Diameter: 10.25″, Height: 6.5″, Weight: 11.5 pounds, Warranty: Lifetime
The best Dutch oven according to the pros: Amazon Basics 6-Quart Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven
If you’ve ever visited or searched anything on Amazon, then you’ve probably seen the retailer’s eponymous Basics brand. You might think, How good can Amazon cookware be? According to Katie Hale, The Complete Dutch Oven Cookbook, pretty good. With a 15-year-long background in food blogging, Hale built her own site in 2018 and also writes cookbooks—including one about her favorite piece of cookware. To Hale, the Dutch oven stands as the most versatile and heavily used item in her kitchen.
She opted for an Amazon Basics Dutch oven because it was so affordable, and five years later, she says she thinks it’s just as good as a Le Creuset or Staub. Available in an array of colors, it’ll look nice on any cooking surface while still delivering quality results—giving the perfectly even sear on meats no matter how much time has passed. Hale only stipulates that, because it’s got an enameled interior, you shouldn’t use an Amazon Basics Dutch oven on an open fire, like you could with a Staub. Other than that, she says it wears well, even after she accidentally dropped it, and comes at an unbeatable price point.
“Especially if someone is just starting cooking or just supplying their kitchen, it’s a perfect choice to start with,” Hale says.
Specs
Diameter: 11″, Height: 4.7″, Weight: 13 pounds, Warranty: 1 year
Another great Dutch oven according to the Bon Appétit test kitchen: Staub Cast Iron 5.5-Quart Dutch Oven
In the knock down drag out Dutch oven wars between Staub and Le Creuset, it’s the Staub Dutch oven holds the heart of BA’s test Kitchen. Not one but two different staffers named it as one of their top picks, with food editor Shilpa Uskokovic even saying she’d “lay down” her life for the Staub over the Le Creuset any day. The reason? Better durability.
“It’s not to say the Le Creuset is not durable, but I do think it shows it’s wear more readily,” food director Chris Morocco says, pointing to the Le Creuset’s cream enamel interior versus the Staub’s more discreet matte black. “The interior of the Staub is not raw cast iron. It is just a very hard wearing surface, and yet it’s one that things release pretty easily off of it.”
This means you can go to town when hand-washing it and put it through more (not only is the Staub oven-safe, Morocco even says he’s put a model with a matte black exterior directly on to hot coals) knowing that the dark interior will keep it looking brand new. That heavy-duty quality combined with its performance combined with the palette of colors you can purchase it in makes the Staub the sports car of Dutch ovens for Morocco.
Specs
Diameter: 10.24″, Height: 6.57″, Weight: 11.9 pounds, Warranty: Lifetime
The buzziest Dutch oven: Great Jones Dutch Baby
We’ll grant it sounds a little odd to label something released close to six years ago as “buzzy” but Great Jones is still all over our feeds with their gorgeous matte exteriors that offer a decidedly different look, even than lots of other aesthetically pleasing upstarts that began as direct to consumer (DTC) brands like Misen, or Made In. Commerce editor Carina Finn has used her Dutch Baby for years and, while she is certainly a fan of its looks, thinks its performance justifies inclusion with the Le Creusets and Staubs of the world. “The grey enamel interior splits the difference between a Le Creuset’s or Milo’s white enamel and a Staub’s black. So it hides stains better than the light while still allowing you to see how your food is developing.” She also thinks the 3.5 quart size is perfect for a household of two and that larger Dutch ovens, like, say, the Great Jones Dutchess, can make way more food than you need if you don’t have a large family.
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