ConcordStainless Steel Stock Pot with Glass Lid (Induction Compatible) ((2.5 QT)

Intro====I was looking for a 5 Quart pot that would be ideal for glass top stoves which I gather are easy to scratch. Another factor is the place I am moving to has the ample Pots/Pans storage but for some ??? reason ??? was built with a 9.5-10" opening, so anything Too Wide will simply not fit in the cabinet. Plus pots with the Super Long Handles are annoying since those Super Long Handles get in the way when you store them. Thus I began Searching for a Stainless Steel pot in the 5 Quart range that measured under 10 inches across. If it didn't have a Super Long Get-In-The-Way Handle, all the better. To make my life even more confusing, I planned to "try out" the cookware in advance in Gas Stove World, which meant I needed an electric burner on hand for an accurate test.. A single portable burner meant Induction.. so tack on "Induction Compatible" to list of restrictions. When I found the Concord 5 Quart pot, I thought the Search might be over. It seemed to be a good pot for the $40-ish range when all the Big Name Pots cost a small mint. Unfortunately the 1st pot came in "damaged" so it was returned and a 2nd one ordered. NOTE: I tried to measure the 5 Quart as best I could, and put the measurements down at the bottom of this review. UPDATE:The 2.5 Quart has arrived so added some side-by-side pictures as there is only one generic pic for "all varieties. Turns out you can fit/store the 2.5Q inside the 5Q to save some space. I emailed Concord to ask if one can also fit/store the 5Q inside the 7Q (ST22-7). They said YES.Review of the (ST20-5) 5-Quart Pot #2==============================The 2nd pot arrived with no signs of physical damage - hooray! As I currently live in a Gas Stove World I had to wait on the arrival of a NuWave PIC Flex to give this pot a try in an electric stove/induction scenario. I read that the Anodized cookware I currently have "doesn't fare that well" (melts!) on glass top stoves, and also that stainless steel "isn't exactly happy" sitting on an open gas flame (?High Heat?). Once everything was on hand, I filled the 5 quart with 4.75 quarts of water and veggies and let it reach a boil. Then I let it bubble away for another 45 minutes. Was too scared to try adding the lid till after I shut off the heat, but soon saw the usefulness in the little "vent hole" built into the lid. The little "vent hole" allowed me to place the lid onto the "cooling" pot without the contents immediately spilling over. Had I done this with my Anodized 5 Quart pot, I'd be reaching for the paper towels to clean up the mess.Review of the (ST16-5) 2.5 Quart Pot============================Not really much to say about this vs its Larger Friend. Same basic style and quality. It's great! Since it's smaller and weighs less than the 5Q, I am able to empty it's contents (ex: pasta) into a strainer using just one of the handles. Aside from being able to stash the 2.5Q inside the 5Q to save space, the lack of Annoying Long Handles means that there is more storage space available for other pots instead of a bunch of handles poking into each other and wasting space. Too bad there isn't 1Q of these, as I'd buy it."Coated" Handles - Awesome!=======================I saw a somewhat-similar product at a local Big-Boxy-Store for similar-ish price, and I admit I was tempted to give those a go after Pot #1 came in damaged. However, the local version LACKED the "coated" handles, and my fingers were (very) interested in the Concord since it had the potential of being more finger-friendly. My digital thermometer laser pointy-thingee doesn't seem to give accurate readings off the metal surface of the Concord pot, but it did give readings on the "coated" surfaces of the handles. After removing the pot from the heat source - happily noting that I was able to remove the pot immediately using unprotected fingers - I tried getting some temp readings readings where possible. The coated-handles were about 105 degrees, which is bearable. After placing the lid on the pot and staring in shock as it DIDN'T overflow, I took a reading on the top-handle. The top-handle was sitting right over the contents of the 190+ degree cooling-soup, and as a result the top handle was reading 125 degrees. Hot, but way better than 190! Since my laser pointy-thingee wasn't getting accurate readings from the metal, one of my fingers "volunteered" to touch the "UN-coated" portion of the handles for a quick second. From that brief exposure (ouch!) I can say that with certainty that the "coated" handles do an EXCELLENT job in making the pot safer to move around. If I tried grabbing the sidle handles on one of my Anodized Stock Pots, my fingers would curl up into a fist and come at my head to express their displeasure over my stupidity. :)Discoloration. "Normal" for "High Heat"=============================I admit it has been years since I have cooked with anything other than Anodized stuff, and certainly after a few years of use the insides of the Anodized pots won't be winning any beauty contests. Even so, I was a little disappointed to see that after a single use the inside/bottom of the Concord pot didn't look Shiny-New anymore. Nothing was "burned" into the pot from it's single use and it cleaned easily enough, but could the metal be "wearing away" after a single use? Or was this just "discoloration from normal use"? I did some light reading and it seems that Stainless Steel pots can-and-do "change color" when exposed to "high heat". I have no idea what "high heat" may be.. over 250.. 300.. 400 degrees.. May well depend on the quality of the pot with the $150 pots holding up better than the $40 ones. I had this running at 380 for 40 minutes as the instructions for the burner said this was the setting for "boil". I read online that "using white vinegar" might help with the discoloration. So I poured some in the pot and then rinsed out with water. Looks like a slight improvement. But I guess "discoloration from high heat" is just normal with this kind of pot, so while a little "ugly", it's "normal".Update: The instructions for the Pic Flex seem to be.. overkill. With the 5Q filled I can set the Pic Flex to about 180 degrees - place the 5Q's lid (with little hole) in place - and it bubbles away happily. No need to go anywhere near 380 degrees!Some Measurements for the 5 Quart Model (ST20-5)========================================Diameter (outer rim-edge to outer rim-edge): 9 1/8 inchesHeight (bottom to top of handles): 6 3/8 inchesHeight (bottom to top of rim): 6 3/16 inchesHeight with Lid on normally (bottom to top of center handle): 9 inchesHeight with Lid on "upside down" - 6 3/8 inches as the handles are "taller" than the inverted lid.Inside Height: 5 1/2 inchesInside Diameter: 7 6/8 inches (factoring in the "rivets" that hold the handles would make it about 7 5/8)Outside/Bottom Surface Area: About 7 1/4 inches.Handle-to-Handle: 13 3/8 inches.Glass Lid: Glass lid has a diameter of about 8 inches.Other Note: Glass lid has a "vent hole" to help avoid spillovers and allows boiling at "lower temperatures".Other Note: "Outside/Bottom" area is useful when comparing the active cooking areas of induction burners. Ex: My Nu Wave Pic Flex has an active cooking area of 6 3/4", so this means only 1/4" of the outer edge of the pot will be outside the induction area, which means this is close to perfect!Some Measurements for the 2.5 Quart Model (ST16-2.5)==========================================Diameter (outer rim-edge to outer rim-edge): 7 9/16 inchesHeight (bottom to top of handles): 4 3/8 inchesHeight (bottom to top of rim): 4 7/16 inchesHeight with Lid on normally (bottom to top of center handle): about 7 inchesHeight with Lid on "upside down" 4 7/16 inches as rim is taller than the handles on the 2.5Q.Inside Height: 4 1/2 inchesInside Diameter: 6 1/4 inches (factoring in the "rivets" that hold the handles would make it about 6 1/8)Outside/Bottom Surface Area: About 5 5/8 inches.Handle-to-Handle: 11 3/4 inches.Glass Lid: Glass lid has a diameter of about 6 1/2 inches.Other Note: Glass lid has a "vent hole" to help avoid spillovers and allows boiling at "lower temperatures".Unrelated: If you stick the 2.5Q inside the 5Q to save space, the combined height is about 6 3/4", although you'd have to stash the lid for the 5Q someplace else. I've been told the 5Q can also fit inside the 7Q to save even more space, but stacking all three together would be Extra Fun when taking them apart later for use. The cabinet door of the Pot/Pan area where I currently live is large enough to drive a truck through, but where I am moving to... every quarter inch counts. There is even a silly metal railing which cuts the available height down by another 1 1/2 inches, so looking to Rip Out The Railing to make more room in there.Note: If your storage space is a Tight Fit - Be careful of the rim as it does seem "sharper" than average and could scrape the sides of your cabinets. Plus if one is running their fingers along the outer rim when washing the pot, it could be the setup for a metal pot equivalent of a Paper Cut. I am tempted to try the 7 Quart pot, but if it's too much bigger than 10" in diameter, the edges could damage the sides of certain too-narrow-cabinet... ...even if I try tilting it to avoid the hinges while trying to clear that silly metal railing.Reasons to buy the Concords over the higher priced (much higher priced) models:- Costs a LOT less- Finger-Friendly "coated" handles- Storage friendly space-saving handles. The All Clad has an eight-inch-long-handle. I could store an entire (smaller) pot in the space being used by just the handle.- Overall space saving design. This pot looks to be taller than the usual run of "stock pots". Most pots I saw locally were wider rather than taller, and I am trying to fit the pots into a narrow opening so the less wide - the better.Unrelated: I guess the reason they don't make a smaller 1.5/1Q version of this is that the handles would be too large to fit on anything smaller than 2.5Q. I ended up hitting some local "discount stores" for some good deals on open box/orphaned smaller pots - 1.5 and 1Q. Unfortunately these both come with annoying long handles, so if I a 1Q similar Concord is available, I'd get it.

Love this pot for cooking huge pots of soup in. My only gripe is cleaning never seems perfect.

Best investment for my Taheebo tea👍👏👌😁

I bought this product during the Holidays to help with my meal's . I'm satisfied with this item although this pot was smaller than I thought it was still usable .

This pot is a little thinner than I thought it would be but serves the purpose.

Needed a pot for my induction eye stove. Have tried cheap stuff at Walmart that didn't work. Glad this one does.

I was looking for a larger pot 10 qt. This is only a 9.5 quart. Otherwise it look great

Great pot for homemade chicken soup, which we make often!