All-Clad pasta pentola insert

[marysf]

I have an All-Clad 7-quart stockpot and I'm thinking about buying the pasta pentola insert for it. Is the insert just an expensive colander or are there other redeeming qualities that I don't know about? All pros and cons welcomed. TIA.

http://www.broadwaypanhandler.com/bro...&

[blondelle]

You can use it for making stock. Lifts all the solids out after you finish. Saves having to strain them out after. You can also use it for blanching larger amounts of veggies and you can remove them all at once. I think it's cumbersome for pasta though. Easier to lift it out with a spider or a pasta fork. Takes move time to come to a boil and cook with the insert in.

[marysf]

blondelle - It never occurred to me that it would take more time to come to a boil and cook, but I guess that makes sense. I do make a lot of stock and blanch veggies so thanks for those suggestions.

[kaleokahu]

HI, marysf:

blondelle is right--the pot will take longer to come to a boil with the insert in place.

However, if you bring the water to a boil with the insert already in place, your pot will *hold* the boil longer and may recover it faster. So you may actually have a shorter cooking time, measured from the pasta dump. It may only be seconds, but it would partially make up for the longer preheat time.

The worst thing you can do is plunge the cold insert into your pot along with the cold food.

Aloha,
Kaleo