soup/stock/sauce pot or maybe dutch oven

[ruckin]

Managed to toss the warped cheapo 5 quart pan that I have had for quite some time. I am wanting to upgrade my cookware as I retire old pieces.... Showed SWMBO a picture of the all clad stainless 5.5 quart dutch oven and all was well and good until she saw the price. I am in super saver mode at the moment to help fund building a house so I am looking for a bang for the buck kind of option here. Staub and LeCruset look nice but I have been told they are too heavy (and of course they will not fit into the price category... We have a 8.5 qt scanpan dutch oven and she likes that alot (I didn't tell her how much it was and it was purchased prior to current austerity measures).

We have very limited space so we both have a strong preference to have a pot with small hand holds rather than a large handle that is often found on sauce pans.

I guess I am looking for a 5ish quart pan that is relatively short/squat, heavy enough to not warp, not a total drag to clean, and will be able to work on my current and future stove (have electric glass cooktop now and going to have a gas range in the new house). I would like to keep it under a hundred but pointers to brands/where to shop/ or even features to "must have" or avoid would be appreciated.

Thanks
Ruckin.

.ps - Happy new year.

 

[Alacrity59]

Nobody will swoon over my recommendation.

I think you should be able to find a Lagostina Ambiente 3 Piece Pasta cooker or a CostCo Kirkland brand equivalent in the price range you are looking at. Great for pasta of course but also a very useful pot for making large batches of soup.

A bit smaller is a Lagostina Dutch oven. At about 5 qt you can probably find them for around $50. All pretty good quality stuff that should last for decades with reasonable care.

 

[Shave_Rat]

Doesn't have to be the fancy named brand high end stuff to be functional and affordable.

 

[jmudrick]

Le Creuset if your rich uncle leaves you the dosh otherwise maybe this would do

 

[redrako]

+1 to Lodge's enameled cast iron.

I own two Le Creuset dutch ovens and two Lodge enamel cast iron pieces. I won't say that they are the same, but darn close. Of course the food that you are cooking in them will not know the differences.

They are fine looking pieces which look better in person than in their pictures. A plus that Lodge has over Le Creuset is the rounded edge between the Dutch Oven's bottom and side. Taken care of, they should provide you will years of tasty eating.

 

[Shave_Rat]

I've been dancing around about the Lodge enameled... my only complaint is that while the cast iron is made in the US by them, the enameling is done in China for them.

 

[ruckin]

Thanks for the input so far. I would love lodge but I need to get one in SWMBOs hands to make sure it doesn't fail the "too heavy" test. She might just put in the the same category as the big buck cast/enamel dutch ovens as too heavy. According to the lodge site the 4.6 quart is 13+ lbs

 

[sidpost]

Be careful with foreign glazes and enamels, especially out of China as many of them have leached lead in the past.

I have the All Clad Dutch Oven you mentioned and I really disliked it. It was hard to clean and didn't cook evenly in an apartment oven (i.e. one that didn't heat evenly). It also would not do a descent sear either on the cooktop because it lacked 'latent heat capacity' and the stove top electric coil had less power than your average $10 hair dryer.

I have purchased "first quality" Le Crueset ovens of various capacities for $100 give or take many times. In Williams Sonoma I have also purchased various "discount" Stuab ovens for typically a bit over $100. Of the two brands I find the Staub finishes to be better and I like the 'spiked' oven lids better for roasts. The LC and Staub both cook wonderfully in a pathetically weak stove/oven since you can heat them up before hand so the cold meat doesn't suck all the heat out of the pan (latent heat capacity).

If you are not doing acidic cooking (no tomatoes, lemons, onions, etc.), regular Lodge Cast Iron as found at Walmart and most camping and outdoor stores is a great value oriented choice. Properly seasoned it is nonstick barring severe user errors and properly seasoned it will stand up to short term light acidic cooking (think chili and stews with tomatoes and onions).

The Tramontina dutch ovens found at Sam's Club, Walmart, and other mass market places out of Brazil is better IMHO than Lodge enameled cookware. The Food TV celebrity chef enamel cast iron cookware should be avoided at all cost. It is thin and overpriced; get Tramontina or Lodge for the same or less money with better cooking qualities.

By far the best Dutch Ovens in this size range are the Oval ovens from Le Creuset and Staub. The oval shapes are better for 'boned' meats whether hams, roasts or, chickens. A ~4qt 'Coq au Vin' Oval Dutch Oven' is the most used piece of cookware other than a skillet in many kitchens. It is very versatile for classic casseroles, meats of all kinds, and many other dishes.

Watch the big e'tailers for a clearance sale or speciality shops like Williams Sonoma and you can get a French 'Coq au Vin' Oval Dutch Oven' in the ~4 qt size for ~$100. My last acquisition was a "French" bean pot from Le Creuset in the ~4qt capacity so, be patient and your Dutch Oven will show up on sale some day too.

 

[sidpost]

Thanks for the input so far. I would love lodge but I need to get one in SWMBOs hands to make sure it doesn't fail the "too heavy" test. She might just put in the the same category as the big buck cast/enamel dutch ovens as too heavy. According to the lodge site the 4.6 quart is 13+ lbs

The Lodge 2qt round dutch oven for $20 is a handy one that might be worth a "Test Drive". She can heft one in Walmart and similar places but, they are relatively light. Also, I find listed weights to be miss leading for many reasons, some of which may be advertising. The listed weights are also typically shipping weights so, the pan itself isn't that heavy.

 

[CurtisB81]

Lodge cast iron makes an 5qt for 30.00 and its darn near bomb proof..Plus, you can use the lid as a frying pan..Tell her, to build them muscles up..

 

[Shave_Rat]

Be careful with foreign glazes and enamels, especially out of China as many of them have leached lead in the past.

This is the reason I've gone back and forth on the enameled Lodge stuff. While some issues of lead leaching has been reported, at the same time Lodge is in charge of the QC for the materials and process used, and have their name and rep they stand behind. So, it is different than some never heard of brand where some Chinese company is doing the material and process selection. Still on the fence, if you couldn't tell. lol

 

[jmudrick]

Be careful with foreign glazes and enamels, especially out of China as many of them have leached lead in the past.

I have the All Clad Dutch Oven you mentioned and I really disliked it. It was hard to clean and didn't cook evenly in an apartment oven (i.e. one that didn't heat evenly). It also would not do a descent sear either on the cooktop because it lacked 'latent heat capacity' and the stove top electric coil had less power than your average $10 hair dryer.

I have purchased "first quality" Le Crueset ovens of various capacities for $100 give or take many times. In Williams Sonoma I have also purchased various "discount" Stuab ovens for typically a bit over $100. Of the two brands I find the Staub finishes to be better and I like the 'spiked' oven lids better for roasts. The LC and Staub both cook wonderfully in a pathetically weak stove/oven since you can heat them up before hand so the cold meat doesn't suck all the heat out of the pan (latent heat capacity).

If you are not doing acidic cooking (no tomatoes, lemons, onions, etc.), regular Lodge Cast Iron as found at Walmart and most camping and outdoor stores is a great value oriented choice. Properly seasoned it is nonstick barring severe user errors and properly seasoned it will stand up to short term light acidic cooking (think chili and stews with tomatoes and onions).

The Tramontina dutch ovens found at Sam's Club, Walmart, and other mass market places out of Brazil is better IMHO than Lodge enameled cookware. The Food TV celebrity chef enamel cast iron cookware should be avoided at all cost. It is thin and overpriced; get Tramontina or Lodge for the same or less money with better cooking qualities.

By far the best Dutch Ovens in this size range are the Oval ovens from Le Creuset and Staub. The oval shapes are better for 'boned' meats whether hams, roasts or, chickens. A ~4qt 'Coq au Vin' Oval Dutch Oven' is the most used piece of cookware other than a skillet in many kitchens. It is very versatile for classic casseroles, meats of all kinds, and many other dishes.

Watch the big e'tailers for a clearance sale or speciality shops like Williams Sonoma and you can get a French 'Coq au Vin' Oval Dutch Oven' in the ~4 qt size for ~$100. My last acquisition was a "French" bean pot from Le Creuset in the ~4qt capacity so, be patient and your Dutch Oven will show up on sale some day too.

Currently $149 - available 15% discount, not bad

 

[sidpost]

This is the reason I've gone back and forth on the enameled Lodge stuff. While some issues of lead leaching has been reported, at the same time Lodge is in charge of the QC for the materials and process used, and have their name and rep they stand behind. So, it is different than some never heard of brand where some Chinese company is doing the material and process selection. Still on the fence, if you couldn't tell. lol

Lodge had some issues with early production so their QC process had a fail in the early days. You get what you pay for just like the really cheap Italian glazed ceramics that leached lead. If it sounds too good to be true .......

 

[sidpost]

Currently $149 - available 15% discount, not bad

I'm not a fan of glass lids, especially on cast iron ovens. The Staub spiked lids are the best for meats and things like rice - really nice IMHO.

 

[ruckin]

I really like the enamel cast iron stuff but I know the SWMBO will insist on round and "not to heavy" as it will be used 80-90% of the time on the stove top. She is threatening to look for a pot while out shopping today, so I might not get any say in the matter.

Thank you for the replies. I might have to wait for the house to be finished to get the staub that I really want.

Ruckin.

 

[ruckin]

While running around I made SWMBO stop in the kitchen wares department to look at pans. In addition to super light aluminum pans some with no-stick I found a lodge pan. We determined that 4.5quart was too small and 7.5quart was too big but the 6 quart seemed manageable. We declined to buy the white one with a broken handle (only 6quart they had) and will pick one up at another store or online in the next week.

I think what convinced her to try enamel cast iron is when I told he that if she didn't like it we could give it away.

I would like to thank everyone who replied. I think that if we end up liking the ECI I will probably spring or a staub cocotte (or maybe the shallow cocotte). It will depend a bit on how our cooking style changes when we move from electric with a glass top to gas.

Ruckin (glad that the 2017 sabbatical does not include kitchen stuff)

 

[redrako]

Ruckin, congratulations. Now the key to using your Lodge 6qt is to always cook using a medium heat. These Dutch Ovens are designed for low & slow cooking. Once heated, you may find that you'll have to turn the heat down to a low setting.

Because of the mass of the Dutch Oven it will provide an even heat that is light years above stainless or aluminum cookware. Additionally the cast iron holds heat, keeping food hot on cold nights.

 

[CurtisB81]

Ruckin, congratulations. Now the key to using your Lodge 6qt is to always cook using a medium heat. These Dutch Ovens are designed for low & slow cooking. Once heated, you may find that you'll have to turn the heat down to a low setting.

Because of the mass of the Dutch Oven it will provide an even heat that is light years above stainless or aluminum cookware. Additionally the cast iron holds heat, keeping food hot on cold nights.

It also add iron to your food..Most people don't have enough of...

 

[sidpost]

It also add iron to your food..Most people don't have enough of...

I believe he got an enameled dutch oven so, no additional iron from that one.

 

[CurtisB81]

I believe he got an enameled dutch oven so, no additional iron from that one.

True