When you are looking at purchasing a new saucepan, it is important to know what size you need. The size of the saucepan is determined by the capacity or volume that it can hold. The most common sizes for home cooks are 1-quart, 2-quart, and 4-quart saucepans. If you frequently cook for large groups, you may want to consider a 6-quart or 8-quart saucepan.
To determine the capacity of a saucepan, look for the markings on the inside of the pan. These will be in quarts or liters. One quart equals approximately 0.95 liters. To convert quarts to liters, multiply the number of quarts by 0.95 (1 qt x 0.95 = 0.95 L; 2 qt x 0.95 = 1.9 L; etc.).
Once you have determined the capacity of the saucepan, you can match it to your cooking needs. A 1-quart saucepan is good for small tasks such as boiling an egg or heating up soup for one person. A 2-quart saucepan can accommodate larger amounts like pasta for two people or a batch of chili. And a 4-quart or larger pan is necessary for cooking big meals such as stews and casseroles that will feed four or more people