The Cooks Standard, Tramontina, and Berghoff all have comfortable handles and boiled water in an acceptable amount of time, but they all burned fond during the mirepoix testing. We picked our winners based on handle comfort, boiling, and cooking performance. The Cuisinart set itself apart here, gently and evenly browning the vegetables and creating a good, even fond, without any worrying signs of burning on the bottom or corners of the pot. Other pots were more prone to scorching and charring, both on the vegetables themselves and the fond on the pots’ bottoms. Our budget pick, Cook N Home, didn’t manage the heat as evenly as the Cuisinart, but with some careful attention, you can still easily avoid burning the fond.
Their Contemporary line looks great and uses one of the more durable nonstick coatings on the market. The construction and durability of this stockpot is second to none, but so is the price. If it’s in your budget then by all means, you won’t be disappointed. But, Viking did such a good job with their tri-ply stockpot at more than half the price and 4-quarts larger. Yes, this stockpot costs two or three times more than my other top picks. But, for a fully clad, tri-ply pot of this size, I would call it a bargain.
Another lovely piece of eye candy for the kitchen, this stockpot is more than just a pretty pan. Made in France, it comes with deBuyer’s lifetime warranty to be free of material and manufacturing defects. This Prima Matera stewpan can be washed with warm, soapy water to clean the interior and exterior, and the copper should be maintained with a polishing paste. And with stainless, the interior will never have to be re-tinned due to wear and tear. The combined copper and stainless measures 2 millimeters thick, and has a high-gloss finish with head-turning visual appeal.
And while the pot itself is oven safe to 475°F, the lid is not, due to the handle. The lid is equipped with a soft-touch silicone handle, and it has an integrated knob with discrete steam vents that prevent overboiling – water stays in the pot, rather than running down the sides. Plus, the handles are cast in one piece with the pot for a seamless, solid purchase. A flat lid of tempered glass lets you monitor the contents without cuisinart pots and pans set lifting, and this has a fitted stainless steel ring with flange around the perimeter so it snuggles right into the interior. This makes for a tight seal that traps in moisture, and the stainless ring also helps to protect the glass against accidental chipping. The heavy-gauge aluminum provides excellent heat transfer for fast and even heating, and the design has a nice slope where the walls and bottom meet, for easy stirring.
This Cook N Home eight quart stockpot is compatible with various gas and electric powered stovetops and has a good heat-resisting ability. When it comes to stainless the brand is less important than how it’s constructed. Sometimes higher end pans have 5 or 7 layers or even more, but I’m unconvinced you need more than three based on all the tests I’ve seen. Our test field included both fully clad pots, like the All-Clad and our winning Cuisinart, as well as pots that have cladding only on the bottom. Full cladding adds weight and cost, but helps manage heat better and reduces the risk of scorching, especially in the corners where the pot wall meets the base. Lids are either tempered glass or stainless steel, and while we didn’t find the material of the lids to affect performance, we generally prefer metal lids since glass can break.