Review of Cast iron Dutch Ovens

[RichieB]

A Recent Review of Cast Iron Dutch Ovens. Figure I'd share if you're interested.

https://www.foodandwine.com/lifestyle/kitchen/best-dutch-ovens?utm_campaign=foodandwine_foodandwine&utm_content=link&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_term=6362dd6e8f444a00011d0aa1

[WayneT]

The Staub sounds really nice but it is pricy!

[Redwng]

We have a 3.5 quart Le Creuset that we use all the time. My wife likes it because it cooks really well, cleans up easily but it is lighter for her to lift especially when there is something cooking on the inside. She always removes the lid before lifting it as it is heavy duty too.

[CHNeal]

Well what I learned from that is that I will never own a Le Creuset!

[barelfly]

if you ever see a Bed Bath and Beyond going out of business…..hit it up….that’s how I got mine at a ridiculous price! And at times, the LC outlet shops have really good sales. I have a few serving platters as well that I got dirt cheap.

Otherwise, like you, I too would not have LC pieces!

[henrywc]

I still like my Lodge Cast Iron Deep Camp Dutch Oven, 5-Quartthe best. Wire handle for picking it up in a hot campfire or grilltop, three legs for keeping above the coals (and they fit easily onto almost every grill grate.)

[barelfly]

Excellent first post! Welcome to the pit! Share some cooks you have with that DO, especially in a campfire!

[henrywc]

Thanks for the congrats barelfly!

I posted my my first DO recipe for campfire/smoked baked beans at: https://pitmaster.amazingribs.com/fo...-10-12-persons

See what you think.

[Michael_in_TX]

One humorous thing I've noticed is that many Youtube content creators, once they get above 100k subscribers, suddenly and silently switch to a Le Creuset. I think it is an unstated symbol of having "made it" (at least relatively) in the YouTube cooking channel world.

[Michael_in_TX]

I have an Emeril (hey, I went through a phase) 6 quart enameled dutch oven I bought in the early 2000s. It has held up extremely well. Included just sitting on a table in the kitchen unused for a decade, untouched, while the cats hacked up hairballs on it.

The interior is fine, except for a 1 mm bit where the coating has flaked off. (Conveniently, I use this as a marker for how much oil I put in if I am deep frying. It's right at the 2.5" mark.) The lid is a little worse off. A few of the tips of the drip-peaks have had their coating flake off, but just the barest tip.

If the coating problems get worse, I'm almost assuredly replacing it with a Lodge.

[Finster]

Lodge is good enough for me...
I have a 5 qt that was a gift 20 years ago, and a 6 qt enameled that's about 12 years old...
Affordable, good quality, and made in America👍

[bmillin]

I am a big lodge fan, hell they should send me a christmas card every year considering how much of their products I have.

My advice would be to buy round dutch ovens for stovetop use, a 5 quart is great for two/four. The big oval ovens are awesome but hard to sear on a single burner, they work better in an oven. I don't see the need to spend extra $$ when every review I have seen rates Lodge as recommended without reservation.

Also it is true that long simmering times in an uncoated dutch oven can screw up your seasoning. It's not the end of the world, but having an enamel dutch is nice.