Calphalon Classic Stainless Steel 8 quart Stock Pot with Steamer and Pasta Insert

When I was a new bride at age 17, I couldn't afford good cookware. Now into my 40's I am upgrading for the umpteenth time, but this time to cookware that will last forever. I have a few pieces of Calphalon and have been pleased with their performance, so when I saw this pot, it definately turned my head. I have not been disappointed.My first impression was of how heavy this pot is. Heft is a sign of quality, and this pot and it's inserts are hefty. I have owned entire pot sets that didn't weigh as much as the steamer!Upon first use I found the time it takes to boil water for pasta was noticably reduced. Just cover the pot to bring the water to a boil then remove the lid. In contrast to some other reviews, I found the insert adequate for pasta. Yes, you do need more water, but isn't the idea to BOIL pasta, not STEAM it? Lifting the insert from the pot to drain the pasta is very convienent. Just lift it from the water to strain back into the pot and place it on a plate while you empty the pot. Keep your pasta hot by leaving a couple of inches of the hot water in the bottom, pasta in the insert, lid on.I have made so much pasta sauce in this pot I had to can 5 quarts of leftovers. The heavy disk in the bottom of the pot allows not only for a quick boil, but also for long periods of simmering without scortching. The glass lid is great since you can peer inside without lifting the lid, and the stainless inside is bright so you can see.I had concerns about the lid and spattering after reading the reviews. I can see where these people are coming from, but I think the problem is solved by using lower heat. The handle on the lid isn't plastic and will get hot - eventually. It took a LONG time for it to get hot enough I couldn't handle it bare-handed, but common sense will tell you to always check before touching anything that has been in contact with a heat source.The handles on the steamer can get in the way but I don't know that this is a real problem, and I don't know how they could design it better. After all, you if you are using this insert you will need to retrieve it somehow.Cleanup was no problem at all. Again, I believe a lot of the issues would be solved if lower heat was used. I usually wash the lid in the dishwasher and the pot by hand. The brushed stainless gives you the beautiful look of stainless without the hassle of "spit shining" it. Fingerprints and water spots aren't quite as noticable.Storing this big pot and all it's accessories is not a problem since they all stack beautifully and require a much smaller footbrint than several separate pieces.I love this pot so much I purchased one for each of my daughters as well. I don't want them to have to wait 20+ years for quality cookware. Perhaps owning quality stuff will inspire them and they will enjoy their time in the kitchen - not struggle with it like I did for so long. I only wish I had this a LONG time ago!

UPDATE: this pot burbles and spits water with the lid on no matter how full the pot is with liquid. I steamed and only had an inch or so of boiling water in the pot and the back of my stove was COVERED in water droplets!!!! Luckily I had another lid that fit perfectly and didn’t allow water/steam to spit out the edges so problem solved. But buyer beware - the lid is not a great fit and your stove will be a mess. 😡 I hope calphalon reads these reviews and fixes the lid problem for future buyers.Love this pot. Burned my old one to a crisp due to misjudgment of water quantity. lol! This calphalon is very sturdy. It’s almost too heavy once you fill it up with water and such. But I know I can make a stew in this without the steamer basket and I WON’T but the contents on the bottom of the pot as I did with my older, thinner pot. The “smaller” steam basket is actually quite large - larger than I would have liked, but my old small steam basket fits this new pot so no worries for me. When I made broth I noticed what others mentioned in their reviews - the lid rattles and allows water to spurt out the sides when the contents are boiling. So that’s a wee bit annoying. Key thing is to not overfill the pot as I did. Using the large steam basket, I put 20 odd cups water with 2 chicken carcasses and veggies to make broth and that was about 4 cups too much of water. I eventually spooned 4 cups out and things settled down, but when I brought everything back up to a rolling boil the lid rattled and water spurted out. Annoying, but not tragic especially as I have a glass top stove - easy clean up… overall, I love this pot. I steam a lot of dim sum and this is excellent for that.

Wish I had the before photo. I was steaming sweet potatoes when we smelled burning. My brand new pot was ruined, or so we all thought. It was burned bad. REALLY BAD!!My husband found a method to clean the pot using lemons. Cut 3 or a lemons, check, we have a lemon tree, fill pot with water, check, we have water, and boil for five to 10 minutes. Didn't do a whole lot on its own, but the wooden spoon helped scrape some off. My husband used Bar Keepers Friend and after about 20 minutes with one if those sponges with a scrubbing side declared the interior clean. I finished scrubbing the bottom of the pot and the lid. Looks like new. Can't figure out why people can't clean these pots and pans. My previous pots and pans were 40+ year old Farberware that still looks great. Got a new induction stove and needed new cookware.I would not hesitate to recommend these as long as you will take care of them. Stainless is the best and this brand is great. I bought the other set with pans as well. So happy.