Choosing a pot size for poached chicken

[Shel_B]

There is a poached chicken dish I like to make, and a 6-quart stock pot is the perfect size for the bird and the vegetables. I'm about to buy a new pot, and want to get a 6-quart size to perfectly accomodate the ingredients in this recipe. A couple of friends suggest that I should get a larger pot - 8-quarts, for example - and just put less liquid in it it when cooking the smaller amount of ingredients. To me, it just seems like a better plan to use a pot that's perfectly sized, and that wom't have excessive liquid or a lot of unused space. What are your thoughts? A perfectly sized pot or one that's larger but less filled with ingredients? What are the pros and cons of these options?

[the_nomad]

Would the unused space be vertical or horizontal?

Provided you've got a lid on it, excess vertical space shouldn't be a huge problem, I don't think - you'll get minimal loss of temperature upward from the increased space. Horizontal space is more of an issue, though - given that water's high specific heat capacity means it's an absolute bugger to heat, comparatively, you'll end up wasting a lot of energy you don't need, and I suppose depending on what you're poaching in you could end up diluting the flavour too.

I've never really had a problem using mildly overlarge pots, though - in my experience, mildly oversmall pots are more of a problem. I guess it comes down to whether you'll need a larger pot for anything else you cook, and if you have enough money and space to buy both if necessary.

There is a poached chicken dish I like to make, and a 6-quart stock pot is the perfect size for the bird and the vegetables.  I'm about to buy a new pot, and want to get a 6-quart size to perfectly accomodate the ingredients in this recipe.  A couple of friends suggest that I should get a larger pot - 8-quarts, for example - and just put less liquid in it it when cooking the smaller amount of ingredients.  To me, it just seems like a better plan to use a pot that's perfectly sized, and that wom't have excessive liquid or a lot of unused space.  What are your thoughts?  A perfectly sized pot or one that's larger but less filled with ingredients?  What are the pros and cons of these options?

←

[Fat Guy]

Right, the key issue is the diameter of the pot. If you simply get a taller pot that has the same diameter as the old pot, you'll get more capacity for other uses without altering that great fit for poaching. If the larger pot also has a greater diameter, that's a different story and you might not be happy with it.

[weinoo]

Let's say you want to poach two smaller chickens - my point being, a larger pot can always come in handy for something, ummm, larger, but the smaller pot will not...if choosing between two sizes, and you can only have one of them, I'd always go slightly larger...imo, you'll be hard pressed to tell the difference in the finished product.

[Shel_B]

Let's say you want to poach two smaller chickens - my point being, a larger pot can always come in handy for something, ummm, larger, but the smaller pot will not...if choosing between two sizes, and you can only have one of them, I'd always go slightly larger...imo, you'll be hard pressed to tell the difference in the finished product.

←

But I needn't have only one pot ... being "hard pressed" to tell the difference between the results of two pots suggests to me that a difference can be discerned. Is that what you are saying?

My position is that I want to use the best possible choice for a given dish, and if using a smaller pot for one of my favorite and frequently cooked dishes will give the better result, then I'd rather use the smaller pot. Unfortunately, I don't know if the smaller pot will give a better result ... I only suspect that it might.

[slkinsey]

If the diameter of the pot is the same, there should be no difference. The only difference will be that the larger pot will offer greater versatility.

Question: What's wrong with the "perfect" 6-quart pot you already have that you need to buy a new one?

Edited October 18, 2008 by slkinsey (log)

[Shel_B]

Right, the key issue is the diameter of the pot. If you simply get a taller pot that has the same diameter as the old pot, you'll get more capacity for other uses without altering that great fit for poaching. If the larger pot also has a greater diameter, that's a different story and you might not be happy with it.

←

Nomad, Fat Guy .... that's good information. I should mention that the 6-quart pot is a very specific pot, chosen for depth and diameter, and with certain ingredients in mind. So, if I can find a larger capacity pot with the same diameter and other comparable qualities, the 8-quart would be an acceptable choice. Thanks!