High end dutch oven


 
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David-B

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I love cooking roasts in dutch ovens but my current one is not really that great, it's a Martha Stewart 6qt enameled inside and out...sometimes things stick to the bottom and hard to clean...the finish is starting to go south and the edges of the lid beginning to crack.... Ive been looking at staub and le creuset and wondering if you think they are worth the investment @$300+? Dutch ovens are my preferred way to make roasts and not a fan of slow cookers or pressure versions
 
DavidMichael said:
I love cooking roasts in dutch ovens but my current one is not really that great, it's a Martha Stewart 6qt enameled inside and out...sometimes things stick to the bottom and hard to clean...the finish is starting to go south and the edges of the lid beginning to crack.... Ive been looking at staub and le creuset and wondering if you think they are worth the investment @$300+? Dutch ovens are my preferred way to make roasts and not a fan of slow cookers or pressure versions
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Worth the price short term - no... however, as long as you don’t drop or damage it, it is a lifetime piece. I love my red Le Creuset Dutch Oven.
 
Wife and I bought one when we got married 35 years ago. Still have it, still use it for braising and stews. Love it. But we got it through a "seconds" outlet. There are a couple "bubbles" or flaws in an otherwise flawless blue finish. It's been a nice piece. I don't recall what we paid for it but, I can guarantee I would not pay what they're asking now for one. I have looked carefully at both the Lodge and Tramontina offerings and honestly I think both are made as well. Especially the Lodge
 
I preface this by saying that I have never had or used a Le Creuset. But after doing a bunch of research on testing and reviews that showed little to no difference in performance/quality, I bought a Lodge. Mine is not enameled. I have baked bread; use it all of the time for chili, gumbo/jambalaya, and stew; and have gotten my best Thanksgiving turkey with it (yeah, I got a big one). I have been very happy with it, and even though my wife's first comment when seeing it was "What the hell are you going to cook in that huge thing?", the meals I cook in it have become family favorites.
 
I have a 6 qt Tramontina (which I think I bought at Sam's club) and a 4 qt and 8 qt Lodge. They all work great.
You do get some brown/reddish stains on the inside when doing chili sauces, but I think even the high end ones do also.
 
My cast iron enamel Dutch ovens are not high-end, so maybe I shouldn't reply. I am not an expert when it comes to cast iron care. I grew tired of my less-than-expert skill with CI, so a couple years ago I bought a Lodge enameled casserole. I fell in love with it. Today I have a couple Lodge enameled casserole pieces and a 16 Qt Cajun Classic Dutch oven (purple and yellow :oops:). I LOVE the size of that sucker for vegetable soup and chili. Mine are not 35 years old but I'd fight anyone who'd try to take them from me. Cleaning them is as easy as washing my hands.
 
I love my Le Creuset ovens. Bought my first one 5qt about 25 years ago and still use it today, Have 6 today (9, 7, and 4 5 qt) plus a 3 qt Staub. All of them were bought on sale with the most common being Williams Sonoma after Christmas sale where it’s 40% off select models like the 9qt yellow. I think I paid $140 for my first one (5qt) in the 90s. The rest were $200-300 range.

I also have a 1qt Cuisinart that is inferior. The food stick too easily. I have not tried the Lodge enameled ovens although I do have some regular cast iron pans.
 
My wife has Staub enameled CI cookware because she can get red and thinks they are pretty. We have been somewhat slowly building her collection and replacing older and less quality cookware.

But, between the cost and how much she loves them, I wouldn't dare think of using any of them in my Weber domain so I have my own collection of Lodge CI cookware that I use.

The Staub stuff is awesome. I don't have any problems with funding the growing collection for the wife. Very high quality stuff from what I've seen so far. But, I also love all my Lodge stuff and it's fantastic too, and way more affordable.
 
I think Im going to take the plunge, I can justify the cost because I do use my current one quite a bit during the winter months...Now Im trying to decide if I can get away with the 4qt or go ahead and get the 5.5...I also like the idea of an oval shaped version...decisions
 
In 2009 I bought a 7.25-quart Le Creuset for $160 in some sort of beige color at the Le Creuset outlet store. I think it's a good place to buy if you're looking for an everyday deal, but I'm sure waiting for the Black Friday or After Christmas sales are even better. We don't use it a lot, it's mostly used lately for breadmaking, but also for stews and pozole and we're very happy with it. Just a few tiny imperfections in the finish that are hard to find.

In 2013 I bought an 8-quart All-Clad stock pot for $245. While not an exact replacement for an enameled unit, it does have the advantage of being lighter and never having to worry about the finish. A scrub with Bar Keepers Friend and it's good as new. But I don't think I could use it for breadmaking.

My sister has a similar size Lodge enameled Dutch oven that she uses a lot and really likes. Good value for the money.

America's Test Kitchen keeps recommending Le Creuset in their equipment ratings as their top choice. Runner up as a "best buy" is the Cuisinart for only $83. Here's their 2020 review.

Le Creuset at Amazon: https://amzn.to/34LDouH
Cuisinart at Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0017HRLFC/?tag=tvwb-20

 
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Not sure why some people are recommending oval. Personally, I like rounds better is they match better with burners being round. I think the 5 QT size is the best one and it's the one I use the most in the house.

I always new Le Creuset was made in France but didn't know that's also true for Staub. I thought the latter was German.
 
I like the 6.3 oval because it is larger than the 5.3 round and smaller than the huge 6.7 round. Also, it accommodates the shape of certain roasts, chickens and cuts of meat better. I also got the round shallow braiser for more smaller cooks on the stove or to braise in the oven.
 
Chris Allingham said:
In 2009 I bought a 7.25-quart Le Creuset for $160 in some sort of beige color at the Le Creuset outlet store. I think it's a good place to buy if you're looking for an everyday deal, but I'm sure waiting for the Black Friday or After Christmas sales are even better. We don't use it a lot, it's mostly used lately for breadmaking, but also for stews and pozole and we're very happy with it. Just a few tiny imperfections in the finish that are hard to find.

In 2013 I bought an 8-quart All-Clad stock pot for $245. While not an exact replacement for an enameled unit, it does have the advantage of being lighter and never having to worry about the finish. A scrub with Bar Keepers Friend and it's good as new. But I don't think I could use it for breadmaking.

My sister has a similar size Lodge enameled Dutch oven that she uses a lot and really likes. Good value for the money.

America's Test Kitchen keeps recommending Le Creuset in their equipment ratings as their top choice. Runner up as a "best buy" is the Cuisinart for only $83. Here's their 2020 review.

Le Creuset at Amazon: https://amzn.to/34LDouH
Cuisinart at Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0017HRLFC/?tag=tvwb-20

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That's weird, the cuisinart jumped in price in the last day.
 
I have a big red Le Creuset (I think it's 10 quarts). We call it Clifford The Big Red Pot ;) We use it make gumbo, spaghetti sauce, all kinds of soups, stews and chili. I think it ways around 15 to 20 lbs empty which is my only complaint. I think we've had it for at least 10 years and it'll probably go at least another 10. Like Chris, I clean it with Bar Keepers friend. I wouldn't be afraid of trying a Lodge brand though. I'd definitely buy on the big side unless you NEVER cook for larger crowds.
 
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