Our Place Perfect Pot Review: It Isn't a Dutch Oven, and That's the Point

For the record: affiliate links live in this article and a purchase through one earns us a commission. We still wrote a section on who should keep their existing pot instead.

Start with a correction, because a lot of what's written about this pot is out of date.

Most published testing covers a 5.5 quart version at $165. Our Place now sells it at 6.5 quarts for $99. Bigger, and dramatically cheaper. Any Our Place Perfect Pot review still quoting the old numbers is describing a product that isn't on sale any more.

The Current Spec

1. $99 for 6.5 quarts
2. Body of 100% certified post-consumer recycled aluminium
3. Thermakind nonstick, made without PFAS, PTFE, PFOA, lead or cadmium
4. Oven safe to 450°F, no broiler
5. Works on induction and every other cooktop
6. Self-basting lid with a built-in strainer, plus a notched beechwood spoon
7. Eight colours, a 3-year limited warranty and a 100-day trial

A hundred-day trial on a $99 pot is unusually generous, and it's the single best answer to any hesitation about buying cookware you can't hold first.

The Thing Nobody Says Out Loud

It's aluminium. Not cast iron.

That sounds like a footnote and it explains every single test result you'll read about this pot. Aluminium heats fast and responds fast. Cast iron heats slowly and holds temperature like a brick in a fire. Two different tools wearing similar shapes.

So when Reviewed's tester found the pot “highly sensitive to temperature adjustments, ideal for precision dishes but challenging for heat retention during frying,” that isn't a defect. That's aluminium behaving exactly as aluminium does.

What the Testing Found

Two credible sources have run it properly, which is more than most cookware in an Our Place Perfect Pot review gets.

Consumer Reports put it through their Dutch oven protocol and rated it Excellent across the board on cooking evenness, ease of cleaning, speed of heating, simmering and bread baking. Handle heat came in at Good.

Reviewed cooked Cantonese clay pot rice, a potato gratin and deep-fried chicken tenders in it. The rice came out with an evenly crispy bottom, developing toasted flavour without greasing the pot, which is a demanding test of even heating.

Cleaning came up positively in both. A rinse with a sponge generally did it.

Where the two testers disagree

Worth flagging honestly. Consumer Reports rated the handles Good, meaning cool enough to touch without a potholder. Reviewed found the handles and lid knob got “extra hot” on the hob and warned about burns.

Both are credible. My read is that stovetop time and burner size explain the gap, so assume you'll want a cloth for longer cooks and treat Consumer Reports' rating as the best case rather than the guarantee.

Buy Now

Perfect Pot vs Dutch Oven

This is the comparison that actually decides the purchase. If you already own a decent enamelled cast iron pot, the Perfect Pot duplicates a lot of it while being worse at the heat-retention jobs. Reviewed reached the same conclusion, calling it potentially redundant for existing Dutch oven owners.

If you don't own one, though, the calculation flips completely. You get most of the function at a fraction of the weight and a fraction of the price, and you can lift it with one hand.

The Practical Annoyances

1. Storage. At 8.5 inches tall with the domed lid on, it doesn't slide under a standard cabinet shelf easily.
2. Handles. Plan for a cloth on longer stovetop sessions regardless of what the ratings say.
3. Oven ceiling. 450°F with no broiler use, so anything needing a fierce top finish needs a different dish.

None of these is serious. All of them are the sort of thing you'd rather learn now than while holding a hot pot looking for somewhere to put it.

Who Should Buy It

Buy it if you're building a kitchen from scratch, cook a lot of rice, soups, braises and simmered sauces, and want something light enough to move around without ceremony. At $99 with a 100-day trial the risk is close to nil.

Skip it if you own good cast iron already, or if your cooking leans heavily on deep frying and hard searing where thermal mass carries the work. And anyone comparing Perfect Pot vs Dutch oven purely on looks should decide on physics instead, because the two behave differently once heat is involved.

Final Verdict

At $99 for 6.5 quarts, this is a much stronger proposition than it was at $165 for 5.5, and the lab results back up the marketing on evenness and cleaning. What it isn't is a cast iron replacement, and pretending otherwise is how people end up disappointed. Know which tool you're buying and it's excellent value.

FAQs

What is the Our Place Perfect Pot price?

$99 for the 6.5 quart ceramic nonstick version. Older reviews quoting $165 were testing the smaller 5.5 quart model.

Is the Perfect Pot a Dutch oven?

Not really. It's recycled aluminium with a nonstick coating, so it heats faster and holds heat far less well than enamelled cast iron.

Can it go in the oven?

Yes, up to 450°F. Broilers are off limits.

Does it work on induction?

Yes, it's compatible with every cooktop type including induction.

Do the handles get hot?

Testers disagree. Consumer Reports rated them Good for staying touchable, while Reviewed found them extra hot on the stovetop. Keep a cloth nearby.

What's included?

The pot, a self-basting lid with built-in strainer, and a notched beechwood spoon, plus a 3-year warranty and a 100-day trial.

Pricing and specifications were accurate at the time of writing. Our Place updates this line periodically, so confirm the current size and price before ordering.