All-Clad LTD Dutch Oven

Distinguished among All-Clad's renowned cookware collections by its stylish, charcoal-black, hard-anodized aluminum exterior, the LTD line provides serious and professional cooks all the virtues that make All-Clad's worldwide reputation unsurpassed. Key to its high performance is a three-ply, bonded construction. Sandwiched between the hard-anodized aluminum exterior and an 18/10 stainless-steel interior is a thick core of pure aluminum that spreads heat evenly across the bottoms of pots and pans and all the way up the sides. The interior is highly polished, so it's stick- as well as corrosion-resistant. The striking exterior resists scratching, chipping, and peeling.

This 5-quart Dutch oven exemplifies why All-Clad's LTD cookware is so popular among contemporary cooks: it's practical as well as beautiful. The Dutch oven is perfect for braising veal shanks, baking beans, or slow cooking choucroute under its domed lid. Because the aluminum core extends up the sides, foods cook uniformly, even though the oven is 4-1/4 inches deep (10-3/4 inches in diameter). And because the interior is nonreactive, the tomatoes and other acidic foods won't taste metallic. The Dutch oven's polished 18/10 stainless-steel lid and stay-cool loop handles are riveted for strength and won't be harmed by an oven's heat. LTD cookware carries a lifetime warranty against defects and should be hand washed. --Fred Brack