Granite Ware Enamel Bean Pot and Steamer Pot Review

The Granite Ware bean pot is a 4-quart pot with a lid, model 6129-4. The product page lists steel with a porcelain coating, in speckled black. It measures 8.7 inches across and 7.5 inches tall.

One buyer calls it not heavy to lift in and out of the oven, which matches the brand's own description of a lightweight design. The weight on the spec sheet reads 0.27 g, which is clearly a typo, so we have no real figure for you. Every buyer who mentions weight calls the pot light.

Granite Ware says the enamel is applied to steel and resists chipping, and that the surface is naturally nonstick. It also describes the pot as free of PFOA and PTFE. Those are the brand's claims, and a product page cannot prove them.

A chip-resistant coating is not a chip-proof one, so treat the pot gently. The brand's own highlight line calls it carbon steel cookware for baked beans, stews, soups and slow cooking.

On heat, the brand says the steel core spreads warmth evenly, which suits stews and baked beans. It says the pot is made for traditional stovetops, ovens and outdoor fires. It also says plainly that the pot is not recommended on induction or glass stovetops.

One buyer says it works on every kind of stovetop, induction included. We would follow the brand here. That same reviewer notes that theirs arrived without bowing, and a flat base is the whole question on a smooth top.

Buyers who like it talk about beans. One Canadian reviewer says it goes from stovetop to oven to fridge and cooks beans well. Another soaks beans overnight in the pot, rinses them, then bakes or simmers in the same pot, and thinks baked beans come out creamier.

A third says that after soaking, the residue comes out with a sponge. A fourth uses it for spaghetti sauce and chili and finds the size right for three people.

The complaints are about the base. Two one-star reviews, almost ten years apart, say the bottom is not flat. One says the pot jumps around on the burner and spills.

The other doubts it is steel at all because it is so light, and calls the quality poor for the price. Since the brand lists steel, we read that as a doubt about thickness, not a proven fault.

A four-star reviewer found the same uneven bottom. They boiled water in the pot first, then flipped it over and hit the base with a rubber mallet, and now it sits fine. That is one buyer's repair, not the brand's advice, and we would not plan on it.

One reviewer tells new owners to use soft wooden spoons and lower heat. They also say to hold the pot with a pot holder, because a light pot can slide on the stove. That is a buyer's habit, and a sensible one.

This pot suits someone who cooks beans, chili or sauce for two or three people on gas or an electric coil. Skip it if you have induction or a glass top, if you cook for a big family, or if you want a heavy pot that sits dead flat without any fuss.

The steamer is the bigger piece by far. It holds 15.5 quarts, stands 12 inches tall, and measures 13.66 inches deep by 11.22 inches wide. The spec sheet lists the weight at 4.1 pounds.

The title calls it a set of three, and the brand names it a tamale pot with a steamer insert. The product page does not say what the third piece is.

Granite Ware pitches it for tamales, seafood boils, corn, pasta and vegetables, and for plain soup. It describes the porcelain on steel as nonreactive and the surface as free of PFOA and PTFE. It also says the non-porous finish keeps flavors intact.

Those are the brand's statements. The product page gives no stovetop limit, so we can't say whether it works on induction.

Size is what buyers talk about. One says so many tamale steamers are huge, while this one is right for one to three dozen tamales. Another fits about 35 tamales in at a time and notes that theirs are large.

A third calls it way bigger than expected and easy to handle. That reviewer also says the insert is the right height to load lots of tamales.

Weight is a plus too. A tamale cook says the pot is light enough that lifting it full of tamales and water is no problem, and that they don't worry about storing it on a high shelf. Still, 4.1 pounds empty becomes a real load once it holds water, so use two hands and a pot holder.

One buyer steams crab in the insert and has also steamed vegetables in the pot. Another bought it as a stock pot for soup and calls it a good size for the family, and says it meets their needs for the price and quality. A third plans soups and vegetarian tamales in it.

The written reviews we read were all five stars, so the criticism is thin. The star counts say there is more: about 8 percent of ratings are one or two stars, and we could not read what those buyers wrote.

The one caution in the text sits inside a five-star review, written in 2013. If you want a super heavy duty pot, this one might not meet your needs, and you will probably spend more for that.

So the pot is a light, mid-weight tool, not a pot for a lifetime of daily abuse. Handle it with care and buyers say it does tamale day and seafood night well. A reviewer from 2019 still reports that every batch of tamales came out great, and that they plan to find other uses for it.

Choose it for tamale batches up to about three dozen, seafood for a family, and big pots of soup or stock. Skip it if you need to steam more than the 35 large tamales one buyer fit, if you want a heavy pot for daily use, or if you cook on induction, where the product page says nothing.