pick a pot

Pots come in all shapes and sizes—and for good reason. Size, surface area, and depth vary greatly among pots, so the cooking vessel you use can dramatically affect how a recipe works. Read on for a complete rundown of the tools that make one-pot cooking easy and delicious—from side-dish-ready saucepans to feed-a-crowd Dutch ovens. Below are the three basic types of pots you’ll find on the market.

DUTCH OVEN: With this stovetop-to-oven pot, you can brown foods and bake them in the same vessel. Made of heavy metal, such as cast iron, some are coated with enamel to prevent the metal from reacting with acidic foods. Products that can go in the oven are labeled “oven-safe” on the packaging or on the bottom of the pot. Many have a maximum oven temperature they can withstand.

SAUCEPAN: Saucepans have tall, straight sides with a tight-fitting lid and a long handle. In general, they range in size from 1 quart to 4 quarts. Some saucepans are oven-safe up to a certain temperature.

COOKING POT OR STOCKPOT: This large, straight-sided pot with two small handles is best used on the stovetop because of its size.