I’m about to buy an enameled Dutch oven; probably a Lodge or Le Creuset, but open to suggestions. And I’ve been looking at the round 6 quart versions and haven’t considered the oval. With a small kitchen we really can only have one of these. Can anyone make the case for an oval Dutch oven rather than a round one?
This article suggests that a round 6 quart is the right one for me but I’d love to hear other opinions.
And in this time of staying at home and cooking a lot, recipe suggestions are welcome.
Oval fits better in my refrigerator. But really, it’s just that in my family soup has been made in an oval pot for my entire life. When I got a family, I got an oval pot to make soup in.
IME, oval will allow you to cook a more elongated dish like a whole bird, than will round. I haven’t cooked coq au vin in awhile though, and usually just roast all of my chickens. (Per Cook’s Illustrated’s recipe.)
Get bigger than you think you’ll need. Currently, we’re at an 11 inch Staub round Dutch oven, (9Q) and sometimes I have wanted bigger. Leftovers freeze or refrigerate really well. We’ve picked up our Staub pieces at places like TJ Maxx and the odd thrift store. Williams Sonoma Outlet is great for those too when they’re on sale, and if you’re near one of the few Outlets in the US. Worth the slog to San Marcos from Houston for us. LOL at paying the prices they want for Staub at full retail.
My heirloom is an oval, maybe 7 or 8 quarts, but not far off round. I’ve seen larger ones that are very ovate, maybe 6 inches wider than front to back, but I don’t see how it matters for something just a little off round. I have no idea how old this thing is, haven’t used it in years, but it seems solid. Even the lid which seems flimsy has survived. I suspect this thing is at least 75 years old.
We’ve got a deep oval Staub. The most frequently used pan that we own. Excellent for everything from baking an oblong loaf of bread, soups, stews, even long style pastas drop right in.
Whichever shape you get, read the warranty. We finally bit the bullet and got Le Creuset. We’ve had other brands like Tramontina and Martha Stewart…nope. The problem is chipping. As time goes by, once you get a chip, it’s done. Flakes of that vitreous enamel can get into your food and they can’t be safely repaired. Somehow, they all chip. Le Creuset is expensive but has a limited lifetime warranty, so there you go.
I prefer round, because I get better uniform heating when using it on the stovetop, and I like round loaves of bread. But as others have noted, ovals have other advantages, so it really depends on how you will use it and your general preferences.
Agreed with a few caveats. I have an 8-quart, and it’s too big for bread. My high-hydration loaves have too much room to spread out. And bigger is generally better for stews and roasts, until you need to fit it in the fridge.
I’ll say this… while Le Creuset, Emile Henry and Staub are great, I don’t think it’s necessary to spend that much on an enameled cast iron dutch oven to get a perfectly serviceable one.
The most common advantage mentioned online is that the LC has better quality enamel than the Lodge or other less expensive brands. I generally like to buy quality and keep it for a while, but I suspect the difference in cooking and longevity will between these two will be rather small.
As lobotomyboy63 said, cheaper ones have a tendency to chip, or they have uneven heating and hot spots. There isn’t a perfect correlation to price, but it’s true more often than not.
The cheaper one you linked to above is a weird case. It’s branded as Lodge, which is an excellent Dutch oven that will last a long time. But this particular one is “made in China to Lodge specifications,” while true Lodge cookware is made in the USA. Maybe the quality is exactly the same, maybe it isn’t.
I’ve never baked bread in a Dutch oven before. Never knew you could. Sounds delicious.
The big ones are a cast-iron bi*#h to put in the fridge, that’s true. I generally decant leftovers into some storage ware before refrigerating. There never seemed to be enough chili with the smaller ovens, and it was tough to render a pork shoulder in the small ones too. Need to do that again soon. Despite the heat beginning to show up here.
That’s what I was going to say. I use mine on the stovetop more than in the oven. It’s great for cooking chicken or pork chops because the high sides reduce splatter. I cook all my soups/chili/stews in the dutch oven on the stove now.
Whatever you buy, Williams-Sonoma has Le Creuset on sale at 20% off, with free shipping. First time ever for that. I seized the opportunity and bought a 5-1/2 quart round pot for my son. Mine has lasted about 15 years at this point.
For all the searching we did (which was a lot!) I was sold on Staub, Le Crueset or a Lodge until I found Lava. Half the cost and we’ve been using it pretty much continuously since we got it. I say, if you have the money, get a round and an oval. Best of both worlds. We opted for the 7 Qt round and my only regret is that we didn’t buy two of these ten years ago! Bread is phenomenal, stews and soups taste better and our goulashes are to die for.
Similar to what lb63 wrote, Staub’s still cast at their foundry in Merville, France. Per the Staub website (now part of the Zwilling empire), and per this blogger who visited their factory. Maybe it recently changed though? Wouldn’t surprise me.
They are stupid expensive though. And I don’t recommend their grill pans at all, having managed to crack two through normal use.