OK, I am cheating here a bit by cutting and pasting a recent equipment review by the magazine Cook's Illustrated/PBS show America's Test Kitchen.This is a long review, so if you want to cut to the chase, just scroll to the last paragraph before the listing of the individual reviews.
Here in the test kitchen, we have 15 stockpots of varying sizes, and we use them often. Most home kitchens, however, have room for a single stockpot, so it must handle a variety of big jobs-from steaming lobsters and cooking bushels of corn to canning and making huge batches of chili or homemade stock.
So what size is best? After substantial pretesting, we determined that a 12-quart stockpot is the most useful size--it's the "smallest" big pot, meaning it can handle most big jobs yet is small enough to store with your other pots and pans. So how much do you have to spend to get a good 12-quart stockpot? We bought nine basic stockpots (no fancy steaming or boiling inserts), ranging in price from $25 to $325, and headed into the test kitchen to find out.
We boiled water, cooked mounds of pasta (two pounds of pasta and eight quarts of water at a time), prepared two dozen ears of corn, and made double batches of beef chili in each pot. To evaluate the pots, our testers used digital scales, thermometers, stopwatches, gas and electric burners, and plenty of elbow grease. They handled each stockpot extensively to get a sense of its overall feel (both empty and full) and handle design. We washed the pots repeatedly and practiced stowing them away. What did we find out?
SHAPE-SHIFTING: The best stockpot we tested, the $325 All-Clad, impressed us more for what it didn't do--scorch on the bottom or feel awkward or flimsy--than for what it did do; after all, how sexy can a stockpot be, even when it's performing flawlessly? That said, our testers preferred wide stockpots (such as the All-Clad) to tall and narrow ones (such as the Vollrath), as greater width allows you to see and manipulate food better and makes for easier cleaning and storage.
A WEIGHTY ISSUE: The heavier pots (all weighed without lids) outperformed the lighter models. The four heaviest pots in our testing were all made of stainless steel with an aluminum core. Aluminum conducts heat very well and ensures more even cooking and fewer hot spots. The aluminum core also makes the bottom of the pot thicker, which reduces scorching. The lighter pots (including those without aluminum cores) did a fine job cooking corn and pasta--in fact, they heat up faster than the more even-heating pots with aluminum cores. But for cooking applications where sticking and scorching are risks (such as chili), a heavier pot is a must.
GET A GRIP: Handles matter-a lot. We found that the best handles extend from the pot at least 13_4 inches and are either flat or thick and round, for easy gripping. The All-Clad, Cuisinart, Lincoln, and Arcosteel pots had the best handles-they were easy to grip, even with potholders and a pot full of steaming chili. Pots made by Vollrath and Farberware performed well in cooking tests but were severely downgraded because testers found their thin handles to be awkward and poorly designed.
SUMMING UP: You can buy a solid, aluminum-core 12-quart stockpot (like the Cuisinart) for $65--or you can drop $325 on the beautiful All-Clad pot, which didn't have a single flaw. If you use a stockpot primarily to boil corn or pasta, it makes sense to buy the Cuisinart model and use the savings to upgrade something else in your kitchen. Whatever your price range, opt for a pot that feels heavy for its size. And when shopping, give the handles a test-run by picking up pots with potholders. The pots are listed, with comments, in order of preference. Highly Recommended
All-Clad Stainless 12-Quart Stock Pot
Price: $324.95
Material: stainless steel with aluminum core
Weight: 5.5 lb.
Comments: This pot was lauded for being "nice and heavy," with "easy-to-grip" handles that "didn't get too hot" (although we still needed potholders). The aluminum core runs up the side of the pot-other pots have aluminum cores only in the bottom, if anywhere--which ensures more even heating than most of us will ever need.
Recommended
Cuisinart Chef's Classic Stainless 12-Quart Stock Pot
Price: $64.95
Material: stainless steel with aluminum core
Weight: 4.35 lb.
Comments: Very similar to the All-Clad pot, the Cuisinart comes with handles that are "easily grippable" and "sit well in your hand." The upward tilt of the handles made it especially easy to pour out the contents. This pot was also praised for being "plenty heavy," and the bottom was pristine after cooking the chili.
Lincoln Foodservice Wear-Ever Professional Series 12-Quart Stock Pot
Price: $59.90 (with lid, which must be purchased separately)
Material: aluminum
Weight: 3.85 lb.
Comments: This all-aluminum pot fared well in the test kitchen. Testers loved its "light weight," "solid feel," and "sturdy raised handles," which made handling and pouring easy. Aluminum is not as durable as stainless steel, which may lead to problems down the road.
Recommended with Reservations
Arcosteel 12-Quart Stock Pot
Price: $49.95
Material: stainless steel with aluminum core, tempered glass lid, silicone handle covers
Weight: 3.7 lb.
Comments: This pot heated relatively evenly-there was only a tiny patch of chili stuck after 21/2 hours of cooking. The handles are "sturdy" and offer "good control," but this pot was downgraded for dangerous bare spots (no silicone) on the handles.
Farberware Classic Series Stainless Steel 12-Quart Stock Pot
Price: $70.95
Material: stainless steel with aluminum core
Weight: 4.5 lb.
Comments: With better handles (these were deemed "uncomfortable" and "slippery"), this heavy aluminum-core pot would have been in the "recommended" category. It heated very evenly, and testers liked how the lip of the lid "caught a lot of condensation."
Vollrath Stainless Intrigue Professional Cookware
12-Quart Stock Pot
Price: $88.48 (with lid, which
must be purchased separately)
Material: stainless steel with
aluminum core
Weight: 6.35 lb.
Comments: This tall and narrow pot "felt tippy" and "cumbersome" and was "harder to pour" and clean than squatter pots. It did, however, cook with very even heat and was the heaviest of all the pots we tested.
Endurance R.S.V.P. Stainless Steel 12-Quart Stock Pot
Price: $37.95
Material: stainless steel with aluminum core, tempered glass lid
Weight: 3.25 lb.
Comments: "Shallow," "thin," and "narrow" handles made it hard for testers to grip this pot. This pan heated fairly evenly (thanks to its aluminum core), and there was very little sticking during the chili test.
Not Recommended
Metro 12-Quart Stock Pot
Price: $24.95
Material: stainless steel with tempered glass lid
Weight: 2.3 lb.
Comments: There was serious burning/sticking at the bottom of this very light pot during the chili test. The handles taper into a point, making it "hard to get your hand in to grip it."
Metro Set of 3 Nested Stock Pots with lids: 8-, 12-, and 16-quart
Price: $49.99
Material: stainless steel
Weight: 1.8 lbs
Comments: Testers said this pot, the lightest of the lot, "felt like a toy and would dent too easily." With handles that rose above the top of the pot, it was very awkward to pour because "the leverage is all wrong." There was major sticking and burnt matter on the bottom of the pot after the chili test.
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All-Clad Stainless-Steel StockpotProduct Description: The terrific stockpot to make major portions of savory soup or stew, cook mounds of pasta, or boil enough potatoes to make potato salad for a crowd. Wider than a typical stockpot, it was rated "Best Dutch Oven" byCook's Illustrated.We especially like the extended, extra-wide loop handles for easy lifting.
All-Clad's leading cookware line is brilliantly styled with a hand-polished gleaming stainless-steel finish that many of the world's professional and home chefs prefer. The 18/10 stainless-steel interior will not react with your food, leaving the pure taste you desire. Dishwasher-safe.
Product Features- 3-ply bonded construction for a lifetime of use
- Mirror-finished magnetic stainless-steel exterior is hand-polished to a lustrous shine
- Pure aluminum core covers bottom of the pan and extends up the sides for greater heat conductivity
- Easy-to-clean 18/10 stainless-steel interior helps prevent foods from sticking
- Stainless-steel interior will not react with foods
- Cookware maintains even heat distribution that prevents "hot spots" when cooking
- Signature stay-cool handles are cast from solid stainless-steel and designed for ergonomic comfort
- Handles, rivets and lids are polished stainless-steel creating a striking impression
- High-strength, non-corrosive stainless-steel rivets keep handles permanently secure, making cooking safer
- Suited for all stovetops including electric, gas, ceramic, induction and halogen
- Bonded cookware handcrafted in the U.S.A., lids and components manufactured overseas.
All-Clad Cookware Lifetime Warranty: From date of purchase, All-Clad guarantees to repair or replace any item found defective in material, construction or workmanship under normal use and following care instructions. This excludes damage from misuse or abuse. Minor imperfections and slight color variations are normal.
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I like the theory and practicality of the product.The fabric is a bit bulkier than I had hoped but it still does compress pretty well. The built in "case" is a must as I have one that doesn't have that and the bag and case are constantly getting separated.
