Pros
- Lid handle stays cool to touch when heated on stove/in oven
- Relatively affordable for a higher-quality Dutch oven
- Heated very evenly and oil didn’t slope to one side of the pot
Cons
- Heavier than other Dutch ovens for its size
It's worth the hype: It looks nice as a serving vessel, cooks evenly, and has a lifetime warranty.
Pros
- Light-colored interior helps see what color food is turning
- Lid handle stays cool to touch when heated on stove/in oven
- Available in wide range of colors/sizes
Cons
- More than double the price of most other Dutch ovens
If you have the money to spend, go Le Creuset or go home—it'll last forever.
Pros
- Brand is extremely dedicated to customer service
- Comes with a lifetime warranty
- Oven-safe up to 500ºF and dishwasher-friendly
Cons
- Only available in white or black and in two sizes
It’s basically a slightly less technically perfect version of a Le Creuset for a fraction of the price.
Pros
- All-black interior means it shows barely any wear and tear
- Made of pre-seasoned cast iron
- Sears very nicely
Cons
- Requires seasoning with oil after each use
While slightly hard to clean, this lightweight pot is oven-safe and cooks well.
Pros
- Grooved “self-basting” lid
- Pot is oven-safe up to 900° F, higher than most
- Comes with a lifetime warranty
Cons
- Oil slopes a bit to one side of pot, as with all round Dutch ovens
If you're looking for a heritage brand that's truly always on sale, Staub is the best bet.
Whether your grandmother handed down her 50-year-old Le Creuset to you or you've had your eye on Great Jones's limited-edition millennial pink "Dutchess," odds are if you enjoy cooking, you're familiar with Dutch ovens.
But...do you know what it is? Officially, a Dutch oven is a heavy-bottomed and -walled seasoned cast iron pot with a tight-fitting lid meant to withstand high heat on the stove or in the oven. You've probably seen colorful, shiny pots with a smooth, light-colored interiors in picture-heavy recipes; technically speaking, this is a type of Dutch oven known as a French oven, but the two are pretty much synonymous when it comes to oven or stovetop braises, stews, and roasts.
We tested nine of these cookers—both centuries-old brands and ones that have barely been around for a year, the several hundred dollar ones and the $50-dollar ones—to see which are worth your investment and which should be left on the shelf. Factoring in size, shape, weight, price, cooking tests, and care, here are our top recommendations.
Great Jones “The Dutchess"
Though the brand just launched in 2018, Great Jones (founded by a food writer and a startup veteran) has made major waves on the Dutch oven market with their "Dutchess" pot. It's oval cocotte that comes in a number of striking colors, known to sear meat well and stand up to a super-hot oven. Plus, it looks great on the table as a serving vessel.
At $145, the almost 7-quart Dutch oven is one of the more affordable pots for its size and quality. Great Jones is committed to great customer service, with a lifetime warranty for the Dutchess and a weekly texting hotline to answer any and all cooking questions. The Dutch oven is definitely on the larger side, which is perfect for mixing up a double-batch of your favorite stew or roasting a whole chicken, but if you have limited storage space you’ll want to keep that in mind.
Size tested: 6.75 quart; Weight: 15 pounds
Le Creuset Round Dutch Oven
Your grandmother still has her 50-year-old Le Creuset Dutch oven for a reason: It's able to withstand years (and years and years) of use with little to no visible wear and tear. If you’re going to spend several hundred dollars on a pot, this is the one to buy.
Available in dozens of colors and 9 sizes, the handmade Le Creuset round dutch oven sears meat well and goes seamlessly from the stove to the oven to the table. These ones are expensive ($350 for the 5.5-quart pot and up to $560 for the 13.25 quart one) but considering the fact that they'll literally last forever, if you have the cash, go Le Creuset or go home.
Size tested: 7.25 quart; Weight: 15 pounds
Lodge Blacklock Dutch Oven
Not too heavy and all cast-iron, the Lodge Blacklock is the little black dress of Dutch ovens. And if you can get it on sale (at the time of publication, it was slashed to $96 on Lodge’s website) it’s a really great deal—though at $150, full price won’t necessarily break the bank either.
If well-oiled after each use like your favorite cast-iron skillet, it’ll show zero wear and tear. The only slight downside? The all-black interior makes it a bit difficult to tell if something is close to burning.
Size tested: 5.5 quart; Weight: 11 pounds
Milo Classic Dutch Oven
Opting for a Milo Dutch oven is like shopping for clothes at a sample sale instead of settling with full-price couture. The ovens, which entered the market in 2018, are over two (or three) times cheaper than comparable sizes of the heritage brands, but you can’t tell by looking at their looks or how they cook.
The pot, which comes in black or white enameled cast iron in two different sizes, is built to look almost exactly like a Staub or Le Creuset and has a lifetime guarantee. The pots show a little more wear on the interior after months of use, but this doesn’t impede with the cooking process. Even though Milo execs consider the brand a direct competitor with the higher-end companies, they're still extremely dedicated to customer service.
Size tested: 5.5 quart; Weight: 10.5 pounds
Staub Cast-Iron Round Cocotte
Easy to clean, shiny, French—Staub’s cast iron cocotte is a chic kitchen workhorse. The handmade Dutch ovens sear meat well and are a dream for oven braises (the “self-basting” lid is grooved, which encourages condensation to drop into the pot to keep food from drying out or burning).
Oven-safe up to 900º, you can truly heat up anything in a Staub. Its custom, all-black matte enamel coating makes staining nearly impossible, too. The pots can be quite expensive, but they're regularly on sale through multiple retailers including Z Willing.
Size tested: 4 quart; Weight: 10.14 pounds
