"Karen Wheless" > wrote in message
...
> 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.)
>


Karen,

Cuisinart seems to be closing out their Chef's classic line - Amazon has
all kinds of pots at great prices. You can get a 12 quart stockpot for
$35.00 with free shipping. I have had a small Cuisinart for years and just
purchased a wonderful 5.5 quart sauté pan for only $39.99. They have a
pasta insert which fits a 9 quart pot but oddly don't have a 9 quart pot
available.

That said, I have used a pasta insert and wasn't pleased. In my case, I
still had to carry the whole pot full of water and insert to the sink to
avoid all the drips the pasta insert makes. I'd just as soon drain it and
be done with it. Plus, the hot water helps clean out my kitchen drain.

Bev C