a bigger range of cooking tasks.
When a recipe requires a heavy-bottomed saucepan, it is typically because that stage of the recipe involves heating something up that can easily burn or split. So, if a recipe asks you to cook sugar, heat dairy or cook a particularly delicate sauce, a heavy-bottomed saucepan should always be called upon for the cooking task.
Many heavy-bottomed saucepans are also compatible with induction hobs. A lot of saucepans that are induction hob safe have a heavy bottom. This bottom is made from a metal that will complete the magnetic circuit needed when cooking with induction.
This base will perform perfectly on any hob and act as a heavy-bottomed pan on all hobs, but will also work great on an induction hob too. This is very much the saucepan manufacturers throwing one stone at two saucepan-shaped birds!
Can I Use a Heavy-Bottomed Saucepan All the Time?
Yes. In fact, a lot of cooks, like myself, prefer to use heavy-bottomed saucepans for most cooking tasks.
Distributing heat evenly isn’t always as essential as one may think. Still, the robust qualities of a heavy-bottomed saucepan make them feel great to use for most cooking tasks.
If you’re just learning this wonderful art of cooking, using a heavy-bottomed saucepan for all of your cooking tasks will also greatly help reduce the amount of burning, over boiling and other cooking accidents while you find your feet in the marvellous world of cooking.
Plus, as heavy-bottomed saucepans are designed for more delicate cooking tasks, they will serve you well as your skill levels increase too.
We hope this look at heavy-bottomed saucepans has been helpful. To find out about the best heavy-bottomed saucepans in the UK right now, please explore our website further. We have the best cookware in the UK here that can help you learn and grow your cooking skills.
Scott is a writer and a passionate home chef. His passion for cooking began when he was 10 years old. Scott has been writing professionally for over five years now and loves to combine his passion for cooking with his day job.
