Cookware

Stock Pot

Tall, roomy pot for stocks, pasta, and big-batch cooking

A tall, high-volume pot for simmering stock, boiling pasta, and cooking for a crowd. The narrow, deep shape slows evaporation during long simmers. Eight quarts is a sensible all-purpose size for most kitchens.

The stock pot is the kitchen's big-volume workhorse — a tall, narrow column built to hold a lot of liquid and lose as little of it as possible to evaporation during the long, low simmers that stock demands. That same height boils pasta, blanches a crate of tomatoes, steams a pot of mussels, and cooks chili or soup for a crowd. Because most of what happens inside is gentle simmering rather than searing, you don't need premium cladding everywhere; a heavy base that resists scorching and a manageable shape matter more. Eight quarts is the sensible all-purpose size for most kitchens; 12 and 16 quarts come into their own for canning and big batches.

Types & varieties

Standard stainless

Tall and roomy; a clad or disc-bottom base prevents scorching.

Pasta pot with strainer insert

A perforated basket lifts straight out so you drain pasta without a colander.

Stock pot with spigot

A tap near the base draws off clear stock without disturbing the sediment.

Multi-cooker / canning pot

Extra-tall (16–20 qt) for water-bath canning and very large batches.

What to look for

Height-to-width matters: a tall, narrow pot slows evaporation so a stock simmering for hours doesn't reduce to nothing or need constant topping up. A heavy, encapsulated base (a layer of aluminum sealed into the bottom) is the most important feature — it spreads heat and stops the scorching that ruins a soup. Sturdy, riveted side handles you can grip with two mitts are worth insisting on, because a full stock pot is genuinely heavy.

How to make stock in it

Cover bones and aromatics with cold water, bring it slowly to a bare simmer, and never let it boil — a rolling boil emulsifies fat and turns stock cloudy. Skim the gray foam that rises in the first half hour. Keep the liquid at the barest tremor for hours, then strain through a fine-mesh sieve. The narrow shape is doing quiet, important work the whole time.

Common uses

Simmering meat, poultry, and vegetable stockBoiling pasta and blanching vegetablesCooking soup, chili, and stew for a crowdSteaming mussels, clams, and crabWater-bath canning and preservingBoiling corn, lobster, and large batches