Tramontina Gourmet Prima 12 qt. Stainless Steel Stock Pot with Lid

This stock pot is a thing of beauty. Belongs in a museum, not on a stove! I’m hesitant to pick it up and leave finger prints! Yet, we do a lot of soups during the colder months and this pot is likely to find it’s home on a back burner.I’m forced to compare it to my old stock pot – aluminum, beat and battered. When I put food in the old pot, I worried about the food. The aluminum surface would leave marks on my Corian countertop. The pot was battered to the point that the round lid didn’t fit properly. Old (perhaps antique) and sentimental (my mothers?) also apply. Good riddance.New pot is like a mirror on the outside surfaces. Inner surfaces and bottom are just very smooth. The three handles (two on the pot and one on the lid) are stainless castings, shaped nicely to fit the hand, and also highly polished.New pot is heavy – 3.4 kg. I suspect this is due mainly to the triple clad bottom. The manufacturer states there is an aluminum plate bonded to the bottom, covered by some more stainless which is nicely blended in on the outside. Just for curiosity, I measured the thickness of the bottom as about 8 mm. Manufacturer states that the outer layer is suitable for induction cookware – I didn’t try that feature.I don’t think the weight of the pot is an issue. But then I’m used to cooking for a crowd and dumping a 30 quart pot of green beans into a collander is no biggie for me.I’ve used cookware with the bonded bottoms before, and like them. I’ve had good experience with a brand beginning with F – only one failure (which was covered by warranty). In my mind, the bonded bottom is a good thing – it spreads the heat evenly across the bottom, allowing the pot to be used for saute. Good soups seem to start with the Holy Trinity (onions, carrots, celery) – why dirty another pan? And it’s not like you’re going to lose the content of the pot if the bond fails – the inner surface is continuous. All that happens is that the clad stuff falls off the outside. Slide the clad stuff out of the way and keep cooking!

Excellent quality. Heavy duty! They cook the food evenly which is great. I bought the set plus a 6, 8, and 12 qt

Only have it a short time but used it a few times so far and it is as advertised. It heats up quickly and evenly and yes it is true that you don’t have to go above a medium heat setting on your stove. If you want a slower cook then go with the low setting. Nice and heavy duty this pot can handle it. Clean up is easy. A slight discoloration of metal lid after first use. I look forward to using this pot for years. I would certainly recommend this pot.