Get Ready for Soup and Stew Season with These Dutch Ovens
These Dutch ovens have the look to double as serving bowls and the durability to provide you with warm meals for many winters to come.
Courtesy of Target
Just like a summer barbecue, winter soups and stews can be the perfect combination. Sitting inside with a hot, homemade soup while the wind howls and the snow falls is one of the coziest feelings out there. But if you’re going to spend hours with a stew bubbling away on the stove, you’re going to need the right vessel: a Dutch oven.
The tradition of the Dutch oven dates back to the 17th century, when the need for an inexpensive but durable cooking vessel that could handle open flames led to its enduringly simple cast-iron design. The Dutch oven isn’t alone in this tradition, either. From Russia to South Africa and Australia, people created tough cast-iron pots to use in open-flame cooking. The Dutch oven’s humble design hasn’t changed much over the years, besides new colors and slight shape changes, but then maybe that’s because each one has the potential to last a generation or two.
Once you’ve got a Dutch oven, there are scores of great recipes out there you can make with it, like crumbles, pies, and baked pastas. But which Dutch oven is right for you? We’re here to help. If you plan on hosting big parties, check out some of the larger 7, 8, or 9-quart ovens. Looking to keep things smaller? There are 1 and 2-quart options perfect for one- and two-person households. If your kitchen has a crisp, clean look, then one of the many glossy enamel-coated ovens may be a good fit. But if you want to keep it a little more rustic, the uncoated cast-iron is classic for a reason. Here are some of the Dutch ovens available now:
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Misen
Made out of four layers of premium enamel to add durability and create a nonstick surface, this 7-quart Dutch oven is also available with a special grill lid that has a cast iron griddle surface inside and can be used as a pan on the stove-top.
Williams Sonoma
Williams Sonoma has a selection of Le Creuset Dutch ovens, often recognized as the ultimate kitchenware, available in a full range of sizes from 1 quart all the way up to a massive 9.5 quarts and in several fun colors.
Caraway Home
The flared handles and range of available bright colors make this Dutch oven as sleek and elegant as it is hard-working and utilitarian.
Martha Stewart
Featuring a stylish vintage design, this oven is available in 3 and 5 quarts and comes in either a tasteful gray or Martha Stewart’s signature light blue.
Sur La Table
Thomas J. Story
Available in either 1, 2, 5, or 7 quarts, these ovens made by Lodge Cast Iron take the Dutch oven back to basics: simple durable iron pots with large handles for easy transport.
Great Jones
With its attractive matte enamel and spacious oval shape, this Dutch oven deserves its royal name. The Dutchess has a capacity of 6.75 quarts and is dishwasher safe, so no matter how big a meal you’re making in it, cleanup is always easy.
Kana
Available in 3.5 or 5.5 quarts, this Dutch is the picture of elegance with its sleek design and glossy enamel, meaning it can go straight from a cooking tool to a serving vessel.
Camp Chef
Courtesy of Camp Chef
This rustic, 7-quart, plain cast-iron Dutch oven from Camp Chef is comfortable wherever you take it. It’s got everything that makes a Dutch oven great in the kitchen, plus lots of accessories that make it ideal for the outdoors too, like a lid lifter for opening from afar when cooking in an open flame.
Target
Courtesy of Target
The simple styling and off-white enamel of this Dutch oven give it a nice homey feel, and the available sizes of 5 quarts or 0.5 quarts, there’s one oven for a big dinner and one for cozy nights alone.
