A Good Stockpot is a Thing of Beauty, but this One's Just Cute

Le Creuset 16-Quart Stockpot

A good stockpot is a thing of beauty, a symphony of the compromise of form and function. It's heavy enough for good heat distribution but not too heavy to lift; it's large enough for a generous pot of stew or soup, but not large enough to deep-fry a moose. Our white Le Creuset Enamel-on-Steel Stockpot fits both bills. The pot's 16-quart capacity makes it roomy enough for brewing up good, rich stock from a 17-pound Thanksgiving turkey, though it will obviously handle smaller batches as well.

Even on the world's stupidest stove (an aging GE cooktop), this pot distributes the heat smoothly and evenly. A sturdy enameled lid fits tightly whether at a rolling boil or a slow simmer. The construction is thick white enamel over high-carbon steel, so the surface should not absorb odors or flavors from the contents. The rim is a naked steel band, which prevents chipping of the enamel. The pot, with lid, easily weighs fifteen pounds: it is a chunk!

Both of the household cooks have used this stockpot extensively, especially for vegetable- and poultry-based stocks, soups, and stews. The Ms likes it for red beans and rice, and we've also used it for French onion soup and that quintessential 4th-of-July leftover, turkey noodle soup (you know those super-cheap turkeys you can get at Thanksgiving? we always save one for mid-summer...).

It's a bust, though, when it comes to cooking tomato-based foods or anything acidic. The enamel is supposed to be protected by using only wooden, plastic, or nylon utensils for cooking and cleaning. No problem: wood's the spoon of choice around here. However, the first time we tried cooking up a good marinara sauce, the lower five inches of the pot's interior turned a pinky-brown that simply would not come off, no matter how much elbow grease we applied to the nylon scrubby. Over a couple of years, the interior has become quite discolored from just occasional use (you don't cook much soup around here when it's hot; and it's hot most of the time). Once the pasta sauce got staining started, it's been impossible to clean.

Though flavors do not seem to be transferring with the changing color of the liner, I must admit that I've been disappointed by the quick and pervasive staining of a stock-pot with such a good reputation - or maybe Le Creuset just has a high opinion of themselves - who knows? Summary PLUS: Quality Construction, Heat distribution MINUS: picks up food colors easily WHAT THEY'RE SAYING: Our Le Creuset 12-Quart Stockpot functions well but the enamel coating on the interior picks up stains a great deal more easily than it should.

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