Le Creuset Enameled Cast-Iron 5-1/2-Quart Round French Oven, Red

Anyone serious about Cooking should have at least one cast iron pot and Le Creuset is the best quality available today. The 7 quart pot is perfect for anything which requires long slow cooking either on the stovetop or in the oven: stews, baked beans, pasta fagioli, paella, cassoulet, soups, etc., etc. An iron pot takes longer to heat up than say stainless steel or aluminum but it holds heat longer than either. I have even used my Le Crueset on the BBQ to bake a cake or make cornbread so as not to heat up the kitchen in the summer. In fact, this past summer when the electricity went out, I even made all the components of Lasagna Bolognese as well as baking it complete in my Le Crueset on the BBQ. It was round, shaped like a cake but it was delicious. I've had one of my Le Creusets for over 10 years (that calculates to 91 more years on the 101 years warranty!) with no sign of any obvious wear mainly because I have taken care when using it: wooden instead of metal spoons or...Read more

Let me just say this: I thought my dream kitchen set was a basic 10-piece set from All-Clad, and one Le Creuset dutch oven.

After 10 years of wanting my dream collection, I finally decided to plunk down for the Le Creuset portion of it. (If you can buy at an outlet store, all the better. I paid $125 for this 7.25 qt. in French Blue).

So as I approach the register to pay for my purchase, I tell the ladies at the Le Creuset store about my dream collection ... and they just looked at me like I was a moron.

Them: "Why would you need All-Clad?"
Me: "Because everyone needs a stainless steel frypan, right?"
Them: "I only cook in LeCreuset! I even bake my cakes in it!"
Me: "What? Bake a cake in a roasting pan?"
Them: "Why not? They cook beautifully!"

So began my adventure. In a crazy, impusive moment, I got a small roasting pan ($90), a enamal coated stainless steel stock pot ($50), 2 small sauce pans (1 qt, 2...Read more

I cook mainly soups and stews (they can be reheated over a few days so I don't have to cook every night.) But my stainless pots tend to burn if I leave them to simmer. I love this pot because it heats evenly and slowly, and the enamel is non-stick or nearly so. I keep mine out on the stove all the time because I like the way it looks--the red is very cheerful in our white kitchen.

My first test run was a batch of minestrone. My recipe takes three days as I make a double beef boullion to start, then finish off with the strained stock and added vegetables. The results were great.

This is a heavy pot and the enamel can chip if you drop the top (not to mention ding your floor.) So be careful.