Kitchen

[Texasmouse]

HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE!

Over the past year or so, I've been weighing the pros and cons of getting a dutch oven. I've read that you can do a lot of things in them, like pot roasts, soups, stews, etc. Right now, I use my slow cooker for all those things so I'm wondering if I'd get much use out of a dutch oven. It's just DH and me, although I don't mind making larger quantities and having leftovers.

If you own and use one, what are some of the things that would make it better to use than a slow cooker? TIA!

[Zhills]

Love a Dutch oven!  It does everything a CrockPot can do...and goes in the oven if needed.

Especially good with induction burners!

[Sooner]

@Texasmouse The only thing I use a crock pot for is to cook chicken breasts in tomato juice, or maybe beans, but otherwise I'm not a fan of crockpots for a lot of things a good Dutch oven does better.

Dutch ovens brown mean then slow cook it in the oven, they make chili and soup, cook beans better, reheat things, make roasts, make one-pot meals like chicken and rice, chicken and dumplings, boil or roast a chicken, bake bread, etc.

I think a 4.5 or 5.5 Le Creuset Dutch oven is a wise investment and a great does-almost-everything pot!  I personally would buy from a Le Creuset outlet store (call and chat--tell them what you want and have them check out what you will buy for flaws, lid fit, etc. if it is a second at a fabulous price plus they carry first quality too and some out of stock colors!) or a kitchen store like Williams-Sonoma or Sur La Table for quality. 

[Texasmouse]

@Zhills thanks! But, is it BETTER than a crockpot? Because my crockpot won't heat up the whole kitchen and is more economical to run than my oven.

[nikkisaunt1]

I make soups, apple sauce, pot roast, chicken in wine, and lots of other things in my Dutch Oven.  I can start some things on stove top and then move them to the oven in the same pan. I also have a slow cooker but I think I use that mainly for other type of things -- dips, or other things I might like to cook slowly and then keep warm to serve for a few hours. The Dutch Oven does retain heat for quite a while but I don't use it in the same way.  

[LindaSal]

I own and use both often.  My crockpot mostly for roasts, meatballs and my dutch oven usually for soups, stews, chili and things like that.  I do like the browning aspect of the dutch oven and that it can be put in the oven if needed.   If you do purchase I also recommend a Le Creuset as they are wonderful and easy to clean.  I wouldn't go smaller than a 6 quart though.  Reason being I like room to stir without  an overflow mess and it sounds huge but it really isn't.  My crockpot is also a 6 quart

[Nightowlz]

I have 2 dutch ovens. We use them more than the slow cooker. Using it stovetop does not make your kitchen hot. We use it for soups, chili, jambalaya, gumbo, pot roast etc. You can brown meat in the dutch oven. 

[PA Mom-mom]

@Texasmouse  I've got mine in the oven right now doing a Pioneer Woman pulled pork with Dr. Pepper. (I know, strange but good). A Dutch oven is excellent for braising and pot roast- basically, anything you need to  start on top of the stove and put in the oven, or things that need low and slow cooking. The flavors  become more complex than in your crock pot, because they caramelize in the cast iron. I use mine nearly every week for soups and stews. Get one big enough to cook a hunk of meat, but not too big if you have problems with upper body strength. I reduced my Dutch oven size to a 6 quart for the weight factor. I own a Lodge, but there are many good Dutch ovens out there.

[chrystaltree]

I don't have a slow cooker.  I never saw the point of having one.  Roasts, stews, pot meals.  I do in my Dutch oven.  

[Kachina624]

@Texasmouse    No well-equipped kitchen should be without a Dutch oven due to its versatility.  It is not, however, necessary to spend a small fortune on a big, heavy LeCruset pot.  A lighter weight type that comes with sets of pans will do the same thing just fine.  Many women pitch the big, heavy pots as they age simply because the pan plus its contents are just too heavy to lift.