Which MacKenzie-Childs Cookware to Use for Thanksgiving: Stockpot, Casserole or Sauté Pan?

If you are choosing MacKenzie-Childs cookware for Thanksgiving, the 7 qt stockpot handles stock, potatoes and soup; a 5 qt or 3 qt casserole takes braised and make-ahead sides from stove to oven to table; the 3 qt sauté pan does stuffing bases and green beans; and the 2.5 qt and 1 qt saucepans cover cranberry sauce and gravy. Every one of those pieces is enamel on steel, oven-safe to 400°F, and meant to be washed by hand. The turkey itself belongs in a conventional roasting pan.

Below are the listed sizes for each piece, how the enamel pieces differ from the stoneware Everyday bakers, and what this cookware does not do well, so you can buy the two or three pieces you will actually use rather than a full set.

MacKenzie-Childs cookware for Thanksgiving: the comparison table

All dimensions below are as listed by MacKenzie-Childs. “Wide” includes the handles; “dia.” is the body of the pot. The last two rows are stoneware, not enamel.

Two materials, two sets of rules

Most of the range, including every stockpot, casserole, sauté pan and saucepan here, is enamel on steel. MacKenzie-Childs describes it as a heavyweight steel underbody that is glazed twice and then hand decorated, finished with a bronzed stainless steel rim and a stainless steel knob with an antique brass finish. According to the brand’s care guidance, the stovetop pieces work on ceramic, gas, electric, induction and radiant cooktops and are oven-safe to 400°F. The product pages ask for hand-washing with mild soap and drying straight away.

The enamel bakeware (the 9″ x 13″ pan, the pie plates and the gratin dish) is also listed as oven-safe to 400°F, and its product pages call it dishwasher safe while recommending hand-washing for best results. No enamel piece goes in the microwave.

The Everyday pieces follow different rules. The Courtly Check Everyday large oval baker and the Everyday pie plate with pie bird are stoneware, a ceramic, and MacKenzie-Childs lists them as dishwasher, oven and microwave safe. The brand does not publish a maximum oven temperature for them, and its stovetop and induction guidance refers to the enamel cookware, so treat the Everyday bakers as oven-and-table pieces. If you want something you can put in the microwave on Friday with leftovers, the stoneware is the one to reach for.

Matching each piece to a Thanksgiving job

The 7 qt stockpot: stock, potatoes and soup

The Courtly Check 7 qt stockpot and the Mocha Check 7 qt stockpot share the same body: 9.75″ across, 10.75″ tall and 14″ wide at the handles. That tall, narrow shape suits liquid work. As general cooking guidance, a pot this size has room for a broken-down turkey carcass with vegetables and water, or for boiling around five pounds of potatoes with enough water to cover them. It is the piece to buy if you only buy one, because it keeps working long after November as a soup and pasta pot.

It is not a searing pot. The brand warns against putting an empty pan on a hot burner, so browning turkey wings for a darker stock is better done in a heavy roasting pan in the oven, with the browned bones then moved to the pot.

5 qt or 3 qt casserole: braises and make-ahead sides

The casseroles are the most versatile pieces for the holiday because they move from burner to oven to table. The 5 qt (12″ across, 7″ tall, 16.5″ wide) comes in Courtly Check, Mocha Check and Rosy Check. It is wide enough to braise collard greens or short ribs in a single layer and reheat them in the oven on the day. MacKenzie-Childs advises starting cookware at room temperature before it goes into a warm oven, so take a make-ahead dish out of the refrigerator well before reheating.

The 3 qt (10.25″ across, 6.25″ tall, 14.75″ wide), in Courtly Check, Mocha Check and Rosy Check, is a better fit for a smaller table or for a second side such as creamed onions. If you are deciding between them, think about your oven: with their handles, either casserole takes up much of the width of a typical home oven rack, so plan to reheat sides while the turkey rests rather than alongside it.

The 3 qt sauté pan: stuffing base and green beans

The sauté pan has the same 10.25″ diameter as the 3 qt casserole but is 6.75″ tall and 21″ wide, because it has a long handle. That handle makes it the piece for stovetop jobs where you stir and toss: softening onions and celery for stuffing, finishing green beans, wilting greens. It comes in Courtly Check, Mocha Check and Rosy Check. Allow for that 21″ when planning stovetop space next to the stockpot.

2.5 qt and 1 qt saucepans: cranberry sauce and gravy

The 2.5 qt saucepan (8″ across, 7.75″ tall, 16″ wide) suits cranberry sauce, glazed carrots and reheating anything made the day before. The 1 qt saucepan (12.5″ wide including the handle, 6.5″ tall) holds up to four cups when full, which as a rough rule is a reasonable quantity of gravy for a mid-size table, and is useful for melted butter and warmed cream. Both are available in Courtly Check, Mocha Check and Rosy Check; links are in the list at the end.

One note on cranberry sauce: MacKenzie-Childs says acidic food may dull the surface of the enamel but will not otherwise damage it, which matters if you make it every year in the same pan.

Bakeware: the 9″ x 13″, gratin, pie plates and Everyday bakers

The Mocha Check 9″ x 13″ baking pan (2.25″ deep) matches the pan size that many casserole recipes are written for, so sweet potato casserole or a pan of stuffing needs no adjustment. The Mocha Check medium oval gratin dish (9″ by 11.75″, 60 oz.) is the right shape for potato gratin, where you want a wide surface to brown.

For pies, compare depth. The enamel pie plates in Courtly Check and Mocha Check are 9.5″ across, 1.5″ deep and hold four cups, which suits a standard single-crust pie; check whether your pumpkin recipe calls for a deep-dish plate. The stoneware Courtly Check Everyday pie plate with pie bird is 2″ tall and holds six cups, better for a deep-dish apple pie. For a crowd-sized side, the stoneware Courtly Check Everyday large oval baker holds 26 cups.

What enamel-on-steel does badly

These limits matter more on a busy holiday than on an ordinary weeknight.

• It stops at 400°F. That is the brand’s stated oven limit for the enamel pieces. Many turkey methods start the oven hotter than that, and broiling a gratin top is out. Roast the bird in a conventional roasting pan.
• It must never boil dry. The care guidance is explicit: do not put an empty pan on a hot burner or let the contents boil dry. On a day when you are juggling six dishes, a reducing gravy or a forgotten pot of stock is how that happens. Set a timer.
• Metal utensils leave marks. MacKenzie-Childs recommends utensils that are safe for non-stick cookware, because metal leaves grey marks on the enamel. Use wooden spoons and silicone or nylon tools, and avoid metal scouring pads.
• Chips end its kitchen life. The brand advises that a chipped piece should no longer be used for food. Set pieces down gently, particularly on stone counters and cast-iron grates.
• The stovetop pieces are hand-wash. They do not go in the dishwasher, and they should be dried right away. Plan for that at the end of the night: let them cool, then wash and dry them.
• Burned-on food takes patience. The brand’s fix is to add water and baking soda, bring it to a boil and let it cool before cleaning; a nylon-covered pad or wooden scraper does the rest, never metal scouring pads.

None of this is unusual for enamelware. It is why this guide matches each piece to the jobs above and leaves the rest of the menu to other pans.

Stove to table: serving from the pot

A decorated casserole can go straight to the table, which saves a serving dish and a transfer into a cold one. Put a trivet down first. The Mocha Check large trivet matches the Mocha pieces, and the 12.25″ Courtly Check ladle takes care of soup and gravy service.

A full 5 qt casserole is heavy, so carry it with dry oven mitts and set it at the end of the table rather than passing it. Sliced turkey and the other sides can go on platters; our guide to MacKenzie-Childs serving platter sizes covers which platter holds what.

Courtly Check, Mocha Check or Rosy Check?

The shapes and sizes are the same across the three patterns, so the choice comes down to look. Courtly Check is the black and white check most people picture, and it works with nearly any table. Mocha Check uses a brown check that sits comfortably with autumn colors and wood tables. Rosy Check is the pink option; in this guide its largest piece is the 5 qt casserole. Mixing patterns is fine, particularly if you already own pieces in one of them. If you are planning the whole table, how to layer a MacKenzie-Childs fall table shows how check patterns sit alongside other autumn pieces.

A sensible set for the size of your gathering

These are our suggestions, not brand guidance, and they assume you already own a roasting pan and some everyday pots.

• Four to six people: a 3 qt casserole, a 2.5 qt saucepan and an enamel pie plate.
• Eight to twelve: the 7 qt stockpot, a 5 qt casserole, the 1 qt saucepan for gravy and the 3 qt sauté pan.
• Larger groups: add the 9″ x 13″ baking pan and the stoneware Everyday large oval baker, which together handle the big-batch sides.

To see every pattern and piece together, browse our full range of MacKenzie-Childs cookware. As an authorized MacKenzie-Childs retailer in Brentwood, Los Angeles, we are glad to help you compare sizes in person.

Shop the pieces in this guide

Stockpots

• Courtly Check Enamel 7 Qt. Stockpot – 7 qt, 9.75″ dia., 14″ wide, 10.75″ tall
• Mocha Check 7 Qt. Stockpot – 7 qt, 9.75″ dia., 14″ wide, 10.75″ tall

Casseroles

• Courtly Check Enamel 5 Qt. Casserole – 5 qt, 12″ dia., 16.5″ wide, 7″ tall
• Mocha Check 5 Qt. Casserole – 5 qt, 12″ dia., 16.5″ wide, 7″ tall
• Rosy Check 5 Qt. Casserole – 5 qt, 12″ dia., 16.5″ wide, 7″ tall
• Courtly Check Enamel 3 Qt. Casserole – 3 qt, 10.25″ dia., 14.75″ wide, 6.25″ tall
• Mocha Check 3 Qt. Casserole – 3 qt, 10.25″ dia., 14.75″ wide, 6.25″ tall
• Rosy Check 3 Qt. Casserole – 3 qt, 10.25″ dia., 14.75″ wide, 6.25″ tall

Sauté pans

• Courtly Check Enamel 3 Qt. Saute Pan – 3 qt, 10.25″ dia., 21″ wide, 6.75″ tall
• Mocha Check 3 Qt. Saute Pan – 3 qt, 10.25″ dia., 21″ wide, 6.75″ tall
• Rosy Check 3 Qt. Saute Pan – 3 qt, 10.25″ dia., 21″ wide, 6.75″ tall

Saucepans

• Courtly Check Enamel 2.5 Qt. Saucepan – 2.5 qt, 8″ dia., 16″ wide, 7.75″ tall
• Mocha Check 2.5 Qt. Saucepan – 2.5 qt, 8″ dia., 16″ wide, 7.75″ tall
• Rosy Check 2.5 Qt. Saucepan – 2.5 qt, 8″ dia., 16″ wide, 7.75″ tall
• Courtly Check Enamel 1 Qt. Saucepan – 1 qt, 12.5″ wide, 6.5″ tall
• Mocha Check 1 Qt. Saucepan – 1 qt, 12.5″ wide, 6.5″ tall
• Rosy Check 1 Qt. Saucepan – 1 qt, 12.5″ wide, 6.5″ tall

Bakeware

• Mocha Check 9″ x 13″ Baking Pan – enamel, 9″ wide, 13″ long, 2.25″ deep
• Mocha Check Medium Oval Gratin Dish – enamel, 60 oz., 9″ wide, 11.75″ long
• Courtly Check Enamel Pie Plate – enamel, 4 cups, 9.5″ dia., 1.5″ deep
• Mocha Check Pie Plate – enamel, 4 cups, 9.5″ dia., 1.5″ deep
• Courtly Check Everyday Pie Plate With Pie Bird – stoneware, 6 cups, 10.5″ outer dia., 2″ tall
• Courtly Check Everyday Large Oval Baker – stoneware, 26 cups, 16″ wide, 18″ long incl. handle, 3.25″ tall

Serving tools

• Courtly Check Ladle – 12.25″ long
• Mocha Check Large Trivet – for setting hot pots at the table