Well, Mr. Tech’s birthday is a month away and that means it’s gift giving time again. I’ve decided to buy him a Le Creuset Dutch (French?) oven and a pair of shoes*. He’s wanted a Dutch oven for over a year now and the shoes are a gag gift, of sorts.
I think I know which Dutch oven I’m buying. I’ve spotted this 5 qt. oven over at Cooking.com and it qualifies for free shipping. There’s a 3.5 qt. one but it seems a little too small.
I need help with the shoes, though. I’ve got it narrowed down to three pair:
I like the last pair but hubby is enamored with contrast stitching these days. He wouldn’t dislike the last pair, though.
Since you guys help pick out the nicest gifts for Mr. Tech, your opinions are wanted and welcome.
*See, there was a thread in the Pit a few months back about a gal who purchased concert tickets for her beau but didn’t want to attend the concert. If I recall correctly, she caught some flack from her beau’s sister about not accompanying him to the concert. The poster said the sister was a bad gift-giver because she bought him a pair of shoes.
When I was telling my husband about the thread and I got to the part about the shoes (and how I thought shoes would make a very nice gift), he said, “That sounds like something you would do. No one wants shoes for their birthday, Nita.”
Now I distinctly remember buying a pair of shoes as a gift for Mr. Tech one year but I confess it may not have been for his birthday. For the life of me I cannot recall what the occasion was. Either way, because it’s ‘something I would do’ (hrumph), he’s getting shoes, dammit.
Isn’t there a “different” Dutch oven that involves blankets, farts, and physical detention??? Someone here correct me if I’m wrong. Lieu? Lieu? You out there?
JT, unless hubby is making a whole mess of baked beans at one time, you’ll really want to consider the smaller 3.5 quart oval Dutch oven. The small oval also has the virtue of holding one whole boiling chicken to perfection. Only the very largest of hens will prang up the lid. The beauty of such a precise fit is that you do not have to use a lot of liquid to surround the bird. This provides you with a short preparation time and leaves a fairly concentrated stock when the cooking is over. Likewise for baking the beans. A smaller pot’s reduced surface area means the beans lose less moisture and flavor during the cooking cycle.
Mind you, if your man also likes to do all sorts of other cooking, the 5 quart model is the bee’s knees. Its capacity permits large stews, pastas and volumes of rice to be prepared with ease. The five quart is a little awkward to handle and a brute for lesser beings to lift, but if you’re only going to have one pot around, it’s the one. Knowing what an insufferable food snob you are (and I mean that in a good way), something tells me this isn’t going to be the only Le Creuset pot you’ll have in the house. The ovals are a little easier to maneuver on the stovetop and in the oven. You’ll have to decide what’s best.
More than anything, you always want to check for Le Creuset on eBay first. There is a uranium orange round 7 quart pot with a “buy it now” price of $156.[sup]99[/sup]. Check the link and monitor the site for all sorts of fantastic deals. I don’t know if you specifically collect in blue. If you do not, I recommend going for the uranium orange. It is the most commonly produced color and therefore the easiest to find in outlets, thrift shops and other out of box sales. Please let me know what your constraints are and I’ll be glad to assist you in saving a whole lot of money.
There’s a round blue 7 quart Dutch oven on that linked page with a “buy it now” price of only $105.[sup]00[/sup]! Dive on that one like a live grenade!
JuanitaTech, if you’re cheap like I am, why not scope out stores such as Marshall’s, Ross Dress for Less, TJMaxx, etc. Those stores all have home ware departments and I see Le Creuset pots there all the time. Many of them are seconds, for sure, but a few don’t look like there is anything wrong. The prices tend to run around $50.00-$60.00 for a large pot.
Zenster, thanks so much for the info! The 3.5 quart looked a little small and, as of late, I really don’t have time to go to a store and see one in person. If you think a whole chicken will fit in a 3.5 quart Dutch oven, maybe I’ll consider that for our first one and get the 5 quart later.
The 7 quart is really too much, I think. Yes, the price is fantabulous, but we’d probably never use it.
medstar, I’m still kicking myself for not buying the $70 (!!!) Le Creuset I saw in Marshalls this past winter. As I mentioned earlier, I have no time these days to do brick and mortar shopping especially if they’re not guaranteed to have it. I wonder if I can call Marshalls/Ross/T J Maxx and ask if they have any in stock…
Velma, the more I look at the third pair the more I like them. I’m seriously leaning towards them.
Kalhoun, I get tortured like that way too much. I was blissfully unaware there was a name for it until now.
if you’re talking Dutch oven, i personally would tend to recommend the 5 qt version. heck, maybe the 7 qt wouldn’t be out of line.
one of the wedding gifts we got was an pretty enameled pot/Dutch oven. i don’t recall the exact size, but at the time i know i thought, “well, it’s pretty, but it’s HUUUGE! i’m never going to use something like this.”
that was before i started cooking things like corned beef and cabbage, or pre-boiling a whole mess of spareribs before roasting. (or my one abortive attempt at soaking/cooking a genuine Virginia ham.) i’m now firmly convinced that every kitchen should have at least one REALLY BIG POT.
ahh. you probably have a much better equipped kitchen than mine, then. (although i did manage to score one of those speckled-enamel lobster pots when the in-laws were clearing out stuff prior to retirement.)
if that’s the case, then i’d consider the style of cooking you guys normally do. if you’re into Big Batches, there ya go.
FWIW, though, it seems like most recipes that actually call for using a Dutch oven are ones that deal with large items/high volume. YMMV, of course. (i’ve never been accused of actual gourmet cooking.)
