Staub 2.25-Quart Round Cocotte

This is a great little pot that makes an appearance on my stove almost every night, one of the most trusted members of my kitchen artillery. The pot is sturdy and surprisingly heavy, the dimpled lid is adorable (whether the dimples add anything to the process I don't know), and the combo hasn't failed me yet. Cleans up handily too.

Cocotte, by the way, refers to a small pot or casserole; the word also has other connotations that have nothing to do with cooking. My cocotte has proven to be an outstanding "lady of the night," and you don't need to be a serious cook to get a lot of use out of this little charmer.

I am very pleased with this pot. I spent a long time comparing Staub and Le Creuset and ultimately went with this one because of size. I was surprised by how substantial it is, especially the lid. The picture displayed here is not what I received, however. The color pictured is "grenadine" and the pot I now have is in fact "pimiento". That is fine, it doesn't bother me at all, but Amazon would do well to fix this error. As you can see on Staub's website, both colors are reds, just different shades/brightness.

I have used this pot for several dishes already - oatmeal, chicken, soup - and nothing sticks to it. It's great!

I was blown away by the beauty of this piece, and have used it to make small stews in the oven. I was a bit hesitant about the price, but the performance and the quality (heft) have convinced me to add more Staub pieces to my collection.