Le Creuset Enameled Cast Iron Signature Round Dutch Oven, 9 qt., Cerise

I am not a big cookware snob. I'm not. I do have a preference for good design, good performance and the like, but really, I used to think that Le Creuset was overblown.Until I started using one. I had a roommate with a smaller Le Creuset, and after doing several complex things in it (wine-braised beef, chicken dishes, French onion soup, and so on), I was sold. It distributed heat so evenly, could be used in the oven, never seemed to chip, wasn't even all that heavy (I mean, for cast iron), cleaned up easily, and was just a lovely piece to work with.I do wish they weren't so darned expensive. But I bought a Lodge enameled piece, and it was a relative disaster—worked great at first, but the enamel had flaws, and worse, chipped rather easily, something that had never once happened with my roommate's Le Creuset. In the end, I gave it to a friend who wanted a cheap one (and knew of its flaws), and when I had the money, splurged on this.This sucker is big enough to hold an entire chicken, or a several-pound chunk of beef, or two frickin' gallons of soup or curry or stew or whatever. It hasn't chipped yet, and if it does, it has a lifetime warranty that Lodge doesn't offer. I've had no problems with it so far. You do have to be careful of what little iron is exposed (around the edge of the lid) to keep it rust-free (a light coat of oil does the trick), but that's true of every Le Creuset piece I've seen.Yes, it's an investment, but it's a one-time investment you'll use for the rest of your cooking, and be able to hand down to your grandkids some day.Now I want to go make something in it again.

We purchased the 9-Qt version for two reasons:1) We love our 13-Qt Le Creuset (of the same style) for making large batches of soup, chili, and Bolognese, or for cooking anything where browning early in the recipe is key (pork dishes, and other meats that call for browning on all sides, for example), the enameled cast iron just can't be beat.2) The 13-Qt is quite heavy, and for smaller batches (meals for 4), the 9-qt is sufficiently sized, not nearly as challenging to move, and has all of the cooking performance of its bigger sibling.Price: This is one of those items you buy once, and keep for generations, so while it may be a bit expensive up front, it's quality and cooking performance over the lifetime of the product are a great value, and lesser quality products may be easier on the wallet up front, but you'll likely be replacing it once or twice again in your lifetime, and won't get the great performance you get with this one.Cleaning: no problem, hot water and dish soap with a non-scratch scrubber and all the brown bits that you didn't get to go into your sauce come off of the enamel with minimal effort.As a side note, I have some Le Creuset enameled Cast-Iron I inherited from my grandmother which, now in it's third generation, is still going strong.

I've had several other brands in different sizes: Tramontina, Mario Batali, and Lodge (which is now made in China and has gone way down in quality). This Le Creuset 9 quart is far superior to all of them, and is also the perfect size for cooking anything from a simple soup to a huge braised roast. The finish is excellent and cleans easily. Some other pots discolor. The bottom is flat and big enough to cover the burner. Others are rounded and don't heat as evenly, or they are much smaller than the upper portion, so browning has to be done in more batches. The handles are so easy to grab, even with oven mitts on. Of course, nothing compares in price, either. Yes, it's expensive, but I spent way too much on cheaper brands before learning this pot is worth every penny.

I needed something in which I could boil a lot of water. The city water here is bad, we have a faucet and shower filter; but the whole house filter we had installed had to go because the water is so bad that the city has told us not to use whole house filters as they will breed bacteria, etc. Even filtered, the water can have an off-taste; so we decided to go the extra mile and boil all our drinking water and any water used for cooking that would otherwise not come to a boil. I had tried the extra-extra large stainless steel kettles, but the rims on all of them rusted within a few weeks, even being dried after each use; they then left a metallic taste in the water. This pot does the job well and more quickly than any of the kettles we have owned. Filled to an inch from the top, the pot boils in 18 minutes. It fills 3 of our 2 qt. glass bottles all the way up (more than 32 oz.) and is ready to go again for more. I got a wood ladle to fill an 8C glass measuring cup for the first two bottles; but am able to pour the last one directly from the pot (I am 61 yrs. old, almost 5 feet tall, and weigh 108#, so trying to pour before then would be dangerous). The pot is heavy, but I can carry it filled with water from my sink to the stove (about 6') with little effort. I am sure that if the need arose to cook something in it, it would perform as well as the smaller one that we have (see my review for the 4.5 qt. pot).

This is our second Le Creuset Dutch Oven (our other one is a smaller size) and, as before, we're thoroughly satisfied with it. We use multiple times a week. It's very heavy, but that's the point, so it can retain heat and distribute it evenly across the full width of the pot. Cleaning is a breeze. Sure, it's a little pricey, but well worth the cost in terms of performance and durability.