I've been wanting to buy a stockpot with a pasta insert - primarily for
cooking pasta, but I also want something decent enough to reheat soup or
heat up some pasta sauce, simple things like that. My last stockpot
finally had to be tossed and I'd like a replacement, and I'd like the
pasta insert.

However, my budget is limited, and spending All Clad prices or even Bed
Bath & Beyond prices for something that's mostly for boiling water seems
like a waste. But my last stockpot was so flimsy and thin on the bottom
that it was pretty useless - it even rusted on the bottom by the end.
So I want something that has some quality to it, even if it's not a
premium brand.

I haven't found anything locally at a decent price (the only thing
available seems to be $100+), so I've been checking ebay for bargains.
I've come across quite a few sets (stockpot plus insert plus steamer in
some cases) at fairly good prices. But some of the brands are ones I'm
not familiar with - they all seem to be 18/10 stainless, mostly with a
disc bottom, but that can cover a lot of quality levels.

Is anyone familiar with the cookware made by Williams-Sonoma (under
their own name) or Crate & Barrel (also under their own name)? How
about "Command Performance" which is an HSN brand? Or Dansk? These all
seem to show up fairly frequently on ebay. (I'm hoping to find a
bargain on Calphalon but it seems to be going for a bit more than I can
afford.)

Thanks,
Karen