If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation.

I Spent Years Working in Italian Restaurants, and This Is the Only Pasta Pan I Use

And it’s only $43.

By

Published on October 21, 2024

Pasta Pan — Photo:
Food & Wine / Tyler Roeland

As someone with Italian heritage and a former restaurant cook, I can confidently say the most crucial step in making pasta is tossing the al dente pasta with the sauce in the pan. It’s a process called mantecare; a splash of starchy pasta water combined with the sauce and some fat in the form of olive oil or butter, with some vigorous stirring, emulsifies into a glossy sauce that perfectly coats each piece of pasta.

However, this process can get pretty messy. Energetic stirring is necessary for emulsification; all too often, I’ve accidentally sent some penne flying when stirring too quickly in a sauté pan. When I was moved to the sauté station at a fine-dining restaurant with several pasta dishes on the menu, I came across a solution to this problem: the Winco aluminum stir-fry pan.

Winco Aluminum Stir-Fry Pan, 11-Inch

$43 at Amazon

Unlike a skillet with a wide, flat bottom and short, slightly sloped sides, this pan feels tailor-made for stirring and flipping pasta. It’s the best pasta pan because it’s large and very round, with a narrow base and an edge that flares much larger than the cooking surface. As the name suggests, it’s meant for stir-frying, which also relies on fast, rambunctious stirring and keeping the food moving.

After my first shift using this pan, I was so impressed that I ordered one for my home kitchen on my commute home. Now, it lives among my pasta pots and is the only pan suitable for mantecare in my house. The high sides allow me to stir with the vigor I need without worrying about sending half my dinner flying across my stovetop. The aluminum construction means it heats up rapidly and evenly, so I can get everything mixed quickly without the fear of overcooking the pasta or breaking the sauce, and the silicone handle sleeve protects my hands. Just know that this pan isn’t for long cooking tomato-based sauces; acidic foods can react with the aluminum. A quick toss is totally fine but avoid prolonged simmering.

The Winco 11-inch aluminum stir-fry pan is the best pan for finishing pasta and my secret weapon for tough, emulsified sauces like carbonara and cacio e pepe. The sides are so dramatically sloped that there are no corners of the pan for food to get stuck in, and I can easily keep everything moving. For just $43, it’s a great deal for one of my most frequently used pans.