Question from Beverly
I’m looking to buy a huge pot for cooking large batches of food, 21 quarts or even bigger. Ideally, I’d also like to be able to use it as a replacement for my water bath canner so that I don’t have to keep two giant pots around. I see lots of large cooking pots in the size I am looking for but they all seem to be either stainless steel or aluminum. I don’t see anything the size I need in cast iron or glass (which would be impossible to use anyway because of the weight). What would my best option be? I will be boiling water for huge amounts of pasta and cooking tomato-based products, among other things.
Debra’s Answer
My best recommendation for a HUGE pot is the 10 quart Dutch Oven from Xtrema. I have one and it is enormous. Bigger than any pot I’ve ever had. Completely ceramic through and through. I love it.
The only other option you have really would be an enamel pot such as this one from Granite Ware
I have this exact pot too, in a smaller size. I don’t use it because when I make soup it burns. The metal is not very thick. So it would be fine to boil jars for canning, for example, but I don’t cook in it.
Thanks…I have that exact 21 qt Graniteware pot for canning. I also don’t cook in it because the metal is very thin and things burn. Also, if you leave water in it for a very short time, it starts to rust. For canning, I am looking for something even bigger but was hoping to find something to do double duty with.
I’m guessing that if I use a 35 quart aluminum pot to can in, that it is not a problem since I am just canning and not actually cooking the ingredients? There may be no large pot that is totally safe for me to actually cook in then. I do need to have at least 21 quarts for cooking huge batches.
You can use any pot made of any material for canning. Try a restaurant supply house for larger cooking pots, but as far as I know they are all aluminum.