Dutch Oven - to LeCreuset or not!

Looking to buy a nice sized Dutch oven. The LC seems to be the thing to buy, but wondering if there are better/cheaper/equal alternatives out there.

Size at least 5.5 quarts

I don't know how they are priced in the US, but Staub is a nice, usually cheaper, alternative to Le Creuset.

I've been using a Lodge cast enamel for the last six months without any troubles. Used it for the usual soups and stews and also bake bread a couple times a week with it. Solid performance for the price.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000N501BK/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

Ikea enameled ones can take a lot of abuse.

You really can't go wrong with either LeCreuset or Staub. I have various sizes of both brands and I like them all. Last year I found a few Staub's that I bought at a blow out clearance sale @ William Sonoma for $60 each, they were discontinuing the dark green enamel Dutch Ovens and skillets. BB

Le C and Staub certainly own the high end market, both excellent products. My preference is the Le C (own and use both) but I'll not turn down a good deal on a Staub if I'm looking for something in particular. When Staub drops a color from it's line they go on stupid discounts at Cutlery and More, WS and all the other usual suspects.

I've used Staub and Lodge side by side many, to many, times in the hobby/job and the Lodge burns on the bottom quicker (every time it's used) and is more difficult to clean. And not near as purty.

Was surprised by liking the Mario Batali line of Dutch Ovens. Usually celebrity stuff is crap but this weighs in about the same as Le C and Staub, performs well, cleans well. Of course there is the orange...

If you run the search "site:kitchenknifeforums.com le creuset" you'll find some interesting reading. Not the first time the question has come up.

I've used a Lodge for years and it's ok. Like daveb said, it does tend to scorch on the bottom.

Just make sure that whatever you pick, the interior enamel is light colored. otherwise it gets difficult to check how your fond is doing.

Also, it is possible to purchase the oven safe metal handles from LC that can screw into other brands that might make a decent pot, but come with cheap plastic handles.

I love my LC but got it at a serious discount from an LC outlet. I have a relative that has a martha Stewart dutch oven which I've used to make a bolognese and a braised chicken dish - worked just fine, to be honest.

I say go LC or Staub if you can find a good deal, and lodge or even a celeb brand if you can find one with a light colored interior and a replacement handle if necessary.

I have Staub and they actually confirm that the glazing is lead/cadmium free, this is important for me but others may not care. I like the matte black personally and the option of the accessory handles. Staub is now part of the Henckles group so it goes well with my Demeyere Atlantis/ProLine and other Zwilling products. If it's good enough for Paul Bocuse it's good enough for me

i'm a fan of vintage copco or dansk enamel cast iron dutch ovens. You can often times get really good deals on ebay.

I have a LeCreuset dutch oven that had a 50 cent size chunk of the enamel in the center of the bottom come off for some reason. No idea why, one day it was there and the next it was gone. I contacted the company about their warranty and was given a very hostile reply. They wanted the original sales receipt (it was a gift) and the oven sent back to them for inspection to see if it was defective but they made it pretty plain they were going to call any damage "abuse of the product." Never sent it back as it didn't seem worth the postage on that much weight. I would stick with Lodge myself.

I can get the 5.5 quarts for $190 right now, LC... What do you think?

Like white on rice.

like stink on poop!


my brother is not a fan of martha stewart. so naturally i sought out her enamel dutch oven and gifted it to him. his stew kung-fu has vastly improved. i looked in on the pot, and despite some abuse, it is still wonderful in condition.

my LC looks bad..really bad. baking bread is not friendly to the creamy white interior..but the bright side? i now dont give a crap about it visually. it is my deep fry pot and bread baker!!

(deep fry can make the outside look like ass as well)

I picked up an 8 quart oval LC at Costco about five years ago at Costco. I replaced the knob on the lid with a SS version (Amazon) for baking bread, No real issues although I do use parchment. I just scrub it with BKF and a scotch brite. Mine has plenty of surface scratches etc so it's not pretty but not fugly either.
I can't imagine being with out either a LC or Staub Dutch oven. Mine gets a lot of use.

Dave

Duckfat said:

I picked up an 8 quart oval LC at Costco about five years ago at Costco. I replaced the knob on the lid with a SS version (Amazon) for baking bread, No real issues although I do use parchment. I just scrub it with BKF and a scotch brite. Mine has plenty of surface scratches etc so it's not pretty but not fugly either.
I can't imagine being with out either a LC or Staub Dutch oven. Mine gets a lot of use.

Dave

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Would you go with the 8 over the 5.5? I guess bigger doesn't hurt, right?

Both. Of course. And you need at least one oval....

When I bought mine I really wanted the 5.5 round. Costco had the 8 qt oval for $160 so it was a no brainer. Now I really like the oval and yes the extra size is nice when making stew, Jambalaya etc. There's just more cooking surface but of course it's heavier and takes more storage space. I wouldn't turn down either one and as the others said if you are not set on a color you can get some great deals if you are patient.

Dave

my 5.5 is on the border of being too small.

and i only really cook for my wife and i. but if i am going to go to all the effort of a braised dish, i like to make a lot. i'd argue that the leftovers are better anyways.

i do a turkey drumstick mole braise that uses up the real estate in the pot quick. i've learned to get pretty creative by "shingling" the food. one size bigger would be very useful for me. not so sure i would need an oval.

I have one oval Staub (think it's 6-7qt) which is nice for larger whole chickens or other things which have some length to them, when I use a round (4.5qt?) one it can be a tad too short in terms of length. I picked up a 13+qt round one on sale and have yet to use that beast, but am trying to think of an excuse to do so, it's almost too big.

Update: I bought a 9 quart, top of the line LC (with the wide angles and heat proof knob up to 500F)... It is yellow, but who cares?! Paid about $230 for it... That's AbOut 50% off retail, me thinks!

where did you get it that cheaply/

What's wrong with yellow? It's one of my favorites, along with blue, red, fire, etc. At least they don't call it marigold or goldenrod...

alterwisser said:

Update: I bought a 9 quart, top of the line LC (with the wide angles and heat proof knob up to 500F)... It is yellow, but who cares?! Paid about $230 for it... That's AbOut 50% off retail, me thinks!

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Was it a deal at Tuesday morning? Yellow is cool, food won't taste any different with a different color anyway.

gic said:

where did you get it that cheaply/

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Got it at a LC outlet in NJ. Was 40% off, got a coupon on top of that... Sweet deal!

daveb said:

What's wrong with yellow? It's one of my favorites, along with blue, red, fire, etc. At least they don't call it marigold or goldenrod...

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Nothing wrong! As long as it's not pink...

alterwisser said:

Got it at a LC outlet in NJ. Was 40% off, got a coupon on top of that... Sweet deal!

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I got mine super cheap at an LC outlet too - best deal ever

chiffonodd said:

I got mine super cheap at an LC outlet too - best deal ever

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Mine just got a "little brother" for free... Mom in law saw it, and was like "oh, I have a small one in Orange, never use it... Want it?"...

Hell yeah! Turns out my wife's cousin used to work for LC in Spain and took care of the family. Well, apparently not EVERYONE in the family LOL

:zombiegrave: I know but quick question. I just got my first LC and the knob is Phenolic(?)...the owners manual says it is good to 375f while online it says 485f. I want to use it to bake bread and the two I currently use for bread baking (Staub and Lodge) both have metal handles. Do I need to replace the handle? If I only saw the 485 I probably wouldn't worry about it, but figure the owners manual should be correct?

One other thing mentioned in the owners manual that was a bit confusing (other than me reading directions) was that it said to not heat it dry. While I know this on the stovetop it did not specify and I usually heat the dry pan in the oven as it comes up to temp...is this going to be a problem?

Cheers

Go to home depot and buy a cheap decorative cast iron handle with the same size screw, paying for the LC handle is a lot of $$ for nothing really..