This multifunctional pot is a saucepan, stock pot, and Dutch oven–all rolled into one

By Rachel Kim Raczka

August 23, 2021

When I was moving, a young woman came to tour my apartment and immediately declared she knew it was “the one” because she had the same color Always Pan. (For the record, we both have Spice, a muted terracotta.) Our Place’s hero product—a nonstick 10-inch skillet that declared itself a do-everything pan—has become a ubiquitous kitchen accessory for stylish millennials. It’s designed to look great when left out on your stovetop, and even better when it appears in the background of an Instagram photo, an act of nontraditional kitchenware solidarity for the new generation of family cooks.

After introducing accessories, tableware, and knives, it seems only natural for the brand to follow up with a new hero product: the Perfect Pot, a 5.5-quart lidded pot that serves as a saucepan, Dutch oven, stockpot, braiser, and more. Between the Perfect Pot and the Aways Pan, Our Place now claims two items that can together replace a 16-piece cookware set.

This multifunctional pot is a saucepan, stock pot, and Dutch oven–all rolled into one | DeviceDaily.com

[Photo: courtesy Our Place]

The Perfect Pot immediately sold out in several colors, but the company now has pots available to ship in mid-September.

I received the Perfect Pot in Blue Salt—a lovely cornflower blue—and was immediately surprised by its weight. It’s a mere 4.5 pounds (with lid), compared to my favorite grill-lid Misen Dutch Oven, which, while bigger in capacity, clocks in at a hefty 18 pounds. One of my biggest gripes with the Always Pan is its inability to go into the oven. Not so, the Perfect Pot. I love how easy it is to move the pot from burner through the oven door, thanks to its light weight. (Though apartment dwellers be warned: It’s 8.5 inches tall with a lid and may need to sit on the lowest rack in more compact ovens.)

Like the Always Pan, the Perfect Pot is nonstick, making it a dream to clean, after I left red curry a little too long on the stove. What would have been a nightmare to soak and scrape off was easy to scrub from Our Place’s slippery POA-, PFA-free coating. This week, it turned my sushi bake into a one-pot meal—and while it’s a deeper vessel than I would typically use to pop my deconstructed roll under the broiler, it certainly lived up to its stovetop-to-table promise.

This multifunctional pot is a saucepan, stock pot, and Dutch oven–all rolled into one | DeviceDaily.com

[Photo: courtesy Our Place]

The Perfect Pot also comes with a modular roasting (and steaming) rack—which I can imagine is a big win for braising protein, but is largely useless to my mostly meat-free household. However, thoughtful design details, such as a built-in strainer and spout, a self-basting lid, and a notch for the included beechwood spoon (a companion to the Always Pan’s very good spatula) make the Perfect Pot hyper-versatile.

That said, I wonder how it will hold up over time. Social media users haven’t been shy about their frustration with scorch marks and stains on the Always Pan after use. Which, while annoying, I consider part of the game: I can’t imagine Le Creuset owners anticipated their pricey Dutch ovens to remain unblemished forever.

This multifunctional pot is a saucepan, stock pot, and Dutch oven–all rolled into one | DeviceDaily.com

[Photo: courtesy Our Place]

On the other hand, I felt the burn of #aesthetic disappointment when I recently ordered a set of Our Place’s Side Bowls that arrived scratched. (“Mostly cosmetic,” determined customer service, which, no kidding.) It made me look a little closer at my Always Pan, which, nearly 10 months later, is a far cry from what it looked like out of the box. It’s chipped in some places, has a bottom that’s scorched beyond recognition, and my nonstick is scratched from a dishwasher incident. None of those things have deterred me from using the Always Pan on a daily basis. The sheer usefulness of the product outweighs its now-rustic appearance.

Even if it does age with a little less grace than expected, Perfect Pot complements a limited-space kitchen well and could be a much-coveted gift for first apartments and busy homes—or anyone who wants the multiuse of a Dutch oven without the weight of coated cast iron. That is, if you can get your hands on one.

Our Place The Perfect Pot – $165

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