Soup Pots: Reviews

Choosing the best soup pot

If you're trying to choose a versatile soup pot (also called stock pots or pasta pots), you'll see two main styles: taller stock pots intended to simmer foods in broth with minimal liquid loss, or wider soup pots. According to the two most thorough reviews we found in Cook Illustrated and Fine Cooking magazines, wider pots are easier to maneuver and monitor, and just easier to use overall. Both sources also agree that you want a soup pot with a heavy base -- to promote better browning and even heating without scorching -- and roomy, sturdy handles. Both sources agree that a 12-quart size is ideal.

As for material, reviewers say stainless steel and aluminum are both good choices. Copper is not recommended for stock pots because it conducts heat too well -- and most foods cooked in a stock pot require slow simmering or heating.

Stock pots are a relatively simple type of cookware, and when it comes to reviews, most users are pretty happy with their purchases. We found excellent ratings and comments from users regardless of whether they purchased a pot for more than $250 or less than $100. So to find the best soup pots to highlight, we compared user feedback along with professional reviews and evaluations of longevity, durability, versatility and consistent performance. These aren't the only great stock pots in the market, but they're excellent choices, with a track record of performance and customer satisfaction.

Stainless-steel stock pots for stews, chili and jams

If you plan to use your stock pot to cook up dense foods like stew, chili, applesauce or jam, many experts recommend a heavy-duty stainless-steel pot with an aluminum core in the base. It should also have a thick bottom, which will help prevent ingredients from scorching. This is particularly important if your recipe calls for you to brown solid ingredients before you add any liquid.

When it comes to top performance for everything from pasta to denser and heavier foods, the All-Clad Stainless 12-Qt. Stock Pot (*Est. $295) earns top ratings in one published comparison test, and a similar All-Clad soup pot, the All-Clad LTD 12-Qt. Stock Pot (now discontinued) is the top pick in tests at Fine Cooking. The All-Clad soup pot has an aluminum core surrounded on both sides by stainless steel; while this three-layer construction is typical on the bottom of many stainless-steel pots, All-Clad extends this construction all the way up the sides, ensuring that food throughout the pot cooks evenly. Another plus is that this pot is suitable for induction as well as conventional gas and electric cooktops. In user reviews, the only downside is the high price.

You can certainly spend far less on a stainless-steel stock pot. For example, professional reviews both rate Cuisinart soup pots highly, and they're much less expensive. The Cuisinart Chef's Classic 12-Qt. Stock Pot with Cover (*Est. $70) gets a top rating in one comparison test, as well as high marks from users who have tried it out with a variety of recipes. One user complains, however, that the handle rivets are too large, making cleaning more difficult, while a handful of users report staining, rusting or pitting. This stock pot has a heavy base with an aluminum core, but unlike the All-Clad stock pot, the core doesn't extend up the sides of the pot. Both pots are wide, making it easy to see and stir ingredients.

The Farberware Classic Series 12-Quart Stainless-Steel Stockpot with Lid (*Est. $60) also gets high user ratings, although one home cook says the bottom seems a little thin, so food may scorch. And although many users like the mirror finish on stainless-steel stock pots, those who prefer a more colorful look might consider the Le Creuset Enamel On Steel 12-Qt. Stockpot (*Est. $100), which is available in seven colors and earns positive user feedback.

Aluminum stock pots: great for soups, corn and pasta

Aluminum is lightweight and inexpensive, although it is softer than stainless steel, so doesn't have the same longevity. Perhaps more problematic, aluminum is a reactive with acidic or salty foods, and can impart onto food an unpleasant, metallic taste. For these reasons, many experts recommend stock pots made of anodized aluminum -- that is, aluminum that has been put through an electrochemical process that makes it harder and nonreactive. The downside is that anodized aluminum needs to be hand-washed. But for tasks like boiling pasta or making stock, an aluminum soup pan will be just fine.

When it comes to reviews of anodized aluminum stock pots, the Rachael Ray Hard Anodized 8-Qt. Oval Stockpot (*Est. $70) earns consistently high praise from home cooks, who say the oval shape makes it perfect for spaghetti and ears of corn -- as well as useful for preparing various recipes, from chicken fried rice to seared pork tenderloin. The Rachael Ray soup pot has orange silicone handles, a nonstick interior coating and a glass lid, which many cooks like because it allows them to monitor cooking progress. Some users, however, find the price of this pot a little high for an aluminum pan. Rachael Ray cookware is made by Meyer Corporation, a cookware company that also makes cookware for Circulon, Farberware, KitchenAid and other brands.

Another highly rated anodized option is the Calphalon Contemporary Nonstick 8-Qt. Multi Pot (Est. $100), which comes with both a stainless-steel pasta insert and a stainless-steel vegetable steamer. Here, too, the user feedback is almost entirely positive, although one cook says the product arrived chipped, and another calls this set "pricey."