The Ultimate Guide to Catering Cookware: Top Pots and Pans 2025

Whether you are an aspiring chef, or are cooking for your family,; catering is a useful skill that can greatly improve your skills in the kitchen. In this blog post, we provide our top picks, which are tailored for all types of different dishes.

11/18/20243 min read

stainless steel cooking pots on gas stove
stainless steel cooking pots on gas stove

The Ultimate Guide to Catering Cookware: Top Pans and Pots for Every Chef:

When it comes to catering, having the right cookware is essential for delivering delicious meals efficiently. Among these tools, cooking pans play a pivotal role. Whether you're sautéing, frying, baking, or roasting a delicious meal for your family and friends or at a party, owning the right cookware is essential. In this article, we’ll explore the various types of catering cooking pans available and provide our top picks to help you elevate your cooking skills and create delicious meals for everyone to enjoy.

Why do Quality Cooking Pans Matter in Catering?

1. Durability: Catering often involves high-volume cooking, which can wear out low-quality pans quickly. Investing in high-quality pans ensures they withstand the rigours of regular use.

2. Heat Distribution: Good pans distribute heat evenly, preventing hot spots that can lead to uneven cooking. This is crucial when cooking large batches of food.

3. Versatility: Some cooking pans can be used for multiple cooking methods. Making them a valuable addition to any catering kitchen.

4. Ease of Cleaning: Catering can get messy, so having pans that are easy to clean and maintain is a significant advantage.

Types of Catering Cooking Pans:

Catering requires a variety of pans to handle different cooking tasks. Here are some common types:

Frying Pans/Skillets: Best for frying, sautéing, and browning.

Sauce Pans: Great for making sauces, boiling, and simmering.

Stock Pots: Perfect for making large quantities of soups, stews, and stocks.

Baking Sheets: Ideal for baking cookies and pastries, and roasting vegetables

Roasting Pans: Designed for roasting meats and vegetables, often with a rack for even cooking.

So, without further ado, here are our Top Picks for Catering Cooking Pans:

Best Frying Pan: All-Clad D3 Stainless Steel Fry Pan

Material: Stainless steel

Size: Available in various sizes (8", 10", 12")-

Features: Tri-ply construction for even heating, ergonomic handle, dishwasher safe, and a non-reactive cooking surface.

Why We Love It: The All-Clad D3 is a professional-grade frying pan that provides excellent heat distribution and durability. It’s perfect for everything from sautéing vegetables to searing meats.

Best Sauce Pan: Calphalon Classic Nonstick Sauce Pan

Material: Stainless steel with an Aluminium Base

Size: 1.5-quart, 2.5-quart, 3 quart

Features: Dishwasher safe, oven safe up to 450°F, comfortable silicone handle.-

Why We Love It: This saucepan is ideal for making sauces and cooking grains. The nonstick surface ensures easy food release and cleanup, a must for busy catering services.

Best Stock Pot: Viking 3-Ply Stainless Steel Stock Pot

Material: Stainless steel

Size: Available in 6-quart, 8-quart, and 12-quart sizes

Features: Triple-layer construction, lid included, suitable for induction cooking and oven safe.

Why We Love It: The Viking Stock Pot is a cooking workhorse, renowned for its versatility and heat retention, which makes it perfect for cooking large batches of soup or stock.

Best Baking Sheet: USA Pan Half Sheet Baking Pan

Material: Aluminized steel

Size: Standard half-sheet size (13" x 18")

Features: Nonstick coating, warp-resistant, and a corrugated surface for evenly baked food.

Why We Love It: This baking pan is perfect for roasting vegetables, baking cookies and pastries, and preparing sheet pan dinners. Its durable construction ensures it can handle the heat of a busy catering kitchen.

Best Roasting Pan: All-Clad Stainless Steel Roasting Pan

Size: (11 x 14)

Material: Stainless steel

Features: Durable construction, even heat distribution, and a polished surface that is easy to clean. It comes with a rack for better cooking results.

Why we love it: Its durable construction makes it perfect to roast meat evenly.

Conclusion

Investing in quality catering cooking pans is essential for any business in the cooking industry or even a person who is looking to embrace their cooking skills. The right cookware not only enhances your cooking efficiency but also improves the overall quality of your dishes. Whether you’re a seasoned chef or just starting in the catering industry, the pans mentioned in this article will serve you well. Choose wisely, and enjoy the process of creating exceptional dishes for your peers! Happy catering!

Enjoyed this article? Check out Enamel Cooking Pans: Our Top Picks for more fabulous cookware!