Whatever everyone may say, a braiser is a must-have tool for every serious chef and yes, it has all the features to make your best recipes even better.
Designed to be used on both a stovetop and an oven, braisers are highly functional, decorative and economical and you can use them to craft almost any dish of your choosing.
More exactly, a braiser is used to sear meat or brown it on a stovetop. In this way, you have the Meat that is seared at high temperatures to caramelize the surface, the liquid that is usually added and then, the braiser, with the lid on, is transferred to the oven.
This means that the meat is effectively steamed within the braiser pot as the tight-fitting lid prevents and loss of moisture.
As you may intuit, the largest braiser offering is within the cast iron range. Also, you should know that braisers can be 10.5 inches to 12 inches in diameter, and approximately 2.5 inches deep, and range from 2.5 to 4.75 quarts.
If cooking with a braiser, soon, you will get to understand that thanks to the unique way that the braiser heats food, a limited budget does not mean limited taste or imperfection with the final dish.
We have selected a list of 4 best braiser pans for induction cooktops that may inspire everyone when searing, slow roasting in sauces or gravy. Let’s see what we have chosen for you and if there is a piece of cookware that fits your cooking needs.
1. All-Clad 4515 Braiser with Rack Induction Ready, Made in USA
We are going to start with our first recommendation: All-Clad 4515 Braiser with Rack Induction Ready, a 6-quart French braiser with a rack, wide cooking surface, and high sides.
The construction turns to be perfect for searing then slow roasting with the domed lid. It is the right time to discover what it means to cook with All-Clad’s most popular cookware collection.
If you are interested in its structure, you should know that it is 3-ply bonded construction consists of durable stainless steel encapsulating an aluminum core for even heating throughout.
Plus, it provides a highly polished cooking surface with starburst finish offers stick resistance and easy maintenance, plus won’t react with food.
And as it has a stainless-steel interior with a starburst finish, this offers you natural stick resistance, letting you know when food is ready to release.
Be sure that it won’t react with ingredients, so there’s no risk of food picking up a metallic taste. Also, it is designed with contoured stainless-steel handles permanently secured with stainless-steel rivets, a capacity etched on base and flat stainless-steel lid.
With this pan, you can sear, then slow roast in sauces or gravy. Having a wide, flat cooking surface, meat or vegetables can be easily browned or seared at higher temperatures.
Thanks to the pan’s high, straight sides, large cuts of meat and the addition of sauces or liquids are easy to accommodate.
And for slow roasting in the oven, use the rack to elevate the meat and the domed lid to lock in moisture.
2. Le Creuset LS2532-3217 Braiser Induction Ready
With Le Creuset LS2532-3217 Braizer Induction Ready, you get an enameled cast iron braiser uniquely designed for maximum performance.
Using such a piece of cookware, you will be able to transform tough cuts of meat and hearty vegetables into tender, flavorful dishes.
Your food is first seared over high heat, then finished slowly in a flavorful liquid.
It provides sand-colored interior enamel that has a smooth finish that promotes caramelization, prevents sticking and resists stains.
Also, it has colorful exterior enamel shock-resistant to prevent chipping and cracking. Its wide loop handles provide a safe and comfortable grip, while the dome-shaped lid locks in flavor by promoting the continuous circulation of heat and moisture.
All the secret of this pan consists of the fact that the wide base of the braiser allows ingredients to be placed in a single layer for proper searing; once the liquid is added, the domed lid continuously circulates steam to lock in moisture and flavor.
And in order to avoid damaging the enamel, do not use metallic pads or harsh abrasive cleaning agents.
Now you can choose to stir-fry, slow-cook a casserole, sear a steak or bake a cake as on the market, you will find a shape that is suitable for your needs.
Such a braiser can be used on all heat sources (gas, electric solid plate or radiant ring, vitroceramic glass, induction, and ovens fired by gas, oil, coal or wood), but you must make sure you match the pan’s base size to the stovetop heat zone.
3. Anolon 46859 Braiser Induction Ready
Anolon 46859 Braisers Induction Ready can be another option in terms of braiser as it is made of pre-seasoned cast iron that is durable and stain-resistant, with superb heat retention for slow cooking and searing.
It is suitable for all stovetops, including induction and also, it is broiler and oven safe to 500° for a stove to oven to table entertaining.
This time, you are going to meet a cast iron braiser that features stain-resistant black matte enamel interior for beautiful cooking, searing and browning with easy cleaning.
Available in different colors, the gorgeous porcelain enamel exterior comes in a rich gourmet-inspired color, all in a pan that can expand the sumptuous, succulent culinary possibilities of classic cast iron cooking.
Such a braiser is able to fuse superior heating with singular stove-to-oven-table style and performance for creative cast iron cooking.
It is designed with a covered casserole’s self-basting lid that features a distinctive stainless steel handle, and elegant side handles in order to provide ample room for potholder grip.
With such a braiser, you can put your own flavorful stamp on an Oaxacan-style chicken-and-potato stew, a Moroccan tagine, and more.
Forget about any season as the stain-resistant black matte enamel interior provides beautiful searing, browning and cooking with easy cleaning; this means that it is perfect for everything from deliciously fresh spring soups to a slow-simmered autumn harvest stew.
4. Landhaus 5.4 QT Braiser Induction Ready
Last but not least, Landhaus 5.4 QT Braiser Induction Ready presents you with the highest-quality cast iron that money could buy at a cost accessible to most households.
It is a professional grade cast iron pan that holds heat and distributes heat evenly for a perfect cook. It includes a solid brass and a chrome stainless steel knob for cookware.
Its construction provides four-layered high-quality BPA free enamel coating, making the pan great for cooking and also, a perfect nonstick alternative to Teflon and other toxic coated pots and pans.
The element used to create the gloss glaze on the cast iron is known as silica, which is a natural compound and is food safe.
With such a braiser, you can cook, roast, fry, saute, pan-fry, braise, prep and bake and with self-basting spikes underneath the lid, your dishes come out evenly cooked, tender and moist, through and through.
Continuous natural basting is ensured with these innovative bumps and flavorful juices are distributed to all parts of the dish.
This enameled cast-iron braiser works on gas, induction, glass-ceramic, and electric stovetop configurations and is oven safe for use up to 450˚ F. When cleaning, just gently hand wash with soap and sponge to clean, and dry thoroughly.
And of course, instead of abrasive utensils (metal), use wood utensils because of potential scraping.
5. Comparison Table
Model |
All-Clad 4515 Braiser with Rack Induction Ready, Made in USA |
Le Creuset LS2532-3217 Braiser Induction Ready |
Anolon 46859 Braiser Induction Ready |
Landhaus 5.4 QT Braiser Induction Ready |
---|---|---|---|---|
Design |
braiser designed for searing, then slow roasting in sauces or gravy. |
enameled cast iron braiser uniquely designed for maximum performance |
Dutch oven design |
professional grade cast iron braiser |
Manufacturer |
Groupe SEB |
Le Creuset |
Meyer Corporation |
Landhaus |
Construction |
3-ply bonded construction consists of durable stainless steel encapsulating an aluminum core for even heating throughout |
heavy construction |
beautiful construction |
the highest quality cast iron |
Color |
silver |
available in different colors (Caribbean, Palm, Soleil, Flame etc.) |
Umber brown, Cobalt blue, and Paprika red |
Merlot or Prussian blue |
Capacity |
6 quart |
5 quart |
5 quart |
5.4 quart / 5.1 liter capacity |
Material |
stainless-steel |
cast iron |
cast iron |
cast iron |
Interior |
stainless-steel interior with a starburst finish offers natural stick resistance |
an advanced sand-colored interior enamel with even more resistance to wear |
stain-resistant black matte enamel interior |
four layered high-quality BPA free enamel coating |
Exterior |
highly polished cooking surface with starburst finish offers stick resistance and easy maintenance |
colorful, long-lasting exterior enamel that resists chipping and cracking |
gorgeous porcelain enamel exterior in a rich gourmet-inspired color |
deep shiny enamel exterior is very pleasant to the eye |
Lid |
flat stainless-steel lid |
Dome-shaped lid |
covered casserole’s self-basting lid features a distinctive stainless steel handle |
a well fit lid, it comes with an extra knob handle for the lid |
Handles |
contoured stainless-steel handles permanently secured with stainless-steel rivets |
45% larger handles that provide a sure grip, even with oven mitts |
elegant side handles provide ample room for potholder grip |
small handles |
Accessories |
rack |
N/A |
N/A |
a solid brass and a chrome stainless steel knob for cookware |
Dimensions |
15.6 x 12.8 x 3.8 inches |
14.5 x 14.6 x 4.5 inches |
17.9 x 14.6 x 6.8 inches |
15.25″ x 12.5″ x 6″ |
Weight |
5.95 pounds |
15.7 pounds |
14.35 pounds |
18.05 pounds |
Warranty |
limited lifetime warranty |
N/A |
a lifetime warranty |
limited to the lifetime of the original purchaser |
Made in |
USA |
France |
China or Thailand |
China |
Dishwasher safe |
dishwasher-safe convenience |
No, hand washing recommended |
N/A |
No, hand washing recommended |
Oven safe |
oven-safe up to 600 degrees F (without lid) |
Yes |
oven safe to 500° |
oven safe use up to 450 °F |
Cleaning |
easy to clean |
cleaning it with something with a mild abrasive makes it look nearly new |
unbelievably easy to clean |
gently hand wash with soap and sponge to clean, and dry thoroughly |
Compatible with heating sources |
induction compatible |
it can be used on all heat sources including gas, electric solid plate or radiant ring, vitro-ceramic glass, induction, and ovens fired by gas, oil, coal or wood |
this induction-suitable cast iron casserole pan is suitable for all stovetops |
safe on gas, induction, glass ceramic and electric stove |
And just to have an idea, below, we are going to present to you the main differences between a braiser and different types of pans.
Braiser vs Saute Pan
If we want to compare different types of pots, you should know that the differences are in-depth, handles, the linings, and (in the case of the braiser) a domed cover.
As you may probably observe, a braiser has two handles equal in size, curved sides and a domed lid to retain moisture and in the case of a saute pan, there may be one long handle but a helper handle opposite the long handle, straight sides, and a flat lid to release steam.
It is true that both can be used to sear meats, but generally, a saute pan will use oil or fat and a braiser can be dry with liquid added after the sear to create a sauce.
Moreover, saute pans use higher heat and braisers use lower heat. And yes, a braiser is more suited to curries and sauces than a saute pan which is designed to allow you to “jump” the contents of the pan.
Braiser Pan vs Dutch Oven
Also, when it comes to the Dutch oven versus braiser question, the short answer is that everyone should have both a Dutch oven and a braiser.
A Dutch oven is great soups, chili, stocks, spaghetti sauces, and other dishes with a significant amount of liquid (more liquid than meat, in fact).
But, when it comes to dishes that need to be braised (that is, cooked tightly covered in a small amount of liquid), a braiser is an ideal investment thanks to its specific design.
First, the braiser’s wide base allows the meat to gain maximum contact with the heat source, making it easier to get it all nicely browned before it simmers, while if you use a Dutch oven for browning, you have less base space, so you have to brown in batches.
Then, as you already know, because braising requires less liquid than stewing, the sides of these pans are shallower than those of a Dutch oven.
And so, when you braise, you don’t want the meat to be fully submerged in the liquid, which can happen when you use a Dutch oven instead of a braiser.
Braiser vs Frying Pan
We may say that a braiser does everything a frying pan can and more: it ensures more flexibility and results.
When you are searing meat, you will need a braiser or perhaps, a cast-iron frying pan that has been seasoned well to turn to sear into the specific part of the cooking process.
With a braiser, you can transfer to the oven or put the lid on the stove to steam the meat, but you cannot do this with a frying pan.
Take into consideration the fact that if you don’t have a lot of money for high-quality ingredients, you can still make it taste expensive: you might think that you can achieve the same results with a frying pan, but the braiser can transform your cooking experience from the everyday recipe to the weekend masterpiece.
Perhaps, you have noticed that both terms braiser and brazier are used in order to detonate a simple cooking device.
This device includes a container of live coals covered by a thin (grill) metal top upon which the food, usually meat, is placed. As the word origin is from the French brasier term, this is why sometimes this recipient is called braiser or brazier.