When it's time for a coq au vin, a boeuf bourguignon, or the many French-influenced Creole dishes I make, only one Dutch oven will do: the Le Creuset.
I have three!—in New Orleans it's a 7.25 quart "Cerise" red, and in New York City I have a 7.25 quart in a now-discontinued collectors' color, "Palm" Green! In Fire Island I have a brand new 5.5 quart in Caribbean Blue! (The original signature color of Le Creuset cookware is "Flame," or orange.)
Why are they great? They are definitely the Rolls-Royce of Dutch ovens, in that they don't come cheap but it's because they are so well made.
Delish.com says: "Each piece of cookware is cast from a fresh sand mold that's broken back down into sand after its use. The cast pieces are then smoothed by hand and enameled. And that's just the simplified version: The process can take at least 10 hours and actually entails 12 different steps."
My "Palm," "Cerise," and "Caribbean Blue!"
Delish continues: "Le Creuset currently offers about 100 colors, but the favorites are different depending on where you live. Americans opt for primary hues, Germans love Mediterranean blues, and Japanese chefs pick pastels. French cooks go crazy for—what else?—the iconic Flame color, which is called "Volcanique" in Le Creuset's home country."
Le Creuset Dutch ovens are heavy and built to last. A recipe I might have tried cooking in a lighter weight pot takes half the time in a Le Creuset because they conduct heat so well and so evenly. I have to have the large 7.25 quart size because some of my recipes require that much volume. Again, they will set you back a chunk of change but they won't let you down and you'll have them forever. Here's a current link for my Cerise (and plenty of other color options!) Happy cooking!
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