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My wife and I are going to buy a nice cast iron enameled dutch oven. It's a pretty big investment for us right now, but we used the one we have so much it's starting to break in places.

So the question is, what size should we get? Keep in mind these things, we don't have kids, we intend to buy a complimentary size in a few years. We're thinking 4-7qrt.

When I last bought a Dutch Oven it was gross. I had no idea girls did that sort of thing.

Seriously, though, it'll depend totally on what you want to make. The only things I ever made while camping were things like cobbler, spaghetti, etc. But that was for Boy Scouts so there were a lot of us.

With just 2, I'd go small. But just in case get the 7 qt one and you'll have the space. Remember, when it comes to things like this it's better to have & not need than to need and not have.

Fart jokes...

I have a Lodge 6 quart enameled Dutch Oven. I think it was less than $50. I've had it about 2 years. It works for me.

I'd still like to get a non-enameled one for using with a campfire, that does not have the little legs on it. So I can use it on a propane burner or just set it on some coals.

At least you did not want a Rusty Venture...

Dave said:

When I last bought a Dutch Oven it was gross. I had no idea girls did that sort of thing.

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Just be glad it wasn't a cup-o-death.

I'd go with a standard 5-qt model, as the majority of recipes are made for it. Serves 4 easily, but most recipes are designed for it.

Whatever you get, make sure you cure it regularly to make it last as long as possible (and don't go buying an aluminum one either!).

Wow using one until it falls apart is pretty impressive. We have had the same one for 30 years and we lived a few years with that being our only cooking method.

Yeah. Don't let acidic food sit in it. That's just asking for trouble (though you did say 'enameled').

Cooks Illustrated does a really good job of reviewing things, but they're behind a paywall. That and they haven't reviewed Dutch Ovens since 2007. Fortunately we have the collected editions, so gimme a sec...
...rats, our collected editions only go up to 2005 and I don't want to thumb through the box o' loose magazines to find it. Anyone else out there have the results handy?

--Patrick

rabbitgod said:

My wife and I are going to buy a nice cast iron enameled dutch oven. It's a pretty big investment for us right now, but we used the one we have so much it's starting to break in places.

So the question is, what size should we get? Keep in mind these things, we don't have kids, we intend to buy a complimentary size in a few years. We're thinking 4-7qrt.

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That sounds reasonable for two people. The main consideration isn't how much food you'll need to put into it (for two people it won't be a lot) the question is how large a piece of food will you be cooking, and how large do baked goods need to be when they come out.

For instance, it'd be annoying to have to cut the chicken or roast up just to fit it in the dutch oven.

It would also be annoying if your cakes turned out too thin or thick because it wasn't shaped well for one batch of batter or dough.

I think you're on the right track with the size range you've chosen, though. The 3-4 quarts are really great for only a few smaller dishes, their primary problem being not enough headroom. You should start off with the medium 4-6 quart range, and then expand up or down according to your needs.

Great advice from everybody. Thank you very much.

Another thing I didn't consider is storage space. I'll have to make sure I can put this somewhere. I should have the space, I just need to think about it if I go for the larger sizes.

We broke our other one because it was a cheap aluminum non-stick that came with the set. We're going to replace all of them since they sucked when new and now are losing coating/breaking, but we're starting dutch oven.



Here's a side question. Oval or round?

Round. It allows you to make stuff like pies.

Oval is a wtf are the manufacturers thinking?

Yeah. Oval is just a glorified roaster. If you're going to get something oval it might as well be a big crock pot, not an oven.

--Patrick

My sister has two LeCruset enameled cast iron pots. (She bought the second when she found out there's an outlet store near here that sells discontinued colors for much cheaper than usual). She absolutely loves them, and made chili for me last night in one. I have no idea what sizes they are, but the bone broth they make is so delicious in soup. She's also made some darn good sourdough and some really tender roasted chicken (which then has it's bones turned into the aforementioned broth).

I was going to get a round anyway, I just wanted to see what you guys had to say. I'll admit I was hoping for a serious debate in the style of meat temp and ass wiping.

Figment, we were thinking LeCruset, gotta love that warranty of theirs.

Thanks.

We have one dutch oven and two Le Creusets. We use the LCs far more often. They make an amazing carbonade what with being massive and enameled.

--Patrick

I asked my sister what size to go with (as she was getting out the hers to make turkey bones into broth). She recommended a 5½ quart as being big enough to do a lot with, but not so heavy that it's a pain to lift.

Awesome. This morning I decided to go with a 5.5qt. so I'm glad that she uses that size too. The one we have is 4qt so 5.5 will work really well, plus we can roast bigger things then we do now. I'm super excited I already know what I'm going to make first.

I have to buy pants first so I might have to put this off for a month or two. I wish I lived in Finland where pants are frowned upon.

rabbitgod said:

Awesome. This morning I decided to go with a 5.5qt. so I'm glad that she uses that size too. The one we have is 4qt so 5.5 will work really well, plus we can roast bigger things then we do now. I'm super excited I already know what I'm going to make first.

I have to buy pants first so I might have to put this off for a month or two. I wish I lived in Finland where pants are frowned upon.

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Be sure to get a pair with elastic waistband, to adjust for all the good food you'll be cooking