Kuhn-Rikon 4th Burner Multi-Pot

The Kuhn-Rikon 4th Burner Multi-Pot isn’t going to replace a skillet or saucepan on your boat.  But if you have room for just one more pan — maybe instead of a tea kettle (although it doesn’t whistle) — this would be a great choice.

Claudia, a reader from Canada, sent me a note highly recommending it (she also recommended the Danish Dough Whisk, which I love, so I trust her recommendation).

NOTE: I first wrote this article on Claudia’s recommendation, then a couple of months later bought one.  It’s every bit as good as she says, if not better.  I love it and HIGHLY recommend it!

Claudia said:

I leave it on my stove top all the time, and use it to boil water, cook pasta (it’s tall enough for spaghetti!), boil eggs, heat soup, make oatmeal, do small-scale canning, steam vegetables, and, and, and.  It’s about 3 litres/quarts, so it holds a fair bit.  The pouring spout and the lid with straining holes are pure genius.  Whoever designed this pot clearly loves to cook, because it’s an absolute joy to use.

And so, I investigated it further and read Amazon reviews . . .

• It’s actually 3-1/2 quarts, or just under a gallon
• Made of 18/10 stainless — the most resistent to rusting and pitting (read more about stainless grades)
• Steamer basket
• Silicone coverings on the pan and lid handle, keeping them cool (but still use a pot holder . . .)
• Glass top, so you can see what’s happening in the pan.  I like glass tops for conserving propane — I don’t have to remove the lid and let heat out, and I’ve never had one break
• There are fill marks on the inside to ease measuring
• Pour spout on the pan
• Strainer holes on the lid eliminates the need for a colander or strainer — fewer items to wash!  The lid turns when cooking so that steam is not escaping . . . unless you want it to!
• As I’m writing this, there are 26 customer reviews on Amazon — 23 give it 5 stars and 3 gave it 4 stars.  I almost NEVER find a product where at least one person (usually more) hasn’t given a one-star rating.

It’s shaped more like a pitcher than a typical saucepan, being about 5-1/2 inches diameter and 7-1/2 inches tall.  If your galley stove is tiny, it will probably fit alongside another pot on the neighboring burner.

However, the fact that it’s taller than wide means that it’s tippier than many other pans.  You’ll need to be rigorous about using pot restraints with it so that it doesn’t fall over and send scalding ingredients flying (I always use them on any pan as a basic safety measure!).

Also, the steamer basket has fairly large holes in it — good for steaming veggies or boiling eggs and just lifting the basket out.  But the holes are too large for being able to cook pasta in the basket and lift it out.  Instead, just cook the pasta in the pan and use the stainer lid to drain it.

See it here:

• Kuhn-Rikon 4th Burner Multi-Pot on Amazon (free ground shipping, too)