Dutch Ovens

Buy about one quart of capacity per person you cook for, then round up. A family of four is well served by the 5.5 quart round, the most popular and most versatile size Le Creuset makes. This page runs from an 8 oz mini cocotte up to a 9 quart round and an 8 quart oval, so a couple cooking for two can drop to a 3.5 quart and a household that hosts or batch-cooks can size up. Rounding up rather than down gives a big braise room to move and keeps a full pot from boiling over.

Get a round Dutch oven for everyday cooking and an oval only if you regularly cook long cuts of meat. A round pot sits evenly over a single burner and suits stews, braises, soups, and no-knead bread, which is why it is the default choice. An oval is wider and shaped to fit a whole chicken, a roast, or meat on the bone that will not sit in a round. If you are buying one pot to do everything, make it a round and add an oval later if your cooking calls for it.

Le Creuset Dutch ovens cost more because they are enameled cast iron made in France and inspected by hand, built to hold and spread heat evenly and to stand up to decades of regular cooking. The pot comes with the manufacturer's backing, so the price buys something you keep rather than replace. What you pay for is the genuine piece and a finish that outlasts cheaper cookware.

No, enameled cast iron never needs seasoning. The enamel is the cooking surface, so the pot comes ready to use straight out of the box and stays that way, unlike bare cast iron that has to be seasoned and re-seasoned to build a nonstick layer. Wash it before first use, cook with a little oil or butter as any recipe would, and that is all the surface asks of you.

To clean enameled cast iron and lift stains, let the pot cool, then wash it with warm soapy water and a soft sponge or nylon brush, using baking soda or Bar Keeper's Friend on anything stuck on. It is dishwasher safe, but hand washing keeps the enamel and the exterior looking new. For stuck-on food, simmer water with a spoonful of baking soda for eight to ten minutes to loosen it, and for interior staining Le Creuset recommends Bar Keeper's Friend worked in with a soft brush. Skip metal scourers and abrasive pads, and use wood, silicone, or nylon utensils to keep the surface smooth.

The difference between a Dutch oven and a French oven is the name, not the pot. Le Creuset and most of the cookware world use the two terms interchangeably for the same lidded enameled cast iron pot, which is why this page shows a Round French Oven sitting beside the round Dutch ovens. Buy on size and shape and ignore the label, because two pots of the same dimensions are the same object whichever name is on them.

Enameled cast iron is right for slow, low-heat cooking, and stainless steel works for fast, high-heat cooking. Cast iron is heavy and holds heat for a long time, which makes it the better pot for braises, stews, soups, and no-knead bread where steady even heat matters. Stainless steel, like the All-Clad tri-ply Dutch oven that lives with the rest of our cookware, is lighter, heats and cools quickly, and takes the higher heat you want for searing and browning. Choose by how you cook, not by the stove you own.

Yes, Le Creuset enameled cast iron works on every cooktop, including induction, gas, electric, and ceramic, and it is oven safe as well. In the oven the limit is set by the lid knob, not the pot: the black phenolic knob on this Signature line is oven safe to 480 degrees, and the stainless steel knob is oven safe to 500 degrees. That is why we sell the stainless knobs on their own, so you can swap the knob and cook at higher heat or under the broiler without the limit. The pot itself takes any temperature a home oven reaches.

You can cook almost anything slow or braised in one, from pot roasts and short ribs to chili, soups, beans, braised chicken, risotto, and stews. The heavy walls and tight lid hold moisture and heat, so tough cuts turn tender and nothing dries out over a long, low cook. It also makes an excellent bread oven, since the trapped steam gives a no-knead loaf a bakery crust. It moves from stovetop to oven in one pot, which is what lets you sear, then braise, then finish without dirtying a second pan.

Yes, every Le Creuset piece we sell is genuine, and the full manufacturer warranty applies. We are an authorized Le Creuset stockist, a fourth-generation family store that has sold housewares on the Upper East Side since 1929, so these are first-quality pots bought through Le Creuset. The cast iron carries Le Creuset's lifetime limited warranty against defects in materials and workmanship, honored the same as if you bought it from the brand directly.