overall this is a decent pot but there are a few shortcomings. first the pot is 8 inches in diameter but the base that sits on the burner is small and almost one whole ring of the burner doesn't touch so it wastes a lot of the heat from the burner making the pot slow to come to a boil. second the strainer insert is a poor fit to the pot, the strainer doesn't go deep enough into the pot and the collar that locates the insert in the pot is very loose. the insert can shift off center so much that a lot of the steam leaks out. so as a pasta pot its capacity is reduced and as a steamer it wastes a lot of the steam, with some minor changes in its design it could be a great pot.