What to Buy Cookware The Best 6 Pasta Pots, According to Our Tests Our top picks offer enough room to boil noodles to perfection. By Jennifer Kornegay and Christa Glennie Christa Glennie Christa Glennie is a former restaurant professional who has logged nearly two decades as a writer and editor covering people and trends in food, drink, dining, and agriculture. She's the food editor of Buffalo Spree magazine and has published work in Food & Wine, USA Today, Feast and Field, and more. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on January 2, 2024 In This Article Expand Jump to a Section Our top picks Reviews Our Favorite Pasta Pot How We Tested Pasta Pots Factors to Consider FAQ Other Pasta Pots We Tested Our Expertise We independently evaluate all recommended products and services. If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation. Learn more. Food & Wine / Megan Soll Whether you’re a fresh pasta aficionado or buying boxed spaghetti from the grocery aisle, we’re not judging. Pasta is so versatile, both as the star of a dish and an accompaniment to a great meal, that it’s the perfect carbohydrate to store in the pantry or fridge. Identifying the ideal cooking equipment for boiling and straining the perfect pasta can be tricky. Finding a pot and strainer set of the right size and material for your kitchen setup and cooking habits can feel impossible when they all seem so similar. Never fear. We’ve got your back and your bucatini. While you can cook pasta in almost any heat-safe vessel, using the proper pasta pot sets you up for success. There are a few factors to break down before selecting the newest addition to your cookware arsenal, namely: capacity, material, compatibility with induction cooktops, oven temperature range, and the dishwasher. Many will say the bigger the pot, the better. Generally, we recommend 5 quarts and over, but this can shift depending on how many people you typically cook for — is your average supper orzo for one or farfalle for the family? Regarding material, we want to conduct heat as quickly as possible and retain it, so heavy-bottomed pots with even heat dispersal in metals like stainless steel are ideal. Lastly, do you plan on cooking on an induction cooktop? Putting your pasta pot in the oven or serving directly from it? Do you want the convenience of washing it in the dishwasher? We tested and ranked the best pasta pots on the market, and our selections are below. Our Top Picks Best Overall: Cuisinart Steel Pasta Pot with Straining Cover at Amazon ($40) Jump to Review Best for Small Batches: Gotham Steel Multipurpose Pasta Pot at Amazon ($29) Jump to Review Best for Large Batches: Cuisinart Chef's Classic Pasta/Steamer Set at Amazon ($90) Jump to Review Best Splurge: All-Clad 8 Quart Stainless Steel Multicooker at Amazon ($150) Jump to Review Best Splurge Set: Made In 8 Quart Stainless Clad Stock Pot with Pasta Insert at Madeincookware.com (See Price) Jump to Review Best Value: Cook N Home 4-Piece 8-Quart Stainless Steel Pasta Cooker Steamer at Amazon ($47) Jump to Review Best Overall Cuisinart Steel Pasta Pot with Straining Cover Amazon View On Amazon $40 View On Wayfair $50 View On Sur La Table $55 Pros Affordable, well-designed, and easy to use, we couldn’t be happier with this pasta pot’s performance. Cons Unless perfectly dried, some spots will be noticeable on its appearance. Out of every standard 8-quart pasta pot we tested, this was the only one to score a perfect 5 out of 5 in every category. This includes design, performance, durability, and ease of cleaning. No matter how you slice it, this pot does a perfect job boiling, steaming, and straining. The Cuisinart 6-Piece Stainless Steel Pasta Pot has no lip. Its straight up-and-down design helps to snugly fit a locking lid on top. This pot strains like a dream between the strainer and the easy-to-grasp stainless steel handles. It’s oven-safe up to 500 degrees Fahrenheit and can be put in the dishwasher, making it versatile when cooking, boiling, and baking, with incredibly easy cleanup afterward. Capacity: 6 quarts | Material: Stainless steel | Induction Safe: Yes | Oven Temperature Max: 500° F | Dishwasher Safe: Yes Food & Wine / Maggie Sperduti Food & Wine / Riley Shea Best for Small Batches Gotham Steel Multipurpose Pasta Pot Amazon View On Amazon $29 View On Wayfair $29 View On Walmart $30 Pros As the smallest on our list, this pot is perfect if you cook for one or two regularly. Cons Not being oven-safe knocks its versatility down a notch, and the strainer holes (both sizes) are small enough to cause slow flow when draining. This tiny pot’s 5-quart capacity is perfect when cooking for one or two. Its small size helps it to store easily even in the smallest of kitchens, so don’t worry about shuffling your cupboards to make room. What this pasta pot lacks in size, it makes up for in design and detail. Its tempered glass lid locks on with a quick twist, and the top’s built-in strainer aligns with a pour spout for easy water removal. Choose from two different hole sizes, which allows you to achieve a thorough drain without losing a single strand of linguine. We also love its ceramic nonstick surface, so feel free to use metal utensils when twirling noodles and shuffling spaghettini. It’s super easy to wash, too, needing only a wipe to clear out any leftover sauce. If you’re short on time, toss it in the dishwasher for a hands-free clean. Capacity: 5 quarts | Material: Aluminum with nonstick finish | Induction Safe: No | Oven Temperature Max: 500° F | Dishwasher Safe: Yes Food & Wine / Justen Brown Food & Wine / Justen Brown Food & Wine / Justen Brown Best for Large Batches Cuisinart Chef's Classic Pasta/Steamer Set Amazon View On Amazon $90 View On Walmart $90 View On Kohls.com $150 Pros We experienced no sticking, and the inserts are sturdy and make draining easier. Cons Some dishwashers may not be large enough to accommodate it. Despite its large size, even a full Cuisinart 4-Piece Cookware Set pot comes to a boil within 10 minutes and maintains its temperature. We love this convenience. Cooking for the whole family or entertaining guests couldn’t be easier when your pasta pot performs just as well and comes to temperature just as quickly as a smaller model. This set has everything. Under $100, it works on an induction stovetop, is oven-safe to high temperatures, and can even go through the dishwasher. We found it simple and easy to strain the pasta, proving that even at a 12-quart capacity, the stainless-steel pot isn’t too heavy to handle. Speaking of: the high-handled design makes it comfortable to carry, too. This pasta pot’s surface even stood up to metal utensils. This piece of cookware is ready to conquer whatever you throw at it. Capacity: 12 qt. | Material: Stainless steel | Induction Safe: Yes | Oven Temperature Max: 550° F | Dishwasher Safe: Yes Food & Wine / Maggie Sperduti Food & Wine / Maggie Sperduti Best Splurge All-Clad 8 Quart Stainless Steel Multicooker Amazon View On Amazon $150 View On Wayfair $150 View On Sur La Table $150 Pros What can we say? It’s gorgeous and durable enough to last the next generation, too. Cons The high price makes it our best splurge pick for sure. All-Clad is a trusted legacy brand that we’d buy just about any piece of cookware from. When it comes to pasta pots, this model is for the more experienced macaroni makers. It’s certainly a splurge, though our testers consider it worth every penny. The design is indicative of a pot with not only style but longevity; there was no damage throughout testing, even after a round through the dishwasher. The look and function of this set are sleek, with a perfectly fitted insert and a just-flared lip, which makes pouring easy. The biggest downside to this pot is that it took nearly 24 minutes to bring water to a boil. That said, it maintained its temperature well, and the stainless steel means ultra-durability — making this a lifetime investment in your kitchen. Capacity: 8 qt. | Material: Stainless steel | Induction Safe: Yes | Oven Temperature Max: 600° F | Dishwasher Safe: Yes Food & Wine / Elena Garcia Best Splurge Set Made In 8 Quart Stainless Clad Stock Pot with Pasta Insert Made In View On Madeincookware.com Pros 5-ply, light as a feather, and built for longevity, this is an investment you won’t regret. Cons This is definitely one of the most expensive pasta pots we tested. Made In is an award-winning stainless-clad cookware brand whose pieces have ended up in thousands of restaurants across the globe, some of them with Michelin stars. By far, one of the most beautiful and practical sets of pasta pots with strainers we tested, the Made In Stainless Clad Stock Pot, 8-Quart with Pasta Insert, performed very highly and has the features to last the test of time. While this set is a finer, more expensive piece of cookware, its durability means you’ll have it practically forever. We particularly loved its lighter weight, making it easy to maneuver around the kitchen and quickly bringing water to a boil. Capacity: 8 qt. | Material: Stainless clad | Induction Safe: Yes | Oven Temperature Max: 800° F | Dishwasher Safe: Yes Food & Wine / Riddley Schirm Food & Wine / Riddley Schirm Food & Wine / Riddley Schirm Food & Wine / Riddley Schirm Food & Wine / Elizabeth Theriot Best Value Cook N Home 4-Piece 8-Quart Stainless Steel Pasta Cooker Steamer Amazon View On Amazon $47 Pros Big enough to cook multiple boxes of pasta, cheap enough not to break the bank. It was also naturally nonstick. Cons We found it a little cumbersome to handle. Sometimes, value is a priority, whether you’re buying your first pasta pot or you don’t cook with frequency. Maybe you’re gifting a kitchen staple to the newly-moved-in college student in your life. Perhaps you have an old, reliable pasta pot and find yourself entertaining so much that you need another. Whatever your situation, this is a perfect pot. It’s low cost for high value, as it performed just as well as some of the much more expensive pots we tested. It’s tall but not narrow and has a basket rather than a lip, which is convenient for straining. Capacity: 8 qt. | Material: Stainless steel | Induction Safe: Yes | Oven Temperature Max: 500° F, but the glass lid is safe up to 350° F | Dishwasher Safe: Yes Food & Wine / Brittany Irvine Food & Wine / Brittany Irvine Food & Wine / Brittany Irvine Food & Wine / Brittany Irvine Our Favorite Pasta Pot The Cuisinart 6-Piece Stainless Steel Pasta Pot scored perfectly throughout our tests. We love its locking lid design, its comfortable handles, and how easy it is to strain pasta without losing stray spaghetti noodles along the way. It’s affordable and durable enough to last, making it an obvious best pick. How We Tested Pasta Pots In order to find the top-performing pasta pots, we tested 18 of the best-reviewed pots on the market. Our first test was to boil water. We filled each pot with water at room temperature per the pasta package’s instructions. We then inserted the tip of a probe thermometer into the water to record its temperature. We centered the pot on a burner, set the temperature to high, and immediately started a stopwatch to time how long it took the water to reach a rolling boil. We then boiled a full pound of spaghetti. We paid attention to how well the pasta fits in the pot. We want our pasta pots to be easy to handle or move from one place to another, so we noted if we found the pasta pot to be especially heavy or cumbersome to lift and pour from during use throughout testing. We also took note of shape: Is it wide and squat, tall and narrow? Did the pasta pot’s shape allow us to make a full pot of spaghetti comfortably? We also took note of whether the lid was straight, flared, or cupped and if the design of the pot’s lip affected the ease or difficulty of pouring. When it came time to drain, we tested how securely the insert/lid fit on/in the pasta pot and how easy or difficult it was to attach or insert. In addition, we noted if we had any issues with the noodles sticking. For insert basket styles, we tested to see if its height made covering the pasta fully with water awkward. After the initial tests, we incorporated the pasta pot into our regular routine for a period of time. If the pot is dishwasher-safe, we put it through a few cycles to see whether it (or the accessories) sustained any damage or warping from the dishwasher cycle. We also looked to see how easy the pasta pot and draining accessory were to clean by hand, especially noting any issues with pasta gunking up the draining holes or other parts of the set. Throughout testing, we paid attention to any scratches or other damage to either the pot or the draining accessory. Factors to Consider Heavy material Our consulted chefs and other cooking experts agree that getting water to a rapid boil and keeping its temperature consistent (even if you lower it) is vital to well-cooked pasta. It’s the secret behind a silky, not sticky, texture. Heavy metals and/or multiple metal layers are more likely to reach this goal. “I always lean towards a stainless steel heavy-bottomed pot that I know will conduct or disperse heat evenly,” says chef Chris Gass, executive chef at Hathorne in Nashville, Tennessee. Capacity This factor is subjective. Your answer to “How much pasta do you typically want to make?” will help you determine how large a pot you need. Remember that you never want to crowd your pasta, so around five quarts is the smallest you should use, even if you’re only cooking for one. Induction capability This factor is just as subjective as capacity. What kind of cooktop do you have? If it’s not induction, no sweat. But remember, since the best pasta pots will be yours for decades of use, it might make sense to invest in a model that’s sure to work on any stovetop you find yourself using in the future. Ease of cleaning Even if cooking is a pleasant diversion for you, clean-up is a chore and a bore for almost everyone. If minimizing your time spent soaking and scrubbing is a priority, choose a pot with a nonstick surface and dishwasher safe, especially if you plan to use it for cooking more than pasta. Frequently Asked Questions What type of pot is best for cooking pasta? “I advise picking something that can hold enough water to submerge the pasta with plenty of space left for the pasta to party,” says executive chef Harley Peet of Bluepoint Hospitality in Easton, Maryland. “Too little water will result in starchy and uneven pasta.” How much water should you put in a pasta pot? “I always just shoot for 3/4 of the pot’s total capacity. You need enough water boiling so that when you drop your pasta in the water, it doesn't immediately stop boiling,” says Gass. “When the water stops boiling, it will lead to sticking and clumping.” How much salt should you add to pasta water before cooking? “The noodle should be seasoned when tasted plain after the boil,” says chef John Conlin of Tercet in Portland, Oregon. “On the flip side, I use a bit of pasta water to bring the sauce together, so the water mustn’t be overly salted, or that will show up in the final product. I often throw a handful of kosher salt into a five-liter pot and taste it. If it’s a touch salty, it’s good to go.” How do you cook dry and fresh pasta? Both types should be submerged in boiling, salted water. On timing, Conlin usually trusts instructions on the box for dry pasta, but for fresh, while it always cooks quicker than dry, the length can vary widely based on size and if it’s filled or not (like a ravioli or tortellini). “Just make sure your water is a rolling boil. Then add your fresh pasta and wait for it to begin floating to the surface,” Gass says. “Once it floats, start checking from there, depending on what you are looking for. When I am cooking traditional spaghetti or linguine, I always prefer al dente.” Other Pasta Pots We Tested Strong Contenders Tramontina Lock & Drain 8-Quart Pasta Pot with Strainer Lid (Amazon) We couldn’t love the design of this pot more, but it’s only oven-safe up to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, so watch your temperature. Cooks Standard Classic 4-Piece 12-Quart Pasta Pot and Steamer (Amazon) While it made the draining process easy, the insert component was awkwardly fit inside the pot. Otherwise, we liked this pot very much — we just wish the design was a little more thoughtful. Five Two by GreenPan 6-Quart Stockpot with Straining Lid (Amazon) This set got the same high score as our Best Value pick, bumping it down in our ranks due to its price. Ballarini Ancona 8.5-Quart Stainless Steel Pot (Amazon) We like the flared lip, fitted inserts, and tall design of this pot. However, you can’t put the lid on while the inserts are in, which is rather inconvenient. Oster Sangerfield Stainless Steel 5-Quart Pasta Pot (Amazon) We loved this pot, but the lid strainer became too hot to touch, making straining cumbersome. We also noticed a burn mark from the flame where it was placed on the burner. Williams Sonoma Stainless-Steel Perforated 8-Quart Multipot (Williams Sonoma) Williams Sonoma makes beautiful, albeit expensive, cookware. This pot performed very well but not quite as well as our best splurge pick, which is the same price. What Didn’t Make the List While we loved a fair number of pasta pots that we tested, a few didn’t make the list, including pots from brands like Calphalon, Le Creuset, and Bialetti. Some models lacked durability, while others were too short, heavy, or got too hot to the touch, making working with the pot awkward or unpleasant. Our Expertise Jennifer Kornegay is a freelance food writer who has written for Garden & Gun, Condé Nast Traveler, The Local Palate, Southern Living, thekitchn.com, and more. Christa Glennie has been a freelance writer and food editor for nearly 20 years. She is also the author of two cookbooks and specializes in food and drink trends, agriculture, the regional foodways of Western New York, and the restaurant business. Glennie updated this piece using our most recent testing insights. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit