This All-Clad Stockpot Is Even Better Than a Dutch Oven for Soup Season

I take soup season so seriously that in the last few years, I’ve decided to level up my cookware just to ensure that I cook up the most flavorful chilis, creamy mushroom soups, and loaded baked potato stews (to name a few of my faves). Given my personal mission, I decided to splurge on a chef-loved Dutch oven, but to my great surprise and disappointment, it ended up being a dud. The pot was difficult to clean and too heavy to keep moving around, among many other problems. I turned to my go-to kitchen brand, All-Clad, for an alternative, and found this great multi-pot that, in my two years of owning it, has proven itself to be a tried-and-true kitchen workhorse. 

The All-Clad Essentials Nonstick Stockpot is a versatile 7-quart capacity pot. It’s truly multi-purpose despite “stockpot” being in its name, and its uses go well beyond making stock. It’s also the perfect size for big-batch soups and stews, but it’s also great for dishes where you’d want to make large quantities, like kimchi fried rice or a ground beef taco filling. I often find the walls of sauté pans to be too short for my vigorous stirs, so I usually reach for my stockpot to ensure no food flies out of the pan in the process. 

In addition to its generous size, this All-Clad pot’s material is worthy of a chef’s kiss. The interior is made of aluminum, which is the material also found in its famous stainless steel cookware. Aluminum allows cookware to heat up quickly, distribute heat evenly, and hold onto the heat for a while. Plus, the nonstick coating is the crème de la crème of nonstick coatings; food glides effortlessly across the bottom of the pot, which also makes this piece of cookware extremely easy to clean. 

Looking into the interior of the pot, you’d never know that I’ve had this for two years. The non-stick coating is still glistening and signs of deterioration are minimal at best. Compared to the nonstick coating on my saucepan (not an All-Clad), which chipped significantly after only a year of occasional use, the stockpot is pretty impressive. To ensure that this pot lasts for years to come, the brand (and myself) highly recommend washing this by hand instead of putting it in the dishwasher. 

Another major pro of owning the Essentials Nonstick Stockpot is that it comes with a steamer basket insert that is big enough to fit a family-size batch of veggies. Over the last two years, this steamer has proven itself able to perfectly cook tamales and dumplings. The pot can handle upwards of 500 degrees Fahrenheit in the oven, while the lid can handle up to 350 degrees; if you’re cooking at higher temps, you can easily replace the lid with aluminum foil. I once made a jalapeño cheddar bread, which required a Dutch oven to cook, so I covered the multi-pot with aluminum foil instead, and the bread turned out great.

At under $100 when not on sale, it’s also a much more affordable piece of cookware compared to a good Dutch oven. And way less heavy, too — my arms and my meal planning have been thankful for that every week these past two years.

Buy: All-Clad Essentials Nonstick Stockpot, $99.99