Pot with glass strainer lid, 28 cm, 6.1 litres

When six people sit down to eat

A large pot is not a luxury, it is a way of managing time. Standing at the hob once and not needing to for three days afterwards is a gain. This 28 centimetre piece holds 6.1 litres: a Sunday goulash, a big batch of stuffed cabbage or a bean soup with enough left for the freezer.

Why the larger size pays off

In a 6.1 litre pot the ingredients are not crowded. The onion really browns instead of steaming, there is room between the pieces of meat, and when you add the stock it is not balanced at the brim. The 12.4 centimetre wall is exactly that reserve.

At the same time, 28 centimetres still fits the large zone of an ordinary hob. This is not a cauldron; it is the biggest pot an everyday kitchen can still move comfortably.

The 12.4 centimetre wall solves one more thing: free space stays above the liquid. On a bean soup that simmers for hours that means the boil does not carry the stock over the rim, and you do not have to turn the heat down simply because the pot is full.

How it is built

The strainer in the lid

Strainer slots run along the rim of the tempered glass lid, and the side of the pot carries an integrated spout. Lifting a full 28 centimetre pot over a colander is no pleasure, which is why it earns its keep here: the lid stays on and the water leaves by itself.

The lid sits on a soft-closing, heat-resistant silicone system, and the steam hole carries off the excess during a long simmer.

It can stay out on the hob

A pot this size will not go into the back of a cupboard, so it is going to be seen. Two things make the Fashion by Berlinger Haus design language: the minimalist line and the matt finish, and those are exactly the two that keep the pot from being in the way on the hob. The handles grow out of the line of the body, and the surface does not reflect.

The handles and the lid knob are stay-cool, ergonomic and soft-touch. Next to six litres of hot soup, the quality of the grip is not a detail.

The base does most of the work

Under six litres the heat has to be even across the whole of the base, which is why this pot gets a turbo induction bottom. It works on induction, gas, electric, vitroceramic and halogen hobs, so the pot is not tied to one cooker.

A coating that takes long cooking

titanPro coating

The non-stick layer that lines the inside of the pot. It is the brand's own hard-wearing non-stick coating.

This casserole is easy to clean. On a 28 centimetre pot that is worth a lot: you wash the cooled pot out with lukewarm water and a soft sponge, and because the wall is tall, one pass round the inside does it.

Materials and safety

A forged aluminium body, a tempered glass lid and the titanPro coating: that is the whole pot.

One Sunday, one pot

Ten in the morning: the onion starts on the base, then the meat, the paprika, the water. It stands on a low flame until noon and the kitchen fills with the smell. Nothing has to be split between two pans, because it all fits in one.

By the evening nothing goes in the bin: the rest goes into a box and the pot, washed, goes back on its shelf. A week later the same thing begins again with different ingredients.

Care

• Always lift a full pot with both hands, holding both handles.
• When draining, keep the lid seated and tilt the pot slowly.
• Let it cool before running cold water into a hot pot.
• Stir with a wooden or silicone spoon so the non-stick surface stays intact.
• Wash it with a soft sponge; scouring powder and metal pads mark the coating.

The smart choice

This is the point at which the bigger size pays for itself. A 6.1 litre pot is not twice the work but the same work with more to show for it: you brown the onion once, you lift the lid once, and Monday's dinner is done before you get home.

Who this size pays off for

Questions about the large pot

Specifications