The 6 Very Best Dutch Ovens

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Material:Enameled cast iron| Size:.5–13.25 quarts| Weight:12 pounds, 8 ounces

This is the Dutch oven I’ve owned for seven years, and the one that was recommended by far and away the most experts. It works just as well as the day I got it and has proven to be durable on the inside and out. It distributes heat incredibly evenly, whether I’m searing meat at a high temperature, sweating out onions low and slow, or leaving a braise in the oven for several hours. And it’s responsive to variations in heat, too (more so than a heavycast-iron skillet): I can start something blazing hot, then take it down, then bring it back up seamlessly.

And though it’s easy to argue that both this and the Le Creuset are quite similar in terms of price point, durability, and overall superior build (I’m convinced that people’s preference for one or the other at least partially comes from which model they happened to get their hands on first), Staub has a couple of standout features.

One is the black, instead of white, interior. While discoloration isn’t a sign that your Dutch oven has stopped working, I like that mine has stayed clean-looking on the inside. (And it’s not just that the dark color is hiding grime; the surface washes up well.) “I had a Le Creuset for a long time and it eventually got a little brown and scratched,” says Colin Wyatt, executive chef atTwelvein Portland, Maine. “Staub looks great with age.” Both recipe developer and food writerGrace Elkusand recipe developerTara O’Bradysay the darker color is helpful for bread baking, too. “The crust gets that chestnut-brown shade, which lighter interiors aren’t able to achieve,” O’Brady says.

She also points out the comfortable grip. “No matter what I’m handing it with — dish towels, a silicone mitt, a regular mitt — it has good sturdy, wide, thick handles that hold well,” she says. I personally lift mine with ease, move it around the stove, and take it in and out of the oven; it’s sturdy but not cumbersome. The lid fits tight and secure, and in addition has concentric dimples on the bottom, a characteristic that is meant to promote even condensation and drippage as steam builds inside of your pot. Both Wyatt and Meherewan Irani, owner ofChai Paniin Asheville, North Carolina, and founder ofSpicewalla, say this actually makes a difference. “When it’s in the oven for a long time, the Staub seems to keep meat particularly tender and prevents it from drying out in any spot,” Irani says.

Though the Dutch oven comes in many gorgeous shades, O’Brady and Jay Wolman, owner of New York City’sMimi, say they like theall-black one because the outside doesn’t show as much wear either. While that won’t affect performance, if you care about asuper-clean look over time, it’s something to keep in mind. (My light-gray version has some markings on the very bottom of the outside.)

Material:Enameled cast iron| Size:2–13.25 quarts| Weight:11 pounds, 4 ounces

In the 1920s, Le Creusetinvented the Dutch ovenas we know it today, forging a Dutch metal-casting method with the smooth enamel coating. The design took off quickly and has never fallen out of favor (it’s the most ubiquitous brand seen in the kitchens of celebrities and celebrity chefs alike, including Marilyn Monroe, Julia Child, Nigella Lawson, Taylor Swift, and too many more to count). Though I don’t own one myself, I’ve used Le Creusets many times (including in my parents’ kitchen, where I grew up cooking) and can attest that the build and heat conduction is equal to that of my beloved Staub.

Recipe developer and cookbook authorAlexis deBoschnekhas had hers for a decade, and Alexandra Wight, owner ofCrown Jewelin Great Diamond Island, Maine, for nearly double that. Despite what some others warned about discoloration, deBoschneck says that has happened only minorly, and Wight says not at all with hers, adding, “It’s super-easy to clean. I love that you can throw it in the dishwasher. I don’t always do that, but I like to know that the option is there, especially as a mother of three children who make a lot of dishes.”

As for performance, Le Creuset “cooks really evenly across the board, whether on the stove, in the oven, or even in a smoker,” deBoschnek says. “The lid is tight fitting. The nonstick quality has lasted. It feels easy to handle.”

Material:Enameled cast iron| Size:5.5 quarts| Weight:13 pounds, 11 ounces

Made In, a relative newcomer on the cookware scene, produces some of our favoriteknives,skillets, andbaking dishes. Now, we can add their Dutch oven to that list. I’ve been using mine for several months and so far, it seems just as well made as my Staub. Indeed, it’s crafted in France, piggybacking on the century-old craftsmanship of Le Creuset (and later, Staub) — “but is a fraction of the price,” says Jorge Gaviria, founder ofMasienda, who has been using his forover a year. “The brand works with legacy producers to fabricate all of the quality of those heritage companies but for less money.”

In my experience, it conducts consistently even heat, both on the stovetop and in the oven, through multiple steps of a cooking process (like when I sear chicken thighs to golden-brown, then sweat out alliums, then put everything back in the pot along with rice and water to cook together, or when I sear meatballs and then let them simmer with sauce on low for a long time, pictured below).Gaviria even says it works on what he calls the “really crappy coil burners” he has at home. It feels solidly built, has a tight-fitting lid (with a bigger knob than the Staub to open and close), and secure handles that make it comfortable to maneuver.

Material:Enameled cast iron| Size:1.5–7.5 quarts| Weight:13 pounds, 8 ounces

Lodge is most well-known for itscast-iron skillets, in part due to how well-made they are for the price. That reputation holds for their enameled cast-iron Dutch oven, too. It costs a striking $110 less than Made In’s — but still works great. I put the six-quart model to the test by searing meatballs (which achieved a nice even golden-brown exterior), making one-pot chicken and rice (which required a stove-to-oven maneuver that left everything evenly cooked), simmering a batch of beans (the pot was able to maintain a gentle heat), and more.

The Lodge is taller than the others mentioned previously, with a smaller bottom surface area. This means less space for browning (for reference, it fits four chicken thighs nicely, but no more — and I can usually have five in my five-and-half-quart Staub). But it has a more rounded shape where the bottom meets the sides, which I actually like; the movement of my spoon felt especially seamless as I sautéed smaller ingredients like diced onion and grains of rice. I also think it’s a bit less refined-looking than the options above, with a chunkier knob on the lid. And the lid isn’t quite as tight-fitting (not so much so that steam escapes, just in that it’s harder to settle it into a locked position). Still, the Dutch oven comes in a ton of color options, just like the Staub and the Le Creuset. And it has a white interior like the Le Creuset and Made In. Though I haven’t spent years putting it through the wringer, it’s worth noting that there’s no discoloration so far.

As for endorsements from people who have used it longer? Strategist junior writerBella Druckmanhas owned hers for several years. Though it was her starter model and she has added a couple of others to her collection since then (the Great Jones Dutchess, below, and a non-enameled cast-iron Lodge meant more specifically for baking sourdough), she still keeps this one around. “It distributes heat evenly and is fairly easy to clean because of the enameled surface. Usually a 30-minute soak is enough to tackle the particularly stubborn food remnants,” she says. And the pros stand by it, too: Both Todd Pulsinelli, owner ofthe Chloein New Orleans, and Irani have had their models for nearly a decade, use them all the time, and say it’s in just as good shape as it was when they bought it, with Irani calling it “pretty damn near indestructible.”

If you’re looking for something at this same price point and want another option to consider, I have also used and really likeGoldilocks’s Dutch Oven. Though I didn’t get any outright recommendations for it from the cooks I interviewed as I did with the Lodge, I know two of my favorite pros,Hailee CatalanoandChuck Cruz, use it. And I personally find the design to be a bit sleeker than the Lodge’s thanks to the straighter sides, squarer handles, and unadorned lid knob.

Material:Enameled cast iron| Size:6.75 quarts| Weight:15 pounds

This is the largest Dutch oven on this list, and still the price is quite reasonable, coming in at slightly less than Made In’s (though more than the Lodge). It’s also the only one in an oval. While that means it takes up a bit more room on the stovetop, the size and shape also give it certain advantages. “It’s perfect for roasting or poaching a whole chicken,” says chefCamille Becerra(in a round pot of similar size, a bird would be a tight fit). She adds that it’s particularly conducive for larger-batch liquid-based foods that ask you to cram quite a few ingredients into one pot, like soup and stock, as well as dishes that require a large bottom for browning meats, like arroz con pollo. She assures the shape doesn’t have a negative impact on heat distribution. “It still spreads very evenly,” she says. Druckman, who has an electric stove in her apartment, points to the same pluses: ample surface area for browning and even heat distribution. She likes the way it looks, too. “It’s a beautiful, matte shade of blue and pretty enough that I keep it on my stovetop at all times,” she says.

Strategist writerTembe Denton-Hurstowns the Dutchess, as well as its smaller sibling, theDutch Baby, both of which she uses for soups, stews, and braises. She says the latter is the perfect size for an apartment, and she also likes that it can nest inside the former for easy storage.

Material:Cast iron| Size:3.2 quarts| Weight:12 pounds, 14 ounces

This offering from Lodge isn’t enameled; instead, it’s made from the same raw cast-iron material as the brand’sskillets. As with Staub’s, the darker interior color is great for achieving an ideal crust color on bread. That’s the primary thing Georgia Macon, executive pastry chef atTwelve, makes in it. Instead of a traditional deep pot with a thinner lid, she explains, it’s a slightly shallower pot with a skillet as a lid — not only a two-in-one deal but a build that allows for easy maneuvering when baking a loaf. “Every other option on the market leaves you ripe with chances to burn your forearms,” Macon says. “With this, you load into the lid and then put the bottom on top to cover it. Loading and unloading is miles easier.” Macon uses the set for other dishes, too, like braises, searing meats, and making popcorn. When doing that, however, she cautions that you have to season the metal before to ensure foods don’t stick. (With bread, the high-cook heat and dusting of flour doesn’t render seasoning necessary.)