Choosing a Unique Stainless Pot for Function and Style

The stainless pot is a classic item that people often have in their kitchens. What's interesting to me about the stainless pot is that there are so many subtle variations on it even though they all look so much the same. The reason that one stainless pot almost always looks just like the next is because they all come in the same boring stainless steel color (with a few exceptions) But they are different because they're size, shape and design provide each stainless pot with its own unique function. There are deep pots and shallow pots. There are pots designed for cooking lobsters, pots intended for cooking pasta and even special pots for making tamales. You could have a dozen diffferent stainless pots and use each one for cooking something different from what you'd cook in the others. Of course, you probably don't need that many different stainless pots in your kitchen but it's fun to browse through the options to find a stainless pot or two that would suit your needs.

One of the most interesting stainless steel pots that you can find on the market today is the eco-friendly thermal pot that comes from Asia. This takes a traditional pot design which requires no electricity to operate it and brings to it a modern style that would look great in almost any kitchen. Thermal pots, also called vacuum flask cookers, use a dual-pot design to create a residual heating system using minimal gas or electricity from your stove. This type of stainless pot is especially perfect for making soups without using up a lot of electricity for all of the simmering that they require.

If you're going to cook certain items in a stainless pot then you need more than just a plain old pot to cook them. For example, if you want to cook lobsters or crabs then you need to get a stainless steel pot that includes a basket to put them in. You need to get a fairly deep pot for this kind of cooking and make sure that the basket that it comes with is a sturdy one so that you can keep using it again and again over the years. Incidentally this type of pot can also be used when brewing beer at home but that's another story!

Another choice for the stainless pot is a pot that has a built-in steamer. I happen to love pots like these because I am a big fan of steamed vegetables and a pot that is designed to dual as a steamer makes the process of cooking a lot easier for me. Of course you can get separate steamers that can be used with other pots but it's nice to have a pot with a steamer designed to go with it correctly. And of course the stainless pot itself can still be used on its own simply by removing the top portion of the item.

Somewhat similar to the steamer stainless pot or the stock pot with a basket is the stainless pot designed for making pasta. Many of these are two-pots-in-one where the inside pot can be lifted out of the outside pot and used to drain the water. I happen to like this one in which the lid of the pot is used to drain the pasta simply by turning the whole stainless pot upside down when you're done.

Take a look at this weird pot. You may be wondering what the heck you'd want with a pot that's got a spout on the bottom of it. However, if you've ever made tamales then you know that this design is an ideal one for the job. Tamales need to have just a little bit of water in the bottom of the pan while they steam. However, you want to make sure that the water doesn't burn out and leave the whole pot of tamales too dry. This design of a steel pot allows you to actually add water to the bottom of the pot without opening the lid and ruining what you're making. Brilliant stainless pot design!

If you're going to do fondue correctly then you really need a special fondue pot. You can get this pot in a variety of different materials. I happen to be a fan of the sometimes-hard-to-find ceramic fondue pot myself but I can definitely see why a stainless pot would be a good choice. It's easy to use and easy to clean!

Ah and then there's the crock pot which some people swear by in the kitchen and some people can't stand. I don't own one myself but we used to have one when I was growing up and I always liked the roasts and stews that my mom used it to make. Ours was not a stainless steel crock pot but the stainless pot seems to be the type of pot of choice for people who are looking for crock pots on sale today.

The one thing that I dislike about stainless steel pots is that they're all that same basic stainless steel color. I like to have bold and bright colors in my own kitchen. (My largest set of pots and pans is all red.) There aren't too many colored options for stainless steel pots. However, you can find some variations now and then. I like this set of stainless pots with copper bottoms which have a nice little burst of bright color that you're not typically going to see in kitchens with stainless cookware.

Another option if you like the copper pot is to get a pot that is made entirely of copper on the outside but is lined with stainless steel. This gives you the function and ease of use of a stainless steel pot but the brighter color of the copper pot. It's a great choice for the kitchen where copper cookware is a preferred choice but a stainless pot is on the wish list.

There are a lot of unique stainless pots that have a variety of specific functions. However, there's also nothing wrong with just getting a really basic stainless pot. In fact, a lot of people will invest in a good stainless pot set so that they can get all of the stainless steel pots and pans that they need in one purchase. I'm not opposed to this option at all!