When it comes to cooking in a commercial kitchen, chefs typically have a wide assortment of different pots to achieve different tasks. It is important to understand the differences between the types of pots that are found within the commercial kitchen. Today we are going to take a look at the different types of pots found in a commercial kitchen and what each one is designed for.

Stock pots are great for preparing stocks and soups, these are typically tall pots that are designed to hold anywhere between 6 and 120 quarts of product at a time. Large stock pots are perfect for high volume facilities, like hospitals and universities, where large batches of foods are required at one time. Stock pots come in a variety of sizes, with small to medium pots being perfect for commercial foodservice operations with a low to medium volume of traffic.

Sauce pots are made specifically for simmering sauces and liquids and can also be used to boil water for pasta, rice, vegetables and more. These pots evenly distribute heat, which is perfect for slow cooked meals. Compared to saucepans, sauce pots have taller sides, and the wide base allows for complete contact between the product and the heating element. Due to their weight, larger sauce pots have two handles, whereas smaller sauce pots have only one long handle.

Braising pans are designed to braise, as the name states. These pots are excellent for browning and searing. Its large interior surface area usually provides you with enough space to fry a brisket, a full chicken chopped into pieces, or at least four pork chops. Because braising pots are designed with a broad base and low side walls, foods have more contact with the heat source which evenly browns meats without having to frequently move them around.

A Dutch oven is a pot with a lid and a thick wall, that has been used for centuries to slow-cook soups, stews, sauces, and breads. Unlike braising pots, Dutch ovens have taller edges that allow you to cook larger quantities of food while stirring without the risk of product splashing out. The versatility of a Dutch oven allows it to be used for a wide variety of cooking activities in the kitchen, from baking bread to boiling pasta. These pots are spacious enough to hold large portions of meat. Dutch ovens have two handles for easy transfer and safe transfer.

Double boilers are two pots that use steam to melt or cook foods. Consisting of two parts, a large pot that contains hot or boiling water and a smaller pot that fits inside and heats food using the steam from the larger pot. Double Broilers gently heat food, making them perfect for heat-sensitive foods that need slow, indirect heating.

At Cook’s we have a wide range of cookware, in stock and available for same day shipping. If you have any questions regarding the purchase of new foodservice supplies, feel free to contact us, we are happy to assist you.