I recently purchased this 12qt stockpot with a pasta insert and cover, and I couldn't be more pleased.The pot is beautifully made, with very confortable handles (another reviewer noted the finger grips -a nice touch) and the lid fits perfectly.
I used it for the first time to cook 2 chickens and make stock.Both chickens fit easily in the pot, yet allowed enough space for adequate water.It was very easy to bring the pot to a boil and then reduce to a very slow simmer, just a bubble or two breaking the surface.I used the simmer burner on my gas stove, and for the first time was able to maintain a simmer with the lid tightly on.With my old stockpot (large enough for only one chicken) even with the simmer burner at the lowest setting I could not maintain a simmer with the lid tightly on the pot.
The pasta insert made it a breeze to remove the chickens when they were cooked, and reduce the stock while I picked the meat off the bones and returned the bones to the pot in the insert to cook longer, more fully flavoring the broth.Removing the insert removed the bones and other parts, making straining the stock a simple one-step process.This same process with the pasta insert will make blanching vegetables from the garden MUCH easier and faster, and I'm looking forward to freezing the veggies from next summer's garden.
The pot is weighty and solid, yet With a full pot of water I can still lift and carry it, which I could never manage with an All-Clad 12qt stockpot.
I like this pot so much I just today ordered the Chef's Classic 7 piece set with bonus 2 1/2 qt sautee pan.I can hardly wait to have a lobster feed and sacrifice some of Maine's finest lobsters in this pot, served with sides cooked up in pots from my new set.I highly reccomend this stockpot and this cookware line.
No I don't need the huge several gallon type pot that I use to use when my family was at home, but this is just the right size to fit and boil corn, asparagus, and the chicken for soup or stew.
The handles are very comfortable and they really DON'T get hot. It, along with my other very small Cuisinart Chef pot are the only items I can ever recall that got a comment from my husband saying.. Whatever you paid for this it was worth it.
And he doesn't cook.. just puts the food away.
Cleans up well and I don't have to worry about scratching some coating or other.
I like it. It is very functional and nice looking..can't beat that.
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I too ordered this pot based on the Cook's Illustrated recommendation, and I am not disappointed. As a vessel I use primarily for handling large volumes of liquid, it is ergonomically nearly perfect. The height/diameter ratio is just right, as is the weight for a pot that will have to be carried full to the sink and then maneuvered to drain. As CI notes, the handles on both the pot and lid are particularly large, sturdy, and well designed.
For those who complain that the sides are not thicker/sturdier: Folks, this is a stock pot, not a dutch oven. You don't really need or want side heat for most purposes, and thicker would mean substantially heavier. As is, the sides are hardly flimsy, so this would be a poor trade off. Moreover, without sandwiching in more aluminum up the sides--WAY more expensive--thicker sides would merely add more weight without really improving performance or durability.
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This review is very similar to one I wrote for another item in the Classic line, because the flaws I mention are endemic to the design of this particular series.
These pots come with a cover that seals if desired (using steam to form the seal).That's a plus, for further cooking process while the burner is off.
Another plus is that it heats evenly, and stays very warm even after sitting away from the burner for a while.(Five stars for this feature.)
The quality of the material is great and the pot is easy to clean in that it is made of stainless steel.
I do definitely like the weight of these Cuisinart pots; regardless of which line they're from.The Classic line is a bit heavier than the Everyday line.The Classic has a thicker bottom.(Another five star feature.)
But, it does have its flaws.The negatives have to do with the rivets, which are large to the point of absurdity.The rivets on a one and a half-quart saucepan, are the same size as those on this eight-quart stockpot.I was raised with riveted pots, and the rivets were never an intrusion back then.They were flatter and smaller, and they held just fine.
A very large, sturdy rivet makes sense with cookware that is designed to hold extreme weight.This pot simply isn't that big.
The rivets on the cover make it more difficult to clean because they stick up.The way they're attached on the outside of the cover is sloppy, and unnecessarily bulky.The outer fasteners holding the cover's rivets, catch on sponges and cloths, and irritate me no end.
In the case of this pot, one of the rivets leaks.Not only is it annoying, but it raises questions in my mind regarding sanitation.If it can leak, it means that small amounts of liquidy foods can plant themselves between the rivets and the interior side of the pot.That's not good.
Unless the level you're filling the pot is to be fairly low, the ingredients will probably have contact with the rivets.In the case of a stockpot, boiling at some point is usual, and contact is then, most likely inevitable.
I rarely use this pot.It doesn't hold a candle to the five quart Cuisinart stockpot I bought here.THAT pot is a dream.See the next paragraph for my rave (between the asterisks) about it.
This is not a cruel and unusual complaint, but a statement of fact.I am surprised that a company like Cuisinart would be so careless in design.*Another item, from a different line of theirs, the Everyday line, is the best pot I've ever owned, and that includes my Le Creuset ware.*See my review of that item for comparison, if desired.
Knowing what I do about this item, I would not buy it again.I got it here on special for under $30.00.A bargain price to be sure.But it sits in a cupboard untouched, because I simply hate the way it's made.
The handles get very hot.The handles on both the saucepot of this line, and the stockpot of the Everyday line DO NOT get hot.
I'm a cook of the old school.I always use potholders, no matter what kind of handles there are on cookware.Just a habit of mine, but it's a good one to cultivate.
There is one case where I will/do use this pot, and that is for making thick, dried bean recipes.It's very well made in terms of material weight/thickness, and the composition of the bottom, which is almost as good as cast iron, such as you, have with Le Cruset.For the purpose of slow cooking as with many dried bean recipes, it's fine.
If this pot were available in the Cuisinart Everyday line, I'd jump on it like greased lightning, and give this one to the Salvation Army thrift store.
As a postscript to this comment, I must say that these pots are covered by a good warranty, and if it were not so much of a hassle for me to return the pot that leaks, I'm sure I'd get another one from Cuisinart with no problem.If I had paid more for it than I did, I would go to the trouble of returning it.I do perceive Cuisinart to be a very reputable company.
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You can spend easily $200.00 and more for a pot this size, but why do that if you can buy this Cuisinart for less than one fifth of that.It has the same 18/10 stainless, the same bolted handles, the same tight fitting covers, but not the same price. The encapsulated aluminum disc bottom does the trick.Heat rises from the bottom of the pan to the top which means this type of pan will heat up just as fast and just as well as the competitors $200.00 pan will and at a fraction of the price.The Cuisinart was top rated in the leading consumer magazine just a short time ago and they take no ads and answer to no one.
If you have money to waste, spend $200.00 or more on the leading competition's pot, but if you's rather not blow the extra $150.00 then buy the Cuisinart.
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Great napkin holder; nice design.The only negative is that it doesn't hold a lot of napkins at one time.
