Whatt Size Stock Pot to Buy for Family of 2

Editor's Note

We recently tested 12-quart stockpots from Fabricated In and T-Fal (models that weren't available at the time of the original testing or didn't make our initial lineup), comparing them to our current favorite 12-quart stockpot from Cuisinart. Both of these new models had their pros and cons, but nosotros didn't feel either was ameliorate than the Cuisinart. Nosotros included our findings on these models towards the lesser of this page.

While a pot every bit big as a stockpot isn't called upon oftentimes in home kitchens, when you need to make a big batch of stock from a mess of saved bones and aromatic vegetables, there'south only no fashion effectually needing something that can handle a lot of volume. Turning to your six-quart Dutch oven, or the eight-quart pasta pot that comes with most cookware sets, tin can be as well limiting for large batches of stock. Stockpots are also our go-to for oversupply-feeding dishes like lobster boils.

You can spend close to $400 on a stockpot, merely does spending more get you a better pot? To notice out, nosotros rounded up xvi models, ranging from around $xxx to most $383 (at the time of testing), and put them through handling and cooking tests to notice the designs that piece of work all-time.

The Winners, at a Glance

The Best 12-Quart Stockpot: Cuisinart MultiClad Pro Stainless Steel Stockpot

The Cuisinart MultiClad Pro'due south build is rock-solid, with riveted handles, a snug-fitting lid, and triple-ply stainless steel cladding (a core of aluminum sandwiched between layers of stainless steel) from the base to the meridian of the pot'south wall. The broad, flat handles are very comfortable and leave plenty of infinite for oven mitt-covered hands. The thick base layer manages heat well, which means you're less likely to burn your food.

The All-time Budget 12-Quart Stockpot: Cook Northward Dwelling Stainless Steel Stockpot

If you're the type of melt who forgets to apply oven mitts when reaching for hot pots, the rubbery grips on the Cook Northward Home stockpot might just salve you from a painful burn. This stockpot has a disc of stainless steel and aluminum cladding on the bottom only, which shouldn't present a problem in most cooking scenarios. Still, y'all'll demand to pay closer attending because food has a tendency to scorch more rapidly in this pot than in our meridian choice. Note: The 12-quart version of this stockpot is currently sold out. Withal, the 12-quart version of our favorite xvi-quart stockpot below is available and well under $100.

The Best 16-Quart Stockpot: Tramontina Gourmet Stainless Steel Stockpot

We think most domicile cooks will be well served with a 12-quart stockpot, but if y'all know you need a bigger size—to make larger batches of stock, huge pots of soups, or lobster boils for a very large oversupply—then you may want to consider owning a 16-quart pot as well. The Tramontina is our top pick for this larger size. It shares the aforementioned build quality as the 12-quart version, which we too tested. Its shortcoming are pocket-sized, and, for the toll, it'southward the all-time we establish.

How easily and securely you can grab a stockpot matters, especially when it'south filled with quarts of hot stock, soup, or sauce.

Serious Eats / Vick Wasik

The Criteria: What We Look For in a Not bad Stockpot

Ownership a stockpot can exist a tricky purchase. Because of the pot's size, it can be very pricey, just y'all actually don't need the aforementioned level of operation that you require from a skillet or sauté pan. A stockpot's main purpose is to simmer or boil liquids, so the cladding and fifty-fifty heat conduction of the more expensive options are less necessary than they would exist in a pan tasked with searing and sautéing. The goal is to purchase a stockpot that will final, but without spending for a build quality that you lot'll rarely rely on.

The handles have to be comfy, sturdy, and easy to grip—the last thing you desire to feel is dubiousness as you motion a large pot of scalding h2o off the cooktop or while draining through a strainer. For dwelling house use, stockpots come in a range of sizes, usually from 8 to 20 quarts (some commercial kitchens utilize massive 74-quart versions). For near home kitchen tasks, we call back a 12-quart stockpot is an platonic size and large enough for making big batches of stock or sauce. Going with a smaller stockpot, like one that'due south viii quarts, means the pot is very similar in book to a half-dozen- or viii-quart Dutch oven. It pays to get a stockpot that's bigger than your other pots, all the same still fits within a base cabinet, to cover the biggest cooking tasks while avoiding pot-size overlap. For more capacity, a 16-quart stockpot is only about as big a pot as about home kitchen burners can handle.

While researching which models to test, we focused on stainless steel pots that are compatible with an induction burner, which provides more flexibility. Nosotros excluded stockpots made from aluminum, which reacts with acidic ingredients and tin warp when used with high heat. We also ruled out pots fabricated with enameled steel, which is used for sautéing and browning, or those with non-stick coatings that excel at cooking eggs, fish, and battered foods like pancakes. Both of these finishes can wear out over fourth dimension.

A big driver of a pot's cost is the cladding, that is, the multi-layer sandwich made up of (usually) a layer of conductive aluminum betwixt two slabs of stainless steel, and how much of information technology at that place is in the pot— yous'll see this often marketed as tri-ply or multi-clad. Typically, the more expensive stockpots (and cookware in full general) have full cladding that covers the bottom and sides of the pot, while less expensive models have cladding only on the lesser. For stockpots, in which you're usually cooking liquids, the full cladding is less of import because you don't have much risk of food scorching on the sides when the pot is full of water (total cladding is more than important for drier cooking methods like searing and sautéing). That said, a fully clad pot is always preferable, merely not if the cost is unreasonable and the demand isn't every bit pressing.

Our test field included both fully clad pots, like the All-Clad and our winning Cuisinart, besides every bit pots that take cladding just on the bottom. Full cladding adds weight and toll, just helps manage rut better and reduces the hazard of scorching, specially in the corners where the pot wall meets the base. Lids are either tempered glass or stainless steel, and while we didn't detect the material of the lids to touch on performance, we generally prefer metal lids since glass can interruption.

Handle design was one of the start features we considered when deciding which pots to eliminate from the test field. Metal handles are typically either narrow and round, or wide and flat. We considered handle size and shape in terms of comfort and ease of holding the pot, both with bare easily and when using both oven mitts and kitchen towels. The space betwixt the handle and the pot is likewise important: You want enough room to wrap your fingers around the handle while wearing oven mitts or holding a kitchen towel. Handle width plays a part too: Nosotros like to get all 4 fingers across the handle, though the space within the handle felt crowded on some models when nosotros used just three fingers. For durability, we adopt handles that are riveted to the pot over those welded in identify.

To select specific models to test, nosotros cross-referenced reviews from Amazon and America'due south Test Kitchen (subscription required).

The Testing

Exam 1: Handling

Comfy, sure handles on a stockpot are important, specially when a full 12-quart pot can weigh about 23 pounds—losing your grip on one when it's total of boiling liquid is a potentially catastrophic kitchen accident. A good stockpot should have handles that are piece of cake to catch both barehanded and while wearing chunky oven mitts (or with kitchen towels), and you should feel in command of the pot when walking around and while pouring out the contents. Nosotros lined up iv testers with varying hand sizes and strengths and asked them to pick up each empty pot, with and without mitts and towels, and provide feedback on the handles.

Stockpot handles come up in two basic shapes, flat and broad or round and skinny. We establish versions we liked, and didn't like, of both.

Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

Information technology didn't accept long before a pattern emerged: If a pot is uncomfortable to hold while it's empty, things will only get worse one time information technology'due south total. We disqualified several pots for uncomfortable handles, or other basic problems with their build, such as lids that didn't fit well. Nosotros constitute that handles that are spaced 3/4 to 1 inch abroad from the pot wall were all-time, providing enough room to grip the handles without feeling cramped. Some handles were disqualified because their width only left enough space for three fingers to fit, also few to lift a heavy load. Nosotros also ruled out a pair of Farberware pots because their handles are welded on, which is a cheaper build than ones attached with rivets (though, information technology should be noted, we experienced no issues with those welded handles).

After disqualifying roughly half the field, we filled the remaining pots with an equal amount of common cold tap water and did laps around the test kitchen property them with bare easily, with oven mitts, and with kitchen towels. Then we dumped the h2o out to approximate how comfortable they were when being tipped.

Test 2: Boiling H2o

A stockpot is almost ever used to heat liquids—searing and other dry-oestrus methods of cooking are much less mutual. The faster a pot can bring water to a boil, the better. We used the exact same corporeality of room-temperature water (9 quarts) and heat setting (loftier, on an induction burner) to run into how long it took for the contents to reach a rolling boil with the lid on.

To see how well each pot handled cooking, we sweat and browned mirepoix, stirring every 90 seconds. Our winning Cuisinart (top) did a better job at resisting burning than other models, like one from Berghoff (lesser).

Serious Eats / Sal Vaglica

Test 3: Sweating and Browning Mirepoix

Most of the pots accomplished a boil in 49 to 50 minutes, indicating that whatever small-scale differences there are in terms of a pot's dimensions and build specs make picayune difference to its boiling performance. The but exception was All-Clad's stockpot, which took simply over one hour for the h2o to boil, so we disqualified information technology.

While simmering and boiling is what a stockpot does nearly often, there are times you desire to build flavor in the pot past sweating or even browning aromatics. To test how well the pots performed with this type of cooking, we ready each on an induction burner gear up to medium-loftier heat for 3 minutes, then added olive oil and a measured amount of diced mirepoix (carrots, onions, and celery). Stirring every xc seconds, we photographed the vegetables in three, v, nine, and 12-minute marks to confirm fifty-fifty cooking, addicted development, and to note any burning.

The Cuisinart fix itself apart here, gently and evenly browning the vegetables and creating a good, even fond, without whatsoever worrying signs of called-for on the bottom or corners of the pot. Other pots were more than prone to scorching and charring, both on the vegetables themselves and the fond on the pots' bottoms. Our upkeep pick, Cook North Abode, didn't manage the heat as evenly as the Cuisinart, but with some conscientious attending, y'all tin still easily avoid called-for the fond.

How nosotros chose our winners

We picked our winners based on handle comfort, boiling, and cooking performance.

The Best 12-Quart Stockpot: Cuisinart MultiClad Pro Stainless Steel Stockpot

What we liked: The fully clad Cuisinart MultiClad Pro has comfy, sturdy handles with a spacious i-inch-wide gap from the handle to the pot, which is enough room to fit four fingers while wearing a chunky oven mitt. The lid sits snugly and has an easy-to-take hold of handle. The pot bottom, at x 1/iv-inches wide, was one of the larger ones we tested, and it did the best task cooking the mirepoix without burning. Water in the Cuisinart came to a boil merely as quickly equally in almost of the other pots.

What we didn't like: We're being picky here, but all that cladding comes with added weight (and toll)—at only nether eight pounds, the Cuisinart is more than a pound heavier than the average 12-quart stockpot nosotros tested, which might be an issue for some cooks.

Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

The Best Budget 12-Quart Stockpot: Cook North Home Stainless Steel Stockpot

What we liked: If you want a stockpot for boiling water or simmering stock, the Cook Due north Habitation is a solid choice. When filled to three-quarter capacity, it boiled water as chop-chop equally about of the other pots, and the vented glass lid fits decently well. While the handles are round bar stock, they come coated in a grippy prophylactic that is comfortable and protects your hand from the hot metal—should you lot absentmindedly reach for it without an oven mitt or kitchen towel. There is plenty of infinite between the pot and the handle to grip, merely testers with larger hands complained most only getting three fingers to fit instead of four.

What we didn't like: With cladding just on its bottom, the Cook North Home eventually burned some of the fond during our sweating and browning examination. This pot is besides currently sold out (the eight- and twenty-quart versions are still available). For a slightly more expensive, but however nether $100, 12-quart pot, the smaller version of our favorite 16-quart stockpot from Tramontina is bachelor.

Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

The Best 16-Quart Stockpot: Tramontina Gourmet Stainless Steel Stockpot

What nosotros liked: Tramontina'due south 16-quart model is our pick for a larger chapters pot. Information technology shares the same design as the visitor's smaller 12-quart model, which performed well in our tests, except for scorching a little on the bottom during our sweating and browning test; that was enough to keep information technology out of our pinnacle-pick position for the 12-quart pots. (Our top pick 12-quarts, though, do not offering 16-quart options, and then Tramontina is the best pick at a relatively affordable price in this instance.)

What we didn't similar: Just similar the 12-quart model, this pot is a niggling more prone to scorching than our top selection, so you'll need to pay more attention if sautéing or browning foods in it.

Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

The Contest

A few quick notes on the other stockpots we tested:

• Made In Stainless Clad Stockpot: This bonny model has impressive five-ply cladding all the manner upwardly its sides, non to mention smooth, easy-to-grip handles. Unfortunately, its abnormally wide diameter makes it an awkward fit over most stovetop burners; depending on your heat source, the outside rim may exist entirely off the heat.
• T-Fal Stainless Steel Oven-Condom Stockpot: Information technology'southward piece of cake to admire the price of this narrow, tall stockpot. The slim design made pouring hot liquids safe and like shooting fish in a barrel, but the handles were likewise narrow for even our tester's small hands. It also smoked, scorched, and burnt during our cooking test. It's not a perfect pot by any measure out, just if upkeep is a primal factor for you lot, this $xxx model will get the job done for the most part.
• Farberware Classic Stainless Steel Stockpot (12- and 16-quart models): There were several pots that we disqualified based on handle comfort, build quality, and the lid. This included these models from Farberware, which take have welded-on handles.
• Cook Due north Dwelling 13-Quart Loftier Stockpot with Chapeau: This model had hollow tube handles that stayed cool, only were too narrow to provide a solid grip.
• Tramontina Prima Covered Stockpot: This fully-clad Tramontina had an ill-fitting hat.
• Calphalon Gimmicky Stainless Steel Stockpot: This pot had handles that cut into the palms of our bare hands.
• Viking 3-Ply Stainless Steel Stockpot: This well-congenital stockpot had wide and flat handles, merely they were uncomfortably thin.
• RSVP International Endurance Stockpot: This stockpot had handles that were too thin and cramped.
• All-Clad Stainless Steel Stockpot: The 12-quart All-Clad is well built (equally is the sixteen-quart version, which nosotros also evaluated), but it took 10 minutes longer to bring water to a eddy. Our winning Cuisinart has a similar build quality, but boils h2o faster.
• Cooks Standard Archetype Stainless Steel Stockpot, Tramontina Covered Stockpot, and Berghoff Earthchef Premium Stockpot: These all accept comfy handles and boiled water in an acceptable amount of fourth dimension, simply they all burned fond during the mirepoix testing.

FAQs

What's the divergence between a stockpot and a saucepan?

A stockpot and bucket are not interchangeable for most tasks. Stockpots are larger (more than on that in a infinitesimal), and used primarily for simmering stocks, making large batches of stew, or handling specialty tasks, like boiling lobsters. On the other manus, a saucepan is minor enough for everyday cooking tasks, and is meant for tasks like cooking grains and beans, making soup, and—of course—sauce.

Is a stockpot the same thing as a Dutch oven?

They're similar in size, just not hands swapped. Dutch ovens are made from bandage iron, either enameled or blank, whereas stockpots are constructed with steel or aluminum. Dutch ovens have fantabulous, even rut retention, which makes them ideal for searing meat, sautéeing, and baking bread. Dutch ovens are as well by and large oven-rubber, whereas not all stockpots are (owing sometimes to the material used for the handles).

How big should a stockpot be?

Stockpots by and large come in a few sizes, measured by the quart. For most home cooks, a 12-quart stockpot will be sufficient; they are also easier to stow abroad in cabinets. Bulkier, larger sixteen-quart stockpots are incredibly useful for big-format cooking, but if you only use it once a year or and so, you'll have to determine if it's worth the extra storage infinite. If you only buy one stockpot, we recommend it be a 12-quart. If space is at a premium in your kitchen, and you rarely cook in large batches, an 8-quart may even suffice.

What are stockpots made of?

Nigh quality stockpots are made from stainless steel. Nosotros don't recommend aluminum stockpots, as the metal tin react with acidic foods. They also warp easily over time. Avoid enameled steel—the blanket may help with browning, but information technology volition eventually crack or chip.

What is cladding in a stockpot?

Cladding is the layering of metal in a stockpot. Typically, it's aluminum surrounded by stainless steel. A pot that has full cladding on the lesser and sides will cook more efficiently and protect against scorching. It also carries a larger toll tag.

What can I cook in a stockpot?

Stockpots aren't the all-time choice for sautéeing, searing, and quick-cooking grains and beans. Still, they really shine when put to piece of work making stock and broth. Their large, generous size allows for big chunks of vegetables and bones or fifty-fifty multiple craven carcasses. A quality stockpot will boil water quickly and continue it rolling for equally long as you demand, so it's also helpful for blanching large amounts of vegetables or sealing jars (Call up: canning and preserving season).

Do I need a stockpot?

That depends on how much infinite you have in your kitchen, and how often you plan on performing tasks that require a big-format pot. If yous have the room to store it, we suggest investing in a 12-quart stockpot. Yous may not use it every twenty-four hours, but when you need its large capacity, y'all'll be glad to have it on manus.

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Source: https://www.seriouseats.com/the-best-stockpots

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