All three are essentials for home-cooks who love to make a wide variety of recipes. Think of it this way: A skillet is best for sautés and sears, a Dutch oven is best for simmering, and a braiser falls somewhere between the two.

The differences between these types of pans come down to shape, depth, and how they handle heat and liquid. Understanding where each one shines can help you choose your next piece of cookware, or find a few more uses for the pieces you already own. If you’ve ever wondered what to cook in a braiser, or what a Dutch oven actually is, we’ll break it down for you.

Browning happens once moisture leaves the surface of food and the temperature can rise. As food scientist Gabriel Keith Harris explains for NC State University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, drying the surface is one of the first steps in the browning process.

The shape of the pan affects how quickly that moisture escapes:

• The tall sides of a Dutch oven hold in more steam, which can slow browning.

• The lower sides of a braiser or skillet let steam escape more easily, helping food brown faster.

A braiser is a wide, shallow pan with two side handles and a tight-fitting lid. It’s designed for dishes that start with browning and finish with a slow simmer.

The name comes from the cooking method. To braise, you sear food first, then add a smaller amount of liquid and cook it covered over low heat. The liquid comes partway up the food rather than covering it completely. Over time, tougher cuts become tender and the cooking liquid reduces into a sauce.

The shape of a braiser helps at every stage:

• The wide base gives food room to brown in a single layer.

• The large surface area helps the cooking liquid reduce.

• The low, sloped sides make it easier to turn and serve food.

The two side handles also make a full pan easier to lift in and out of the oven.

A braiser is made for dishes that start with a sear and finish in liquid, but it can handle plenty of other meals, too.

Braises:

• Short ribs, pork shoulder, and lamb shanks

• Chicken thighs

• Cabbage, fennel, and winter squash

Other dishes:

• Shakshuka, chili, and curry

• Mac and cheese, meatballs in sauce, and paella-style rice dishes

• Shallow-fried chicken, fish, or vegetables

• Cornbread, focaccia, and cobbler

• A whole roast chicken, depending on the size of the pan

Most braisers aren’t deep enough for deep frying. There simply isn’t much room between the oil and the rim. For anything that needs to be submerged in oil, use a deeper pot. Shallow frying works well.

To see the basic technique in action, try our red wine braised short ribs. The ribs are seared and slowly simmered in the same pan.

A Dutch oven is deeper than a braiser, so it holds more liquid and slows evaporation. It’s the better choice when you need capacity or want to keep plenty of liquid in the pot.

Use one for:

• Stocks and broths

• Large batches of soup or chili

• Dried beans

• Boiling pasta

• Slow-cooked sauces

• Deep frying

• No-knead bread

The tradeoff is that the high sides trap more steam around food as it cooks. That can make it harder to get a deep, even sear, especially if the pot is crowded.

That doesn’t mean you can’t brown food in a Dutch oven. You may just need to work in smaller batches and give the steam time to escape.

A dish like galbi jjim, Korean braised short ribs, is well suited to a Dutch oven because it needs plenty of room for meat and liquid.

A skillet is the simplest choice for quick cooking over direct heat. Its wide base and low sides make it easy to sear, sauté, toss, and flip food.

A skillet is best for these everyday recipes, which we’re sure you’re familiar with:

• Steaks or pork chops

• Eggs and pancakes

• Stir-fries

• Sautéed vegetables

• A quick pan sauce

• Anything that will be ready in about 15 minutes

A braiser becomes more useful when your food needs to keep cooking after the initial sear. Its lid holds in moisture as it cooks, and its two side handles make it easier to move a full pan into the oven.

Here’s one way to look at the question: In the recipes you cook most often, is the liquid the more important part, or getting a good, well-browned sear? If it’s the liquid, buy the Dutch oven. If it’s the browning, buy the braiser.

• If you regularly make stock, soup, chili, beans, pasta, or bread, buy the Dutch oven first. It holds more and is especially useful when you cook in large batches.

• If you want to sear meat or vegetables and finish the meal in the same pan, buy the braiser first. It’s a practical size and shape for weeknight dinners for two to four people.

• If you mostly cook quick meals on the stovetop, a skillet may be all you need.

On size, these are the ranges that tend to work:

Before buying, check a few practical details.

First, measure the inside of your oven. A wide braiser with two handles can take up more space than you expect. Then consider the weight, especially if you’ll be lifting a full cast iron pan in and out of the oven. Finally, check the heat limits for both the pan and the lid. Glass lids and knobs are sometimes rated for lower temperatures than the pan itself.

If you’re also comparing materials, our guide to the most versatile cookware materials covers the main differences.

The main things to consider are the material, the width of the cooking surface, the oven-safe temperature, and the fit of the lid.

Material

Enameled cast iron holds heat well, which helps the pan stay hot when you add cold food. It also takes longer to heat and can be heavy.

Ceramic nonstick over aluminum heats more quickly, weighs less, and releases food more easily. The right choice depends on whether you care more about heat retention or easier handling.

Base width

The width of the cooking surface matters more than the total capacity. A five-quart pan with a narrow base can still crowd food and cause it to steam. Check the diameter of the base, not just the number of quarts.

Oven-safe limits

Check the temperature limits for the pan and lid separately. Our Braiser is oven safe up to 450°F (230°C), while its glass lid is oven safe up to 425°F (220°C).

Lid fit

The lid should sit securely on the pan. If too much steam escapes during the covered portion of cooking, the liquid can reduce more quickly than intended.

If you don’t want to add another specialized pan to your kitchen, a multifunctional piece may handle much of the same techniques. Our Cast Iron Always Pan® has an enameled cast iron interior that browns well and doesn’t require seasoning. Our Perfect Pot® can handle many Dutch oven tasks at a third of the weight of traditional cast iron.

A dedicated braiser will generally have a wider base than a multifunctional pan of the same capacity. That extra space is useful if you frequently sear larger batches. If you don’t, a more versatile pan may make more sense.

A skillet is best for quick browning and stovetop cooking. A Dutch oven is best when you need depth and capacity. A braiser gives you room to sear, then add liquid, cover, and keep cooking.

None is automatically better than the others. The right one depends on what you make most often and how much room you have in your kitchen.