Best Stockpot: 8 to 12 Quart Picks From $65 to $300

A stockpot boils and simmers. It does not need the clad walls of a good skillet, and the money saved there buys a lighter pot with better handles. Six that hold 8 to 12 quarts, with the Le Creuset and All-Clad questions answered.

By the Bonwits editorsUpdated November 2, 20266 picks

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Our top picks

6 picks, each linked to the exact listing

1
Best overallTramontina Gourmet Stainless Steel 12-Quart Stock Pot with Lid
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2
The sensible entry pointCuisinart Contour Stainless 12-Quart Stockpot with Glass Cover, Silver
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3
The clad pot, if you brown in itCuisinart MCP66-28N MultiClad Pro Stainless 12-Quart Stockpot with Cover
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4
The Le Creuset for soupLe Creuset Enamel on Steel Traditional Stockpot, 12 qt., Sea Salt
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5
The pasta potAll-Clad Simply Strain 12 Qt. Multipot with Strainer Insert and Lid
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6
If money is no objectAll-Clad D3 Stainless Steel 8 Qt Stockpot with Lid, Made in the USA
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The stockpot for soup, stock and a pound of pasta

Most of what a stockpot does is hold a great deal of hot water steadily. Chicken stock, a pound of pasta, a pot of beans, corn for a crowd, the Thanksgiving turkey brine. None of that asks for the rim-to-rim bonding that matters in a fry pan, and America's Test Kitchen's stockpot review says so plainly: expensive fully clad pots were not necessary for stockpot tasks, and lighter, thinner pots were easier to lift. What matters is a stainless body, a sound base, big looped handles you can grip with wet hands, and a lid that fits.

Size first. Twelve quarts is the size ATK settled on as the most useful, big enough for stock from a whole carcass and still storable. Eight quarts is the size that comes in cookware sets and suits a household that cooks for two to four. Anything under eight is a saucepot, not a stockpot, and the pasta water will foam over.

The six below run from about $65 to about $300. The two at the bottom of the price range do the job as well as anything here. The Le Creuset is for the cook who wants an enamel pot to match the Dutch oven. The All-Clad pieces are for cooks who already own All-Clad and want the stockpot to match, or who want a pasta insert done properly.

How we chose

Capacity and weight. Eight to twelve quarts. A 12 quart pot that weighs over six pounds empty is hard to carry to the sink full of stock, which ATK's weights make clear.
Base or clad walls. A thick aluminum disc in the base is enough for boiling and simmering. Clad walls cost more and add weight; they earn their keep only if you brown in the pot.
Handles and lid. Large riveted loop handles with room for an oven mitt, and a lid that seals without rattling.
Limits the maker states. Oven rating, dishwasher use and induction compatibility, taken from the listing and the maker's page.
Who sells it. Every pick is sold on Amazon US by Amazon.com.

We read makers’ specifications, warranties, care instructions and the sources listed at the end. We do not accept paid placements. How we choose

The 6 picks, in detail

Best overallNo. 1

Tramontina Gourmet Stainless Steel 12-Quart Stock Pot with Lid

Our take. America's Test Kitchen's recommended 12 quart at about $64: 18/10 stainless, a bonded tri-ply base, big loop handles and a 500 degree oven rating.

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Keeps for: Decades; nothing on it to wear out
Capacity: 12 quarts
Body: 18/10 stainless, impact-bonded tri-ply base
Weight: 5 lb 5.5 oz without lid (America's Test Kitchen)
Oven: Safe to 500°F
Cooktops: All, including induction
Care: Dishwasher safe

Tramontina's Gourmet stockpot is 18/10 stainless with an impact-bonded tri-ply base, an 18/10 stainless lid and precision cast, riveted stainless handles. The listing rates it for all cooktops including induction, oven safe to 500 degrees Fahrenheit and dishwasher safe. ATK recommended it in its stockpot review: heavy at 5 pounds 5.5 ounces without the lid, but with big looped handles that made it easy to hold and to pour a controlled stream, and easy to clean.

It sits a notch above the Cuisinart Contour for the same money because of that review, the all-metal lid and the oven rating. It is the pot for stock on Sunday, a pound of pasta on Tuesday and a crab boil in August, and when it is scratched and dull in twenty years it will still work exactly as it does now.

Skip it only if you want a glass lid, or if you brown onions and bones in the pot before adding water and want clad walls for that. ATK's finding was that the walls do not matter much for boiling and simmering, which is most of what a stockpot does.

The catch. Heavier than the ATK winners, which were lighter, thinner pots at similar prices.

The sensible entry pointNo. 2

Cuisinart Contour Stainless 12-Quart Stockpot with Glass Cover, Silver

Our take. A 12 quart stainless pot with an aluminum disc base, cast riveted handles and a glass lid, for about two thirds of Cuisinart's own price.

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Keeps for: Decades; the glass lid is the only part that can break
Capacity: 12 quarts
Body: Stainless steel, aluminum-encapsulated base
Lid: Tempered glass with stainless rim
Handles: Riveted cast stainless steel
Cooktops: All, including induction
Care: Dishwasher safe; lifetime warranty (maker)

Contour is Cuisinart's curved stainless line. The 12 quart stockpot has a pure aluminum disc encapsulated in the base for even heat, riveted cast stainless Cool Grip handles, and a flat tempered glass lid rimmed in stainless so you can watch the stock without lifting it. Cuisinart's page lists it at $89.95 with a lifetime warranty, compatible with all stovetops including induction and dishwasher safe; Amazon sells it for about $65.

The glass lid is the thing to decide on. It is handy for pasta and for a simmer you want to keep an eye on, and it is the only part of the pot that can break. Cuisinart lists the pot at 10.43 by 10.75 by 10.67 inches and a weight of 7.6, which is with the glass lid; stainless lids weigh less.

Skip it if you want to put the pot in a hot oven or under a broiler; the listing gives no oven rating and the glass lid argues against it. For an all-metal pot at the same price, the Tramontina below is the one.

The catch. No oven rating on the listing, and a glass lid that will not survive a drop onto tile.

The clad pot, if you brown in itNo. 3

Cuisinart MCP66-28N MultiClad Pro Stainless 12-Quart Stockpot with Cover

Our take. Tri-ply walls all the way up at a fair price, for the cook who sears and sweats in the stockpot before the water goes in.

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Keeps for: Decades
Capacity: 12 quarts
Construction: Tri-ply: 18/10 stainless, solid aluminum core, bonded through the walls
Weight: 6 lb 13 oz without lid (America's Test Kitchen)
Oven and broiler: Safe to 550°F
Handles: Cast stainless, riveted
Care: Dishwasher safe

MultiClad Pro is Cuisinart's long-running tri-ply line: 18/10 stainless around a solid aluminum core, bonded through the walls rather than only in the base. The 12 quart has an updated cast stainless handle, riveted and designed to stay cool, rims tapered for drip-free pouring, and a rating of oven safe to 550 degrees Fahrenheit, broiler safe and dishwasher safe.

ATK recommended it with reservations. It performed well and the large handles were a plus, but at 6 pounds 13 ounces without the lid it was the heaviest stainless pot in the review, and the weight was especially noticeable when straining chicken stock. That is the price of clad walls in a pot this size.

Buy it if your stockpot doubles as a braising and risotto pot and you brown in it often. Skip it if you mainly boil; the Tramontina does that for half the money and a pound and a half less.

The catch. The heaviest pot here, and the weight shows when you tip out two gallons of stock.

The Le Creuset for soupNo. 4

Le Creuset Enamel on Steel Traditional Stockpot, 12 qt., Sea Salt

Our take. The light enameled steel pot Le Creuset makes for stock and soup, in the same colors as the cast iron, and the right Le Creuset for a big batch.

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Keeps for: Many years; enamel on thin steel can chip or discolor with hard use
Capacity: 12 quarts
Body: Carbon steel, porcelain enamel inside and out
Rim: Stainless steel, to prevent chipping
Knobs: Heat resistant
Cooktops: All, including induction
Care: Hand wash with warm soapy water (maker)

People searching for the best Le Creuset for soup usually land on the enameled cast iron Dutch oven, which is a braising pot: heavy, and at 5.5 or 7.25 quarts too small for stock from a carcass or pasta for six. This is the Le Creuset built for that job. The Traditional Stockpot is carbon steel coated in porcelain enamel, which the listing says brings water to a boil quickly and keeps food and liquids warm. The enamel is non-reactive and nonporous, and resists stains, rust, scratches and flavor absorption.

A stainless steel rim around the top edge protects the enamel where pots usually chip, the knobs are heat resistant, and the pot works on all cooktops. Le Creuset says hand wash with warm soapy water. The 12 quart comes in Le Creuset's standard colors, so it matches the Dutch oven on the next burner, and the thin steel body means it is light for its size.

Skip it if you brown in your stockpot. Thin enameled steel heats fast and unevenly compared with a thick aluminum base, and ATK found that another brand's enamel-on-steel pot discolored when sautéing and took effort to clean. Boil and simmer in it and it will look good for years.

The catch. Thin steel; it is a boiling pot, not a browning pot, and the enamel can mark if you treat it like one.

The pasta potNo. 5

All-Clad Simply Strain 12 Qt. Multipot with Strainer Insert and Lid

Our take. A 12 quart stainless pot with a deep perforated insert, so a pound of pasta or a bushel of steamed clams lifts out and drains in one motion.

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Made in: China (designed in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania)
Keeps for: Decades; limited lifetime warranty
Capacity: 12 quarts
Insert: Deep stainless insert with perforated base and wide handles
Body: Stainless steel, 90% recycled, heavy-duty base
Oven: Safe to 600°F
Cooktops: All, including induction
Care: Dishwasher safe; hand washing recommended; limited lifetime warranty

This is the All-Clad for pasta that people search for, and it is not a D3 piece. Simply Strain is a stainless multipot with a wide, deep insert whose base is perforated for straining, with extra wide handles on both the pot and the insert so you can lift them with mitts on. The wide heavy-duty stainless base is there for fast boiling, and the body is 90 percent recycled stainless.

The listing rates it oven safe to 600 degrees Fahrenheit, compatible with every cooktop including induction, and dishwasher safe, though All-Clad recommends hand washing. It carries All-Clad's limited lifetime warranty. All-Clad is candid that it is designed in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania and made in China.

Buy it if you cook pasta several times a week or steam seafood and vegetables in quantity; lifting the insert beats carrying a full pot to a colander. Skip it if you want American-made All-Clad to match a D3 set, which is the 8 quart below, or if you mostly make stock, where the insert is one more thing to store.

The catch. Made in China rather than Pennsylvania, and the insert takes cabinet space of its own.

If money is no objectNo. 6

All-Clad D3 Stainless Steel 8 Qt Stockpot with Lid, Made in the USA

Our take. The fully bonded tri-ply stockpot from Pennsylvania, for cooks who own D3 and want the stockpot to match; the cooking is not $235 better.

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Made in: USA (Pennsylvania), with global components
Keeps for: Generations
Capacity: 8 quarts
Construction: Tri-ply: 18/10 stainless, aluminum core, fully bonded
Size: 14.3 x 11.4 x 6.8 in (maker)
Oven and broiler: Safe to 600°F
Care: Hand wash only
Warranty: Limited lifetime

D3 is All-Clad's original line: 18/10 stainless inside, stainless outside, an aluminum core, bonded from rim to rim, made in All-Clad's Pennsylvania factory with global components since 1971. The 8 quart stockpot has double riveted stainless handles, a flared edge for pouring, and All-Clad's ratings of oven and broiler safe to 600 degrees Fahrenheit and compatible with any stovetop including induction. Hand wash only, with a limited lifetime warranty. All-Clad lists it at 14.3 by 11.4 by 6.8 inches.

ATK's stockpot review covered the 12 quart D3 rather than this 8 quart. It performed excellently and was recommended, at 5 pounds 6.5 ounces without the lid, with two complaints: the handles were the shortest in the review and less comfortable than the winner's, and the price. The same review's larger finding applies to the 8 quart too: clad walls were not necessary for what a stockpot does.

Buy it if you cook on D3 already, brown in your stockpot, and want one that will be handed down. Skip it if you are buying your first stockpot; a Tramontina at about $64 will boil the same water, and the $235 saved buys a good Dutch oven.

The catch. Hand wash only, 8 quarts rather than 12, and short handles for a pot you carry full.

Compare the picks

Pick	Best for	Made in	Keeps for	Buy
Tramontina Gourmet Stainless Steel 12-Quart Stock Pot with Lid	Best overall	Not stated	Decades; nothing on it to wear out	Check priceAmazon
Cuisinart Contour Stainless 12-Quart Stockpot with Glass Cover, Silver	The sensible entry point	Not stated	Decades; the glass lid is the only part that can break	Check priceAmazon
Cuisinart MCP66-28N MultiClad Pro Stainless 12-Quart Stockpot with Cover	The clad pot, if you brown in it	Not stated	Decades	Check priceAmazon
Le Creuset Enamel on Steel Traditional Stockpot, 12 qt., Sea Salt	The Le Creuset for soup	Not stated	Many years; enamel on thin steel can chip or discolor with hard use	Check priceAmazon
All-Clad Simply Strain 12 Qt. Multipot with Strainer Insert and Lid	The pasta pot	China (designed in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania)	Decades; limited lifetime warranty	Check priceAmazon
All-Clad D3 Stainless Steel 8 Qt Stockpot with Lid, Made in the USA	If money is no object	USA (Pennsylvania), with global components	Generations	Check priceAmazon

Compared.

Every comparison

Why 12 quarts

America's Test Kitchen's review used 12 quart pots throughout, calling it the most useful size: big enough for stock from a whole carcass or two, pasta for a table, or a lobster or crab boil, and still small enough to store. A pound of dried pasta wants four to six quarts of water and room to foam, which an 8 quart handles and a 6 quart saucepot does not.

If you cook for two and never make stock, an 8 quart is enough and easier to lift. The All-Clad D3 above is the 8 quart here; Tramontina and Le Creuset both make 8 quart versions of their pots as well.

Clad walls or a thick base

A fully clad pot, with the aluminum core running up the walls, heats evenly from the sides as well as the bottom. That matters in a fry pan or a sauté pan, where food sits against the metal. In a stockpot the food is in water, and water moves heat around on its own. ATK's conclusion was that expensive fully clad pots were not necessary for stockpot tasks, which are mostly boiling and simmering, and that the lighter, thinner pots were easier to lift.

The exception is browning. If you sear beef bones or sweat a pound of onions in the stockpot before the liquid goes in, a clad wall and a heavy base resist scorching at the edges. That is the case for the Cuisinart MultiClad Pro or the All-Clad D3. Everyone else can take the lighter pot and the saving.

Pasta and the insert question

A pasta insert lets you lift the pasta out and keep the water boiling for the next batch, and saves a trip to the sink with a full pot. It also adds a second piece to store and makes the pot shallower in use. If you cook pasta most nights, the All-Clad Simply Strain is the one here built around the insert. If you cook pasta once a week, a plain stockpot and a colander in the sink are simpler.

Care

Stainless pots take salt once the water is boiling, not before; salt sitting on cold steel can pit it. Heat tint and the white film from hard water come off with Bar Keepers Friend or a splash of vinegar in hot water. Do not plunge a hot pot into cold water. The Le Creuset wants a hand wash and a soft sponge; the All-Clad D3 is hand wash only by the maker's instruction, and the rest are rated dishwasher safe, though hand washing keeps every one of them brighter.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best stockpot?

For most kitchens, a 12 quart stainless pot with a bonded base and big loop handles, such as the Tramontina Gourmet at about $64, which America's Test Kitchen recommended. Pay more for clad walls only if you brown in the pot; ATK found fully clad pots were not necessary for boiling and simmering.

What size stockpot do I need?

Twelve quarts for stock, big batches and pasta for a crowd; eight quarts for a household of two to four that cooks pasta and soup but rarely makes stock. Under eight quarts is a saucepot.

What is the best Le Creuset for soup?

For big batches, the Enamel on Steel Traditional Stockpot in 8 or 12 quarts: light, enameled carbon steel with a stainless rim, in the same colors as the cast iron. The enameled cast iron Dutch oven is the better pot for braises and small soups, but it is heavy and tops out at a size too small for stock.

Which All-Clad is best for pasta?

The Simply Strain 12 quart multipot, which has a deep perforated insert for lifting and draining pasta, and is oven safe to 600 degrees and dishwasher safe. It is made in China. The American-made D3 stockpot has no insert.

Do I need a fully clad stockpot?

No, unless you sear or sweat in it before adding liquid. America's Test Kitchen found clad walls unnecessary for stockpot tasks and preferred lighter pots. A thick aluminum disc in the base, as on the Cuisinart Contour and Tramontina Gourmet, is enough.

Can a stockpot go in the oven?

The Tramontina Gourmet is rated to 500 degrees Fahrenheit, the Cuisinart MultiClad Pro to 550, and both All-Clad pots to 600. The Cuisinart Contour has a glass lid and no oven rating on its listing, and Le Creuset gives none for the enamel on steel stockpot, so keep those two on the stovetop.