Le Creuset Dutch Oven Review

I will start off my kitchen product reviews with one of my favorite kitchen items, a Le Creuset Dutch Oven. I recently read somewhere that if you own any Le Creuset, you should add it to your will. I laughed at first, and then realized that is probably true - these pieces are rather expensive, but with proper care, they will surely outlast you and should be passed down to others.

Last year, I wanted a dutch oven but could not justify paying for a Le Creuset, so after reading a ton of reviews online, I settled on a 6-Quart Lodge Enameled Cast-Iron Dutch Oven that I purchased on Amazon for $65. I used it a few times to make soup and sauce and everything came out tasting good. But, I still really wanted a Le Creuset...eventually. The Lodge worked just fine, but to me, the difference in quality between the two was evident. So when I got engaged one of the first items I added to our registry was the 7 1/4-quart Le Creuset Signature Cast-Iron Round Dutch Oven in Matte Navy. I debated for a while whether to register for the 5 1/2-quart or the 7 1/4-quart, and decided to go with the bigger size for $50 more so we would not have to upgrade in the future. We did not end up receiving this as a wedding gift, but we were able to purchase it by using some gift cards and our 10% registry completion discount, so this $350 dutch oven ended up costing us nothing!

7 1/4-quart Le Creuset Signature Cast-Iron Round Dutch Oven in Matte Navy

Before our wedding, I realized this dutch oven would be pretty big and aside from making soup and sauce, it would not get too much use while it was just my husband and I, so I read more reviews and decided to also register for the 3 1/2-quart Le Creuset Signature Round Wide Dutch Oven in Matte Navy. At $180, this is significantly less expensive than most Le Creuset dutch ovens, but it is also a very useful size for a couple (or a single person). I also thought that having a more shallow dutch oven with a wider base would come in handy at times. Just to compare, the regular round 3 1/2-quart version that is not wide is $260. I am so glad I registered for this wide one. We received it for our wedding and my husband was able to cook in it once before leaving for his deployment. Since then, I've used it for anything I can possibly make in it. And when it's not in use, it stays on our stove top. This is also a perfect fit for my dutch oven bread recipe!

3 1/2-quart Le Creuset Signature Round Wide Dutch Oven in Matte Navy

While Le Creuset is widely known for their bold colors with glossy finish, I absolutely love the navy color and matte finish on these, which are sold exclusively at Williams-Sonoma. I have never liked bright, bold colors for my kitchen, so the more subtle navy color suits me much better, and is masculine enough for my hubby, who also loves to cook! Navy happens to be one of my favorite colors and one of our wedding colors - perfect! I also prefer the matte finish to the glossy look. Chances are no matter what your favorite color is, Le Creuset carries it. A lot of people like to mix and match colors that compliment each other well. I hope Le Creuset comes out with more items in matte navy, and more matte colors to choose from (right now Williams-Sonoma also offers yellow and white in matte, and Le Creuset's website has a few other matte colors).

Below are some important tips to remember in order to keep your Le Creuset in mint condition (and not void the warranty):

• Only use medium or low heat, unless boiling water.
• The enamel surface is not ideal for dry cooking.
• Silicone or wooden utensils are recommended over metal.
• Hand mixers, immersion blenders and knives should not be used on the enamel.
• Cool hot pan before washing, and do not put a hot pan in cold water.
• Do not use scourers, metallic pads or abrasive cleaners.
• More use and care instructions can be found here.

So, what happened to that Lodge dutch oven I bought last year? I knew I would never use it again, so I returned it!

7 1/4-quart round

3 1/2-quart wide round

I made bread and soup at the same time in our 3 1/2-quart wide & 7 1/4-quart dutch ovens

I am one of those people who posts pics of food I make on Instagram. Here are a few photos I've posted over the last couple of months: marinara sauce (barely fit in the small dutch oven); farfalle pasta with baby bella mushrooms, baby spinach and Marsala wine (in small dutch oven); 4-hour dutch oven bread (in small dutch oven); and hearty Italian sausage soup (in large dutch oven).

Photos by JoJo