Kitchen Aid Cookware: 16 QUART STAINLESS STEEL (COMMERCIAL GRADE NSF) STOCK POT W/ LID Review

16 QUART STAINLESS STEEL STOCK POT W/ LID

I owned two different models of pots for my commercial use. the first ones were Italian-made, decent quality. the other ones crummy Cheapo Chinese ones. I will use the Italian ones purchased at Costco as a basis for comparison to these pots.

This product's dimensions are 10Hx11.5Wx15.5W (with handles). They each weigh in around 7 Lbs. with lids. The pot, without the lid weighs around 6.2Lbs. They each weigh slightly less than my Italian pots without lids on. The handles, on these Chinese pots, are 10 point spot-welded rather than the rivet/bolted attachment on the Italian ones. I hope they will hold up, they seem sturdy, but it remains to be seen. The handles are nice and wide, wire-type, solid stainless steel. The pots and the handles have a good balance and feel to them overall. The seem slightly lighter gauge than the Italian pot's wire type handles.

The aluminum conduction plate on one of them was improperly cast and has left a slight dent in the bottom of the stainless steel in one of the new pots. I am considering returning it. I should add the company selling them had an erroneous shipping weight of 14 Lbs. on the product listing. The shipping weight is closer to 10 lbs.

Overall, they are about the same quality and dimensions as the Italian pots, slightly cheaper in construction, slightly lighter in materials. They seem to be made of 18/8 Stainless where the Italian ones are marked 18/10 Stainless. The Chinese ones are not marked in any way, so this is an estimate on my part.

The lids are stainless steel...not that I'll use them, but I never liked buying a stainless steel pot with a glass lid...seems pointless. The handle on the lid is decent, not great, leaning towards a finger burning experience, as the handle is low to the lid.

If I recall when I bought these Italian pots, I paid $50 each for them, so these for $50 are about the same quality. I'm not dissatisfied, except for the slightly defective one. I compared these to other pots that are more expensive for sale and they seem to be consistent in thickness of material. I can't be sure, but some of the expensive Vollrath ones are lighter, but have a wider base, making them much lighter. Several of the pots with similar widths are lighter. Some of the shorter, squatter ones are heavier...which makes sense due to the larger base and the larger conduction plate. I needed something in the 11-12" Width range and with one exception, these seem to be the heaviest for sale currently. So I might go so far as to say that these are a bargain for the price, although, I must admit, what I know about pots would fit easily in the 16 Qt. model...with room for a live lobster to boot.

I guess I'm happy with them, now I guess I'll have to see how they perform and if the cooks like them.

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