If it’s just the two of you, you can use any size donabe pot. However, if you’re just planning to use your donabe for simple home cooking after work, it can be more efficient to take a small, versatile donabe. The 2-cup Kamodo-san specialises in cooking rice, and makes enough for four people. It’s also large enough to comfortably make a Japanese hot-pot for 2 people.

For regular donabe one-pot cooking, we can also recommend the small Kakomi induction-heating donabe for stewing and steaming, and the small or medium Cocer donabe from 4th MARKET.

People with families need to cook larger quantities, so investing in a bigger pot is well worth the expense. Steaming vegetables in a medium-sized Mushi Nabe or large Kakomi is a fast and practical way to get greens on everyone’s plate, while the large Cocer has everyone covered for stew. The 3-cup Kamado-san makes shiny, fluffy donabe rice for about 5 people.

If you’re going to be more than 5, then the 5-cup Kamado-san makes enough rice for eight people. The Mushi nabe steamer is deep enough to make a large stew, but it’s more important for its steaming function. Steaming is fast, so you can keep refilling it with fresh meat and vegetables as the meal goes on. This way, you can easily make a large variety of meals with just rice and fresh produce.