There are several types of cooking pots available based on the usage and purpose. Depending on what you cook, you need to choose the right piece of cookware.
In this article, we will explore the various types of cooking pots available. We will learn the purpose of using it and how you can make the most from it.
This ultimate guide will save your time on research and provide you with all the information you need. We have enlisted the various types of pots for you to help you make your choice easier than ever.
Let us get started.
Types Of Cooking Pots
Below are the different types of pots for your cooking needs. Let us learn about the significance of each kind and how you can use them effectively.
1. Stock Pot
Do you like to make soups at home? A stock pot is all you need. Let us see how this cooking pot can help you in your cooking.
Construction
The stock pot is usually a large-sized pot that is tall and has straight sides. It has a flat bottom and comes with handles and a removable lid. You can use this cookware to sauté and brown and to make soups, stocks, etc.
Material
The stick pots are available in different materials like stainless steel, aluminium, copper, and carbon steel with an enamel finish.
Sizes
The stock pots come in various size options. However, it is advisable to keep all these multiple sizes handy to cook for a small or large group.
Maintenance
The stock pots are easy to maintain.
Cleaning
The stock pots are easy to clean, too.
Ideal For
These pots are the best bet for boiling water, steaming vegetables, making stock, broth, and large batches of soup.
2. Dutch Oven
A Dutch Oven is yet another popular type of cooking pot that you either use on your stovetop or place in the oven.
Construction
It is a large pot that is round in shape. It comes with a tight-fitting lid and a pair of short handles that help in easy lifting. You can use these Dutch ovens for employing all kinds of cooking methods. They are slow when heating but retain the heat very well.
Material
Most Dutch ovens are made from cast iron. Some models even come with porcelain-enamel interiors.
Sizes
Dutch ovens are available in a variety of sizes. However, the most popular ones as per the sales are the 5-to-6-quart models. They come in a wide variety of colours, too.
Maintenance
Dutch ovens require regular maintenance and frequent seasoning.
Cleaning
Since Dutch ovens consist of cast-iron material, they are not so easy to clean. There are certain things one needs to follow for cleaning. You should never clean a Dutch oven with dishwashing soap or soak it in water. Doing so will ruin the seasoning of the cast iron. Also, you should never use an abrasive scouring pad for cleaning it.
Ideal For
Dutch ovens are ideal for a variety of cooking options like soups, sauces, pasta, stocks, etc. You can even use them to brown, braise, boil, and bake food.
3. Soup Pot
As the name goes, the soup pots are exclusively designed for preparing all kinds of soups.
Construction
Coming to their construction and design, these pots are similar to the stock pots. However, they are smaller than the stock pot models and have a thicker and heavier base than them. This thicker bottom helps in the even distribution of heat across the pot. Other models from soup pots come with rounded sides.
Material
Most soup pots come in stainless steel material.
Size
The soup pots come in a wide variety of sizes ranging from as small as 4 quarts to as large as 20 quarts.
Maintenance
Because of the stainless-steel material, the soup pots are very easy to maintain.
Cleaning
The stainless-steel soups pots are very easy to clean.
Ideal For
The soup pots are ideal for preparing all kinds of soups, including thick soups.
4. Steamer Pot
A steamer pot is yet another common type of cooking pot that is similar to the stock pot.
Construction
A steamer pot is a large stock pot that has high sides. Moreover, it comes with an in-built strainer and vegetable steamer inside. These pots have a lid that helps in retaining the heat and seals the freshness inside. You can use these pots for preparing various foods with steam heat.
Material
The steamer pots usually come in stainless steel and aluminium materials.
Sizes
The steamer pots are available in various size options to choose from among them. They come in multiple tiers for multi-purpose.
Maintenance
The steamer pots are easier to maintain.
Cleaning
The steamer pots are easier to clean.
Ideal For
These steamer pots are ideal for steaming vegetables, cooking fish, poultry, rice, etc.
5. Pasta Pots
As the name suggests, pasta pot comes specially designed for cooking pasta.
Construction
Pasta pots are basically of two types – one with a perforated locking lid and the other with a metal strainer.
The pasta pot featuring a perforated locking lid helps you strain the water out while cooking pasta so that all you are left with is cooked pasta.
The other pasta post comes with a metal strainer that you need to insert inside the large pot. After you finish cooking, you can comfortably lift the metal strainer out containing cooked pasta. These model pasta pots are basically streamers that are comparatively larger and deeper.
Material
The pasta pots usually come in stainless steel, copper, cast-iron, and aluminium materials.
Sizes
The pasta pots are available in various size options to choose from them. The average size comes between 6 and 8 quarts.
Maintenance
The pasta pots require less maintenance.
Cleaning
The pasta pots are easy to clean.
Ideal For
These pasta pots are ideal for cooking pasta, noodles, spaghetti, etc.
6. Double Boilers
Double boilers are those types that contain two pots, which you can use steam as a heat source for cooking food.
Construction
The double boiler pots have two pots, i.e., bottom (larger) and top (smaller). You can fill the lower one with water and use the steam from the hot water to heat the top pot.
Material
The double boilers pots usually come in stainless-steel material.
Sizes
The double boilers are available in a variety of sizes, shapes, and types. The most common boilers are wide and cylindrical containers.
Maintenance
The double boilers are easy to maintain.
Cleaning
These double boilers are easy to clean.
Ideal For
The double boiler pots are ideal for melting chocolate and cooking delicate foods.
7. Fondue Pot
A fondue pot is a unique cooking pot exclusively designed for melting cheese.
Construction
The models come in both manual fondue pots and electric fondue pots. While the manual ones contain portable fuel, the electric fondue pots have an electric heating element. These heat sources help in maintaining a consistent temperature. These are versatile kitchen cookware that is capable of melting cheese or chocolate and cooking meat in broth.
They come with a pot containing a large fork. The unique design of the fondue pots makes them perfect for a communal dining experience.
Material
The fondue pots usually come in stainless steel, copper, cast-iron, and ceramic materials.
Sizes
The fondue pots are available in a wide range of sizes.
Maintenance
The fondue pots require less maintenance.
Cleaning
The fondue pots are easy to clean, tough, and long-lasting.
Ideal For
These fondue pots are ideal for melting food items like cheese and chocolate.
Summary Of Common Pot Types
Here is a summarized view of the different types of pots and their usage. This will help you gain a better understanding of the purposes of each pot type.
| POT TYPE | SUITABLE FOR COOKING ITEMS |
|---|---|
| Stock Pot | You can cook stocks, broths, make soups, boil water, steam vegetables, sauté, brown, etc. |
| Dutch Oven | You can prepare soups, sauces, pasta, stocks, etc. You can even brown, braise, boil and bake food in the Dutch oven. |
| Soup Pot | You can prepare all kinds of soups, including thick and thin soups, and boil potatoes. |
| Steamer Pot | You can steam vegetables, cook seafood, poultry, rice, etc. |
| Pasta Pots | You can cook pasta, noodles, spaghetti and macaroni. |
| Double Boilers | You can melt chocolates, prepare dumplings and delicate foods. |
| Fondue Pot | You can melt and warm cheese, and chocolate. |
Conclusion
We often end up picking wrong dishes or pots for the right recipes. As a result, we end up disappointed with the food we prepared. I hope this article clears the confusion once and for all. With all the information provided about the different types of pots and their uses, you should now be aware of using the right pot. The summarized version should help you even more with which pot is ideal for what purpose.
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Stay healthy and stay safe!!!
