Customer Reviews

Lodge Color 6-Quart Dutch Oven, Café Brown

5 star:		(415)
4 star:		(100)
3 star:		(28)
2 star:		(23)
1 star:		(54)

 

 

Enamel on cast iron cookware like this, was, until recently, only available from makers like Le Creuset. Lately, several lower cost makers have come on the scene, like Target and Innova. The new budget priced Lodge cookware is in the same price range as the low cost alternatives but completely out performs them.

I have all of the brands I have mentioned. The Lodge is the same weight as the Le Creuset which is much heavier than the other budget models. The ridge where the lid and sides meet is a matt black porcelain on the Lodge and Le Creuset but is just exposed cast iron for the other budget models (which leads to rusting if you are not careful). The porcelain resists staining (even tomato sauces) in the Lodge and Le Creuset but the other budget models stain very easily. And finally, the Lodge and Le Creuset maintain a very polished interior finish that resists sticking which others do not. So, I see no performance differences at all between the Le Creuset and the Lodge whereas the comparably priced budget models are certainly inferior.

If you plan of using these pots very heavily (every day for example) you might want to upgrade to the higher priced Lodge product. It has 4 coatings of enamel as opposed to 2 in this model. But if you use them once or twice a week I dont think you will need the added wear resistance.

I purchased this from Amazon around mid-December and have been using it probably 3-4 times/week since then. It is as well constructed as my mother's Le Creuset french ovens, but at a much more reasonable price. I find Lodge products to be a good value, although this piece represents a departure for them as it is not made in the USA, but rather China. Nonetheless, it is very well constructed, with details like the black porcelain enameled rim of the pot and the lid setting it apart from some of the other inexpensive alternatives. I have used mine for mussels in white wine, no-knead bread (more on this below), stew, and various other dishes, and it has held up very well thus far. In another 20 or 30 years I should have a better idea of whether it will hold up as well as my mother's LC pots, but the materials appear to be suitable for the long haul. At one-sixth the price of Le Creuset, I'm willing to take that bet.

One aspect of the pot which I found wanting was the knob. The black phenolic knob completes the Le Creuset lookalike styling, but as with the LC product, it is not heat-safe to 500 degrees. I preheat the vessels for my bread baking at 500-550 degrees for 30-60 minutes, and the knob would not survive. Therefore, I went to the local hardware store and bought a substantial chrome-steel knob of the same base diameter as the included knob, with matching screw, and have used it ever since. For $9 total, the unit is now safe to 550 degrees F and beyond. Net cost: $59.

Great value and I recommend it highly.

This is a terrific value. The quality and performance match my Le Creuset pieces at a fraction of the price. The only slight design flaw I have found is that the rounded bottom makes browning large pieces of meat awkward. Other than that I have no complaints. Even heating. Easy clean up. I use it several times a week.
UPDATE: I found a second minor problem. The inside rim of the lid has a couple of raised spots which prevent the lid from seating tightly. This causes steam to escape much faster than I would like during a long braise or stew.

Update 2: Three years in I am dropping my rating to three stars. It's still a decent pot at a bargain price, but it will not be an heirloom piece like my Le Creuset. The loose fitting lid turns out to be a manufacturing shortcut. The lids and pot rims on the Le Creuset are machined flat so the lid fits tightly. The lid on this (and other inexpensive enameled cast iron pieces I have looked at) is cast with three raised spots which allow the lid to sit "flat" (like a tripod) on the pot without the extra machining step. This shortcut, unfortunately, makes it impossible for the lid to seal tightly. This makes the pot unsuitable for some tasks unless I make a foil gasket for a tight seal. Secondly, I now have several small chips in the enamel (on the lid and outside) on this pot. My Le Creuset pieces, which I have had much longer and use just as often, have no chipping.

Bottom line: the quality you get is the quality you pay for.

I called Lodge Mfg. They e-mailed me a report showing the testing that they have had done on their enamel coated cookware. All of their non enamel cookware is made here in the U.S. The enamel coated cookware is made in China but has been tested for lead content. That set my mind at ease and thought this review would help others too.

This Dutch oven is absolutely gorgeous! An incredible value in the world of enameled cast iron these days, I have a Le Creuset dutch oven that I love, but wanted another piece that was smaller and to be completely honest, wanted to to test one of Lodge's new enameled cast iron pieces that are more price friendly. I have other lodge pieces which I love and thought it was worth a try. I have to admit I was lured by the beautiful red color. Now that I have received it and see it, the picture does not do it justice! It is so pretty, but it cooks superbly like my other lodge pieces, but clean up is so much easier and I don't have to oil each time. I can also cook dishes that are acidic that I can't in the regular cast iron. You also can cook at almost half the normal temps in the oven because it retains the heat so well, which is great with the price of electricity and gas right now! I really think these are going to take off with their affordable prices on these. They have the Lodge name security backing them and hopefully they have not sold their name to produce these like a lot of other companies these days, but I doubt it. But for under $50 for a 6 quart dutch oven, it is worth a try! I am very happy and showing all my friends and family. Do give these a try!

I have been looking at enameled cast iron cookware and have not purchased one due to their prices. When I saw this one I was excited. I own a non-enamel lodge cast iron dutch oven and a frying pan and have been impressed with their quality. I have had them for several of my rookie cooking years and have not taken care of them in the way that cast iron cookware should be taken care of...cleaning pots immediately and not letting them "soak" and caring to oil them after being cleaned. I am from cajun country so buying a cast iron pot with an enamel coating seems like cheating, since you are supposed to be seasoning them with every meal and the pot should be better and better every time you use it, but I must have gone wrong somewhere along the way. The pots quality is excellent and it's finish is flawless. I have been very impressed with the meals that have come out of it so far. It is easier to clean up than regular cast iron and also the flavors don't seep into the pot. I cook a lot of different ethnicities of food so I don't want my thai food to have a slight cajun roux flavor just as I wouldn't want a gumbo or stew to have curried or ginger flavors. I love this pot my husband laughs at me because every meal, big or small, that I have cooked since I got this in the mail has come out of this pot. But I want to use it as much as I can, and the pretty red color is nice to look at as well. This has been a great purchase.

I've had a small le creuset soup pot for some time, which I use constantly, but was looking for something larger to handle soups, stews and roasts. I have a hard time seeing how any piece of cookware could really be worth $200 to me, so I started investigating alternatives. At $50, this dutch oven is a bargain, and certainly does not sacrifice performance. In fact, I actually think it cooks better than my le creuset pot (it seems to be thicker and better at evenly spreading heat). If you're in the market for a dutch oven, put this to the top of your list!

I checked with Lodge Mfg. They've tested the enamel coated cookware for lead and there was none.

I purchased this pot becuase I needed a large dutch oven I could use for sauces and other items without worrying about having to re-season my cast iron. I came across another, but was concerned about the company backing it. The Lodge was due to come out and so I pre-ordered. Since it showed up, I couldn't be happier with it.
It washes up easy, it's solid Lodge cast iron, and the brilliant blue color matches my cobalt blue wall very well. The inside is white porcelain, and cleans up easy, but it will be interesting to note how it holds up over the years. I even fried in it and it worked beautifully. The high sides kept the spatter to a minimum and the burned bits wiped clean in under a minute. The knob is black plastic and says it's rated for 400 degrees. I'm using it on a gas stove.

I was very excited to get this pot to add to my kitchen. We eat a lot of soups and stews in the winter. It did a wonderful job and I kept it as per the directions. I always washed it by hand and used nylon utensils in it to preserve the enamel. Last week, the enamel started coming off the the sides and bottom of the pot. I was very disappointed as it was a prized kitchen item. It is back to the older pots and pans that I have. I would not recommend the purchase as it will not last very long. I guess there is a reason the other more expensive brand is so very expensive.