We independently evaluate all of our recommendations. If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation.

Chefs Swear by Rondeaus—I Tested Nine of Them to Find 5 for Braising, Searing, and Stewing

The best ones are from Misen and Mauviel.

Updated March 25, 2024

a rondeau on a stove with mushrooms and onions and a wooden spoon — Serious Eats / Grace Kelly

In This Article

Straight to the Point

We liked many of the rondeaus we tested, but our favorites were from Misen and Mauviel; both produced golden brown sears and were easy to maneuver from stovetop to oven.

A rondeau is like a cross between a stainless steel sauté pan and a braiser (in French, rondeau means brazier, after all) and, as such, excels at searing, stewing, shallow frying, and slowly cooking a meal so it’s all sticky and melted down…yum. Move over sheet pan dinners—in my mind rondeaus are the ultimate one-pan wonder.

While restaurants often use massive 18-quart rondeaus to make huge quantities of food (I was once responsible for stirring gumbo made in a behemoth rondeau that stretched over two burners), there are much more approachable sizes out there for home cooks. I tested nine rondeaus—between four-and-a-half and eight quarts, with most holding six—to find one that’ll let you cook like a chef without doubling up on burners.

The Winners, at a Glance

The Best Rondeau

Misen 6 QT Rondeau

PHOTO: Misen

$134 at Amazon View on Misen.com

This sturdy pan punched above its price tag. It seared like a champ and sports heavy-duty, wide, easy-to-grip handles.

Another Great Rondeau

Made In Stainless Clad Rondeau

PHOTO: Made In

$229 at Amazon $239 at Walmart View on Madeincookware.com

This sturdy rondeau seared well and was big enough to cook large amounts of food without risk of overflowing.

The Best Narrower Rondeau

Heritage Steel 6 Quart Rondeau with Lid

PHOTO: Amazon

$250 at Amazon $259 at Macy's $244 at QVC

This narrow, tall rondeau was surprisingly solid at searing and sauteeing, producing golden chicken skin and well-browned steak. It was incredibly responsive, too.

The Best Splurge-Worthy Rondeau

Mauviel M'Cook 5-Ply Polished Stainless Steel Rondeau 6qt

PHOTO: Amazon

$400 at Amazon

While this is an expensive rondeau, it had excellent searing and stewing abilities and was very responsive. I also liked the angled, thick stainless steel handles.

The Best Budget-Friendly Rondeau

Cuisinart MultiClad Pro Stainless 5-1/2-Quart Casserole

PHOTO: Amazon

$90 at Amazon $95 at QVC $90 at Lowe's

Even though it’s one of the less expensive rondeaus I tested, this sturdy pan still performed quite well. It seared nicely and was responsive to heat changes.

The Tests

Taking a rondeau with braised chicken and cabbage out of the oven — Serious Eats / Grace Kelly

Beef Stroganoff Test: I made batches of beef stroganoff, using each rondeau to sear the meat, saute the onions and mushrooms, and simmer the noodles in the sauce.
Braised Chicken and Cabbage Test (Winners-Only): I used my favorite rondeaus to sear chicken, saute bacon, onions, and cabbage, and oven-braise the complete dish for 45 minutes.
Usability Tests: During testing, I noted how easy each rondeau was to use, maneuver, and clean (I ran any dishwasher-safe pans through the dishwasher, too).

What’s a Rondeau?

A rondeau (a.k.a a brazier) is a large, wide stainless steel pan with tall-ish, straight sides and two looped handles. While they’re somewhat similar to stainless steel skillets (with their broad surface) or saute pans (with their raised sides), what differentiates a rondeau is capacity—restaurant offerings hover on the plus side of 18 quarts—and the lack of a single, long handle. Instead, rondeaus feature two wide handles on either side, making them easier to maneuver. All that said, they’re not stockpots, which are taller.

These features make them a one-pan wonder, providing enough surface area (usually around 10 to 12 inches) for searing and a larger capacity for cooking down saucy dishes, often between four to eight quarts. The looped handles add maneuverability, and the pans are often oven-safe, making them great for slow-cooked braises. Overall, if you’re looking for a pan that can do it all (I sometimes use my rondeau to shallow fry or make one-pan pasta dishes, too), a rondeau is an excellent choice.

Frying Pan vs. Saute Pan vs. Rondeau
Top Pick	Capacity	Diameter	Depth	Side Shape	Oven-Safe?
Made In Stainless Clad Frying Pan	NA	8, 10, 12, and 14 inches	1.75 inches for all pans except 14-inch pan, which is 2 inches deep	Gently flared	Yes, up to 800°F
Made In Stainless Steel Saute Pan	3.5 quarts	10.5 inches	2.5 inches	Straight	Yes, up to 800°F
Made In Stainless Clad Rondeau	4, 6, and 10 quarts	9.75 inches, 10.62 inches, and 12.75 inches	2.88 inches, 3.18 inches, and 4.4 inches	Straight	Yes, up to 800°F

As an example of their differences, here are the specs of three Made In pans.

What We Learned

Responsiveness Was a Boon

Using a wooden spoon to stir pieces of beef in a rondeau — Serious Eats / Grace Kelly

Responsiveness means you can quickly lower (or raise) the heat and the pan will react lickity-split. This is important when you’re searing something and then need to turn down the heat to saute, like with this braised chicken and cabbage recipe I used as part of my tests. If the pan is too slow to cool down (and you’re impatient), you might get some charred onions rather than the softly golden ones you desire.

All of the winning pans were quite responsive, but the pricey Mauviel blew nearly every other one out of the water with how quickly it reacted after heat adjustments. I got perfectly seared chicken thighs, lowered the heat to medium-low, added the onions, and watched as they slowly melted into silky golden ribbons. In contrast, the All-Clad and Tramontina took a little longer to cool down and the onions singed a little.

A Good Rondeau Should Sear Well

Two seared chicken thighs in the center of the Made In rondeau — Serious Eats / Grace Kelly

While responsiveness was important, so too was even heating and, as a result, great searing. When you’re making a stew or braise, you want to sear the meat first to build flavor; wan meat will taste fine, but won’t have that almost caramelized crust (and added depth) that searing produces. The best pans in this category, unsurprisingly, were the 5-ply ones (that is, pans with five layers of cladding); since they’re thicker, they retain heat better and are more conductive. Standouts in this category were our winner from Misen and the pricey (but fantastic) Mauviel; both seared incredibly evenly and produced ultra-golden crusts on steak and chicken thighs. In contrast, the tri-ply All-Clad and Le Creuset had uneven sears with undercooked patches. This is not to say that all tri-ply cookware isn’t as good at searing, but it was consistently true in my tests.

Most Rondeaus Were Great at Braising and Stewing

a rondeau with braised chicken and cabbage — Serious Eats / Grace Kelly

Things leveled out in the battle of the rondeaus when I simmered stroganoff and oven-braised chicken and cabbage; nearly all of the rondeaus produced nicely reduced sauces, whether on the stove or in the oven. With their wide bases and tall sides, they even contained a burbling pot of egg noodles for stroganoff with ease.

A Sturdy Rondeau (With Grippy Handles) Was Best

There was quite a difference in how various pans I tested sat on my glass stovetop; while I liked the Cuisinart, it was on the lighter side (it weighs a little more than four pounds) and spun around and shifted on the glass. Conversely, the sturdy Misen (the weightiest pan I tested, at nearly five pounds) stayed put.

Handles were another important feature, making it easy to grip the pan and put it in the oven or onto a trivet. While most handles did the job just fine, I preferred thicker, slightly raised ones, like on the Mauviel, which tended to stay cooler longer and were easy to grip.

The Criteria: What to Look for in a Rondeau

the mauviel rondeau on a glass stovetop with this copy overlaid: A seriously good rondeau; raised handles; durable; responsive; heats evenly — Serious Eats / Grace Kelly

A rondeau should be sturdy and responsive, and heat up evenly, producing fantastic, caramelized sears. It should also be durable (and emerge unscathed from time in the oven) and have hefty, raised handles that are easy to grip.

Our Favorite Rondeaus