Stock Pots, Sauce Pots & Lids

163 products

Stock pots, sauce pots and lids for volume cooking

This collection brings together the tall pots used for stocks, soups, pasta water, blanching and batch sauces, along with matching covers. It includes aluminum and stainless steel stock pots from roughly 8 qt to 80 qt, heavy-duty aluminum sauce pots, stainless stock pots sold with lids, and a wide range of pot, sauce pan and sauté pan covers. Brands include Browne Thermalloy, Vollrath Wear-Ever Classic Select, SignatureWares, Rabco, Le Creuset and Lodge.

Whether you're outfitting a new kitchen or replacing pots that have warped or dented, start here and see the full cookware range on the Pots & Pans page.

What's in this collection

  • Stock pots: tall, narrow pots that limit evaporation for long simmers; offered in standard and heavy-weight aluminum and in stainless steel.
  • Stainless stock pots with lids: Browne Elements stock pots listed with a lid, plus Le Creuset stainless stockpots for smaller batches and front-of-house use.
  • Sauce pots: wider and shorter than stock pots for sauces, chili and braises that need stirring; heavy-duty aluminum from 14 to 34 qt and stainless options.
  • Stock pot and sauce pot covers: aluminum covers sized by quart to match the pots, sold separately.
  • Universal pot and pan covers: stainless covers sized by diameter, plus Le Creuset glass lids and Lodge cast iron lids.
  • Small pots: cast iron melting pots and kettles and mini sauce pots for butter, dips and presentation.

What to consider when choosing stock pots and sauce pots

  • Capacity: size to your batch plus headroom; a full 60 or 80 qt pot is heavy, so large pots often stay on a stock pot range.
  • Aluminum vs. stainless: aluminum heats quickly and evenly and is lighter; stainless resists pitting from acidic foods and is the choice if you need induction compatibility.
  • Weight class: heavy-weight aluminum pots stand up better to dents and warping from daily use on high-output burners.
  • Pot shape: choose a stock pot for liquids and long simmers, a sauce pot when you need a wider surface for stirring and reducing.
  • Lids: covers are usually sold separately; match by quart size for stock and sauce pot covers, or by diameter for universal covers.

Frequently asked questions

Is a stock pot the same as a soup pot?

Yes. Stock pot and soup pot describe the same tall, straight-sided pot. A sauce pot is wider and shorter for easier stirring.

Do lids come with the pots?

Most stock and sauce pots here are sold without a cover. Order the matching quart-size cover or a universal cover of the right diameter. Some models, like Browne Elements, are listed with a lid.

Which pots work on induction?

Plain aluminum pots won't work on induction. Choose a stainless steel pot and confirm the product details mention induction.

What size stock pot should a restaurant start with?

Many kitchens keep one large pot (40 qt or more) for stock and pasta water and one or two in the 12 to 20 qt range for daily soups and blanching.

Prefer to talk it through? Find a Russell Hendrix representative.