Saucepans are versatile cooking tools, used for anything that has a primarily liquid base, such as soups, broths, stews, and unsurprisingly, sauces. They usually have a capacity of at least one litre and up to four, making them useful in everyday cooking, but not always when cooking for a crowd.The high walls of a saucepan prevent liquids from splattering over the cooktop and also minimise direct contact with the heat source to avoid too much browning.