In our 2015 tests, the Staub pot with a nubby lid did retain more moisture while braising (though this may also be the result of a tighter-fitting lid), but we preferred the more condensed stews we made in ovens that actually let out more liquid. Tramontina Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven, 2-pack Enameled Cast Iron But for home cooks who want the absolute best pot, this oven’s durability and generous lifetime warranty may be worth it. The Martha Stewart Collection Enameled Cast Iron Round 6-Qt. Ray Aguilera, who wrote the original version of this guide, has professionally reviewed a wide range of products since 2006, in addition to being an avid cook and home brewer. The company also makes unique pots in whimsical shapes, like hearts, but we don’t recommend those from a practical standpoint. In our 2015 testing, they all browned onions nicely, too, and in our 2020 tests, they made similarly toothsome loaves of bread. Both of these are selling in the same price range. A Dutch oven is a kitchen workhorse—it’s the one pot that can turn out savory soups and stews, braise meats until they’re fall-apart tender, and even bake crusty bread. During her time here, she has reported on various topics including sports bras, board games, and light bulbs. A Dutch oven, by its dictionary definition, is simply “a large, heavy cooking pot with a lid.” You can find ones made from ceramic, aluminum, enameled steel, or bare cast iron, but we focused solely on enameled cast-iron Dutch ovens because they’re durable and ideally suited to low and slow cooking. The interior is still free of any major scratches, and the enamel finish has no cracks or chips. Dear Wirecutter: Dutch-Oven Fears and Gear for the Zombiepocalypse, Everything You Need to Start Baking Bread, Pro Kitchen Tools to Level Up Your Home Cooking. It has a durable coating, is the ideal size for most recipes, and has the roomiest handles of all the Dutch ovens we tested. Induction Ready We’ve used these ovens for years in our test kitchen, and the enamel hasn’t discolored or flaked. Sign up and receive 10% off your first purchase. Metal tools can scratch the surface. Similarly, we don’t recommend using metal scrapers or steel wool to clean these pots. This site uses cookies to give you the best online experience. We’ve seen complaints from Amazon reviewers, our readers, and a few Wirecutter staff members that the Lodge’s enamel chips easily. (If you need something bigger, Lodge offers models up to 7½ quarts, and Le Creuset goes all the way up to a 13¼-quart oven, which serves 10 people.). As we cooked with each oven, we evaluated how cumbersome they were to lift when full. The brand is beloved by professional and home cooks alike, and in our experience these pots can last for decades. We wanted to test how well each oven distributed heat, how easy each was to pick up and move around, how simple each one was to clean, and whether the lid allowed for enough evaporation to make a condensed stew or braising liquid. Its outer enamel coating chipped after just four hand-washings, and the inner enamel coating was also pitted and bumpy, which can lead to uneven cooking. We considered the AmazonBasics Enameled Cast Iron Covered Dutch Oven, but reviewers complained that the enamel chips and is uneven. Putting a hot pot in a sink of cold water can lead to damage from thermal shock: The rapid contraction of the cooling cast iron can warp or crack the pot or cause pieces of the enamel coating to pop off. With design details like roomy handles and a wide cooking area, it stands out from the other ovens we tested. For the best value in a Dutch oven, get the Lodge 6-Quart Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven. If you’re looking for the incredible heat distribution … The base is an inch smaller than that on Le Creuset’s oven, so you have a little less room to brown meat if you’re cooking in large batches. It produced the best stew of all of the ovens we tested, with a more condensed broth. She also read up on the science of cookware, consulting Cooking For Engineers and Cooking Issues. Even though oval ovens are fairly common, we primarily stuck to testing round models, which fit better over a standard stove-top burner (we did test one oval model, because it was the sole Dutch oven offering from cookware company Great Jones). Le Creuset’s oven is expensive, and if you get it, you’ll be investing in longevity. In our tests we didn’t find that it cooked that much better than the Lodge, but in our experience its enamel has far more staying power. It’s less convenient for browning and too small to sear larger cuts of meat. We looked for squatter, wider pots because their shorter walls allow more steam to escape than those of taller, deeper pots, making it easier to brown meat for stews or chili. We also measured how much weight each stew lost after cooking, which indicated how much liquid evaporated. Compared with other ovens, the Tramontina 6.5-Quart Covered Round Dutch Oven is narrower and taller. In the Tramontina vs Lodge Dutch oven comparison, where the former loses out is its taller shape in the 5.5 to 6.5-quart category. Wirecutter is reader-supported. Le Creuset makes ovens in a wider range of sizes and colors than Lodge. A few manufacturers—such as Staub—put bumps or ridges on the underside of their lids, which supposedly enable evaporated moisture to drip back into the pot to baste whatever’s inside. Costco Concierge Services | Technical SupportFree technical support exclusive to Costco members for select electronics and consumer goods. Founded in 1911 in Brazil, Tramontina is an international brand with over 100 years of experience in manufacturing high-end housewares products. A whisk or spoon reaches easily into the Lodge’s rounded corners to prevent foods from getting stuck when you deglaze the pan. It will of course fit nicely on an oval burner, and it should also work fine on a large round burner for something like a braise, which you start on the stove and finish in the oven. The 5½-quart Milo Classic Dutch Oven is relatively inexpensive, but it was of lower quality than our picks. Making stew involves sautéing, searing, deglazing, and braising, and the nearly three-hour total cook time gave a good real-world look at how difficult each oven is to clean after longer cooking sessions. Includes: 4 quart dutch oven with lid; 7 quart dutch oven … Payment Methods: Credit Card, Debit Card, Gift Card.