Thinking about getting a Dutch oven. Is Le Creuset worth the $300 or is Lodge a good alternative...

Plastic knobs? That sounds like a terrible idea, especially since you put the damn thing in the oven. Don't the knobs melt?

Bought my Mom a nice red Lodge Dutch Oven for her birthday. It came with a lifetime warranty.

Ok thanks I'll have to look into both then. The CI sections at local brick and mortars don't carry enameled lodge so I guess I'll be looking online

amazon.com/Lodge-EC6D43-Enameled-6-Quart-Island/dp/B000N501BK

Something like this? Two of the top reviews complain of enamel chipping, and one says the warranty didn't cover it. Now I'm assuming we're dealing with dipshits improperly caring for them, but has moms had any problems similar?

>Plastic knobs? That sounds like a terrible idea, especially since you put the damn thing in the oven.

Exactly. though it's not all of it; some of their line is available with the standard metal knobs.

>>Don't the knobs melt?
Supposedly the plastic is a special kind that's oven-safe to a degree, but I'd rather not worry about it. Metal has no such concerns.

I'm not the guy you're replying to, but I own a lodge. I've had it for over a decade. The only chip in it is from when my little brother dropped the lid.

Is yours old enough to be usa made? Apparently the enameled lodges are Chinese now. That's why I'm hesitant to pull the trigger even tho Le Creuset and Staub are in the "fuck no nigga" price range. Maybe I'll just hold out for a rummage sale find

>Is yours old enough to be usa made?

I couldn't tell you. I bought it new in 2006.

I wouldn't worry about it. Even if it does chip, so what? It's still perfectly usable.

Yeah you're right rummage sale season is almost over anyways and I'm not going another winter without one

no dont do this it makes your food smell like fart

I have a large lodge crock pot I got from a friend - what are you going to use yours for? Mine has been shelved since I got it.

it's garage sale and flea market season. go hunt down an old le creuset. cheaper and shitton better than the chinese made crap they are peddling nowadays.

I saw a post on Plebbit of this guy who bought a huge box set of old Le Creuset cookware at a garage sale. The lady sold him the entire box for like $20.

It's worth it. I use mine for everything from brine, to chili, to soups to just holding something at temp.

You'll only need to buy one for the rest of your life, might as well go hard core and get the good shit. Knives flake out, spatula's and spoons go to shit after a while. But a solid dutch oven lasts forever.

I have yet to try a lodge dutch oven.

Based on what they produce for cast iron pans - I'd say stick the the le creuset - It is as useful as a proper cast iron pan.

Save up and try to get the largest size you can...up to the second largest size. I have this size and still manage to want more of whatever I end up cooking in it...

Chili, Ragu Alla Napoletana, Soups, Braised beef, etc.

Shit is amazing for bulk weekday meals. I made Chanko Nabe on sunday for ~17 dollars that I've been eating daily for lunch. If it was two people eating lunch ...it'd probably be gone by wednesday.

I got a Lodge one from Woot.com.
It is fucking awesome and it was way cheap.

Get a cheap one first, there is a high chance you will mess up cooking something in it. And then you are stuck scraping off charcoal from the sides of your Le Creuset.

>using cheaper enamel cast iron
>have some crunchy bits in the food
>hmmmm? whatever
>empty pot notice the enamel had chipped off bottom and we ate it
Buy once, cry once is now my motto

If you're going to Le Creuset, for your food's sake make sure you Doufeu

iron is iron but shitty chinese enamel that barel lasts a year is what you get if you buy something other than le creuset

How does a dutch oven compare to a slow cooker?
I have a shitty electric stovetop with only 6 settings for temperature. Won't a slow cooker be better for going low & slow in my case? How often do use a dutch oven for shit that needs super-high temps?

What is that?

Check you local close out/overstock discount retailers for off brand dutch ovens. I got a nice 5 qt one for pretty good money.

I have both a slow cooker and a Dutch oven.
I use the slow cooker when I'm busy or I put it on before I go to work.
I use the Dutch oven when I'm going to stay home all day on a Sunday and cook something nice. The best thing about the Dutch oven is that it can go from stove top to the oven.
You never really need to get it super hot, just hot enough to brown meat and saute some veggies.

just get a lodge for sixty bucks, it's fine
you have to try real hard to fuck them up and like someone said, iron is iron
i use mine once a week or so for the last four years and it still hasn't chipped or cracked or anything

I purchased a Le Creuset Dutch oven for $160 and a Staub for $120. Fucking amazing Dutch ovens. They make the best chicken soup, beans, roasted chicken, etc.

...

and pilafs
>>

These 6.5Q Tramontina Dutch Ovens are fantastic and under $50. I have one that is about 10 years old. I use it all of the time.
amazon.com/Tramontina-Enameled-Cast-Iron-Dutch/dp/B006GC1XDY

I saw earlier in the week le creuset is having a half off sale at their outlet stores. And for whatever reason pink items are 30% off

OK, iron is not iron, but in cookware, as far as I'm aware, it's typically gray cast iron. However there are many different cast iron alloys. In addition, when paying for enamel coated cast iron, you're paying for a difference in quality that could translate to anywhere between 5 and 50 years if usability. I'm currently using close to 30 year old le creuset and they hold up very well.

Anyone got a good Dutch oven roasted chicken recipe?

>not buying damaged le creuset pots off the Internet then going in and convincing them it's defective, exploiting the lifetime guarantee

fucking amateurs

Lurk TJ Maxx/Marshalls-type stores. I got a 5.5qt Le Creuset dutch oven for $50. Peel off the price sticker, then trick them into ringing you up for a Cuisinart dutch oven which looks almost identical.

1. get a chicken, remove the gizzard bag and let it come to room temp (or rest outside the fridge for at least an hour.)

2. preheat oven to 425F.

3. scatter small potatoes, largely chopped carrots, and a quartered onion in the dutch oven, drizzle with a little oil and s&p.

4. completely dry the chicken inside and out with paper towels. i like to chop off the wingtips as well -- i put them in the freezer along with the neck from the gizzard bag to use in stock.

5. cut a lemon in half and shove it into the cavity along with several cloves of garlic (you don't have to peel 'em, but i like to crush them a bit with a knife) and several sprigs of fresh thyme.

6. rub down the chicken with oil and season LIBERALLY with s&p (i like to use a coarser grain salt.) use more than you think you should, trust me it's delicious.

7. roast in oven until done (use a meat thermometer or google cooking times for the size of your chicken.)

be sure to save the bones for stock!

sounds kinda shitty