Lodge Enameled Cast-Iron 3-Quart Dutch Oven, Caribbean Blue

Comment: We cook a lot. Living in the mountains we only shop once or twice a month and need good cooking utensils, pots and pans to make our cooking enjoyable as well. This pot is the crowning piece of our collection. The size is for every day use and it is so easy to clean. We are fans!

Comment: There is exactly one thing wrong with this dutch oven, and all Lodge Enameled Cast Iron products - it's made in China. The rest of the Lodge line is made in Tennessee, for over 150 years. Regardless of where it's made, it's a wonderful item. Heavy and perfectly enameled, it heats slowly and retains its heat very well. My cheap stainless steel pans have "hotspots" on the stove, so parts of my spaghetti sauce bubble whereas others don't. With this dutch oven, it bubbles gently and evenly throughout the pot. Once we finished dinner, I threw the extra spaghetti into the dutch oven and stuck it in the fridge. Lodge's enamel-on-cast-iron items can be baked, broiled, frozen, and refrigerated. There's nothing this pot won't do. If you're wary of regular cast iron because you always cook low fat, as I do, then you'll be pleased with the enameled cast iron sets, because you can use very little oil (or butter) and things won't stick. Use anything at all to clean the dutch oven except metal scouring pads.

Also, if you're worried about the pot being too "bright blue" or too baby blue, the picture is a little off. About 1/2way out of the circle the lid becomes a dark, almost navy blue, and the same goes for the bottom. It's not too flashy at all, but still colorful and attractive.

Comment: I was happy to find an enameled cast iron dutch oven at this price from Lodge Logic, a manufacturer that seems to be well respected and well rated.

When I removed the dutch oven from the original packaging, a piece of enamel the size of a quarter flaked off from the outside of the dutch oven. That should have been a sign that I needed to return the dutch oven. However, I didn't want to go through the hassle of returning the it and I figured that enamel flaking from the outside is more of a cosmetic issue.

I used the dutch oven very happily for about five months. I used it at least twice a week to brown, braise, and create a variety of dishes. I made sure to take good care of it by handwashing it and only using plastic or silicone utensils.

One day I was heating up the dutch oven to brown some meat when I heard a pop. I looked in the dutch oven and found that a piece of enamel the size of a nickel had popped right off the interior of the pan about an inch up the side.

I contacted Lodge customer support and was informed that the use and care stated that a enamel cast iron should never be heated empty. I asked the customer representative how the dutch oven was supposed to be used to brown meat and she could only repeat the use and care and say that there should be oil or meat in the pan. That didn't seem to make sense as any oil would only pool on the bottom of the pan and my enamel had flaked on the side of the dutch oven. She also stated that they have been receiving a lot of reports about the enamel coating when heated.

While this could be the case, it didn't explain why the enamel had flaked off the exterior of the dutch oven when I removed it from its original packaging.

Bottom line: This dutch oven is a great value (compared to the pricier brands) but I have serious doubts about the quality of the enamel coating. If you intend to use your Dutch oven to brown you may want to consider another product.

Comment: This dutch oven cooks-and looks-great for a great price (which was $39 when I recently bought it). I used it the first time to bake bread, and the results were as good as the 6 qt Staub I inherited from my mother. Unfortunately, when I rinsed it out after that first use, a chunk of enamel fell off of the handle. I've had enameled cast iron for years and handle it carefully, so I was pretty surprised. It seems that the other reviewers have had overwhelmingly positive experiences with this item; so it may be that this particular pot just had a random defect.

Given that it chipped so quickly, however, I was concerned that the chipping would extend to the rest of the pot.I emailed Lodge like another reviewer did to see if they would exchange it (thought it would be nice to keep the return "in the family" and give them first shot at it), but they wanted it sent in to them for inspection first. So, in the end I decided to just go through Amazon to do the return-much simpler and hassle free. Overall, though, I would have to say it is a pretty good pot for $39; just wished it hadn't chipped.

Comment: This was the perfect heavy Dutch oven to fit between my smaller and bigger Creusets. I also like that it is wide rather than deep.
Cooking and cleaning it so far seems easy.
Good choice indeed.