The saucier is an essential piece of cookware for any kitchen setup, offering home cooks and chefs alike the ability to reduce and whisk delicate sauces with ease. The saucier is extremely versatile and serves a number of other crucial functions around the kitchen, simplifying everyday meal preparation.
From helping you simmer a soup, to preparing delicious side dishes to complement a main course, this versatile piece of cookware is a great addition to your Le Creuset collection. Le Creuset sauciers are available in enamelled cast iron and stainless steel, and are built to last daily use.
While commonly associated with making sauces, the saucier can also be used for a number of other recipes and cooking techniques including simmering soups and preparing rice and other grains. Learning how to make the most of this versatile piece of cookware can make a world of difference in the kitchen, helping you elevate your cooking skill set.
Here is a complete guide to the saucier, including what it is, common uses, as well as four fun recipes to experiment with.
What is a Saucier?
A saucier, as the name suggests, is best suited to reducing delicate sauces, but can also be used for a variety of other dishes. Featuring curved sides and a rounded bottom, this versatile piece of cookware facilitates stirring and ensures sauces do not get stuck in the corners. The saucier's rounded bottom differentiates this unique piece of cookware from typical saucepans, that feature flat bases and straight, tall sides
Beyond reducing sauces, the saucier can be used to sauté vegetables and braise ingredients as its tight-fitting lid is designed to lock in heat and moisture. In addition, this versatile piece of cookware offers the ideal environment to prepare soups and side dishes, providing superior heat retention. Whether you are making a delicious pasta recipe or are simply looking to complement your main course with a side dish, the saucier has you covered.
Saucier vs. Saucepan
Sauciers and saucepans are often used interchangeably given their similarities; however, it is important to make the distinction between these two pieces of cookware. A saucier comes equipped with rounded sides and a rounded bottom, while the saucepan is a small, deep pot, featuring a flat bottom and tall, straight sides.
The saucier is best suited to whisk and reduce sauces due to its rounded sides but can also be used when preparing your favourite side dishes. The saucepan, by contrast, particularly excels at preparing stews or grains, including quinoa and rice. This piece of cookware can also be used to blanch vegetables or to simmer a soup with ease.
Saucier Uses
Here is a closer look at the different ways you can make the most of your Le Creuset Saucier and prepare delicious recipes for family and friends for years to come.
Preparing delicate sauces
The primary use for a saucier is to prepare and reduce delicate sauces with the minimum of fuss. The pan’s smoothly curved interior helps you stir ingredients with ease, ensuring your sauce is consistent throughout.
Its rounded bottom offers home cooks and chefs alike the ideal piece of cookware to reduce a sauce without fear of ingredients getting stuck to the corners. The saucier’s enamelled cast iron construction exposes sauces to a consistent heat source, cooking food evenly. This piece of cookware is also available in stainless steel, designed specifically to withstand higher temperatures. Ultimately, the saucier is the only pan you’ll need to prepare all your favourite sauces, be it for pasta dishes or lasagnas.
Simmering a soup
The saucier can also be used to prepare soups, locking in heat and moisture with ease thanks to its tight-fitting lid. This versatile pan also comes equipped with rounded sides and a rounded bottom, ensuring you can stir your soup until it is simmered to perfection.
Constructed with enamelled cast iron or stainless steel, the Saucier is an excellent retainer of heat, creating the ideal environment for soups to simmer. Its design is crafted to promote efficient stirring and constant movement, making for a great piece of cookware for soup making for home cooks and chefs alike.
The saucier embodies the set-it-and-forget-it-nature of cooking, trapping in rich flavours to deliver a delicious soup until it is time to be served. From the classic onion soup to the popular minestrone, this piece of cookware accommodates with ease.
Preparing side dishes & grains
While not commonly associated with side dishes and grains, the saucier can be used to complement your main course with a number of smaller recipes. This piece of cookware is perfectly suited for dishes that involve constant stirring and mixing, allowing you to incorporate a range of new flavours into your everyday meal preparation.
Its tight-fitting lid locks in heat and moisture, while its curved sides help you stir ingredients efficiently. Whether you are preparing a side of rice, or vegetables, the saucier will quickly establish itself as a workhorse in your kitchen.
Boiling
Our Sauciers can also be used to boil ingredients with ease, serving yet another crucial purpose in the kitchen. This piece of cookware is ideal for boiling a number of smaller ingredients, be it beans, a side of eggs, or vegetables.
Crafted with stainless steel or enamelled cast iron, our sauciers provide superior heat retention, ensuring you can quickly boil your favourite ingredients. Its convenient steam hole prevents boil overs, while its tight-fitting lid creates the ideal conditions to boil ingredients.
Preparing Risottos
The saucier particular excels at preparing risottos and a number of your favourite pasta dishes. Its smoothly curved sides are carefully designed to promote efficient stirring and constant movement, exposing ingredients to a consistent heat source.
The key with preparing the perfect risotto is to continuously stir rice as it lightly fries, and new ingredients are added into the saucier. Featuring a rounded bottom, this versatile pan creates the ideal environment for risotto, ensuring no ingredients get stuck to the corners.
Cooking Oatmeal
Thanks to its rounded bottom and slopped sides, the saucier also serves a similar purpose with oatmeal, helping you stir the oats along with any other ingredients you might include, be it fresh fruits, or spices, including vanilla, and nutmeg.
The sides of the saucier are designed to limit ingredients getting stuck in corners, allowing oatmeal to be consistent throughout each and every time. A saucier therefore makes a huge difference when even preparing the simplest of foods.
Saucier Recipes to Try
Here are four of our favourite recipes you can prepare in a saucier, including a delicious risotto, and classic poultry gravy.
