Choosing An American Made Saucier
A while back I decided that I needed to upgrade my kitchen tools to include a saucier, something that would be perfect for making things like alfredo sauce.
Finding an American made saucier pan took a little searching. Here are the pans that I finally wound up choosing between. If you are looking for American made stainless steel pans, consider one of these.
If you are wondering why I was wanting a saucier and not just a sauce pan, or what the difference is, check out my post Sauce Pan Vs Saucier.
The Short Answer
My pick: American Kitchen 3 quart. Solid build, made in West Bend, WI, and the best price of the bunch. It’s the one in my kitchen.
The premium build: Heritage Steel 3 quart. 5-ply 316Ti stainless from a family factory in Clarksville, TN. Buy this one if you want the thickest pan here and don’t mind paying for it.
The classic name: All-Clad D3 2 quart. The brand everyone knows, made in Canonsburg, PA since 1971. Smaller pan, no lid, but the tri-ply build earned its reputation.
Keep reading for the full breakdown on each one, plus why I chose the pan I did.
How to Pick the Right Saucier
Three things actually matter here. Everything else is marketing.
Size. A 3 quart handles gravy for a crowd, a full batch of mac and cheese sauce, or risotto for four. A 2 quart is better if you mostly make pan sauces and small batches, and it’s easier to whisk in because your wrist isn’t reaching. If you’re only buying one, go 3 quart. You can make a small sauce in a big pan. You can’t make a big sauce in a small one.
Construction. Every pan on this list is fully clad, meaning the aluminum core runs up the sides instead of just sitting in the base. That’s the feature that stops sauces from scorching at the edges. 5-ply is thicker and holds heat steadier. Tri-ply heats faster and weighs less. Both work. Thin single-layer stainless with a disc bottom is the thing to avoid, and it’s what most cheap “sauciers” are.
The lid question. Sauciers get used uncovered most of the time. That’s the point of the wide mouth: evaporation and reduction. If a pan you like doesn’t include a lid, it’s a minor knock, not a dealbreaker. A lid from a saucepan you already own probably fits close enough.
The sloped sides are why you’re buying this pan in the first place. No corners means your whisk reaches everything, so the roux for your mac and cheese doesn’t burn in a spot you can’t scrape and your cream of whatever soup comes out smooth instead of lumpy.
Heritage steel 3 quart saucier
A solidly built stainless steel saucier, this 3 quart saucier with 5-ply construction of 316Ti stainless steel is a great all around sauce pan. It does feature a flared rim for easy pouring.
Made in Clarksville, TN
Great Saucier! So happy with this pan. It can handle my delicate sauces and also boiling pasta. This is my second heritage steel purchase. I will be continuing to add to my collection! Also these pans are so easy to clean. Have had no problems just using soap and water.
American Kitchen 3 quart saucier
The second stainless steel saucier that I found in my search was this one from American Kitchen. A great build at a reasonable price and made in West Bend, WI.
Made in West Bend, WI
I love this and it has become one of the “go to” pans in the kitchen. Just the right size, well built. Just a quality piece of cookware, made in the USA for a reasonable price.
All-Clad D3 2 quart saucier
The All-Clad D3 2 quart saucier is the classic here. All-Clad has been bonding pans in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania since 1971, and this is the tri-ply construction that built their reputation: aluminum core for even heat, polished stainless inside and out, and a lifetime warranty they actually honor.
Made in USA, Canonsburg, PA
Excellent in every way. My wife couldn’t lift the heave cast iron pots anymore and these are what we needed. They are everything we had hoped for. We’ll worth the investment and I’m sure the next generation will inherit these in time.
My Final Choice For A Saucier
Ultimately I wound up choosing the American Kitchen 3 quart saucier as my new pan for making sauces. The deciding factor was ultimately the price. The American Kitchen was cheaper, and had free shipping on their website, so that was enough to make it the newest pan in my kitchen.
I liked the Heritage saucier, but I didn’t feel that the extra layers of metal would make that much of a difference in my cooking. Just going from a cast iron skillet, or single ply stainless steel pan would be enough of an upgrade in my world.
