How to Pick the Perfect Crab Steamer (Size Chart)
Every crabber is as good as their crab steamer. If you’re looking for a pot to steam or boil your freshly caught crabs, you’ve come to the right place. The purpose of this article is to ensure no one wastes their money on a “crap” pot.
I’ll first go over what to look for when shopping for a pot by giving you some criteria. This will help you sort through any low-quality pots on the market. After, I’ll give you my picks for the best-quality pots out there based on real crabber’s reviews. Finally, I’ll help you pick the perfect size pot based on how many crabs you plan on cooking at a time.
What to look for when buying a crab steamer
When looking for a crab cooking pot, pick one that is made out of Type 316L Stainless Steel. This heavier metal will stand up to the corrosive ingredients which are used to cook crabs. It will last much longer than any aluminum or type 304 stainless steel pot.
Longevity is important when it comes to crab steamers. I wouldn’t recommend a pot that will break after a year of use! To ensure your pot lasts a long time, it needs to be made of thicker, heavier metal than most pots. Continued use with corrosive ingredients will break down your crab steamer, which a thicker metal will combat.
Let’s translate this into plain English. You want the heaviest, thickest-metal pot that you can find!
The two biggest problems buyers have with crab pots is that they buy cheap aluminum pots that fall apart or thin stainless steel pots that form small cracks and leak water.
You may wonder why I’m so against aluminum pots. Aluminum pots cannot handle as much heat like stainless steel pots. They also do not fare well with cooking salty or acidic food. Unless you want to cook crabs without Old Bay, or whatever seasoning you choose, I’d steer clear of aluminum pots!
Stainless steel pots are a step in a better direction than using cheap aluminum, but you still need to be wary. Too many buyers have been scammed of their good money with cheaply-made “stainless steel” pots. Many of the leading pots for sale on Amazon are made of thin stainless steel, which will fall apart after two years at most. I don’t want you buying an expensive pot every few years. Instead, I want you to buy a pot you can pass down to your grandchildren.
If you were at a store looking at pots, a good practice is to just pick up the pot. The heavier pot with the thicker metal is always the better buy. Most times it will be more expensive, but the thicker pot will last you several more years than the thinner pot.
My pick for the best crab steamer.
After browsing through what feels like too many crab pots, my top pick has to be the Advanced Royal Champion Boil Pot. Click here to check the current price on Amazon.com (Affiliate link).
Compared to its leading competitors, ARC boil pots are made out of real and durable stainless steel. I’ve seen far too many people complain that the pot they buy is not real stainless steel, and they have every right to! This pot, however, is the real deal. If you hold a magnet up to it, you feel a slight pull. That’s how you know you have a stainless steel pot.
It’s also made of much thicker metal than the other pots on the market. This is important because, as mentioned earlier, thicker pots will last a lot longer than thinner-lined metal pots.
The pot comes with a built-in strainer, which makes steaming crabs much easier than using a classic stovetop pot. After you steam your blue crabs, all you need to do is lift the strainer from the pot and you’re all set! The strainer is suspended above the bottom of the pan to ensure your crabs are never submerged in water, which would make them taste mushy.
What size pot should you pick?
The next thing to consider is how many crabs you plan on steaming. To steam a bushel of size #1 and #2 mix of crabs, you will need at least a 60-quart boil pot. It’s recommended that you look for a pot that fits 80 quarts or more to make room for any additions to your crab batch, such as vegetables or other shellfish.
A good rule of thumb is to expect to cook 1 to 1.5 crabs per quart. It’s a 1:1 ratio for size #1 crabs and a 1:1.5 ratio for #2 crabs. Keep in mind that this is a rough estimate. Crabs come in all different shapes and sizes with some having more meat than others. This is just a good way to estimate how large of a pot you will need.
| Size of Pot (Quarts) | #1 Crabs it will cook | #2 Crabs it will cook | How many people this will feed | Recommended Pot |
| 24 | 24 | 36 | 5 | CONCORD Pot 24qt |
| 40 | 40 | 60 | 8 | CONCORD Pot 40qt |
| 60 | 60 (1 Bushel) | 90 (1 Bushel) | 12 | ARC Steamer 64qt |
| 80 | 80 | 120 | 16 | ARC Steamer 84qt |
| 100 | 100 | 150 | 20 | ARC Steamer 100qt |
I added in the “How many people this will feed” section of the table to help you pick a pot that will work for you. People say a good rule of thumb is 3 or 4 crabs per person, but my family will easily go through 5 or 6 per person. I decided on assuming each person will eat 5 crabs.
You will need a Propane Burner
If you’re cooking with a pot larger than 40 quarts, or if you plan to cook crabs outdoors, you need to seriously consider which propane burner you want to use. To stay consistent, I recommend you pick the ARC Series Propane Burrner (click here to check the price on Amazon.com).
It’s the perfect size for your larger crab pots. Some complain it gives off a bit too much heat, but I say that’s only a plus. It’s perfect for heating up your larger pots very quickly.
Another plus from this product is that it’s a USA product. Made in Texas, no less! Need I say more?
