Which Dutch oven is the best? To find out, I tested several of the highest-rated brands, including Le Creuset, Staub, Lodge, Made In, Tramontina, Caraway, Misen, and Great Jones. After months of cooking and comparing their key specs, I put them through a series of controlled tests. I measured their durability, heat retention, moisture retention, and much more. I’ll show you exactly how they performed, what they’re best at and where they fall short. You’ll see which premium brands live up to the hype, which budget options surprised me, and which ones aren’t worth your money.
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Disclaimer: We may earn a fee if you buy via the affiliate links below (at no extra cost to you). As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Tramontina: https://amzn.to/3OunGeq (Amazon)
Lodge Essential Enamel: https://amzn.to/3B7hw0X (Amazon)
Lodge Essential Enamel: https://lodgecastiron.pxf.io/OeeG9z (LodgeCastIron.com)
Lodge USA Enamel: https://amzn.to/4ieaHew (Amazon)
Lodge USA Enamel: https://lodgecastiron.pxf.io/vPPe4O (LodgeCastIron.com)
Great Jones: https://greatjones.sjv.io/bOaM1m (GreatJonesGoods.com)
Made In: https://madeincookware.pxf.io/bOaMr6 (MadeInCookware.com)
Misen: https://shrsl.com/4rrs5 (Misen.com)
Caraway: https://caraway-home.pxf.io/2a1vLG (CarawayHome.com)
Staub: https://www.jdoqocy.com/click-8744728-13819538?sid=yt&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.zwilling.com%2Fus%2Fstaub-cast-iron—round-cocottes-5.5-qt-round-cocotte-basil-1102685%2F40509-358-0.html%3Fsrsltid%3DAfmBOoqxxt6OiiBn85CeNp_UYCo9X6bG9j17CNXNnC7i-dwpHiQTpAug (Zwilling.com)
Le Creuset: https://amzn.to/4fNqBv3 (Amazon)
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0:00 Test Methods
1:12 Tramontina
1:52 Lodge Essential
3:20 Lodge USA
4:27 Great Jones
5:25 Made In
6:30 Misen
7:29 Caraway
8:36 Staub
9:48 Le Creuset
11:05 Best and Worst
12:18 Comparison Chart
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37 Comments
The full guide includes a comparison chart with all the key specs and test results. Read it here: https://prudentreviews.com/le-creuset-vs-lodge-vs-staub-vs-caraway-vs-made-in/
Warranty Update: I spoke directly with Le Creuset and Staub, and both confirmed that their warranties cover enamel chipping—even if it happens after years of use. The wording in their warranties can be misleading, making it seem like coverage only applies to manufacturing defects. But according to both companies, that’s not the case. If your enamel chips under normal use, you may still be eligible for a replacement.
Cheap Chinese garbage.
My Staub is my most frequently used pot in use. I really prefer the flat lid with the inside knobs where the steam condenses, just keeps the water inside and prevents burning my fingers with hot water.
SI units please
I picked up an eggplant Lodge Essentials on clearance for something like $30 a decade ago. It’s my favorite color, and I have made so many different dishes in it. I absolutely love it, and can’t imagine wanting a different brand.
Le Creset and Staub has a line on the owner's will.
Watching a 12 minutes video to discover what I already knew: Staub is the best!😊
Love my Lodge dutch oven and covered skillet. Use either nearly every day
I've been very happy with my Tramontina, a 4 quart, a 6 quart, and a 12" fry pan with lid. I got them super cheap at Costco and cheap was what I wanted. So far they haven't chipped, and they look good on display. I have a Cuisinart 7 quart that I got 10 years ago for $20, and it works great. It has a few small chips now, but they don't bother me.
I admire those who can cook in ceramic pots. I just cant! Give me a good set of andonized pots
I received my mother's Le Creuset Large Dutch when she passed. It was something like 50 years old. The enamel flaked off the bottom of the inside of the pot. I sent it to Le Creuset and they sent me a brand new one, no charge. The retail price of the new pot was plus or minus $500.00. Just like furniture, you pay a little more and get a lot more. If you can afford a few dollars more buy Le Creuset.
One thing: do not take cold pot from fridge to a hot oven. I cook in mine and put food in a separate container to refrigerate. If you must store in fridge in Le Creuset I would allow pot to warm on the counter at least 1-2 hours before putting in the oven. Thermal stress can place great wear on your pot and chip enamel inside or out.
I have the one with the plastic knob for Le Creuset, if I put it in the oven, I wrap it in aluminum foil and that protects it.
Le Creuset enamelled Dutch Oven is best by far. Staub next best. For best braising you need one of these brands. And can be used for other types of cooking, including baking and roasting – anything that goes in the oven, even if started on the stovetop. Lodge cast iron is best for basic non-enamelled cookware (so suitable for hot open flame sources) and good for hard searing with a desired crust, such as searing steak, frying crisp bacon, or for use on outdoor grills. But for stove top sauting, while you cqn improvise with either, you really need a third high quality frying pan.
I bought my first Le Creuset about 30 years ago. After about 25 years of heavy kitchen abuse it was pitted and discolored and a real mess. I later learned from my local kitchen equipment store that LC offered a "lifetime guarantee". I contacted their offices in New York and after a long delay they replaced it free and even gave me my choice of color ("Marseille" which is one of their darker blue pots). The only downside is that they had to receive the old one first, which cost me $54 in postage because my old one was so heavy and built like a tank. Still, I am super satisfied with my new pot and the fact that they did indeed stand behind their lifetime pledge.
Staub is having a sale now – 50% off the unit reviewed here… I just ordered my first one yesterday!
Thank you! Just tossed out my old inexpensive Dutch oven and planning to get a new one this fall. Your video has helped me consider which one to purchase. Thank you!
I got a vintage le creuset off ebay. There are LOADS on ebay, usually because the knob broke. Mine is a bit chipped but years of wear in it. I made my thermal oven to have it fit snug.
Love my Ballarini Dutch oven, unfortunately not in your test.
so, I went straight to Amaz and WOW la Creu is $300++!!!!!!!! woah. I need to find one at a thrift shop! or yard sale.
who rests their wooden spoon on top like that? Why not on the handles?
Big issue, most smart people wear oven mitts to lift lids. Meaning smaller handles suck !
We got given a lot of Le Creuset pots, dutch ovens, pans etc last year. None of them are the same colour, as my husband's Aunt must have just bought bits and pieces whenever she wanted. I was shocked at the price of them but they cook everything beautifully.
This called Dutch oven ? Thanks for let me know. I’m a Taiwanese.
Le cruset has many outlets to get these products at 30% or more discounted and thus has a big impact on price to value!
Great video! I subscribed because you get right to work and move it right along without a lot of superfluous yakkety-yak. Excellent work, and thank you!
Haven't seen your other videos, but this one was very useful. Thank you
My Le Creuset pans – Dutch oven, square baking pan, and large, deep saute pan – are wonderful. Love them. They were gifts from my husband. ❤❤
Can you NOT go "up" at the end of every sentence please
With Le Creuset, you can rest your spoon along the handle on the side – rather than on the top. Probably the same for most enamel pots.
Looking at the individual reviews, my vote goes to the Misen. It doesn't have any huge drawbacks and is the only one with the added versitility of a grill lid—that all the others don't have. It puzzles me how you don't even have it as a top recommendation…
All of my antique or vintage Le Creuset garage sale pieces have cracked or chipped after who knows however many years they served before I put them through at least another 15/20 years of use. The new skillet I got as a gift back in 04 nearly immediately developed spider cracks and is impossible to keep clean.
As a Misen user, I have found that when I use the grill pan as a lid I rotate the lid to a 45-90 degree off set from the oven handles unless I am moving the whole lot. This makes it much easier to remove the grill lid when it's on the stove top. You can also pickup the knob lid as a individual purchase for all of their sizes. If you have better options for stove top grilling it is better to just get the knob lid in the original purchase.
Bonjour. Depuis plus de 30 ans, j'ai 3 cocottes en fonte Staub (1) et Creuset (2).
Pour rien au monde je ne m'en séparerais .
Idéal pour cuisiner les plats mijotés, autrefois pour ma famille, maintenant pour mes enfants devenus grands et leur petite famille. Je congèle en portion . Lorsqu'ils me visitent, je sais qu'ils auront de bons petits plats soit le midi, ou le soir , ou bien le WE . Une façon de passer le relais dans la tradition de la bonne cuisine!
Over the years I have collected 4 Le Creuset pots. They all look brand new and I love them.
Were the Dutch Ovens used in an induction cooktop?
You don't need to buy a dutch oven. Just wait for your husband to give you one. All my married friends brag about giving their wife one.
None of these are authentic Dutch ovens. An authentic Dutch oven is made for cooking with fire/coals. They are made of standard cast iron (no fancy colors), should have 3 legs, and the lids should be flat with an edge lip for coal retention and a raised handle in the middle designed for a lid lifter (a tool that lets you lift the coal covered lid without burning yourself). Note: Kent Rollins uses real Dutch ovens in a lot of his cooking, if you want to see one in action.