59916 Stainless Steel Dishwasher Safe Stockpot Cookware, 16-Quart, Silver

I don't want to suggest that this is the "best" stockpot or even imply it's better than some less expensive offerings. In fact, I'm quite positive with a little time spent web sleuthing, I could be just as pleased spending just a quarter of the money. BUT...I must say that All-Clad is the first name I checked out. Since 1997, my wife and I have been cooking on All-Clad stainless steel line (which refers to the finish -- it features All-Clad's signature aluminum core construction), and all of that gear is holding up remarkably well, with daily use and regular scourings. This pot is no different, with the same aluminum core, low-polish stainless exterior (not exactly mirror bright, thank goodness), and easy-to-clean interior that handles Brillo pads and Barkeepers Helper without complaint.The sign of any good stockpot -- this one included -- is a good amount of base material to facilitate even heat spread. The cheap pots with thin bases that develop hot spots not only require constant stirring and undue patience, they're a pain to clean all the burnt-on muck off the bottom. This one features an extremely thick steel-aluminum sandwich base plate, that heats up quickly and simmers really well, without a bunch of micro-adjustments to the flame.The other sign of a good stockpot is a tall, narrow profile -- to control the rate of boil-off and ensure all of the ingredients are absorbing the natural flavors rising from the bottom. There's a trade-off with this pot: if you're dealing with smaller quantities, this pot is too wide and, in fact, annoyingly tall. For those instances, a narrower pot is in order. For larger quantities, pickings are slim, but this fits the bill. The pot measures about 12 inches across, and is a bit more than 10 inches tall. It easily handles whole chicken and turkey carcasses.There's no flex to the sides -- which are "normal" thickness, i.e. quite a bit thinner that the fat base -- so even when I'm lifting the full, heavy pot off the cook top, the riveted handles always feel sturdy, and I don't expect any failures *ever* just like with our long-serving braiser and soup pot. My biggest criticism of this type of handle is cleaning the discoloration that eventually develops around the rivets -- but that's just a petty grievance.For a reason I'm not aware of, this 16 quart pot is a rare beast, with no presence on All-Clad's website, nor many of the other All-Clad retailers. While the price tag on this pot is "reasonable" in the All-Clad price scheme (and there are certainly more expensive stockpots out there), I again want remind you that, before clicking "Buy Now," there are more competitively priced stockpots to choose from that are almost certainly of equal quality.

We love the All-Clad line, and this 16-Quart pot is a pleasure to use. An advantage of a well-made heavy pot such as this is that food is less likely to burn and stick to it... which in turn makes cleanup easier. It's just plain more pleasurable to cook with good cookware. If you're considering an upgrade to what you are now making soup in, don't overthink it. Get this. Works well on all surfaces, including convection. A pot such a this with an insert strainer is dandy for steaming crabs and other seafood, too.

I boiled some water for spaghetti as normal on high for 7 minutes. I don't use salt or oil in the water. Never have. Turned out great!There was a little discoloration in the bottom of the pan after I washed it out. I used a little Bar Keepers Friend for Cookware and it is beautiful again.Totally happy.

This pot cost three times as much as the Calpalon that it replaced. Is it three times better? Maybe!Reasons to spend $300-400 on one pot:1. It is obviously made of much better materials than cheaper pots.2. The craftsmanship and build quality is MUCH better.3. Aestethically (I know, most people don't care) this pot is beautiful- shiny chrome exterior and brushed stainless interior4. Function: it cooks food well without hot spots in the pot. It heats up fast and evenly.5. Solid build, but not that heavy. For being a tri-ply construction, this pot is surprisingly light.6. Cleans easily- you can do a glaze on it and still clean it very easily with Barkeeper's Friend7. Design - easy to pour the liquid out of the pot due to the shape- I don't know why other pots don't do this.8. Fit/finish- the lid fits perfectly unlike other cheaper pots.9. Value - if you take care of this pot, it will outlast cheaper pots, so the actual cost of ownership isn't that highFor me, cooking with a beautiful pot like this makes it much more enjoyable. It's just a great feeling to have something so nice in the kitchen.It gives me joy knowing that in our disposable, cheap, "made-in-china" society, there is actually a group of people that care about making something functional, beautiful, and high quality. Not only that, there are other people that appreciate and are willing to pay for that degree of care. This gives me hope.

Yeah, it’s expensive. It’s also a great stock pot.We have slowly converted all of our cook wear to either AllClad or Lecreuset over the last 10 years. It’s expensive, but it DOES perform at a noticeably higher level than the cheaper options. It also basically lasts forever.Do you NEED this to cook great meals? Nope. 100% you don’t. Does it help? Yes!I really like the shape for this particular size/volume. It’s wider than many of the other pots with this volume - and that helps with searing stuff like large cuts of meat and the like.One note: Don’t put these in the dishwasher. I was caught up in an AllClad recall where the pots were officially dishwasher rated, but washing them that way caused the aluminum core to erode out and left sharp edges. Hand washing and using barkeepers friend to take off any gnarly burned on stuff works really well.