I've seen the topic discussed on other forums, but thought I'd pick the brains of a few here. I make a lot of stock - at least once a week, either turkey, chicken, lamb, or beef. I like the way it makes my house smell, and it is extremely useful. I'm in the market for a stock pot that essentially has a built in strainer/steamer. The stock pot I have works just fine (it is a disc bottom with very thin sides), but I'd love to be able to simply pull out the insert and be able to discard all of the solids without having to strain into a bowl and ultimately mess my kitchen up way more than I need to.
I have narrowed down to 3 different ones (although would certainly consider others), all at different price points:
1. $60 gets me the Cuisinart 77-412 Chef's Classic Stainless 4-Piece 12-Quart Pasta/Steamer Set (
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000U ... PDKIKX0DER) - this is a disc bottom, non-clad sides.
2. $150 gets me the All-Clad 59912 Stainless Steel with Aluminum Disc Bottom Multi Cooker with Steamer Basket and Lid Cookware, 12-Quart, Silver (
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00006 ... PDKIKX0DER) - this is also a disc bottom with non-clad sides. It is made in China, vs. the other All-Clad products
3. $300 gets me the All-Clad Stainless 7-Quart Stockpot with Pasta Insert (
http://www.amazon.com/All-Clad-Stainles ... ta+pentola) - this one is clad up the sides, but I give up some serious size, so am not inclined to get this pot. I'm certain I could find another fully clad 12 qt stock pot, I just limited my search to All Clad here because that is what I use otherwise at home.
Do I really NEED a fully clad stock pot? I haven't scorched anything using the one I use, but I also haven't made many cream based soups in large batches. What have your experiences been over time? Both items #1 and #2 above get rave reviews, although I don't know how they compare. I suspect they're pretty similar.
Thanks in advance!