Best Stockpots (2024), Reviewed by Our Experts

Find anything you save across the site in your account

All products are independently selected by our editors. If you buy something, we may earn an affiliate commission. 8 gallon stock pot

What makes a good stockpot? The best stockpot according to the Bon Appétit Test Kitchen A more affordable (and 5-ply) stockpot If you need a stockpot that’s big and cheap How we chose the best stockpots What to cook in a stockpot

A stockpot doesn’t really have the cachet of a hand-forged, American-made cast-iron skillet, and it doesn’t make the visual statement of an enameled Dutch oven. But it is useful, and sooner or later, you’re going to need one. Maybe you’re throwing a dinner party and need to boil water for two pounds of pasta. Maybe you’ve vowed to finally turn those chicken bones into stock. Maybe you’ve been tasked with making the mashed potatoes for 20 at Friendsgiving. Maybe you run a Victorian workhouse and need a pot big enough to cook porridge for all the children. Whenever there’s a cooking task that calls for a large batch of simmered or boiled miscellanea, a stockpot is what you need.

All-Clad D3 8-Quart Stainless Steel Stockpot

Made In Stainless Clad Stock Pot

Vigor SS1 Series 20-Quart Heavy-Duty Stainless Steel Aluminum-Clad Stock Pot

But not every stockpot performs equally well. Check out our top picks below, with intel from the Bon Appétit test kitchen and other industry pros.

You’re looking for the same things in a stockpot that you’d look for in saucepans or frying pans: good responsiveness to changes in heat and even heat distribution. However, since stockpots tend to be used for much longer sessions than many other pieces of cookware, their ability to withstand hours of heat on the stovetop—and effectively distribute that heat to all parts of the pot—is even more important. A quality stockpot should also be oven-safe so it can stand in for jobs that call for a Dutch oven in a pinch.

In terms of material, chefs I talked to recommended stainless-steel stockpots over the cheaper aluminum models ubiquitous in restaurant supply shops. “The absolute worst is when the pot starts to warp on the bottom; a trait that almost anyone who has worked in a commercial kitchen has seen...while those warps and twists in the metal aren’t too bad when roasting mirepoix, they can be devastating when trying to evenly burn sugar or reduce berry jams,” Tyler Malek says. Malek has dealt with the sugar and jam issue a lot in his capacity as the pastry chef and cofounder of ice cream maker Salt & Straw. “The only way to avoid this is to buy thick bottomed, stainless-steel pots. Stainless steel also tends to heat more evenly and consistently, which is especially helpful when trying to get finicky recipes like caramel sauce to come out perfect every time.”

Aluminum stockpots can also leave a bad taste in your mouth—literally. “Oftentimes, when you cook with acidity in an aluminum pot, the metal taste transfers and the pans tarnish quickly,” says Angelo Sosa, chef at Kembara and Tía Carmen. One final problem with aluminum stockpots: They don’t work on induction cooktops. Aluminum isn’t compatible with the technology. If you want more on the pots and pans that will work with induction you can check out this guide.

We also don’t recommend nonstick stockpots because you shouldn’t use high heat on nonstick coatings; high heat can cause them break down. Nonstick cookware can also scratch easily, which is not good news in a pot that you need to deglaze and scrape.

There are a few other details that the experts look for as well. Are the base of the pot or the handles welded on? “It’s really important to get handles that are riveted rather than spot-welded. They will hold up longer and are way less likely to fall off the pot,” says Renee Erickson, chef and owner of Sea Creatures restaurant group in Seattle. Another hallmark of a cheap stockpot is a seam between the sides and the base of the pot. After repeated use, that warping mentioned by Malek can cause the seams to actually begin to leak, and no one wants a pot that functions like a colander.

Pros: Lifetime warranty, built to last

All-Clad D3 8-Quart Stainless Steel Stockpot

If you look at some of our other product recommendations, you’ll realize pretty quickly that we think All-Clad makes some of the best stainless-steel cookware out there. Deputy food editor Hana Asbrink puts it this way: “All-Clad deserves its high praise. You always get a consistent product, regardless of the line, and you never have to worry about warping or hot spots, or anything really. They’re largely indestructible and built so well. All-Clad pots and pans are definitely an investment, but you won’t need to buy replacements!”

Stockpots that hold 8-quarts are a good choice for most home kitchens, but they’re not all shaped the same. The All-Clad stockpot in this size is the most squat and wide we’ve seen, which makes it ideal for starting a stock with large bones or whole chicken carcasses and for searing meat before adding in a braising liquid. The wider dimensions of the All-Clad make it easy to fit in an oven as well.

This is a tri-ply pot, which means it’s made of three layers of metal—an aluminum core sandwiched between two layers of stainless steel. The pot is what’s called fully clad, meaning the three layers are not just in the base, but also up the sides. The aluminum core offers excellent heat conductivity while the steel surrounding it creates an evenly heated cooking surface that’s also less reactive to acidic ingredients. The pot’s indestructibility and the lack of hot spots that Hana mentioned are a direct result of its heavy-duty, fully clad construction.

The All-Clad D3 strikes a good balance between sturdiness and maneuverability. It has riveted handles, a seamless base, and comes with a stainless steel lid (All-Clad also sells glass lids separately if you prefer those). The only real downside to this stockpot is the price—it’s certainly not cheap. But when you consider that every All-Clad pot, pan, and cookware set comes with a lifetime warranty, it may very well be the last stockpot you ever need to buy in your life.

Dimensions: 14.3 x 11.4 x 6.8" Material: Stainless steel Size: 8 qt. Weight: 5 lb.

The Good: A chef favorite, heavy-duty

The Bad: Pretty much nothing

Made In Stainless Clad Stock Pot

Several chefs I spoke with loved the Made In stockpot. Even as a relative newcomer in the cookware space, the brand has become a mainstay in professional kitchens all around the country. “In our R&D kitchen, we love using Made In pots because they’re built like tanks and handle heat really well,” says Malek. Erickson also mentioned the brand as her go-to for her kitchen.

In the stockpot product tests at our sister site, Epicurious, the Made In performed on par with the All-Clad. Made In’s stockpot is wide and squat like the All-Clad and has comfortable handles (attached with rivets, by the way) that make it easy to maneuver, even with oven mitts. It’s a 5-ply pot, which means it has five layers of metal all the way around to the All-Clad’s three. But despite that, the Made In stockpot weighs less than the All-Clad, making it a better choice for anyone looking to reduce heavy lifting in their cooking.

The Made In stockpot also happens to be cheaper than the All-Clad, leaving you with more cash for expensive mushrooms or fancy beef to use in your soups and stews.

Dimensions: 14.5 x 10.75 x 5.5" Material: Stainless steel Size: 8 qt. Weight: 4.5 lb.

The Good: Cheap, but still stainless steel

Vigor SS1 Series 20-Quart Heavy-Duty Stainless Steel Aluminum-Clad Stock Pot

While 8- and 12-quart stockpots are big enough to handle most of the cooking tasks you’ll tackle at home, there are times when a much larger stockpot is in order. For the rare occasion when you really need a large capacity stockpot—making turkey stock for Thanksgiving, or feeding your daughter’s soccer team—you can get away with something less expensive than an All-Clad or a Made In.

Hana says she’s comfortable with grabbing whichever budget-friendly option is kicking around at the restaurant supply store with just a couple of considerations: “My opinion is that it has to be thick enough on the bottom to withstand hours-long cooking but not so heavy that it would be impossible to maneuver, which is why a restaurant-grade no-name is nice here.”

This Vigor stockpot costs less than $100 and still features a stainless-steel exterior to avoid leaching metallic flavor into your broth.

It does have welded handles and an attached bottom, so it isn’t something you’d want to subject to years of rigorous daily use, but for really big-batch cooking that only happens a couple times a year, this sort of stockpot is a piece of cookware that will get the job done.

If you’re looking for a budget stockpot in an everyday size, note that Vigor does also make a cheap 8-qt. stockpot. Still, we’d urge you to consider the All-Clad or Made In pots instead, because you’ll be likely to use an 8-qt. pot often enough that the Vigor will wear out and need replacing, unlike the pricier models.

Dimensions: 12.37 x 12 x 10.5" Material: Stainless steel Size: 20 qt. Weight: 10 lb.

The side-by-side product testing that our colleagues at Epicurious conducted informed our recommendations here. Epicurious testers compared the performance of seven different stockpots by cooking chicken stock, boiling pasta, and preparing a batch of beans. We also spoke with culinary professionals to learn about their long-term experiences using stockpots. Bon Appétit’s deputy food editor, Hana Asbrink, who ate miyeokguk, Korean seaweed soup, every day for over a year after giving birth to her daughter, contributed her thoughts. We also spoke with Renee Erickson, a James Beard Award–Winning chef, restaurateur, and cookbook author; Tyler Malek, pastry chef and cofounder of Salt & Straw; and Angelo Sosa, chef at Kembara and Tía Carmen in Phoenix.

There is no better pot for making stock than a stockpot. You want something big to handle a whole turkey carcass for leftover Thanksgiving stock, or the myriad of aromatics, chiles, and chicken parts that amp up this sinus-clearing spicy chicken stock.

But a stock pot isn’t just for soup lovers. You can use a stockpot in almost any recipe that calls for a large, heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven (except for maybe this bread recipe…). Try a comforting navy bean and escarole stew, these rich and jammy red wine–braised short ribs, and this no-sweat chicken adobo. Use it for cooking long pasta like fettuccine or bucatini. Finally, if you’re into giving homemade edible gifts and want to whip up large batches of caramel, almond brittle, or jam to give to friends, follow Malek’s lead. The Salt & Straw cofounder says he relies almost exclusively on stockpots when he’s making toppings and mix-ins on a large scale for his ice creams.

Wilder Davies has tested and written about cookware for over 4 years, and he has jacked up his electric bill while making homemade stock on multiple occasions.

By The Bon Appétit and Epicurious Staffs

Best Stockpots (2024), Reviewed by Our Experts | Bon Appétit