Could I get some cookware guidance?

I have a 24 qt. stainless pot that I like for soups and spaghetti sauce.  Unfortunately the metal is thinner than I'd like; with a pot full of sauce you lift handles at 3 & 9 o'clock and now there are cracks in the lip at 12 & 6.  I asked a welder to kiss it with TIG, and he did but fought because of material thickness.

So, do you prefer stainless or aluminum?  Cast?  Probably not.  I need to find a restaurant supply store to actually put hands on.  My current pot also buckles at the bottom creating a hot spot in the center; I hate burning spaghetti sauce, flavor goes all through it.

Suggestions?

Stainless over aluminum any day. 

Heavy stainless. Find a GFS or restaurant depot nearby, they'll have what you need. Or, outside the box, a smaller turkey fryer setup, but I'd be leery of the cheap ones not being thick enough. 

For anything acidic avoid non enameled cast iron, aluminum, and cast aluminum. 

For spaghetti you definitely don't want aluminum. The acid in the tomatoes will eat the pot over time

24 qt?

Do you really need that big?

Don't laugh.  IKEA.

I bought a steamer/boiler/pan kit from them many years ago.  It's the one with a 6qt pot, a full-depth strainer basket, a steamer tray, and a lid.

It's stainless with an aluminum insert on the bottom.  I swear that bottom is 1/2" thick.  It's wonderful.  I can simmer a cream soup for hours and it won't scald.

For higher-end stuff you can go All-Clad.  I have a few pans of theirs and they are very nice.  I decided to not invest in the larger pans from All Clad, simply because I live alone and it's rare that I make 6 quarts of anything.  Hence the IKEA pot that I love.  It was cheap enough I went back and bought a second one for the camper.

I almost pulled the trigger on a Hexclad set for Christmas, but still way too pricey for me.

I'm not a fan of aluminum simply because it's porous and very reactive to salt, acid, and bases.  It leaches aluminum compounds into the food, and research suggests that aluminum (although pretty easy compared to lead for your body to dispose of) has links to dementia and alzheimer's.  I have no idea if an aluminum pan will increase your risk of going brainsauce later in life, but it's no skin off my back to have stainless instead of aluminum.

I dont like any aluminum cookware. I do love my cast iron stuff. I use a cheapo 12" lodge cast iron for everything. I sand the cooking surface smooth  and dont try to keep any "seasoning" on it.  Just got done making pancakes, toast and scrambled eggs on it. 
 

otherwise we use enameled cast iron dutch ovens for pots or enameled steel for the biggest pot. 

In reply to TJL (Forum Supporter) :

I do love cast iron for some things, but it's hard to ignore the new generation of non-stick stuff.  To me, cast iron is like a phonograph and LP records.  Nostalgic, but lacking audio quality.  Art more than science.

But if I'm searing a roast that goes in the oven, hard to beat the one-pan awesomeness of cast iron.  Cornbread just doesn't look right in a 9x9 non-stick pan, but looks perfect in a big chunk of cast iron.

Get a new pot.  That one is useless.   My favorites are enamel coated cast iron and real cast iron frying pans.   They hold heat and don't dance around the stove top while heating up.

The cast iron frying pan isn't much of a chore to keep clean and seasoned.   If it gets caked with food in spots just heat it up on high on the stove and let it burn off. (turn on the exhaust fan because of the smoke.)   When it gets up to 700 degrees throw water on it and the steam breaks free all the crud.  When it cools off scrape it and wipe it down with cooking oil or olive oil.

If you put it in the dishwasher plan to re coat with oil, inside and out, and put it in the oven at 450 to get a new seasoning coat.  (Note putting cast iron into the dishwasher is considered heresy)

Our cookware is from Ninja Foodi. I love the build quality. 

I prefer stainless and lots of it. I've found aluminum is more prone to warp or get damaged from heat. But the thickness is a bigger requirement.

Go to a restaurant supply house, get a pot and lid you like in stainless. Ideally the pot will have a tri-ply bottom (copper or aluminum sandwiched between stainless) to have better thermal conductivity and fewer hot spots.

I am an ex-chef and a tool collector.

My pots and pans are AllClad SS and my knives are Shun. I love both very much.

When I have a larger kitchen I will have cast iron stuff and some carbon steel saute pans.

You can do real good on Allclad factory seconds if you are patient.

https://homeandcooksales.com/what-are-seconds

In reply to 914Driver :

Isn't your son the expert on stuff like this?

He knows stuff, only GRMers are experts.  

Preach,  I had a set of Sabatier knives in a case forever, they didn't do well around acids.  I still use some but have two Shuns, LOVE THEM!

In reply to 914Driver :

I went from Henkels to Shuns. I still have the Henkels, now I have them in a leather roll to bring on long work trips. The chinsy fake ginzu knives they put in hotels drive me insane.