Oh God, we had these in culinary school, restaurants and when I got married I used colanders, not the same. You should alway have a pot of water on the stove when cooking, it comes in handy to reheat pasta, make a sauce thinner, add to another pan to steam meat or vegetables. I only bought the 8qt but I should have bought the 12 qt too for clam boils and corn on the cob. I can't afford it know but the next time I see it on sale "I am grabbing one or two"!