4-Piece Cookware Set, 12 Quarts, Chef's Classic Stainless Steel Pasta/Steamer, 77-412P1

Due to numerous health and food issues in my family, I cook all the time and I cook from scratch. A good set of pots and pans is absolutely imperative to cook well. I prefer stainless steel because it looks nice, imparts no off flavors and does not leach toxic chemicals. Stainless steel also washes easier than most other finishes. I own a nice set of 18/8 stainless steel pots and pans which includes 2 - 8 quart (2 gallon) stock pots plus 3 different 5 gallon stock pots. But until I purchased the Cuisinart 77-412 Chef’s Classic Stainless 4 Piece 12-Quart Pasta/Steamer Set, I had nothing in between the2 gallon and 5 gallon stock pots. Whenever I made food like chili or chicken and dumplings, I had to either use my 2 gallon stock pot and make a small batch (and risk food boiling over) or use a 5 gallon stock pot and either make a huge batch or inefficiently use my pot. The Cuisinart 12 quart (3 gallon) stock pot has been a much needed addition to my collection of pots and pans. WHAT IS IN THE BOX: One mirror finish 18/8 stainless steel 12 quart (3 gallon) stock pot with pasta insert, steamer insert and stainless steel lid. WHAT I LIKE: Every single piece of this set fits into my dishwasher! I hate hand washing pots because I just don’t think they end up as clean as they do in the dishwasher. This pot is the perfect size for chili! Chili not only tastes better the second day, but it freezes well for “fast food” on days when I don’t have time to cook or I don’t feel like cooking. If I am going to go through the trouble of making homemade chili, then I want to make enough for it to be worth my time. Plus, I always end up with more beans after soaking them over night than I think there will be. It is so much easier to cook chili in this 3 gallon pot than it ever was in a 5 gallon stock pot and I just could never seem to make the under 2 gallons of chili necessary to use my smaller stock pots. The pasta insert is great for boiling whole chickens and other things I want to pull out of the cooking liquid. It is also great when I make large quantities of homemade pasta. I like to entertain and this is the perfect size pot for cooking a big meal. I do a lot of all day cooking with this pot and it has never developed a hot spot or given me any trouble. The heat truly is distributed throughout the bottom of the pan resulting in even cooking. This pot is not so deep as to make stirring contents difficult. It is not too heavy to move around even when full. WHAT I DON’T LIKE: I prefer clear lids to the metal one on this pan. The clear lid is available on a similar sized pot at an increased cost, but it wasn’t worth the increase in price to me. PICTURES: I am including a picture of my 2 gallon and 5 gallon stock pots side by side. I also have a picture of these 2 pots with the Cuisinart 12 quart pot in between them. I purchased the Cuisinart 77-412 Chef’s Classic Stainless 4 Piece 12-Quart Pasta/Steamer Set at full price.

This cookware is amazing. This is a truly well crafted stainless steel set. The pasta insert works great but the thing I love more is the steamer insert. The steamer insert paired with the solid lit make the best steamed vegetables. I am really impressed. The clean up is a snap too. Make sure to clean with non-abrasive surfaces, such as the soft side of the sponge, not the rough side(usually green SOS material). Cloth also works well. In addition I noticed a reviewer say that it scratches easily. The only way I can see this scratching easily is if the pot was cleaned with abrasive material (rough scrubbing), metal utensils (always use soft plastics and wood!!!) or harsh cleaners. These are basic rules for any stainless steel set. This pot works great for stews and soup stocks. The pasta insert is nice, but cooking pasta is pretty fool proof. I bought this set for about $80 and it is money very well spent. I am very happy with my purchase. I fully recommend this set to anyone that wants to steam vegetables, tamales, meats etc. We eat a lot of pasta in our house so being able to cook the pasta while the vegetables steam up top is a huge perk. Also, I had the option of going with a pot set or a plastic electric steamer, but be aware that almost all plastic steamers have BPA. I have a toddler I could not go that route. I have had experiences in the past with electric steamers (plastic) leaving food taking weird, almost plasticy. With this pot (and any stainless steel set) you will not have to worry about strange plastics and strange tastes. Buy this set, you will love it. I've included cooking times for people that are not familiar with steaming. Stick to these times and you won't fail. You will notice that there is a variant in time (example 6-10 min). Shorter cooking times produce crispier vegetables and slower and longer cooking times product softer vegetables. Make sure not to over cook though. Remember, the point of a steamer is to cook the vegetables without losing precious nutrients. Vegetable, Size/Preparation, Time in minutes Artichokes, Steam whole artichokes, 25-40 min Asparagus, Whole spears, thick spears peeled lightly, 7-13 min Asparagus, Cut into 2-inch pieces, 4-7 min Beans, green, Whole beans, 6-10 min Beans, wax, Whole beans, 6-10 min Beets, small or medium-sized, Whole, unpeeled beets scrubbed clean; peel off the skins after steaming, 35-50 min Beet greens, Cleaned and coarsely chopped, 7-9 min Broccoli, Trimmed stalks, 8-12 min Broccoli, Trimmed stalks split in half or florets, 5-7 min Brussels sprouts, Whole, trimmed, 8-15 min Brussels sprouts, Trimmed and halved, 6-8 min Cabbage, Cut in wedges, 6-10 min Carrots, Cut into ¼-inch thick slices, 7-10 min Carrots, baby, Whole baby carrots, 10-12 min Cauliflower, Florets, 5-10 min Celery root(celeriac), Cut into ¼-inch thick matchsticks, 5-7 min Celery stalks, Cut into ½-inch thick slices, 4-9 min Corn on the cob, Whole, husks removed, 7-10 min Daikon, radishes, Peeled and cut into chunks 8-12 min Chicory (endives), Cut in half lengthwise, 5-10 min Fennel bulbs, Cut crosswise into ½-inch slices, 8-10 min Jerusalem artichokes(sunchokes), Peeled or scrubbed; sliced, 5-8 min Jerusalem artichokes(sunchokes), Whole tubers, peeled or scrubbed, 20-25 min Kale, Trimmed, 4-7 min Kohlrabi, Peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes, 5-8 min Leeks, Trimmed, cut in half, 5-8 min Okra, Fresh whole okra, trimmed, 6-8 min Onions, pearl, Whole onions, peeled, 8-12 min Parsnips, Peeled and cut into ½-inch slices, 7-10 min Peas, green, Fresh, shelled peas, 2-4 min Peas, sugar snap, Whole pea pods, trimmed, 5-6 min Potatoes, all, Peeled or scrubbed clean, cut into ½-inch slices, 8-12 min Potatoes, new, Whole, scrubbed clean, 15-20 min Radishes, Whole radishes, trimmed, 7-14 min Scallions, Cut into ½-inch slices, 3-5 min Spinach, Cleaned, whole leaves, 3-5 min Squash, butternut, Peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes, 7-10 min Turnips, Cut into 1/2-inch cubes, 8-12 min Turnip greens, Cleaned and coarsely chopped, 4-6 min Sweet potatoes, Cut into large chunks, 8-12 min Swiss chard, Coarsely chopped leaves, 3-5 min Zucchini, Cut into 1-inch slices, 5-8 min Sorry it's kind of messy but you should be able to read through it. Take care.

UPDATE: Since several people have complained about the capacity of this pot, I went ahead and measured it for everyone interested in buying: The stated capacity is 12 quarts. Twelve quarts fills the pot to about 1 inch below the rim. The pot actually can hold 13 quarts when filled right to the top of the straight sides of the pot, leaving that 1/4 inch rolled edge above the 13 quart level. When using the pasta insert, there is a fill line inside the main pot. The capacity up to that fill line is 10 quarts. I hope this helps clarify the capacity questions people have had. :) Now, on to my original review: This is the best kitchen supply purchase I ever made! Here's some feedback I hope you'll find useful: I've been looking for a good pasta pot and purchased a 6 quart one at a local store. It was fine for 1 pound of pasta, but that's about all. In my family, we normally cook 2 pounds at a time and I worried about the water boiling over in the pot that I bought. So I looked on Amazon and found this Cuisinart 12 quart pasta pot. It's amazing! The insert goes deep - proportionately deeper than the smaller one I bought at the store. That means that it will hold much more food per quart, which is important to my family. Also, Cuisinart is a reliable brand name that I've trusted for years. The pot looks gorgeous and is well-crafted. The size of the insert makes it perfect for steaming whole ears of corn with the stem ends on them. I love making turkey soup every year and chicken soup often. However, it's a real chore to remove the carcass from the stock pot to remove all the bones. I'm really looking forward to using the pasta pot this thanksgiving for my 'famous' turkey soup and my everyday chicken soup. Since I always buy the largest turkeys, I'm confident that one will fit in this pot. Imagine! Now I can simply lift the pot insert to debone the carcass and not worry that I left little bones in the broth! This will be wonderful for other things, such as boiling potatoes or steaming veggies or even stewing other meats. When I make stews, I use bone-in meats and hate fishing around for the meat and bone to cut it down to size and remove the bone. Now that task will be much simpler. Anything that you cook that needs to be drained using a colander will be much, much easier to handle when cooked in a pasta pot. And, for things such as potatoes, veggies or other things one boils or steams, the cooking water can easily be set aside for use in making broths or sauces. I'm sorry I hadn't purchased one before. My life would have been much easier. But now I can look forward to cooking with more enthusiasm again. I'm 65 years old and too tired to cook much these days, so this pasta pot is really making a difference in my life - really!

This is large, relatively heavy, and high quality--exactly what I was looking for. If you plan to use the strainer insert, make sure you have a LOT of room above your stove so your hood doesn't get in the way (ya know, not from experience or anything…).

My husband's dream Stockport! He uses it regularly to whip up a huge batch of delicious gumbo.

This pot does a great job of steaming veggies and cooking a pound of dry pasta. For my first batch of pasta, I filled it up to "the line" with water. When it was time to dump the water, it was very difficult to carry the hot, heavy pot to the sink. I am really fortunate I did not spill the boiling water all over myself and the counter. Since the spaghetti package calls for 4 quarts of water, the next time I made spaghetti, I measured out 4 quarts. It came about a third of the way up the pot and was much easier to manage at drain time. Uncovered, the pot takes a long time to heat up on a ceramic stove top burner. After waiting 45 minutes for it to boil at the recommended medium heat setting, I put the heat up to high on my double wattage high heat burner. Once it started boiling, I added the noodles and turned it back to Med-High. Several batches of pasta later, I covered the pot to facilitate the water coming to a boil, then removed the cover and added the pasta. I lowered the heat to 6.5. The pot washes well in the dishwasher, but might not fit in dishwashers that do not have adjustable upper racks. All in all, I am happy with it and believe it to be a good pot for the money.

I think this has been my best buy yet from Cuisinart, Durable and good value for money.

I've longed for a big kettle with steamer pans for years & finally bought this one. It's wonderful. All components fit perfectly and cleaner up beautifully. This kettle & steamer work perfectly for the job they're intended for. So glad I have mine at long last.