Dutch ovens are ideal for making soups and stew because of their ability to retain heat. A heavy cast iron pot with or without an enamel coating, plus handles and a lid, is what they are. The wide price range for Dutch ovens may surprise you.
The gold standard for Dutch ovens is Le Creuset. The most useful size for home cooks is a 5 1/2 quart pot, and it costs $360 for it. The Lodge 6-quart cast iron Dutch oven, which sells for $60 on Amazon, is a great example of a more affordable option. Is they worth the higher price?
Le Creuset is a brand that has legacies.
Le Creuset is at the top of the line. Their gorgeous pots have graced the kitchens and dining tables of professional and home cooks for almost a century, and the reasons behind the brand's longevity go far beyond pretty packaging.
Le Creuset has remained relevant because of smart product design and clever marketing. They have built brand loyalty by creating a product that lasts for decades, having a generous warranty, and introducing new colors and products to maintain brand buzz. The pot's high price tag and distinctive shape have made it a status symbol, making it easy for consumers to find a Le Creuset Dutch oven in their kitchen.
Le Creuset has been making Dutch ovens in France for over a century. PETER FRANK EDWARDS.
If you ask someone at Le Creuset why their Dutch oven is the best, they will tell you that their cast iron products have been produced in the same French facility since 1925.
Christopher Scinto, vice president of marketing at Le Creuset, told HuffPost that production has never been contract manufactured. There are up to 15 pairs of hands that touch the product from beginning to end, which is quite significant in an industrial process. Le Creuset has a high degree of control over the production process because they own it.
Time to perfect their craft is something they think is a result of a long history in the industry. Over the course of nearly 100 years, design and manufacturing refinements have continuously improved the product. It has been designed for aesthetic, durability and superior performance.
The Dutch ovens of Le Creuset are said to have an additional edge due to better raw materials. There is a constant monitored process that is extremely rigorous performed by third- generation people who have worked in this factory, as well as PhDs, to ensure that the cast iron is of the highest quality.
Le Creuset tests its cast iron before it is poured into a mold to make sure it is just right, an extra step in quality control that may not take place in more speed-driven factories.
There are a number of factors that affect the Dutch oven category's prices.
Mary Rodgers, director of marketing communications for Cuisinart, explained that there are many factors that impact product pricing.
The materials and processes are similar, but some are manufactured in different countries with different labor rates or tariffs depending on the country of origin and possible weight of the product. There are economies of scale that come with a larger parent company. The final price of the product is affected by the volumes of products ordered and the ability to negotiate.
Dutch ovens are not always better.
Even if you can't afford a Dutch oven, there are plenty of affordable options that will get the job done. If you are ready to invest in a piece of cookware like Le Creuset, you can be confident that it will live up to the hype and receive top marks in product review tests.
Left to right: Le Creuset's round Dutch oven is $380, and the Chef's Classic enameled cast iron 7-quart Dutch oven is $69. The photo is of Cuisinart and Le Creuset.
America's Test Kitchen evaluated a number of Dutch ovens. The 11 pots ranged in price from $50 to more than $350 and were put through a number of tests, including cooking rice, braising beef, frying French fries, and simmering meatballs. Dutch ovens were rated on a number of factors, including the quality of the food they produced, how easy it was to use and clean, and their longevity.
The winner was Le Creuset's 7 1/4-quart Dutch oven, followed closely by Cuisinart's 7-quart Chef's Classic cast iron casserole. The Dutch oven of Le Creuset was large enough to distribute heat evenly without being too heavy, and it was easy to see the color of the food when cooking. The cheaper version had a similar shape to the pricier one, but its handles were small and it was less durable than Le Creuset.
Lodge's 6-quart Dutch oven ($60 on Amazon) won the test. It was found to perform on par with French-made pots six times the price. Large handles and a curved shape make it easier to take in and out of the oven. Le Creuset was recommended as an heirloom-quality product for those willing to spend a lot of money.
Pick what works best for you and your budget when buying a Dutch oven.
Frank Proto is the director of kitchen operations at the Institute of Culinary Education and he owns a number of Dutch ovens. He likes to use Dutch ovens with a good weight to them. When cooking acidic ingredients like tomatoes, cast iron pots without a coating on them can impart a metallic flavor to the food.
Proto has noticed that the cheaper Dutch ovens are not as heavy as the more expensive ones. He hasn't seen a huge difference in cooking performance and longevity.
Proto believes that consumers don't have to choose the most expensive option when buying a Dutch oven. He said that if it is cast iron or cast iron enamel, then it should be heavy. Make sure you take care of it, don't let it get rusty, and wash it properly.
The article was originally on HuffPost.
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