Kitchen

[Kachina624]

Dutch ovens don't have to be heavy and made of cast iron.  Its a design of a cooking vessel, not a type of material.  They come in lightweight aluminum with nonstick interiors too.  Much easier to brown a roast and pop on a lid than to fool with a flat pan and foil plus you can use it for making soups and casseroles

[cindyNC]

I have a enameled cast iron shallow oval shaped pan that I use in the oven all the time. I prefer this shape to the standard round and deep dutch oven. 

Have found that I like "slow cooking" in the oven more than using the slow cooker.  I can remove or crack the lid to simmer down the liquids. Usually brown the meats in the pan on the stove first, then put into the oven from 200-250 degrees for 2-4 hours. 

Recipes - cube steak that turns out fork tender with a sauce made of cut up onions, tomatoes, some wine and some worcheshire sauce.  Also have done pork steak, removed all the fat and bones, and added BBQ sauce.  I usually hate pork steak.  Also a hot bean dish. Am going to try a store bought marinated pork loin this week also. My BF usually does the roast beef so I haven't done one of those. Chicken is also good done this way. 

[SoonerLater]

We keep two or three LC pieces on the cooktop at all times and pretty much only use these for cooking.  Our big collection of All Clad stainless is hardlly ever used now.

I have both the classic line and signature and personally I can't tell the difference in daily use.  I have bought from LC stores, their outlet stores, dept. stores and such and I have had no problem with chipping. 

Learn to cook with them, you don't need high heat, and they will clean up easily but may need a short soak.  For the grill pans, as soon as you take the food out pour in some very very hot water and let it sit while you eat and they clean up great. 

[LilLadyNJ]

I find that a Dutch oven is great for braising, baking bread and making soups and stews. I have two; a Le Creuset and a Staub. I use both quite often. They are heavy so it may be difficult to move between stovetop and oven. These are well made and I have used these for years. 

[patbz]

Respectfully disagree that LC is the only way to go.  At one time I owned an entire set of LC pans and eventually got rid of them.  Currently use Cuisinart enameled dutch oven as well as one by Lodge (best for baking bread) and a stainless triple wall dutch oven with matching lid from Costco 14 years ago.  Of the three, my favorite is the stainless one.

[Eileen in Virginia]

---

@PickyPicky3 wrote:

@Eileen in Virginia  Hopping John??

---

@PickyPicky3  Hopping John is a Southern dish where you cook down black eyed peas with ham, broth and seasonings for hours until its consistency is just short of refried beans. I was raised in the Philadelphia suburbs and hated black eyed peas until someone introduced me to Hopping John. Now I make it every New Years Day. 

[PickyPicky3]

@Eileen in Virginia   I Googled Hopping John and the first hit was the website for the Philadelphia Hoppin' John Jazz Band. (Probably because of my location.) Followed by recipes. If you say it's good, I believe you.

[cuddlesmama]

Oh my goodness, thank you so much for all of your information. Much appreciated. I just watched a video from America's Test Kitchen and what they said is exactly what you said about the handles and size. Bit of course they recommend the Le Creuset which is so out of my budget. I will check out the one you are talking about from the Q. Thanks again.

[Solar Is My Name]

@Othereeeen THANK YOU! GOOD INFORMATION!

-SOLAR

[Solar Is My Name]

My Dutch oven is a Staub. I have other enameled cast iron pots/pans from Le Creuset. IMO Staub & Le Creuset can be used interchangeably on low temperature to help food to be tender and to not dry out.

-Solar