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Soup Pots: Ratings of Sources

Total of 10 Sources

For an explanation of how we rank reviews, see our ratings criteria page.

1. Cook's Illustrated Magazine
Feb. 1, 2007
Stockpots
by Editors of Cook's Illustrated magazine
Credibility Rating
Our AssessmentAlthough this is an older review, it's still the most thorough test of soup pots we found. Editors at Cooks Illustrated put nine 12-quart stockpots through their paces, boiling water, cooking pasta and corn, and preparing large batches of chili. In general, they find that heavier pots provide more even heat, while a wider shape is convenient for cooking and cleanup. Large, easy-to-grip handles are also a plus. Three pots are recommended, one of them highly -- but most of the others also perform fairly well.
2. Fine Cooking
Sept. 1, 2008
Stockpots
by Maryellen Driscoll
Credibility Rating
Our AssessmentIn this test, Maryellen Driscoll evaluates eight stainless-steel stockpots, all around 12 quarts in size. She uses each pot to simmer broth, prepare spaghetti sauce, brown beef shanks and cook corn on the cob. She also considers the pots' handle comfort and how easy they are to pour from. Out of the eight pots, she recommends four, giving each a one-paragraph write-up explaining its strong points. However, two of the four recommended pots are now discontinued.
3. SeriousEats.com
Jan. 4, 2011
Equipment: The 7 Most Essential Pots and Pans
by J. Kenji López-Alt
Credibility Rating
Our AssessmentJ. Kenji López-Alt, the chief creative officer of SeriousEats.com, identifies the seven most important pieces of cookware to have in your kitchen. While most of our sources recommend 12-quart stockpots, López-Alt prefers a 16-quart stockpot, which can handle huge jobs like boiling a whole ham or turning a season's worth of tomatoes into sauce. His favorite giant pot is the modestly priced Oneida 16-Qt. Stainless Steel Stock Pot. Although it won't heat quite as evenly as a fully clad pot, he says this makes no real difference in performance.
4. Amazon.com
As of March 2013
Stockpots
by Contributors to Amazon.com
Credibility Rating
Our AssessmentA search for stockpots at Amazon.com turns up more than 2,000 results. Out of all these, however, we found only five pots that earn high overall ratings from 100 users or more. The individual reviews themselves are generally short, but with such large numbers of them, it's possible to get an overall sense of each pot's strong and weak points. Reviewers comment on cooking performance, ease of use, looks and durability (something that can't easily be evaluated in a test kitchen).
5. Cooking.com
As of March 2013
Top Rated Soup & Stockpots
by Contributors to Cooking.com
Credibility Rating
Our AssessmentMore than 100 soup pots are sold at Cooking.com, but this page lists only the "top rated" pots -- those with at least 20 reviews and a minimum overall rating of 4 stars out of 5. Three 8-quart pots from Calphalon and Le Creuset also get high ratings from 50 or more users.
6. Williams-Sonoma.com
As of March 2013
Stock, Soup & Multipots
by Contributors to Williams-Sonoma.com
Credibility Rating
Our AssessmentThis kitchen retailer focuses on high-end cookware. Many of the "soup, stock & multipots" sold here are actually specialized gadgets such as steamer baskets, asparagus pots and popcorn poppers. However, two pots that really are for making soup earn high ratings from users. The 4-quart Calphalon Unison Slide Nonstick Soup Pot receives 4.5 stars overall from about 45 owners, and the 8-quart Calphalon Contemporary Stainless-Steel Multipot (which comes with pasta and steamer inserts) earns 4.1 stars from around 25 users.
7. ChefsCatalog.com
As of March 2013
Cookware: Soup Pots & Stock Pots
by Contributors to ChefsCatalog.com
Credibility Rating
Our AssessmentSearching reviews at ChefsCatalog.com is a bit of a nuisance. Although all of the 50-plus soup pots can be viewed on a single page, along with their overall star ratings, the site doesn't say how many reviews this rating is based on. To get this information, you need to click on each product one by one. After going through this process, we found a couple of soup pots with high overall ratings from 50 or more users. The top product is the "Never Burn" Sauce Pot from Pauli Cookware, that owners say really does what the label claims.
8. Walmart.com
As of March 2013
Stockpots, Saucepots & Steamers
by Contributors to Walmart.com
Credibility Rating
Our AssessmentWalmart.com lists about 30 pots under the category of "Stockpots, Saucepots & Steamers." Only two pots receive more than 50 reviews and one is out of stock. Several Tramontina pots receive high ratings but from only a handful of reviewers.
9. About.com
Not dated
Best 12-Qt Stock Pots
by Mariette Mifflin
Credibility Rating
Our AssessmentMariette Mifflin, About.com's guide to Housewares and Appliances, lists her top 10 picks among stockpots. Each pot gets a one-paragraph summary that highlights its most useful features. However, it's not clear whether Mifflin actually tested any of these pots.
10. Buzzillions.com
As of March 2013
Stockpot Reviews
by Contributors to Buzzillions.com
Credibility Rating
Our AssessmentBuzzillions.com collates reviews from a variety of online sources, including some of those cited above. Its reviews of stockpots come from sources such as Cooking.com, Target, and Cookware Essentials (now a part of Wayfair.com). This site is helpful for finding an overall consensus of user opinion from a wide variety of sites, especially when most individual sites have only a handful of reviews per product. However, since it overlaps with our other sources, we have used this site as a backup only.
     
 

This is our assessment of the review’s relevance, clarity of testing and thoroughness.

Read more about our Ratings Criteria by clicking the link at the top of the page.
 
 
 
  
Best 8-Quart Soup Pot
 
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