Sautéing With a 12" All-Clad Skillet

I thought we better get some photos of our new All-Clad skillet while we had the chance – meaning – before we begin using it. Right now, it’s perfectly spotless. In about twenty four hours, that will change. Laura and I used a bit of yesterday and this morning to capture the essence of this pan’s magnificence. I’m pretty thrilled at how good looking this skillet really is. Just wait until you see our photos towards the bottom of this post. I’d say we got what we were looking for.

In This Post

Say Hello To Sautéing

The courses in my online cooking school have taken a turn away from cooking basics and knife skills and towards sautéing, which is sort of a pain in the neck because now, when I write posts on the topic, I’ve got to copy and paste the word “Sauté,” just to get that little mark over the “e.” Trust me, I’d rather type a regular “e,” but I’ll get through. Actually, I think that from this point on, the regular “e” it is. I just took a look around the internet and I believe the large majority of folks are fine with either spelling.

This is an exciting time in my culinary journey because I’ve been looking forward to learning how to saute for a very long time. My track record isn’t strong in this area and I’m eager to begin absorbing information and practicing in earnest. I’ve actually already dabbled online for a few minutes, checking out the lessons and videos and have picked up a few good nuggets of genius. If you’re curious as to what I’ll be learning, I’ll give you a short list here:

1. We’re going to learn what exactly sauteing is and what happens to the food you cook while using this method.

2. We’ll discuss how important sauteing is when it comes to preparing some common recipes that are used every day.

3. We’ll learn how to go about sauteing properly while using the most appropriate techniques.

4. We’re going to focus on which ingredients are used and are most popular with sauteing. We’ll also go over which equipment has the highest success rate for offering the best dishes.

5. We’ll practice sauteing. In my case, it’s going to be on fish and vegetables.

6. Finally, I’m going to cook a dish that uses sauteing as the method of preparation.

Purchasing a Skillet

There is one item I had to take care of before I dove into this area of cooking. That was to purchase a 12″ skillet to saute with. The only skillets I had were too small and while I’m certain they are of very good quality, I wanted to stay ahead of the ball when it comes to equipment. It was time to get a larger skillet anyway. I’m always looking for one.

The skillet I decided upon has been highly recommended in many culinary circles. It’s the “All-Clad Stainless Steel Fry Pan with Lid.” I purchased it from Amazon for $119. As I just mentioned, it came with the lid, which was nice. The same exact pan was sold without the lid for $20 more, which is odd. From what I read, the pan and lid combination was a special sale. I must confess, I thought the price was still a bit high at $119, but who am I to price these sorts of things?

Anyway, as you may have already guessed, I’ll be writing a lot about sauteing in the next few posts and hopefully thereafter. There is so much that can be done with this method of cooking that I think it’ll fit well with how I like to currently spend my time in the kitchen.

Introducing Our New All-Clad Skillet

As promised, I’ve got some photos to show off this piece of wonder. Please let me know what you think of it in the comments below and also be sure to tell me about your own experiences with cookware in general. Thanks!