Dutch Oven

[Cypress]

I have been watching cooking shows again and am inspired to acquire a good quality dutch oven.

Any ideas about brand and where to buy? The most popular is Le Crusset (spelling?) but they cost too much. I am not sure if they come in different sizes, but I would want to be able to fit 8 chicken thighs in comfortably.

[treehugger]

If you don't need enameled cast iron, plain cast iron is very affordable. Lodge brand (widely available) is even made in the U.S.

I have one that my inlaws bought used from a junk store (very, very cheap), had sandblasted by a mechanic friend, and then seasoned and gave to me for my birthday. I love it! I think it is 6 quart, which is a useful size.

Kara

[CathyA]

I have a 5 and 1/2 qt Le Creuset oval pot and it was worth every cent. I got it at Williams and Sonoma, but they let me use a coupon I found online to match the price, so I got it for probably $60 less.
I've tried cooking with plain cast iron, but I'm always able to taste the iron in it, which I don't like.
I've seen alot of others out on the market now, that cost less, but I don't know how they hold up. I think even Lodge has an enameled cast iron now.

[KayLR]

I have a Lodge brand. It was a gift and I'm fine with it. I remember America's Test Kitchen (Cook's Illustrated mag) rating Tramontina brand highest.

[Cypress]

That's the program I was watching. The chef put the entire cooking pan in the oven to braise chicken thighs. I have a Calaphon pan but I do not know what would happen to it if I had it in the oven for an hour and 15 minutes. The chicken was braising in a large amount of liquid, 2 cups of dry white wine and 1 cup of chicken stock. Wouldn't a dutch oven do the same job? Less spattering of the oven. My pan isn't large enough to hold that amount of liquid.

[bae]

My mother has a Le Creuset round pot that she must have had for > 40 years now, and she still uses it every day.

I bought an identical one when I graduated from college, > 25 years ago, and we use it almost every day as well, for such a wide variety of cooking methods. It is especially helpful in this house, as we have a lame electric cook-top - I can "pre-charge" the heavy pot with heat from the burner or the oven, and use it basically like a heavy grill, with the high sides containing any spatter, and the huge heat capacity preventing the surface from cooling down faster than the weeny electric burners can handle. Makes a good virtual wok for the same reason.

So I consider it money well spent, it'll last a lifetime.

I received a massive Lodge cast iron skillet a couple of years ago for Christmas, and it too is a joy to use.

[CathyA]

Maybe you can find out if your particular Calphalon pan can be used in the oven. Alot of times it depends on the handle and the lid knob. You can pretty much use any kind of large pan (if its oven safe), and just put heavy-duty foil tightly over the top. That's what makes things so tender with the enameled (and regular cast iron) pots, is that the lid is so heavy, that no moisture escapes.

[lhamo]

I still would love to have a Le Creuset some day, but they were too pricey for me. I bought a large dutch oven at Costco last year and I LOVE it. It is cherry red, with a silver metal knob and a creamy white interior. I sometimes leave it sitting out on the stove on purpose cuz it looks so darn purty :) They don't always have them in stock, but they did when I was at the flagship store a couple of weeks ago. They are about $70.

My sister got a Lodge and has been happy with that. Even cheaper at Target.

They really are amazingly versatile and an excellent addition to any kitchen, especially if you cook a lot.

lhamo

[CathyA]

I've got a roast in the oven in mine right now! Sometimes, we just roast a huge ton of veggies in it and they are soooooo good.
I bought a Fontingnac enameled cast iron pot at Bed, Bath and Beyond. They are less expensive than Le Creuset and I had a 20% off coupon too. But when I got home, I discovered the lid didn't fit properly, so I took it back. (Plus, I was feeling guilty about buying another one). haha

[puglogic]

I have a set of all-metal Calphalons (wedding gift from 10+ years ago) and they go in the oven, on the stove, even on the grill. We have a couple of Lodge pieces too, equally wonderful. My favorite is a tiny 8" skillet that I use for almost everything (just the right size for a grilled cheese!)

But I too would love a Le Creuset Dutch Oven, and as I move further into writing about sustainable food (and thus lots of cooking) this may be the year.

[Gregg]

The use description bae just gave for his La Creuset is nearly identical to ours. We have a couple of those pans now, but went years and years with a 13.25 qt. "French" Oven (heaven forbid a company with the name La Creuset would call it a "Dutch" oven). We bought the bigger pot because at the time we had 3 kids at home and a constant flow of their friends for dinner so always cooked big batches. Even now when we are down to 3 at home I still use that pot almost every single day. The main reason we now have more of these pots is the aforementioned 3 kids. I wanted to make sure there was one for each of them when I'm gone.

BTW, La Creuset has factory stores that sell seconds. Two of ours are seconds, but I'll be dipped if I can spot a blemish. The manager of the North Carolina store told me that the seconds are usually pulled because of color variances, not flaws in the cast iron or enamel. She said anything with structural flaws is culled at the factory. Also worth noting, if you can get on the "preferred customer" list (I did it simply by asking if I could be on it) they will offer free shipping during two sales a year in addition to 30% discounts. We gave a pot identical to ours to our future DIL this Christmas. The best price I found on it locally was $395 plus tax. We bought a second during the sale and had it shipped to her for a total, with tax, of $177. Still not cheap at all, but a heck of a lot better than $400+.

[daisy]

If you don't mind doing a little hunting, you could find an older used one. I bought a Descoware "Belgian" oven at a garage sale a few years ago and I use it several times a week. I would guess it's from the 1960s (it is the orange and red "flame" color) and the inside definitely shows its age, but it still works great. I originally thought I would buy a new one if I liked using it, but now it has become my main cooking vessel. And since I paid less than $20, we don't worry about harming it during cooking or cleanup.