20 quart cookpot
June 2, 2023 10:51 AM Subscribe
More/alternate, non-gross uses for 20 quart/5 gallon/roughly 19 liter cookpot sought... any suggestions?
I bought this cook pot to cook down greens once a week. The rest of the time, it sits around being very large. I would like to do more with this cook pot, including things that are not about food but will not render the pot unusable for food, if possible. Any suggestions? Me and my large pot thank you.
(Emphasis on non-gross.)
I bought this cook pot to cook down greens once a week. The rest of the time, it sits around being very large. I would like to do more with this cook pot, including things that are not about food but will not render the pot unusable for food, if possible. Any suggestions? Me and my large pot thank you.
(Emphasis on non-gross.)
Homebrewing beer requires a large pot for boiling the wort.
posted by cmdnc0 at 10:57 AM on June 2, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by cmdnc0 at 10:57 AM on June 2, 2023 [3 favorites]
Boil seafood in it. Shrimp, crabs, crawfish...
posted by CheeseLouise at 11:11 AM on June 2, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by CheeseLouise at 11:11 AM on June 2, 2023 [2 favorites]
I have this 20 quart Vollrath Ice Cream Pail that I bought at a thrift store for $7, and which I use as a cistern for my homemade water purification system (the other components are a quart size ladle that hangs down inside the pail from an integral hook that fits neatly between the lid and the side of the pail, two 48 oz stainless steel Vollrath pitchers, and two of the drippers from a couple of Revereware drip coffee makers which are stacked on top of each other and each contain a pint and a half of activated carbon).
I need the cistern because I want to run the water until I get water from the street before I put it through the purifier because I have all copper plumbing and have come to see consuming copper ions as a potential problem, and the cistern keeps that process from being any more wasteful and time consuming than it already is.
posted by jamjam at 11:22 AM on June 2, 2023
I need the cistern because I want to run the water until I get water from the street before I put it through the purifier because I have all copper plumbing and have come to see consuming copper ions as a potential problem, and the cistern keeps that process from being any more wasteful and time consuming than it already is.
posted by jamjam at 11:22 AM on June 2, 2023
Chicken bone broth and pho stock come to mind. For chicken bone broth, step one could be making shredded chicken for meal prep and then letting the remaining bones simmer for a day or two.
If there’s a low enough setting, I think you could use a pot like this to make yogurt, but I am not someone who has ever had enough wherewithal to try making yogurt.
Dyeing natural fabrics with natural dyes? Silk/linen scarves, wool yarn, small items of clothing?
posted by rrrrrrrrrt at 11:44 AM on June 2, 2023 [1 favorite]
If there’s a low enough setting, I think you could use a pot like this to make yogurt, but I am not someone who has ever had enough wherewithal to try making yogurt.
Dyeing natural fabrics with natural dyes? Silk/linen scarves, wool yarn, small items of clothing?
posted by rrrrrrrrrt at 11:44 AM on June 2, 2023 [1 favorite]
Seconding bone broth! That is actually what we use our Very Large Pot for the most.
posted by madcaptenor at 11:54 AM on June 2, 2023
posted by madcaptenor at 11:54 AM on June 2, 2023
I use my largest pot for chicken stock (whole chicken carcass plus onions , herbs, water).
It’s also great for the boiling stage of ham preparation, if you get a smoked ham, or are doing ham-in-Coke (or my preference: ginger ale with a quartered onion, bay leaf & allspice)
posted by Pallas Athena at 12:46 PM on June 2, 2023
It’s also great for the boiling stage of ham preparation, if you get a smoked ham, or are doing ham-in-Coke (or my preference: ginger ale with a quartered onion, bay leaf & allspice)
posted by Pallas Athena at 12:46 PM on June 2, 2023
Mulled wine for a very large crowd?
posted by mmascolino at 1:17 PM on June 2, 2023
posted by mmascolino at 1:17 PM on June 2, 2023
I would use it as a vessel for my sous-vide machine—it always feels like my (large) pots are barely big enough for a few steaks.
posted by homodachi at 1:22 PM on June 2, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by homodachi at 1:22 PM on June 2, 2023 [1 favorite]
If you are using it once a week, that is a lot of use for a big pot. I rarely use mine after I bought a pressure cooker which means I make smaller batches of stock more regularly. But, once I used to make a big stew for serving with couscous at least once a month. It could be vegetarian or with mixed meats. I would invite friends over for a very informal dinner. I also made a grand soup every now and then for company.
Making stock will improve your quality of life considerably. We freeze vegetable cuttings until we have enough for a stock. You can also use bones from any bird, ham or beef. When the stock is ready, freeze it down in portions that are easy to handle, like half a liter/two cups. Your gravy game will be next level.
A big pot is very useful for marinating meat. As it is, I don't eat a lot of meat, if you do, that might give you a lot more use. Particularly game is much improved by marinating in wine and herbs, but so is a leg of lamb, and then after marinating, you braise the thing. Braising a big bird, like a goose, is a fine use for your pot.
During summer, I use it for cooking lobster and crabs.
Before we had washing machines, my grandmother boiled all the "whites" once a month in the big pot.
posted by mumimor at 4:54 PM on June 2, 2023
Making stock will improve your quality of life considerably. We freeze vegetable cuttings until we have enough for a stock. You can also use bones from any bird, ham or beef. When the stock is ready, freeze it down in portions that are easy to handle, like half a liter/two cups. Your gravy game will be next level.
A big pot is very useful for marinating meat. As it is, I don't eat a lot of meat, if you do, that might give you a lot more use. Particularly game is much improved by marinating in wine and herbs, but so is a leg of lamb, and then after marinating, you braise the thing. Braising a big bird, like a goose, is a fine use for your pot.
During summer, I use it for cooking lobster and crabs.
Before we had washing machines, my grandmother boiled all the "whites" once a month in the big pot.
posted by mumimor at 4:54 PM on June 2, 2023
Low Country Boil - the article linked to used a 29 quart pot and an outdoor propane cooker but really you can use any large pot and you can do it on any heat source, including your stove.
posted by TimHare at 9:58 PM on June 2, 2023
posted by TimHare at 9:58 PM on June 2, 2023
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It was sold as a "Hispanic pot" (I'm not making this up!) and I think the idea was that it could be used to steam tamales, but I'm not sure if you could do that in a pot that didn't have a little ledge to put the steamer insert on.
posted by madcaptenor at 10:56 AM on June 2, 2023 [1 favorite]