Dutch Ovens

Enamelled cast iron at a fifth of what the French houses charge for the same object, and the iron underneath is the same iron Lodge has poured in Tennessee since 1896. The enamel is the wear part: chip it and the pot still works, which is not true of a non-stick coating.

• Enamelled cast iron, no seasoning needed
• 6 quart, bread and braising size
• Moisture-sealing lid
• Oven safe to 500F
• Made by a foundry working since 1896

Enamelled cast iron made in France, in a matte black interior enamel rather than the pale glossy kind, which is the practical difference between Staub and the alternative: a dark textured interior browns better and does not show every mark. The lid is deliberately heavy so the moisture that rises falls back, and the whole thing is oven safe to 500F with nothing on it to peel.

• Enamelled cast iron, made in France
• Matte black interior enamel, browns well
• Heavy lid returns moisture to the pot
• Oven safe to 500F
• Smooth base works on induction

The same seven quarts with a wire bail instead of side lugs, so it hangs over a fire or lifts out of an oven with a hook. Lodge has been casting iron in Tennessee since 1896, and a pot meant to hang over a fire is the shape that has changed least in all that time.

• Wire bail handle, hangs over a fire
• 7 quarts, seasoned cast iron
• Flat lid takes coals
• Made in Tennessee

The camp version differs from the kitchen Dutch oven in two ways that matter: three legs that stand it above coals, and a flanged lid that holds coals on top so heat comes from both directions. It works on a hob and in an oven as well, so the legs cost you nothing indoors, and at 8 quarts it is the one to own if you cook for more than four.

• Three legs for cooking over coals
• Flanged lid holds coals on top
• 8 quart, feeds a crowd
• Pre-seasoned, made in the USA
• Works indoors on a hob or in an oven

Two pans that happen to nest: a 3.2 quart deep pot whose lid is a full 10.25 inch skillet. The combination is why bread bakers buy it, since the lidded pot traps steam the way a much more expensive Dutch oven does, and the lid still works as a everyday frying pan the rest of the week.

• Deep pot plus a 10.25 inch skillet lid
• Traps steam for no-knead bread
• Pre-seasoned, made in the USA
• Oven safe, induction compatible

The same generational cast iron story as the skillet, in a vessel that handles soups, stews, braises, and artisan bread baking. It does most of what an enameled French oven does at a fraction of the price, and the bare cast iron, unlike enamel, can be fully re-seasoned if ever damaged.

• 5 quart / fits a whole chicken
• Works on all heat sources
• Oven safe to 500°F
• Tight-fitting lid retains moisture
• Made in the USA

Cast iron under a fused enamel coat, with no coating to wear through and no handle to work loose: the loops are cast with the body. Le Creuset backs its enameled cast iron with a lifetime warranty, and the pot goes from hob to oven to table for decades.

• 5.5 quart, enameled cast iron
• Cast-in loop handles, nothing to loosen
• Hob, oven and table
• Le Creuset lifetime warranty on enameled cast iron