The Only Type Of Saute Pan That Got Anthony Bourdain's Seal Of Approval

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Anthony Bourdain's best cooking tips tended to be long on practicality. Despite having extensive haute cuisine bona fides, Bourdain was a man of the people — take, for instance, his rapturous experience with the Waffle House chain, which he dubbed better than fine dining. On the other hand, Bourdain hated food trends, people who ate gluten-free for no medical reason, unicorn Frappuccinos from Starbucks, and Kobe sliders. What he did like was food that tasted good without the gimmicks, as well as tools that got the job done without pretension or hype. To that end, his sauté pans of choice were those purchased from commercial restaurant supply companies or even bought secondhand for cost savings.

In his iconic memoir "Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly," Bourdain suggested scouring newspapers (or social media, to bring his 2007 reference up to date) for news of restaurant auctions. Since new restaurants have a 60% rate of failure, he pointed out, there is always somebody selling great kitchen equipment at fire-sale prices. "I'd recommend pots and pans as a premium consideration if scavenging this way," he wrote. "Most of the ones sold for home use are dangerously flimsy, and the heavyweight equipment sold for serious home cooks is almost always overpriced. Stockpots, saucepans, thick-bottomed sauté pans are nice things, even necessary things to have." 

With his characteristic dry wit, he pointed out that heavy pans were the key word. "A proper sauté pan [...] should cause serious injury if brought down hard against someone's skull," Bourdain argued. He warned that lightweight pans would lead unfailingly to burnt food.

Nowadays, celebrity chefs endorse cookware on a regular basis. Gordon Ramsay shills for HexClad, claiming that they are what he uses in his own home kitchen. Thomas Keller, who has three Michelin stars, swears by Hestan. Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa, has been loud and proud about her love for All-Clad. To be sure, all these companies probably make great cookware to justify the high prices charged. We can't help but note the irony, however, in the fact that Tony Bourdain not only chose no-name restaurant supply cookware, but actually poked fun at the outrageous claims that luxe manufacturers will peddle to try and separate you from your money. Moreover, Bourdain claimed, you didn't even need to buy the pans new, as secondhand would do you just fine.

The world lost a legend when Bourdain died in 2018, and not just because his trademark humor and no-nonsense personality enlivened books and TV shows. It's hard today to find a celebrity chef who consistently prioritizes honest, high-quality cooking over the glitz and glamor of Hollywood brand deals. The generic, strong sauté pans that Bourdain espoused aren't aesthetic, but they might just be the best at what they do. Attention to that sort of thing is perhaps lacking among culinary luminaries in this day and age, adding just one more item to the long list of reasons why we mourn Bourdain.