Cookware
The Only Pan I Never Spill With
A sauce pan that won't drip, dribble, or dump down its side when pouring.
I don’t want to pickle my kitchen counter. While the amount of boiling salt water I’ve spilled when pouring liquid from my pan into a jar may suggest otherwise, my pickling intentions have always been edible. So why have I baptized numerous countertops in scalding vinegar? The answer is simple: Most saucepans stink when it comes to pouring.
Saucepans—the high-walled, single-handled pots that are designed to quickly heat small amounts of liquid—tend to dribble, spill, and dump down their side when you pour from them. Not only is this messy and annoying, it’s dangerous. Spilling boiling liquid can lead to burns, grease fires, and kitchen damage.
At some point, manufacturers became aware of these shortcomings and installed spouts along the rims of their pans. Unfortunately, those spouts rarely translate into meaningful improvements for me and many others. This is because pouring performance is dictated by more than a lip—the pan also needs to be comfortable to hold.
It’s worth mentioning that, yes, with the right blend of confidence and practice you can successfully pour liquid from any saucepan. You also could hit a baseball with a tree branch. Thankfully, bats exist—and so does this Dansk Købenstyle saucepan, the only saucepan I hope to pour from moving forward.
I got hold of this enamel-coated, steel beauty two weeks ago and I’ve been confidently pouring melted butter, hot oil, and pickle brine from it ever since. The pouring improvements begin with the wooden handle. Narrow in the middle, but sturdy throughout, it’s comfortable to grip and easily manipulated. Also, the wood doesn’t heat up while you cook, meaning I don’t need to wrap a dish towel around the handle to use it.
The pan weighs just over two pounds when empty. It’s enough mass to not feel cheap, but not so much that it feels like you’re pouring from a dumbbell. The weight feels evenly distributed as well. Unlike some of the other pans I’ve worked with, when you fill this one with liquid it doesn’t feel like it’s on the verge of tipping over.
Then there’s the lip. The lip of all lips! This thing eliminates drips, spills, and pickle brine tidal waves. It creates a consistent, steady pour that’s controllable and confidence inducing. But don’t just take my word for it—pick one up and witness it for yourself.
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