The Difference Between a Soup Pot and a Saucepan, Explained.
A soup pot and a saucepan are two different cooking utensils that can both be used for things like boiling water and making soup. But there is a significant difference between them that will affect the taste of your food.
A saucepan is typically made from thick, heavy-gauge stainless steel. It has a fitted lid and handles on each side of the pot to make it easy to move on and off of a stovetop.
It’s also usually deeper than a soup pot so more liquid can fit in it while cooking. A saucepan is ideal for making sauces or any dish with thick ingredients where you want to keep the liquid from boiling over the top.
Soup pots, on the other hand, are designed to cook thin liquids like soups or stews, or dishes with thin ingredients like rice or oatmeal that don’t need to simmer for long periods of time.
What is a soup pot?
A soup pot is a cooking utensil that is made specifically for boiling water and making soup. Soup pots are designed to be wide at the top so they can hold more liquid.
They also have a handle on only one side of the pot to make it easier to move from stovetop to sink.
In contrast, a saucepan is typically made from thick, heavy-gauge stainless steel. It has a fitted lid and handles on each side of the pot to make it easy to move on and off of a stovetop.
It’s also usually deeper than a soup pot so more liquid can fit in it while cooking. A saucepan is ideal for making sauces or any dish with thick ingredients where you want to keep the liquid from boiling over the top.
What is a saucepan?
A saucepan is a cooking utensil that can be used for boiling water and making soup. The difference between it and a soup pot is that the saucepan is made of thicker, heavier-gauge stainless steel, has fitted lid that’s easy to move around on the stovetop, and usually has handles on both sides of the pot.
How to tell the difference
The best way to tell the difference between a soup pot and a saucepan is by the size of the pot and whether or not it has a fitted lid.
A soup pot typically has a capacity of at least 4 quarts (12 cups) and often come with lids that rest on top of the pot. A saucepan will typically have more volume than a soup pot, usually more than 8 quarts, but less than 11 quarts, so it’s more appropriate for cooking dishes with thicker ingredients. Additionally, because of its design, a saucepan can be used as a stockpot for soups and stews.
If you’re cooking something that needs more liquid that just boiling water then you’ll want to use a soup pan. If you’re making sauces or any dish with thick ingredients where you want to keep the liquid from boiling over the top then a saucepan is your best bet!
Conclusion
Different pots and pans are designed for different cooking tasks, like deep frying, boiling over high heat, simmering, and more. Knowing the difference between these pots and pans can make your cooking more efficient.
A soup pot has a wide base and a heavy lid that fits tightly on top of the pot.
The wide base is designed for cooking dishes that need a lot of liquid. Some soup pots have lids with a steam vent to keep the soup from boiling over.
A saucepan has sloped sides that allow liquids to reach the edges of the pot. They are designed for cooking sauces, boiling vegetables, or making stock.
A saucepan with sloped sides is also used to deep fry foods over medium-high or high heat.
If you are cooking with gas stovetops, you might want to use a soup pot instead of a saucepan because the temperature is more stable with wider pots.
If you are using an electric stovetop, it doesn’t matter which pot you use.
Soup pots are often used for soups that require large amounts of liquid, like chicken stock or vegetable stock. A soup pot typically has a wide base with a tight fitting lid to prevent the liquid from boiling over.