Stockpots – Le Creuset, All Clad or Calphalon?

Jan 112010

One of my readers just emailed me this question:

Hi Jeanette,
This time of year I like to make big batches of soup and chili (winters in Chicago require BIG batches) and would like to know if you can recommend a good stock pot.
Love the site,
Belinda

Thanks, Belinda, for the question and the compliment!

As we are only a family of two, I don’t own a huge stockpot. When I cook chile, soups, stews, etc., my smaller Le Creuset dutch ovens work fine. The only stockpot I own is a cheap aluminum one. My first word of advice: Forget about aluminum. It’s too thin for even heat conduction, they dent easily, and they can even bend under the weight of a heavy pot of chili. I use mine rarely, only when I need to cook huge amounts of pasta or murder a live lobster.

As you can see from my other posts, I love the cast iron Le Creuset products. I use them for soups, stews, chowders, chili, spaghetti sauce, you name it. Unlike most of its other cookware, the Le Creuset doesn’t use a cast iron core for its stock pots. You’d need a crane to lift the thing. Instead, they are using heavy-gauge steel with that same great enamel coating so it still cooks evenly and cleans easily. The enamel also makes them non-scratch. Great colors, too – I wish they had all these colors when I bought my basic black pieces. Considering that Le Creuset has built a reputation on their durability, I can’t imagine that their stock pots wouldn’t perform up to the company’s high standards.

Le Creuset can be more costly than some other good alternatives. What you get for your money is a pot that will last a lifetime, very even heat distribution, non-scratch surface inside and out, and great looking cookware. This is the stuff that Julia Child and The Food Network uses – using Le Creuset makes me feel like I’m a better cook than I am!

Amazon has a great selection and free shipping on many Le Creuset products including the stock pots. And

Even higher priced are the All Clad Stock Pots. I love my All Clad cookware and use it daily, but it’s an investment. Unless you are using a stock pot all the time like a professional chef, it’s hard to justify the cost.

I know many people rave about the Calphalon Commercial Hard Anodized Stockpot. Calphalon makes good products known for their even heat distribution, but I did find some issues with burnt food on the bottom of the pan so be careful not to set the temperature too high. The company claims that these are non-scratch and you can use metal utensils, but I’m skeptical. But for a traditional, good quality stock pot, Calphalon is a great choice.

Before you order from Amazon, check the prices and deals at Cooking.com . They carry a larger selection of sizes and colors and often have specials for free shipping and discounts.

And please share some of those recipes, okay?