Customer Reviews

Farberware Nonstick Aluminum 6 Qt. Covered Pasta and Straining Pot

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I'm not as happy with this pot as some other reviewers. It is a good pasta pot. It doesn't stick so it cleans up well. The price isn't bad. My only complaint is that the lid doesn't lock. I know some people think that is a positive but it takes a little conscientious effort to keep the lid on when draining, and you better be wearing pot holders. I don't mind wearing pot holders, it's the smart thing to do with any hot pot; but the pot holders do make it even harder to hold the handles against the lid, which is the way it is designed to work. I end up holding the handles and the lid at the same time. I did flop one load into the sink but I'm smarter now.

On the surface, this is a nice looking pot with good features. Well, as many reviewers have said, be careful. You will burn yourself at least once. The handles are tricky and you have to tip at a certain angle or the top will fall out and your pasta will tumble into the sink. However, it is definitely non-stick and easy to clean, but you won't care because you will have lost your appetite waiting for water to boil in it. I am online today looking for a Calphalon hard anodized pot even if it costs twice as much. No one should wait over 25 minutes for water to boil!

This cooker strainer is top quality. We have had other cookers and always had problems with opening and closing the lid which required twisting and turning. Farberware has a unique design that elimintes the locking of the lid by twisting and turning it. Some one at Farberware was thinking "outside the box" by designing the handles so that they lock the lid securely. Simple,easy,perfect.

My grandmother's pasta pot developed a split in its bottom after countless use. I worried that it would be hard to replace, but this pot is much better than hers. Easy to use and clean with plenty of room for enough water to cook a pound of pasta. That's the secret to good pasta, plenty of water. The lid and handle design is an excellent example of form and function. Well done Farberware!

The pot itself is good quality, doesn't feel too thin or cheaply made. The lid does not seem to fit super securely when cooking -- but since it has holes in the lid, it's kind of pointless for it to fit tightly anyway, I suppose. I do use another lid if I am bringing the water to a boil, or it would take too long. I have also used aluminum foil to cover the holes, which worked. I have not had any issues with the lid slipping off while draining it into the sink...I think it works beautifully. The plastic things on the handles are hinged -- they clamp onto the lid, and you hold it in place while tipping the pan over. I suppose if you were really lazy about it or tried to do this very quickly, it might fall off, but I have had no problems. When I am dealing with boiling water, maybe I am more careful than some people, though... ;-)
Basically...it's a 6-quart pot for ten bucks, don't expect Calphalon! But it is WELL worth the price paid.

This is a big pasta pot for $10. That's impressive. It looks a tad cheap but not dreadful. No, it's nowhere near as good as, say, the Circulon with the perforated insert that you lift out to drain the pasta (the best pasta pot I've used), but that was discontinued, or its price went up by about 500%, I don't recall which, just that it was out of the question for me this time. For pasta you don't have to be a snob about pan materials, hot spots, thermal distribution, blah blah; it doesn't matter. You just need to boil water.

Then you can be a snob about the pasta itself, and the sauce even more importantly. MMmmmm. Do the sauce in a Calphalon.

I have tried to like this pot - in theory it sounds great, but in actual usage, it is very problematic. The non-locking handles are the chief drawback - you need to awkwardly hold them closed with pot holders while draining - and the acute angle needed to remove all the water inevitably means leaking hot water on to the holders and hence on you. Back to the tried and true colander in the sink for me.

Both times we have used this pan, the lid slipped off and spilled it's contents into the sink!!! Doesn't work well at all. If it wasn't so expensive for shipping I would send it back.

This pasta pot is soild and non-stick. A good value for the money. Be certain to hang on tightly to the "locking" mechanism on the lid when draining, as even the slightest release will dump the contents.

This is working great for now, but for some reason I don't know if it will last very long. The lid seems to be very cheap and the handles don't alway feel sturdy. The pan itself is great, non-stick, and seems pretty heavy duty. At only $15, you might wanna pick up 2 in case 1 of them tears up.