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Dutch Ovens

This morning, for some reason, while working in the garden, I kept thinking about Dutch Oven cooking.  I have a cast iron Dutch Oven but lately everything I’ve cooked in it has a metallic taste.  I’ve re-seasoned it twice.  My guess is that while Chad was home and cooking, he used soap in it or scrubbed it or more likely . . left it sitting in sink of dirty dishwater overnight.  I think I’m going to take it to my dad and let him fix it.  He can always make cast iron work!

I love slow cooking in the oven and try as I might, I cannot love the crockpot.  The stove here is propane and our propane bill is so low  and our house is so small and so easy to cool, that I don’t mind using the oven for several hours.  In fact, we were looking back at electric bills and this same time last year, we paid over $300 in MO and here, our bill was less than $100.  Along with propane, we’re paying a total of maybe $130 per month here (combined electricity and propane) and that includes cooling the sewing room.  Not bad, huh?  Thank goodness we’re not paying for water!

With the seasoning issues and not being able to use tomatoes in the cast iron pot, I decided to order one of the pretty, colored, enamel coated Dutch Ovens.  I researched  and read blogs and read reviews and called three companies – LeCreuset, Cuisinart and Lodge.  Why am I struggling so much with this decision?

The Le Creuset pots are just outrageously expensive in my book.  Maybe they’re the best but how much better can they be?  I can buy Lodge for less than $60 and the same size Le Creuset is over $300.  I know how things go in my kitchen and there’s a better than average chance that a pot or the lid will get dropped . . on tile floor. 

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For me, it doesn’t matter so much about the cost.  I’m willing to pay $300 for a pot if it’s 5 times better than a $60 pot but if not . . I’m not doing it.  About 20 or 25  years ago I decided I had to have the Calphalon professional pots that the local kitchen store was pushing.  The pots and pans were sold individually and were terribly expensive.  Over a period of a few years, I got just about every piece they sold.  Then when living in Kentucky and we ended up with a house in town and a house in the country, I wanted an inexpensive set of pots for the house in town.  I figured I’d use them rarely and get rid of them when we moved. 

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We bought this set of Farberware . . I think we paid about $80 for the entire set . . way, way less than I paid for one of the Calphalon pots.  That was in 2006 and those are the only pots I currently have in my kitchen.  I still have the Calphalon but they’re packed, in boxes, somewhere . . probably never to be used again. 

I have used cheap pots and I don’t like them but these Farberware pots are heavy, and they heat evenly.  I love them!  What I’m saying is – if inexpensive does the job, I’m happy with inexpensive.

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So, I pretty much ruled out the Le Creuset simply because of the cost.  I have a few of their pieces and they’re great but they’re not any greater than any other similar pieces I have.

That left Lodge and Cuisinart . . both of which are made in China.  I decided I wouldn’t get those because of that but after talking to the Lodge folks, who assure me that there are numerous tests done on the pots to be sure they’re safe and the quality meets their standards, I went ahead and ordered the 3 quart and 6 quart Dutch Ovens. 

I love the blue and I’m thinking when I get other pieces, I might get red and then I’ll have some patriotic pots!  Smile

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. “Lodge” are the only ones I have (enamel and not). Have not had any issues with any type of metallic taste in any of the plain cast iron pots/pans. Love them all….bake, fry and cook beautifully!

    • TJMAXX always has LaCrueset pieces, very “cheap”, and I have gotten mine there….no problems with them.

  2. I have the lodge enameled and love them.. just did a roast in mine yesterday. I don’t have any issues with using the oven in the summer either. Not terribly fond of slow cookers either.

  3. I also thought I had to have Calphalon and got a set about twenty years ago. Over time, I find I use my old Farberware the most. The Calphalon is too heavy. Which is the same reason I haven’t bought any of the pretty cast iron dutch ovens that I love to look at. If it’s too heavy, I probably won’t use it.

  4. the only thing I use my slow cooker for is taking dishes away from home that need to keep warm 🙂 I’d love a Dutch oven or two, enamel would be fab! Let us know how you like them!

  5. I have a yellow cast iron enamel my mom gifted me with several years ago. She was into ordering from QVC so I’m pretty sure it’s where she got it. LOVE IT!

    On another subject, didn’t you buy a new vacuum a while back? What kind and do you love it/like it/hate it.

  7. ! snoop the QVC site, they had some on the sunday cooking show awhile back,
    They didnt look to bad to me.

  8. I received a set of Faberware 38 years ago as a shower present & still using them to this day.

  9. I do like LeCreuset because they have such an incredibly slick surface which makes these pots so easy to clean. Worth the money in my view!
    Leslie

    • I have a very small Lodge enamel pot and it wipes clean too. That’s very important but even if it didn’t, I doubt I’d pay an extra $250 just to have a pot that wipes clean when I wash them anyway. Maybe I’m just cheap! : (

  10. My stepmom and dad are antique dealers, and she told me they will soak cast iron in submerged white vinegar over night to clean them and remove rust. I bet it would remove “tastes” also. I bought a knockoff dutch oven too, and I love it! My friend gets all her le cruset on craigslist and ebay.

    • Thanks for that tip. I may try that before taking it to my dad. It will probably have to be re-seasoned again but it’s definitely worth a try.

  11. My Faberware set has been in almost daily use for 50 years! One pot is slightly dented on the side and its handle has to be tightened every now and then, but it’s still a great pot!

    My only cast iron Dutch oven has 3 legs and is used only when camping! I own several Dutch oven cookbooks with recipes for cooking “in the field.”

  12. Judy, I have the Lodge dutch oven in blue. It has chipped so many times that I’m sure I will have to ditch it in a few years. I have several pieces of Le Creuset that I picked up in yard sales. I do know how to care for enamel ware. Lodge has been a disappointment. Especially since their factory is just 30 miles away.

    • Thanks! I’ll wee how it holds up. It’s too bad they don’t make the enamel coated pots at the TN plant!

  13. I got one of those enamel coated cast iron Dutch ovens back during the no-knead artisan bread craze…remember that?? I was all gung-ho. 🙂 So far I’ve made a batch of Date Ball no-bake cookies in it. 🙁 I DO know I didn’t pay $300 for it, maybe $40-60. I seem to remember it was on sale at the time. You’re right, pricier isn’t always better, and I wonder if those folks who always pay top dollar are REALLY that much happier knowing they paid so much?? Some things may be status symbols, but what do they actually symbolize??

  14. Last Christmas I decided I needed to have one of these pots; however, I refused to pay the price for LeCreuset. Martha Stewart has enamel covered dutch ovens at Macy’s. I got mine on sale and use it all the time.

  15. I love my Le Creuset pots. My favorite thing about them is nothing is ever hard to get out of them. No matter how much it looks like you are going to have to scrub them, they just wash clean. My husband buys me one for Christmas so one at a time is not too bad. If you watch sur la table, they put them on sale.

  16. I landed my best yard sale find of all times four or five years ago. I got a 5 quart Creuset and 1.5 quart Creuset dutch ovens at a family estate yard sale for $ 15 each.. When I asked for a little off the smaller one, the daughter said no way and looked liked she was going to take them back! I happily handed her $ 30 and have used them for everything ever since! it would hurt to pay regular price, but now I love them, I am in trouble if I want another !!

  17. We got a red enameled dutch oven at Wal-Mart several years ago and it’s my favorite pot to use. I think it was only $30 and I have no complaints. It was also recommended by Cooks Illustrated.

  18. Got one from QVC a few years ago for about $50. Love it! I,too, couldn’t see paying $300 for one pot, no matter what the brand is.

  19. I’ve had my Lodge for over 4 years and found it works well. The only thing I noticed is that the white stains. I probably could clean it but I don’t bother. I don’t know if the Le Creuset stains as well.

  20. Judy, I’ll have to share a funny story with you. Years ago Sur La Table, back when it was only in Seattle, had a special on a 3 1/2 qt oval Le Creuset Dutch oven so I ordered one for my mom and one for me. When I gave Mom hers, Dad looked at it and asked her what she’d cook in it. She told him, “Your goose, if you don’t behave!” So ever since, our family calls that pot “The Goose Pot.” My husband even calls ours that and says it’s time for a “Goose Pot” referring to his favorite meat and vegetable meal. My other enameled one is a 6- qt (in gorgeous claret) from Costco ($60) and I love them both.

  21. I have a blue kitchen-aide enamel cast iron and i love it. i make beef stew and roast beef in it mainly. I will never cook another roast in anything but my cast iron. sorry, i don’t remember what i paid, but i did buy it online and it had to have been under $100.

  22. My 5 qt. came from HEB for about $30. Been doing a great job for a few years now. I got a set of LeCreuset for a wedding gift 50 years ago. Sadly I ruined nearly all the pieces or it might still be going strong.

  23. I have two lodges…one red and one blue and love them. One hint I learned, the handle reportedly doesn’t do very well in the the oven so I replaced one of the handles with one ordered from amazon as a replacement for a Le Creuset, needed a bit longer screw to attach it, but works very well. I agree that the inside has darkened a bit, sort of cream colored. You will enjoy your pans!

    • I think that Lodge has changed out the handles, because I got mine about 10 months ago and it has a metal handle just like LeCreuset, not the older black handle.

  24. Giada deLaurentiis for Target also has a dutch oven that rivals Le Creuset. I waited for a sale and got mine for $20 or so. Very heavy, very nice.

  25. Judy, are you sure that the Lodge pots are made in China? Like Toni in TN said the factory is just south of Chattanooga, TN in a town called South Pittsburgh, TN. It’s up the road a piece from me.
    I use a Dutch Oven by Cooks Club. My Uncle gave it to me for a wedding present close to 30 years ago. I love it, use it all the time. I have another one that I bought on sale at Wally World. I don’t know the brand offhand, but it is a good pot too. Any name brand stuff I have, I bought on sale. Tuesday Morning is a good place to look for sale items too.

    • Their enamel coated pots are made in China. If you read their website, it states that and I called them and talked to them about it and they confirmed it.

  26. I have the Lodge 5.7 qt in blue and LOVE it! I agree, the white gets a little stained but it doesn’t bother me. I tend to use this a lot now that I have it. I think we have had it for about 3 years now and I use it once or twice a week easily. I think my hubby somehow got it on a closeout at Amazon for $39. Enjoy.

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