I've been playing with the Falk Culinair "try me" sauciere - doing
things it isn't really suited for by size or shape, such as frying an
egg; and things it is suited for, such as making cheese sauce. It
handles the"non-suited" tasks well and the "suited" tasks superbly.

Having used this beautiful little pan, I can't imagine using anything
else for those tasks copper is best for.

So, I'd like to buy the Falk Culinair 11" saute (or low casserole) and
the 9.5" sauciere (or stew pan), and would appreciate advice before
choosing among the different configurations.

The saute and the low casserole have the same body, but different
handle configurations: the 11" saute has a long handle and a loop
helper handle while the casserole has two loop handles.

The more compact size of the low casserole is appealing for all sorts
of reasons: no long handle to get in the way when several pots are on
the stove; will sit flat in the sink so the interior can be soaked in
soapy water without needing to completely fill the sink; easier to
store in a cupboard; will fit in the oven/under a broiler easily; could
be used as a casserole, or baker, or roasting pan.

However, the saute/casserole's primary use would be sauteing on the
stove top - several times each week.

Do the casserole's handles place the hand too close to the copper body
and heat source for comfort when steadying the pan? I usually use a pot
holder or cloth, but more care is needed when the hand and pot holder
are near the heat source than when they are several inches away at the
end of a long handle (or at the top of a tall pot).

This extra care isn't a problem with pans which are only incidentally
used on the stove top (such as a roaster). But, would this extra care
be a constant irritant for a pan used primarily - and nearly daily - on
the stove top? Is extra care even needed? Or, do the loop handles stand
proud of the pan body in such a way that proximity to the heat source -
and hot copper body - isn't an issue?

There is also the issue of the different ways the two types of handle
are held. The normal hand-wrapped-around-handle grip used with long
handles seems natural and comfortable, while the various ways of
holding loop handles can be awkward.

Lastly, long handles make it easy to "balance" a pot. I don't know how
to explain this, but there is a different feel when using a long handle
to steady a pan. Does the weight of the low casserole make this
balancing issue irrelevant? That is, is the pan heavy enough that
almost any handle is superfluous for steadying and balancing?

>From experience using the small sauciere, I suspect the larger Falk
pieces are immune to the diseases of poor balance and unsteadiness.
But confirmation - or disagreement - would be appreciated.

I don't do the shake-toss-catch dance of the saute pan (which,
obviously, requires a long handle), so this isn't a consideration.

Without access to a Falk pan with a loop handle I can't get a
kinesthetic sense of how it "works." So, I'd be grateful for comments
from anyone who has used these on a stove top.

The issues involved with choosing between the 9.5" sauciere and the
stew pan are similar. But the smaller size of the sauciere and
different uses (less likely to be used in the oven), as well as the
need of many sauces for constant stirring makes me lean towards the
sauciere rather than the stew pan. Though, here again, comments are
welcome.

But, I am torn between the saute and the low casserole and any
comments, advice, thoughts, or experiences you have would be welcomed.