Customer Reviews

Lodge 5-Quart Cast Iron Dutch Oven with Iron Lid

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I'm not sure what made me buy my Dutch oven all of those years ago, but I can honestly say that this is the star of my kitchen. Here's why:

1) You can cook any way you want to with one of these: bake, deep fry, saute, broil, stew, steam, simmer, stir fry, you name it.

2) You can cook anywhere: on the stove, in the oven, in the fireplace, or in the great outdoors. Well, maybe the microwave isn't such a great idea.

3) You can cook anything. I use my most often for chilis (every step of the way), but it's great for cobblers, sides, roasts- the works.

4) Cast iron means instant retro cred (people think you know how to cook) and is absolutely indestructible. This is one of the few things that comes with a REAL lifetime guarantee. Buy it and pass it down to your great-grandchildren. Also good for self-defense.

5) Seasoning is really pretty easy. The original non-stick surface!

I swear this thing makes the food seem more real. Cast iron IS home cooking, no doubt about it. Go ahead, make your granma proud.

happy trails
bill a

Like a fine old watch, cast iron cookware appeals to the senses in ways beyond it's practicality. It heats evenly, retains heat forever, allowing fine finishing touches in cooking to continue after being removed from the heat source and cleans like Teflon if seasoned properly. But unlike commercial, non-stick surfaces, each use with cast iron adds flavor, enhances it's non-stick surface and leaves the legacy of blackening the cast iron piece by degree, each use, a shade of the past. Functional anywhere, stove top, grill, oven, campfire, even plain charcol brickets, cast iron and any heat source provide an elegant and functional complete technology for cooking. If this review seems excessive, it is because I am a romantic by nature and feel cooking is spiritual labor. This cookware appeals to my sense of the past and future. My children have laid claim to individual pieces at my demise (although ownership of the Dutch oven still remains in question due to it's versatility)and transfer of ownership will be conditional upon agreement to pass these pieces on to their children. My favorite fry pan, belonged to my grandmother. If you cook for the purpose of filling your stomach, microwave, if you cook to re-create, try cast iron.

I own three pieces of cast iron cookware, and this item is one of them... and among my favorite cooking implements, period. Cast iron is not a quickie-cooking component (it takes time for the iron to heat, and it takes experience to gauge the iron's "perfect temperature" for sensitive dishes), but for dishes requiring steady, even heat and for cooks who require durable cookware with easy clean-up, cast iron CANNOT be beat!

This pot is going to last forever. Its care is easy: I scrub it with hot water only, and dry it with an old rag and apply a thin layer of vegetable oil while the iron is still hot... a year and a half later, it's still rust-free and delivering the reliable service I have come to expect and admire. No scratches interfere with its performance, as is the case with my allegedly-long-lasting Wearever nonstick cookware set (what a waste of money THAT was!). Heck, I even use my cast-iron skillet for CREPES, and that's saying something! Despite the pan's weight, it's an immeasurably better nonstick crepe-cooker than teflon. In fact, I use my cast iron cookware for everything from french fries to spaghetti sauce to eggs and bacon to french toast! It's a dependable griddle, skillet, grill, and pot, and it goes right from the stovetop and into the oven for maximum versatility.

I am an avid home-chef, and I can say without exception that my cast-iron cookware is the best kitchen investment I've ever made.

Lodge makes great products at a great price. This Dutch oven has been in constant use since we bought it in January -- potatoes, chops, stews, popcorn, whatever. It does it all. The "nonstick" surface works as advertised, the inside of the pot is easy to clean and the handle is industrial strength. Only complaint: The lid can be hard to clean because of its little spikes on the inside. Check out the great Sprite soda pop potato recipe they provide with the instructions.

The first time I cooked beef stew in the Lodge 5-quart cast iron dutch oven my husband raved that it was the best stew I had ever made! He was surprised when I told him that the only difference between that batch of stew and previous batches was the use of the cast iron dutch oven. My pot roast tastes better too.

I was super impressed with my first time out of the box with the precured 5 quart dutch. It fried chicken so perfectly golden it looked like it belonged in a Gourmet magazine photo. I browned some leftover chicken, drained the oil and added chopped onions, imported olives, garlic and celery, some tomato paste and a half bottle of white wine. Covered it and put it in the oven at 450 for one hour. The most tender, falling off the bone chicken stew (cacciatore)italiano we have ever had. Even my kids were impressed! now I have to get the 7quart for bigger meals. Great product and the upkeep is easy, 'cept for those compulsive cleaners that insist on soaps.
I may opt for the 12 inch fry pan but I like the deep oven cause it reduces spatter.

Kiss that Teflon coated cookware good bye. Get yourself a Lodge cast iron Dutch oven for the kitchen and tell me this isn't the best cookware you have ever owned.

I have been using my 5 quart Dutch oven for about two years now and despite it's weight, my food turns out better, tastier and clean-up is a breeze. In addition, cast iron can last a lifetime unlike Teflon coated pots and pans which can and will flake and apparently if in your food, it is unhealthy.

This pot has been used on electrical and gas stoves and with almost identical results. The pot does not require special heat coils or other "technology" to evenly distribute heat, it's built in its structure, it's cast iron. In addition, it can easily go from stovetop to oven for casseroles and other such items. One or two less items to clean at the end of the meal.

I highly recommend cast iron and as time goes on all my Teflon pots and pans will be completely replaced by cast iron.

Sometimes old becomes new again and I foresee that people will look more towards cast iron as their everyday cookware that is relatively inexpensive compared to "professional" cookware currently on the market. You really can't beat something that will outlast even you if you give it tender loving care.

I bought this as a gold box special. I have a skillet as well, but do not use it very much. So far I have made hungarian goulash and weight watchers turkey chili in it and both have come out excellent.

My skillet was preseasoned, so this was my first go at seasoning. I learned that it is smoky and stinky, so don't do it right before having guests. :)

This is definitely one of the best values in cookware around. The cast iron cooks very evenly and is very durable. It was a pleasure to cook a beef stew in this.

I also made a black bean soup in the Dutch Oven. Some of the crushed black beans cooked right to the side of the oven. I had seasoned the oven, but it was still a chore to remove. Oh well. I assume that the seasoning will improve over time.

The only other piece of cookware that I would consider better is a Le Creuset equivalent, which would probably cost about 5 times as much and poses the risk of chipping its enamel coating.

This Dutch Oven goes everywhere with me. I no longer cook inside. I have a full set for home and a set for camping. They go in my jeep everywhere. I can quickly and deliciously whip up a fantastic meal that is healthy, fun, and stays warm till you can't eat another bite. These ovens last a lifetime. I have one from my great grandmother, of course, it is my favorite. Her pan is how I discovered "Lodge" cookware and cast iron cooking. Cooking outdoors on a daily basis has enriched my cooking experience and changed my outlook on life. It smells great, taste great, and is easy to learn. It never fails to bring shock and laughter to the dinner table when everyone sees you pull their meal from inside the fireplace . . . or from a hole in the ground with burning embers or from a hanging pot. Great fun! Makes the chore of cooking fun and satisfying! Oh . . . and so-o-o-o good! Don't forget your Lodge Dinnerbell to top off the meal with the right atmosphere.