These Dutch Ovens Are Just As Good As Le Creuset (and Much Cheaper)
I don’t know when this shift will happen, but I do know that it will happen to everyone at some point: that moment when you realize that some generic brands are just as good as the expensive brands. I don’t mean “counterfeit” products pretending to be others, made from lower quality materials – more like when you find out you can buy brand name ibuprofen instead of Advil. This is exactly what happened to me and my Le Creuset Dutch oven a few years ago.
A few Christmases ago, my parents asked me what I wanted for a gift. While I would never ask for a $500 Le Creuset Dutch Oven at full price, I did find myself on a phenomenal sale on a terrible color that some store was trying to get rid of. I sent them the link and looked forward to Christmas when I would finally fit in with the cool kids in the kitchen.
Leave it to my stepfather to buy me the most random Dutch oven. It was blue. There was no “Le Creuset” stamped on it – no name at all. There was an attempt to use the famous ombre color, but they obviously didn’t use the link I sent them. Classic. So I dragged my 16-pound cast-iron pot back to Brooklyn and stuffed it in a closet so I could forget about it.
About a year later we were all going through the hardships of lockdown and I went into the kitchen to bake some Irish soda bread. The recipe recommended a Dutch oven and I remembered what I had. Of course, it wasn’t Le Creuset, but I didn’t care about the little things anymore. I placed lovingly mixed soda bread in it and trusted the science and alchemy of baking. The loaf that came out of the cast iron kettle was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen or tasted – crispy and browned, fully risen and tender inside. It worked because a Dutch oven is a Dutch oven.
Dutch oven by any other name
You don’t need Le Creuset. You don’t know. If you have it, that’s great; they are very beautiful. However, if you’re interested in cooking and don’t have $500 on hand, there are many other quality, durable, and beautiful options.
A Le Creuset Dutch oven, stew pot, casserole dish, or whatever shape they make is just a piece of enameled cast iron cookware. The fact that it is made in France is about the only distinguishable detail that sets it apart from the many other high quality enameled cast iron kitchenware that can be purchased at a much more affordable price.
One such brand is Lodge . I’m a fan. Honestly, my Lodge cast iron skillet is probably the most durable cookware I own. It’s made in the USA, which already keeps the cost down, and their cast iron craftsmanship will last a long time if you care for it properly .
But you don’t even have to buy a Lodge Dutch oven (though it’s hard to beat the price). When you buy enameled cast iron cookware, after you find the right size and color, be sure to check the temperature specifications. Enameled cast iron cookware should be safe for frying and can withstand temperatures of 500°F or even higher without a lid. (Sometimes the handle on the lid can get as hot as 450-500°F, so check the details.) Here are a couple others that might fit well in your kitchen.
I threw everything from bread to stew to frying oil into my six-quart Dutch oven. It was a cocktail cooler for my Christmas parties and a place where I hid bread from the cats. This random unbranded dutch oven is the perfect kitchen tool and I’m ashamed of myself for caring about the brand name. In fact, if I got a Le Creuset, there’s a good chance I’d pamper it rather than throw it into the fire over and over again like I should with a Dutch oven. Brand name or not, a Dutch oven is an easy-to-clean kitchen workhorse that requires no seasoning. It is intended to be used.