Refine Your Cooking With the Best Dutch Oven

Picking the perfect Dutch oven for your needs can be difficult, especially if you’re a first-time buyer. Even if you have some experience buying Dutch ovens, we have some useful information within our buying guide for you to consider to ensure you’re getting the Dutch oven that best fits your needs.

Four Essential Features of Dutch Ovens

Material

With the many types of Dutch ovens out there, many vary in the materials they are made with. Below, we describe some of the materials Dutch ovens are commonly made of to help you narrow your options.

Stainless steel

You can opt for stainless steel if you want to avoid the hassle of cleaning kitchen utensils after using them. There is no doubt that stainless steel is the easiest to clean, but a stainless steel Dutch oven usually lacks a tight-fitting lid. Furthermore, it also lacks in retaining heat as compared to other materials.

Cast iron

Cast iron is another popular and great option for Dutch ovens because the metal can retain heat much better than stainless steel. Thus, it is an excellent pot for slow cooking as it maintains temperature consistency. If you opt for bare cast iron, you can also use it for outdoor cooking, like at campfires. However, you will need extensive cleaning and maintenance for it. Bare cast iron is also unpopular amongst users as it transfers flavors to your dish, both good and bad.

Enameled cast iron

Most of the products in our list were made of enameled cast iron as it has excellent heat retaining abilities and distributes heat evenly. Furthermore, you do not need to do extensive cleaning for the product as the enameled coating covers the cast iron completely, making it an easy-to-clean surface. Users prefer to buy this material as it comes in various colors and has a hefty weight.

Ceramic dutch ovens

The lightest material of all the mentioned materials is ceramic. These are the best type for baking bread and making stews. Additionally, these Dutch ovens complement both stovetops and ovens. These also have rare chances of shattering or cracking, even if you put them through extreme temperature changes.

Size options

Usually, people are worried about the size of the Dutch oven because no doubt that the price increases along with the size of the cookware. It is best to carefully analyze how you will use the Dutch oven and choose one size accordingly. Mostly people use this cookware during holidays or festive seasons when they expect to have some guests. If you are one of such people, it is best to get a large vessel. On the other hand, if you are looking forward to using the Dutch oven for everyday family use, you can go for the regular size. The sweetest spot lies in the range of 5-6 quarts as it can feed around 4-5 people. Most of the recipes you come across on the internet lie in this range.

Small Dutch ovens with around 1-2 quarts are made for mini-dishes and single servings. These single-quart Dutch ovens are ideal for presenting small food quantities. Similarly, on the other end, if you plan to host the evening for 20+ people, then you will need a massive Dutch oven, almost over 15 quarts, that can fit an entire turkey.

Round or oval

Another debate in town is whether you need a round or oval Dutch oven. The answer lies in the type of your stove. Typically stoves have a circular-shaped burner which means that a Dutch oven would naturally fit it perfectly. If you prefer to go for an oval Dutch oven, it will result in uneven cooking, even if you have larger burners. Usually, oval-shaped Dutch ovens are perfect for baking in the oven, and it adds a style to your serving. If you have the unique elliptical-shaped gas burner, then you might as well choose the oval Dutch ovens. Primarily, the shape is not an issue when it comes to baking in the range, but you need to make a wise decision for baking on stovetops.

Interior design & wear

Kitchen enthusiasts will agree that choosing the perfect color for their cookware is a strenuous task. Usually, you will see that the interiors are of two extreme ends; either you get an extremely light and subtle color or an extremely dark black color.

Lighter interiors

These are a great option if you want to see clearly in the pot while cooking. The bright environment lets you view the vessel's contents even while deep frying things. The proper butter browning can also be observed closely with a Dutch oven. You will have trouble looking at your food's color change in dark interiors.

On the other hand, light interiors do not retain their color for long, so eventually, with continuous cooking, there will be a slight change in the shade of the interior. Using such light interior cookware on high heat can also result in cracks or lines. Lastly, these tools tend to get scratched easily, especially if it has a non-stick base and you use metal utensils in them.

Dark interior

Contrary to lighter interiors, dark interiors tend to retain their look for longer. Even if you use a dark interior Dutch oven for everyday use and constantly stir in it, you will observe that it looks newer than light interior cookware. The only problem is related to the vision of the dark Dutch oven. You will have to turn on your oven hood light to see the content of deep cooking or the color of your batter.

Lid design

Lastly, the most critical feature to check in a Dutch oven is its lid design. Some of the best Dutch ovens offer a unique lid design that makes handling easier. It is best to go for a spiked lid design because they help the condensation drip back on the food and keep it moist evenly. These lids have the underside covered with rounded metal spikes.