To Splurge or Not to Splurge: Dutch Ovens

by Elissa

Reader Sarah is in the market for an enameled cast iron Dutch oven and wants to know if the iconic ones from Le Creuset are worth the money.

This is a great question and one that I think about a lot when I'm contemplating a new kitchen purchase.  A 5.5 quart dutch oven (or "French Oven") from Le Creuset will set you back at least $250 (the 7.25 quart one is generally over $300), while comparable models from Tramontina and Lodge can be had for $50 or less. Our own Jessica wrote about the adorable yellow Dutch oven she got from HEB here; it cost less than $40! So are the Le Creuset pots five times as good as their competitors?

My short answer: no. I do think that the Le Creuset enameled cast iron is the best and is more likely to last a lifetime, but any difference in quality is probably not worth $200-plus. The online reviews for the Lodge and Tramontina Dutch ovens are generally quite good, and Jessica tells us she loves her HEB Cocinaware pot.

But I still think it's worth considering splurging on the Le Creuset for a few reasons. I own several pieces of Le Creuset (I got a crazy good deal on a set on Amazon a few years back), and I love them dearly. After six years of heavy use they are holding up beautifully. As I said above, I do think that the pots from Le Creuset are the best. So if you are likely to be a heavy user (do you make lots of stews and soups? do you ever fry things at home?), it may be worth it to shell out for a pot that you will be able to use for years and years. Also, if aesthetics are important to you I do prefer the look of the Le Creuset pots, and they definitely offer the best selection of different colors. And this might be a silly reason, but I kind of love the fact that Le Creuset has an established history; my mom used an orange Le Creuset dutch oven for soup throughout my childhood and it just makes me think of delicious home cooking.

Conversely, if you don't think you'll use it all that much or if you're contemplating a cross-country move, it's probably not worth investing in a Le Creuset (they are heavy!). Incidentally, I have not had great experiences with the non-cast iron Le Creuset stuff that I've bought over the years, so I would not pay more for a Le Creuset stoneware dish, for example.

Sarah also wants to know the best place to buy Le Creuset. Based on my own experience I would suggest Amazon--sadly I don't think they offer the deep discounts on sets that they used to, but their prices are certainly competitive with the major kitchen stores and you can usually get free shipping. But it's pretty widely available at kitchen stores. I am not very knowledgeable about promo codes and which stores are more likely to offer them. Anyone who is please speak up in the comments! You might also want to keep an eye on eBay--I would not hesitate to buy a used Le Creuset.

If I had to buy one Le Creuset pot, I would probably go for the 7.25 round pot shown above. I have the 5.5 quart one and it is fine most of the time, but every now and then I wish it were a little bigger. And if I got to pick one more pot, I'd go with this 3.5 quart braiser dish.

I got it as part of a set and it is great for casseroles and braised vegetables, plus I just love the shape.

Happy shopping Sarah, and let us know what you decide!

{photos courtesy of lecreuset.com}

Comments

[stephanie]

We received a 4.5 quart Le Creuset French oven for our wedding and use it constantly. Since then, whenever someone has it on their registry, we usually buy it for them! It's so pretty, it has a permanent spot on our stovetop.

We have a Le Creuset outlet near us. I haven't looked at the prices of the big items there, but we bought a teapot and crepe pan (with a gift card) that were a good deal.

[Jesabes]

The Marshalls (discount store) near me always has some Le Creuset, so I'd check out the stores in that line (TJ Maxx/Homegoods/Marshalls).

[Airlie]

The dutch oven from Ikea is awesome. I got it for my mom and she uses it constantly. I think it was $50. I have the Mario Batali one from Crate and Barrel and love it. It was $100. I use it multiple times a week and it has held up perfectly for the last 5 years or so. I love the Le Creuset items, but I can't help but think that you're paying more for the name. If you do want Le Creuset I would check TJ Maxx. I always see their stuff there.

[J]

If you do buy a Le Creuset, I'd buy it from Sur La Table, as they will return it from you *no matter what* if you do not like it. They aren't kidding, either. I bought a Le Creuset grill pan that (probably because I am not good at these things) was a pain because I could not seem to keep it clean, and they returned it even though it was months (nearly a year) later and had definitely been used. They gave me full store credit for it! So, in terms of risk-- if you buy from Sur La Table and you find that it isn't your thing, you can then buy a nice ScanPan grill pan instead, like I did, which cleans like a DREAM. :)

I have that HEB Cocinaware dutch oven and although it has gotten marred up already, I think it works great and I love the red color it has, which I was unable to find a satisfying red in the Le Creuset. Their reds all have too much orange for my taste.

[Ginger]

Another nice feature of the Le Creuset is if anything goes wrong with your item, they likely will replace it. Our dutch oven got a serious hole in the enamel 7 years after we got it--a quick call to LC, we shipped it off to them, and a week later we got a brand new replacement. We were worried that it wouldn't fall under their description of "normal use" but they didn't really question it.

I don't know about the warranty of the others, but it seriously was the easiest product warranty replacement I've ever dealt with.

[Christy M]

I have a knock-off one from Rachael Ray and it's served me well for at least 3 years now. The thing I really looked into with buying a knock-off enamel piece was to check the oven safe rating of the handle, if it's a dutch oven or whatever. Make sure it can handle at least 450 degrees. Many top out at 400 degrees or less.

Also, something else that may explain some issues with quality among different LC products is that they are not all made in France. If you are on their site, it lists a country of origin for each different piece. The dutch ovens are made in France, but a lot of the bakeware and stoneware is actually made in China or Thailand, so check that out if you are going to invest. I don't really want to drop hundreds on a dish/pot if it's made in China.

[Carrisa]

If it must be Le Creuset, then I would shop at the TJ Maxx, Marshall's, Ross type of store. If the brand doesn't matter, I absolutely love my Martha Stewart ones. Purchased right after Christmas when they were super on sale. I think I might have paid $50 for my 5 quart ones and $25 for the 3 quart.