Side by Side Comparison of: Lodge

I love cast iron. I have an illness that does cause me to hate the heft, but the way it cooks is so worth the work. I recommend this to all who want lovely enamel covered but can't or don't feel right paying over $200 for some items. Stew came out a treat! Hold heat beautifully, and is not so large that my oven racks bend (as some company's did).I recommend keeping the little black rubber protectors for when one stores this baby so as not to damage the lid. I also must say, it is true that this item is made in China. I called Lodge and they said that even though the ENAMELED cast iron is the only one made outside the USA, they are involved in all the items used in the process, the formulas and so forth.As I can't find one made in USA not out of this world $$$, I say try this. It is lovely.

This review is for the Lodge Color EC6D33 Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven, 6-Quart (Caribbean Blue).I've owned and enjoyed Lodge griddles and pans for years but this is my first purchase of a piece from their enameled line. From in-ground baking at cattle camp to braised meats on my stove top, I have complete confidence in Lodge products. This oven is beautifully made, the enamel impeccable, and the lid fits securely. Lodge includes little rubber chocks to use for storage that keep the lid from wearing as much on the pot. The color is radiant and rich, so much so that I store this oven in an open cupboard just so I can gaze upon it. You might laugh at that but it truly contributes to the ambiance of my kitchen, and it pleases me as a thing of beauty.Everything, and I mean everything, I've made in this puppy has cooked evenly and to perfection. I appreciate the wide hand grips because, let's face it, cast iron is heavy enough on it's own but add six pounds of ribs and soon enough you're weight lifting. When I'm hauling it fully loaded out of the oven, believe me, those grips are a godsend.Some reviews have mentioned that the Lodge is not the heirloom quality of a Le Cruset (or a Staub for that matter). However, it's silly to compare a $50 enameled Lodge to a $300 Le Cruset. Thus far I see no difference in durability or cooking performance. The Lodge may chip sooner than the Le Crusets, but I'll deal with that when the time comes. Sure, I love my Le Cruset pieces, but guess who has the place of honor in the kitchen? Guess who gets used a couple times a week? Guess who causes me to smile every time I look at that rich Caribbean Blue? The Lodge, that's who.If you found this review helpful, please click the "yes" button below. Thanks and happy trails!

Great value and the oven cooks awesome. Cooked a Pot Roast and 2 batches of Lasagna (See Pic) so far. Soaked in warm soapy water and used a non-scratch pad to clean and it still looks brand new with very little effort to clean.

I've been wanting a La Crueset Dutch oven for a long time now, but couldn't bring myself to drop the cash. By total chance, one of my friends mentioned that they had purchased a Lodge version and were totally thrilled with it. What's this? The cast iron manufacturer that I already have one of each of their cookware makes enameled cookware as well?? Sold! Jumped on Amazon immediately and placed the order, and in usual Amazon fashion, had it on my doorstep in a couple of days!First, unboxing. The packaging may have been improved, as the unit I received was very well packed, and there were no chips or scratches. Totally perfect out of the box. The enamel looked great, the handles were solid, and it weighed as much as my regular cast iron dutch oven. Unlike most things that I get, I did read the directions, I think it's worth noting, if you haven't owned an enameled piece of cookware previously, don't use it like regular cast iron- they point out that if you overheat an empty pot, you could crack the finish. Technically it's dishwasher safe, but I won't be throwing this monstrosity into the dishwasher, hand washing is fine for me. Oh, and DO NOT USE METAL UTENSILS! They will scratch it!Next up, cooking with it! Worked beautifully and cleans up easily, just as I'd imagined it would in my dreams. Have done acidic red sauces, sauteing, long cooks, and some other stuff. Even heat distribution, incredibly smooth cooking surface. Just like my regular dutch oven, with the extra benefits of not having issues with acids, and even easier clean up. Awesome product and well worth the purchase.

When my 20-year-old Le Creuset got chipped, I went to buy another, but was stopped in my tracks by the price. I bought this Lodge item instead, and it serves the same purpose. Simply a must-have kitchen basic, and the price is certainly right. No complaints whatsoever...I use it all the time. Probably the most common recipe I make in it is chili, but I also use it for kolbasi and cabbage. It is also good for pot roast on top of the stove. I could go on and on, but you get the picture.Just adding that after a year or so I ordered a second one of these for my apartment in a different state. I opened the box, washed the pot, and made a big batch of vegetable soup. This dutch oven is a kitchen mainstay and must-have for me.

Although the item doesn't state it, Lodge replaced all their silly plastic lid knobs with steel ones... meaning they can be in a 500F oven! Yay!

Did a lot of looking for deep pans and ended up getting these. My only wish was that the deep pan was a little bigger but then it may be too heavy to lift. They are great quality and expect them to last my whole life. Originally purchased thinking we wouldn't really use the small pan but have used them both pretty equally. Definitely recommend buying the silicone handle covers for both handles because these get HOT and are HEAVY so you will need to hold both handles at once to pour contents out of the pot.

One of the best kitchen investments I've made! Perfect size for 2 people. My clear glass lids to other pots I have fit this perfect. (10" lids FYI)3 pans for the space of 2! I use the "lid" saute pan the most. It's best to do your research on how to properly care for cast iron. Lodge's website has all the info you need for that. Don't forget that tomato and bean based dishes strip the seasoning. At least until they are very, very, VERY well seasoned.

This is a fantastic bargain and multi use.I have always wanted a Dutch oven and as my "non" stick pans died off one by one I started looking for cast iron.This is a fry pan, a Dutch oven, and deep pot for big recipes. Home or camping it's awesome quality.I also got the insert grate that raises up your meats and poultry so they dont sit in grease.The price is great. I plan to buy this for wedding gifts. Maybe put a few home recipes inside.My son goes camping often and if it's missing from my stove top, I just look in his gear.It doesn't have feet for camp fire but that makes it perfect for the stove.I am buying the fire grate for it. I love it.

I gave this as a Christmas gift to my husband last year because he has always wanted a cast iron skillet. I was even proud to tell him that I didn't get him just a skillet but a pot too and that it doubles as a dutch oven!The skillet has been his go-to pan since then and he really enjoys making our meals with it. We can't wait to take these two things on a camping trip!They seem to be of great quality but then again this is our first cast iron set so we'll see. So far we love it!

If you don't know how to cook and are entering the world of cooking (or if you are just a college student, or you live in an apartment the size of a prison cell) this is the set you should have.Pros:InexpensiveCan stop a bullet if you need it toCan be used as an effective self defense weaponCan go into any oven, regardless of tempBrown's like nobody's businessIf taken good care of, will be something you can pass down to your grandkidsThe combo makes for different cooking configurations (which I'll list below)Cons:HeavyMight rust if you don't know how to take care of itTakes a while to get to tempYour wife can't lift itThis is the set I have, this is the set I recommend in my videos on youtube, and this is the set you should have.First, let's talk about the material, cast iron, the original cookware material is right up there with clay and rock as a solid material to cook on. No need to worry about getting Alzheimer's because you are cooking on aluminum, no need to worry about getting cancer because you are cooking on non-stick, no need to worry about difficulties of cleanup because you are cooking on stainless. When correctly seasoned and cured, it's more non-stick than non-stick pans. My cleanup is all of 10 seconds, with pretty much no heavy scrubbing. Cast iron heats slowly, but heats evenly. There are micro-pores in the metal (because it's casted into shape, thus the name cast iron) the micro pores do a lot. First, when filled with a light amount of oil, the pores get filled up, and then when heated, get carbonized, and so a correctly seasoned pan actually has a layer of almost pure carbon on top, making for a very non-stick surface. Cast iron is ALL IRON, meaning the worst that can happen when you eat food off of cast iron is you get more iron in your diet. No harm, no fowl. Cast Iron can hold up to extreme heats, and so that means on the camp fire straight on the coals is just fine, or in the broiler or in the oven, none of it is a problem for cast iron. Cast iron also browns food; something non-stick pans don't really do. That means steaks and other meats get a nice sear on them, locks in the flavor and browns well to give you a nice crispy outside while holding the moisture in.This set comes with two pieces; a shallow skillet, and a deep, near dutch oven skillet.Let me start with the shallow skillet.The shallow skillet is what you want to wake up in the morning to. Eggs taste A LOT BETTER cooked on this. I usually heat a few pieces of tortilla and a little cheese in the middle, and you got yourself a breakfast quesadilla. Just remember to let the pan heat up, put just a dab of oil, and get a nice quality egg on it. Delicious. I also make toast on it, and of course, heating bacon and sausage.I also cook steaks on the shallow skillet. It's basically just like any other skillet, only food tastes much better cooked on it.What about the deep skillet?Get yourself a oil thermometer, and now it's fryer. We fry chicken, veges, anything you can name in this. Stews and stoups and soups are no problem in this. Want to make a one pot dinner? For 1~2 people? This is perfect. From the stove to the oven, without breaking a sweat.What about it in combination?With the shallow skillet on the bottom, I do some of the best chicken in the world in it.Preheat the oven to 325F. Take two whole chicken legs, get them to room temp, rub a little bit of olive oil between the skin and the meat as well as on the skin. Pour a little bit of old bay in between the skin and the meat, as well as on top of the skin. Cover it up with the deep skillet, into the oven it goes! 1 hour later. PERFECT chicken. The skin as a little bit of crisp, and the meat is juicy and flavorful!What about in reverse, with the deep skillet on the bottom?Chop up some hard veges in 1 inch sizes (carrots, onions, celery) toss them in a bit of olive oil and a bit of old bay (yes, old bay makes everything taste great!) throw it into the deep skillet at 325F for 20 minutes and you are done. If you like them soft, leave the lid on, if you like them browned on top, leave the lid off. If you like them in between, cook in the oven for 15 minutes with the lid off, then last 5 minutes, with the lid on.Cleanup is easy. Most people complain about cast iron because they don't understand that carbonized oil __IS__ the non-stick, so they don't take the time to learn how to take care of cast iron. It's not more work than other pans, in fact, out of all the pans I have, all my cast iron is easier to clean up than my regular plans. They simply are non-stick! Make sure you have a well seasoned patina on it. Do a search and you will find dozens of websites teaching you how to do this. When you cook, make sure the pan is hot, then put oil in, then put in ROOM TEMPERATURE FOOD into it. The biggest mistake I see people making is they take food from the fridge (or worse yet, from the freezer!!) and put it directly into the pan. That's a no-no, by the time it is up to temp, all your food has lost moisture. You want to get every piece of food you are about to cook to room temp before you cook it. Remember, heat your pan for about 5 minutes, pour oil, let it heat for 5~10 seconds, (but don't let it smoke) and the put your food in. If you do that, your pan should be non-stick!Cleanup? Hot running water, and a stiff brush, 10 seconds, done! Dry it with a paper towel, and then wipe a thin coat of oil on it. That's it!If you take care of this set, it will take care of you. Great product, highly recommended.

To preface, I'm trying really hard to be a "good cook" but don't have a lot of experience, and I can't justify spending thousands of dollars on a budding hobby. So, when it came to replacing my flaking non-stick cookware, I researched for months before deciding on a hybrid set of copper-core stainless and Lodge cast iron. I read dozens of reviews and was intimidated by the extra care required by cast iron (I'm a wash-and-wear type). But, Lodge is so cheap comparatively and still really respected as an industry standard, that it's hard to overlook.I initially purchased the combo cooker, a 5qt dutch oven, and a variety of skillets. The cookers arrived in their Lodge packaging and were quite secure, but the skillets definitely were shipped loose. Fortunately they survived the jumbled journey fine, but I can see what other reviewers suffered with regards to skillets scraping each other or breaking out of their boxes - they are only a few steps shy of being insufficiently packaged. Free shipping is a great offer though.The pieces were just what I expected after having read the reviews - heavy, uneven in color/preseasoning application, and rough like sandpaper. Several reviewers I read were upset by sticking of initial cooking attempts, specifically because of the cat's tongue-like feel of the basin surface (which Lodge's website says is a normal condition). Responders suggested a few home seasonings prior to cooking, but I was impatient and followed one piece of advice spefically: go to my local bulk goods store, buy ten pounds of ground beef, and cook it in my new cast iron. I ended up also getting four pounds of bacon for good measure, and spent three hours cooking batch after batch of ground beef and bacon in every piece I'd purchased.The plan worked perfectly - by the time I had finished cooking, drained the oil and scraps, rinsed the pieces with hot water, and towel dried, the insides of the skillets were smooth as satin. The beef fat had left a gray film that made the skillets look instantly "used", which is a benefit I'll have to get used to (not being able to polish them back to a "new" looking state). The bacon stained the cooking surface a bit worse - in bacon-shaped shaddows, but I saved the bacon grease and used it for weeks to brush on the pans prior to use. I've cooked on the cast iron many times since (just dislodged a perfect batch of cornbread this morning), without any sticking during or after cooking. The several weeks of bacon grease was unhealthy, sure, but a great patina starter - I now use a spray or a light brush with butter with no problems.More Pros:- The skillets keep food hot for more than an hour, but yet are not dangerously hot to handle from the oven or stove. I'm going to purchase the handle pads now, but so far I've been using those old loom-woven potholders I made at summer camp with no added discomfort relative to other pans.- The skillets are so versatile! I heat them on the stove to melt butter, toss in some whole garlic cloves, pop in the oven to roast, and bring right to the table for a hot appetizer on toast. They have a vintage-y, industrial charm that allows them to mix and match smartly with existing serveware, and I love the stove-to-oven/broiler convenience.- Food cooked on cast iron really does taste better. I was skeptical because all food tastes good to me, but a few friends and I conducted a "Test Kitchen" on Aebleskiver pans, pitting a teflon against a cast iron. My friends' husbands consistently chose the cast iron-cooked pancake balls citing their crust and flavor to be preferable.- Lodge designed their lines efficiently. The 10.25" lid fits the 3qt Combo Cooker base, for example, allowing me to purchase one lid for several skillets.Cons:- Duh, they're heavy. I'm talking two-hands-heavy. It's a drawback for sure, but nothing's perfect and I know the heaviness is directly related to all the reasons I really like my cast iron.- They're quirky - cast iron doesn't like soap, doesn't like sudden temperature changes, and likes to stay very dry. But, like good table silver, the more the cast iron is put to use, the more forgiving and less tempermental it becomes.I'm back to purchase more pieces, because Lodge cast iron has exceeded my expectations and caused me to take a sentimental approach to cooking - how many Thanksgivings will I reach for this dutch oven?, I wonder. A cook with cast iron in his or her hand is at once an intimidating force to be reckoned with, and a comforting vision of timeless domesticity. Thanks to Lodge (and Amazon!), I can live up to that image with few qualifications and little effort.

Big, Heavy, durable - look at the weight on this thing (15.3lbs) compared to the ones costing $200+ This is a good buy - no chipping - I use high heat to brown & then braise, everything just melts in it - chicken, pork, beef, - you can remove it from the oven, remove the meat, and then put it on the burner to reduce the liquid (dont for get the wine) all no problem - easy clean up - big enough to feed the entire family, or just for two, no problem. Again, Heavy! get mits to be safe.

My off brand enameled cast iron dutch oven got a chip on the top edge so that it was rusting. I wanted to replace it and after reading reviews went with this one by Lodge. I am pleased with it but it's larger and heavier than what I previously owned. It's not a problem for me, but I could see how it may be too heavy for some so I wanted to point that out. I keep it in a cabinet under my cooktop but may have to move it to an easier to reach position for when I get older. ;) It seems my food is sticking more than my old enamel dutch oven but maybe that will change as I continue to use it. This is my go-to for most of my cooking needs when using my (glass) cooktop. I love that you can put it in the oven if needed too.

A great Dutch Oven with one drawback: after washing it with soap and water, rinsing, and drying, the first trip into the oven left it with tiny black spots all over the lid, and the pot--inside, and the outside. It took considerable elbow grease and a Scotchbrite pad to get it back to normal. Be careful of your first trip into the oven--I don't know what they coat these things with at the factory, but soap and water doesn't touch it, so expect some black burned spots.

As a chef, I take special care in my choice of cookware, appliances, kitchen gadgets, etc. and I can unequivocally say that cast iron, especially ones that are enameled well, are great cooking vessels. I cook extensively for home and also for clients as a private chef and this dutch oven is awesome for my uses! After a year and a half, it has held up well, non-stick properties are still good, there are no permanent stains and no chips off the paint. It has also maintained it's vibrant red color and glass. I own several cast iron enamel dutch ovens of varying brands and sizes and this one is my second favorite. My only concern with this piece is that the insides of it are too curved, rather than sloping slightly. This make sauteing vegetables with oil a bit tricky. When the pot is half filled and you mix too quickly with your cooking spoon, your items will slide up and fall out because the pot has no sloping sides. It is a minor irritant so I simply use it to make sauces or when I I have to saute a small amount of food items.

Good pot, but some minor flaws. It came with a tiny chip near the top rim. I can see a few uneven spots that look like "drips"in the blue body. My pot is two toned in an hombre style, which I did not expect, but it's not bad looking. The lid does not have a tight seal because of the 3 little raised ridges on the lid. I assumed this was to prevent the lid from getting stuck. I plan to use the heaviest glass lid i can find when I need a tight seal (rice). All in all - I love this pan so much that I am ignoring the flaws and keeping it as my first enameled dutch oven learning tool. I never had one before and i am bound to destroy it. When I am done practicing, I will certainly buy perfection ( LC) at triple the price, because you do get what you pay for in this case. . This is a beautiful pot, and I do like it very much, even though it is most definitely not the best quality... Better to have an imperfect dutch oven and great meals for the family than none at all. Last night I made a simple not in the mood for meat dish with an entire box of Costco white mushrooms (sliced), egg noodles (boiled in a different pot) butter and nothing but dried tarragon, salt and pepper, a splash of half and half and a sprinkling of flour to thicken. The mushrooms cooked up very tender and we all came back for seconds. My daughter attacked the cold leftovers in the fridge and finished it off before the night was done. I bought this to practice no knead bread making, but it will make a great beef stew too. It's very heavy, so try to have a rubber liner in your sink so you don't chip it. I don't throw pots in the sink when dirty. I leave them on the stove with a bit of water until the sink is empty, to keep them from getting scratched or chipped. I would not use Brillo or SOS. I use a nylon scrubber and baking soda.

This is my new favorite kitchen item. It is gorgeous. It also is very heavy and solidly made. It has been constantly in use since I bought it a month or so ago, whether marinating, holding leftovers in the fridge, braising pot roast in the oven or cooking rice and soups on the stovetop. The price is incredible for something this high quality. It is also the perfect size for me as a single chef. It fits a 5 serving soup recipe perfectly. If you have a family larger than 3-4, I would recommend going for at least the 6 quart. The only reason I took off one star is I'm not sure about durability. The enamel has a tiny chip on the top of the lid. It doesn't really bother me, but I really hope it isn't a sign that the enamel is going to chip in other places. I don't know how I have lived without this pot, seriously!UPDATE 10/15: I've had this pot for almost 2 years now and I don't have any chipping problems still. For the price, you cannot beat this beautiful dutch oven!

There were some cosmetic nicks and dents. It is not stick proof. It takes more maintenance to clean and maintain by seasoning which is something you don't need to do with steel or teflon for obvious reasons. However, food does taste great and this set is a great price for everything you get. I use it at least once a week. I've made cornbread, naan bread, paella, fried meat, fried plantains, made pancakes, baked chicken with potatoes in the oven, and so much more. So these pieces are very versatile. I recommend it for first time cast iron users and for those on a budget or those who love a great deal

These are Lodge pots - what more can I say. Lodge always had good quality. These will last longer than I will.Be sure to follow instructions on use. Buy a cover for the handles - they do get hot. They are heavy, so if your arm strength is low do not buy. Easy to clean and season again. If you like cast iron you will like or love these. Remember some foods can not be cooked in these pots.

I need to start working out again in order to lift these iron pans! LOL They are heavy but they are great! They required a commitment to season them (oil the inside of the pan to prevent rusting and to help with sticking) after every use or they will start to rust a bit. DONT LEAVE WATER SOAKING IN THEM!!

These are not pre seasoned, at least not properly. I tried to use it with just some oil straight out of the box and it did not work. I put the lid/frying pan portion in the oven, coated with oil for about 2 hours on 500 degrees. This created a fantastic non stick surface! I love cooking eggs in it!

I purchased this set after reading reviews, and I must say it's a great set. I use this with my Camp Chef 2 Burner Camp Stove (See Review under "Camp Cooking Made Easy: Camp Chef 2 Burner Stove"). It's perfect for cooking an assortment of foods; however, if you are cooking some types of meats, ensure the pan is well oiled and hot. If you do not, then the food may stick. I'm still trying to perfect pancakes using this set; my pancakes keep sticking. The great thing about these items are the Pre-seasoned coating and the duel function skillet to lid. Now it's just simply maintaining the product. Clean up was easy afterwards. I suggest not using soap on these items and after use keep it away from moisture. It will rust if you do not keep a light coat of oil on it. I made the mistake on the 3rd night of camping to leave it out over night instead of putting it in my plastic container of kitchen items. The dew settled on it and by the next afternoon I could see little specks of rust starting to form. So you must take care of this product. This product should give me years of camping or in-home cooking enjoyment.Happy CamperRaleigh, NC

I purchased this with the 8-inch skillet. I use the lid part a lot to stair fry and to grill. I cooked fish, veggies, burgers, pancake, and more, all turned delicious! For the first use, the food got stuck on the surface, but after that, I haven't had any problem. If you find the food stuck, let the pan cool down a little, then slowly scrape it off. It works for me.My favorite food was fried potatoes. Wash well and cut potatoes with skin on, cook slow with a plenty of oil (but not deep frying amount), season with salt, pepper, and any desired dried herbs... yummy... a big difference compared to frozen french fries!I was scared of using cast iron pans coz I have a glass stove top. So far, I have no problem with a caution. I usually like to shake the skillet when I stair fry, but cast iron pans are too heavy to do so in anyways... This is why I omitted one star ☆.

(Same as the companion piece) It is rusting around the edges after 4 weeks. I went away on vacation and could not return it before the return expiration date, so now I am stucck with it. The companion pot is also rusting in the same way at the very edge of the pan as if the enamel was insufficient around the top edge. We are not sure if this rust will affect the food we cook in the pan or if the enamel will continue to peel away. I have only used them a couple of times. I am happy with the way this product cooks, but I won't buy it again.

Let me begin by saying I purchased both this 6 qt. one by Lodge for $70 and the 7-1/4 quart one by Le Creuset for $350 in April of 2015. If you don't have hundreds of dollars to spend on an enameled Dutch oven, then this is an OK one to buy, but it is not the same caliber of the Le Creuset. I had to return the first Lodge one we bought as it had flaws/chips in the enamel straight out of the package. The second one was fine, so I kept it.Now after having and using both for nearly a year, I can say the Le Creuset is my hands down favorite. There is more surface area on the bottom of the Le Creuset for browning than the Lodge because of the shape of the corners. Because of that, I have used it more frequently, especially when I need to brown meat before braising, or saute onions before adding other ingredients. Despite the Lodge only being used about 1 in 5 times, it isn't holding up as well; It already has a chip in the enamel near the rim. Fortunately it is on the outside, so it has not rusted.If you can afford it, get the Le Creuset. If money is a concern then get the Lodge, as it is better than any stainless "Dutch oven" that comes with regular stainless steel cookware sets.

Did I get a factory second? The dutch oven I received was nice and heavy duty but the interior surface appeared lumpy under the enamel. Quality cast iron is supposed to be polished before enamelling so did Lodge skip this step? I like Lodge but I expected more for the price. Also there was a small imperfection in the cast iron that was simply enamelled over. I felt that this would be a prime spot for a chip to eventually form so I decided to return this to Amazon. Rather than re-order another I eventually found a cheap La Sera pot at Marshalls for 35.00. It is nowhere near as heavy duty but the interior is mirror smooth and looks just as nice.Five stars for Amazon's return policy though.

I'm generally a huge fan of Lodge Cast Iron products, but this one didn't quiet match up to the quality I found from their regular cast iron cookware. I have a 3 qt and 6qt in Caribbean Blue. Here were my issues concerning the pots:Weight: The enameled pots are heavier and bulkier to manage than its Le Creuset counter part which makes it harder and more awkward to move a full pot around (imagine having to move a pot with stew or significant liquid from the stovetop to the oven and back).Rust:While I have not noticed any chipping of the enamels, they have started developing minor rust spots on both the outside (blue) and inside (white) parts, within a year of use. I haven't used it much since I noticed this, so I do not know how soon the enamel will chip off after continued usage. To be fair, I also saw fair amount of chipping in one of my Le Creuset pots too, but no rust (I have yet to see whether or not Le Creuset honors its warranty). Additionally, I've noticed some rust spots on the rims of these pot, which did not happen with my Le Creuset cookware.Here's my advice for those who're interested in buying dutch ovens - think through of your need for and planned usage for the dutch oven. My planned usage was for many stove to oven applications, where the food comes out super tender and flavorful, without worrying about scorching. However, I have since found equally good if not better results with pressure cookers without having to use the oven, all prepared on stovetop without worry about scorching the food, and in shorter amount of time.

I've always wanted enameled cast iron dutch ovens, and year after year I kept waiting for Staub or LeCreuset to go on sale. Of course it never happened. So back in 2008, I ordered the Lodge dutch oven in caribbean blue. I've been cooking stews, pot roasts, Chinese stewed pork, on my gas stove or in the oven. I have to say that I really really really love this dutch oven. Even heating, great for browning before braising or roasting, this pan works like a dream. To clean up, I always let it cool down first, pouring some water in to let it soak for awhile, then everything wipes up with a damp sponge. I loved it so much that I got the 6 qt too. The pot is very heavy, and I recommend a sink mat if you have a porcelain sink.7/6/2015 Update - minus 2 starsThis is no longer a good pot because the enamel had cracks on the bottom. So now I have to donate it. I'm not certain what happened, except perhaps it was used to fry something, and the temperature was too high, or there was too little layers of enamel. I think Lodge has 2 layers of enamel, while Le Creuset has 5 layers. Oh well, it did give me several years of good service.

I've been using my Lodge 6-Quart Dutch Oven for approximately 16 months now and while it is a superb pot for everything from sauce-making to soup, to baking no-knead bread, it has unfortunately not held up as well as I would have hoped.The pros to this pot?1. Great price2. Great size3. Excellent and uniform heat distribution even over uneven gas flames4. Great for caramelizing onions and building sauces as the burnt crispy bits scrape up easily off the enamel (at least at first)5. Easy clean-up (at least at first)If this pot wasn't wearing out already, I would have no complaints about this pot. Admittedly, it sees a lot of use, I've used it nearly every day for over a year now, both on the stove and in a very hot oven (with a replacement steel knob for the lid). Even so, my husband and I are very careful to only use wooden spoons and silicon spatulas when we are cooking and we generally wash it with only a soft sponge. In spite of our mostly-careful care though, the enamel is wearing out. It looks as if it's being scrapped up by metal utensils even though we don't use any and all of the scrapes make the pot much more difficult to clean. In addition, bits of the enamel have chipped off around the rim and the lid. This pot looks to be in much worse shape than some enamel-lined mixing bowls we have--and those bowls are over 40 years old!I used to love this pot dearly and felt so lucky to have found a much more affordable alternative to the Le Creuset line and other similar brands. Perhaps you get what you pay for though. I think next time we might spend more money to buy a pot that will last us much longer than this one has.

I really love cooking with cast iron, however the fry pan (cover of the cooker) seems to have a very poor baked seasoning on it. It looks like there is a flaw in the baked on seasoning We season after each use, but one area of the pan always sticks. I'll contact Lodge to see if they have suggestions.Other that this issue, the cast iron pans work fine, except for the sticking part of the pan.

It's a good average product, the price was cheap, it comes pre seasoned. This kind of pan demands work on cleaning and maintaining cares, any brand will demand it. It's a good first iron pan to have.

Texture is a bit pronounced, more so than other lodge products. This causes things to stick more frequently unfortunately. Otherwise a solid product and great quality especially if using for soups and liquids. I would never ever attempts eggs of any kind in this Pan just due to the texture.!

Neither the pan or the lid, which doubles as a frying pan, have a smooth bottom. They have a pebbled finish. I tried to fry eggs in the lid, with poor results. Even with plenty of oil they stuck, and with the rough finish it was impossible to slide a spatula under without scrambling them.

My son was so excited to get these as a wedding gift, but ... his eggs always stick. He has tried all the many "cures", but I guess there is a difference between old cast iron and the new pre-seasoned. It's just not the same.

The deep skillet is fabulous BUT the lid portion has an area about 4" in diameter in the center that gets MUCH hotter than the rest and will burn items and is MOST difficult to clean without soaking and a lot of elbow grease........very disappointed in the lack of versatility of the set

honestly, just save up for something better.enamel came chipped on inside of lid and outside of pot. it works as it should and it nice and thick, but the enamel coating isn't nearly as nice, uniform, or free from defect as Le Creuset or the Costco brand dutch ovens.I'd just skip buying this cheap one, and save for the nicer one. you've only gotta buy these things once! so just buy it right.

By the time I received the THIRD Lodge dutch oven product as a Christmas gift I was ready to just be done with this purchase! I had to return the first two before I got a third that was in good shape. The packaging is the problem and there were chips on the first two. Anyway, the third one is fine and works very well but I'm not sure I can recommend it at all bc who wants to deal with having to run back and forth to a UPS store several times just to finally get a functional item? Anyway... one more thing. Although I did send BOTH the first and the second back in DECEMBER I now realize in FEBRUARY that only one was recorded as returned so now I've got to figure that headache out. PLUS guess what? For some odd reason I just received ANOTHER replacement product (I guess) and it, too, is chipped in several places. UGH.

I ordered this product a year ago and have only used it maybe four or five times, but whenever I try to brown meat in it, the meat sticks (even when I add oil or butter) and the bottom scorches. I tried to brown some chicken in it and the skins all stuck to the bottom (which resulted in half the skins being yanked off when I went to flip them) and the chicken started to burn despite lowering the temperature, so I finally gave in and switched them a different pan. I've also tried browning stew meat and a pot roast in it, which also stuck to the bottom and now the inside of the pot is stained as a result. How on earth something like this can "stain" after so little use is beyond me. The whole point of my buying this product was so I could brown meat before popping them in the oven and now it seems I can't even use it for the intended purpose. What a waste.

I'm not a picky person and it's very very rare for me to give a product 2 star!I have to say I was very happy when I got this product. It looks just like my mom's big old Le Creuset Dutch Oven and it's much much cheaper.The first two cooking experience (braise short ribs and made some casserole in oven with 375 degree) was nice, it worked fine and was easy to clean. But today when I brown chicken breast, I heard of a pop and the oven looks like as following pic.I promise I followed all the thing listing on the instruction, wash it by hand, never heat it when it's empty. So I only can say you got what you paid!

Ordered this after reading many reviews that it was great. Got it home, washed it, and cooked a fresh roast in it. The pot appeared well made, the lid fit great and kept in the liquid, but after the delicious food was gone the pot had chipped its enamel off the bottom in a large spot. I cook all the time and I am constantly looking for quality cookware at a decent price. Unfortunately I was disappointed this time. To me it doesn't matter how well it cooks if the coating is going to come off. Maybe Lodge just hasn't gotten the enamel process down yet.

Unfortunately, the current batch (April 3, 2013) included at least one with pinholes in the porcelain enamel and, where there is one, there is surely another. I am returning this beautiful pot/dutch oven and will wait a few months to reorder when they have sold out a couple of times over and have a new batch. Lodge did not have this problem when I was younger but, in recent years, I have noticed more and more pinholes and thin spots and even bubbles in the enamel on their line of pots and skillets and am really hoping the other item I ordered does not have the same problem. If you buy from Lodge, which is still an excellent brand if you can find a perfect cast iron pot or pan, then check it carefully for pinholes, especially on the underside of the pot and on the inside. Mine had them on the inside in a cluster and on the outside in a few places as well as on the bottom and on the lid. So, basically, mine had them all over. When heating an enamel cast iron pot to 300 degrees, pinholes will cause problems and, even if you never go over 200 degrees, rust will begin to form inside the hole, where you can't even see it, until, one day, the enamel will explode off of that spot leaving (best case scenario) shards of enamel in your food. for the worst case scenario, search Lodge Logic or Lodge reviews using the keyword "explode". Check for pinholes. That is pretty much all I can offer here. If you have one without them, it will cook beautifully and last for many years. If you don't, be very careful and return it, if it is still within the window. Good luck.

still turns food black even after being cured

it says it was pre-seasoned. well, my first loaf pretty much glued itself to the pan even with a little cornmeal between the dough and the pan. so after a lot of work cleaning off the stuck pieces, i had to re-season it. Did about five rounds with flax oil, and high heat. now that it's properly seasoned, it works the way it's supposed to. So in conclusion, the one i got wasn't seasoned properly, and i had to do extra work to save it and season it properly.

Item arrived with chips and damage but not enough to return the item.

Had piting in it and damage to the item when it arrived at my door.

Oddly enough does not compare to my other Lodge cast iron pans. Food sticks to these incredibly fast as the finish is a bit more rigid than my other pans. It will take a lot more "seasoning" than them as well to make fully functional.

Not as good as the old ones. The preseason comes off and makes black spots on food.

Arrived with a small spot on lid unfinished. Not chipped but not covered with enamel. It's small and it may not seem like much, but that's poor quality control. So the whole enamel process might be faulty on this dutch oven. Not recommended. Will be returning.

I purchased a Lodge EC6D43 Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven, 6-Quart, Island Spice Red on January 31, 2017. After only two uses, I now have a small chip on the inside of the bowl. I don't use medal utensils and followed care instructions. After reading amazon feedback, there appears to be a number of people with similar problems. I am waiting to hear back from Lodge, but probably should have gone with a higher end product.UPDATE: I did contact Lodge on the above issue. After a few clarifying emails and pictures, they agreed to ship me a replacement. At this point, I'm really impressed the way they are standing behind their product. I decided to change my rating from 1 to 4 stars.UPDATE 2: I received the new Lodge cookware as noted above. After unpacking, I found two small areas that were ruff to the touch. I lightly rubbed one with my finger and the top coating fell off. The other area seems stable. So now I have two pieces with the same type of defect. I contacted Lodge again, but have not heard anything more from them. I've decided to give up on the issue. Rating changed back to 1 star.

Is this a factory second? Or just more junk from China? Bought this last year but used it for the first time today. As it heated up I heard a loud pop and a piece of green enamel flew up and hit me in the face. Now I have a chip out of the pot's exterior enamel and a pit in my eyeglasses. I won't buy Lodge enamel again. Very disappointed.

Enamel inside bottom chipped on the second use. Not happy, and lodge warranty does not cover chips in the enamel. $86.00 paper weight. Be aware of cheap products, I should have spent the extra money and bought le Creuset.

I should have listened to other people on the Amazon website and bought somewhere else. Outside package was not damaged but as soon as I opened the box there was green enamel all on the inside! So upsetting......

I've had this item a little less than a year. I also bought a smaller pot and a frying pan at the same time. All around the lid and the tops of both the pots and the pan rusted within weeks as they are not coated in that spot. I've been rubbing them with olive oil. The outside of all of the pots have chipped, and I am super gentle with them. I do not store them in a drawer or cupboard but one on each burner of my stove, so they do not hit against anything. No idea how they chipped, but they certainly did it easily.Today I was cooking chilli and had some oil, onions, celery and carrots going at a low heat to start it out. Suddenly I heard a loud POP! I looked inside the pot and I had a large, quarter-sized chip in the enamel. Had to throw out my food.I guess I cannot use this pot anymore? I seriously used it only a few times per month, so perhaps 12 times total. Waste of money. Not sure how/ if I will get my cash back. I heard they are a nightmare to deal with on returns.

This item was shipped to me twice because the preseasoning was poorly done near the handles. Becuase of the shipping hassle I decided to keep the second shipment and just reseason it myself. Good product but I would not buy it for the pre-seasoning characteristic, you'll have to re-do it yourself.

Too heavy, has given me carpal tunnel

I received it but it already has damaged. Even new products received after return are also damaged.

i dont know how this is possible but my cast iron pan came broken the handle was seperate in the box lie it was snapped off..how does cast iron snap?

Handle came broke off.

Arrived with a broken handle. Returned never used and was unable to get a replacement at the same price. Would have preferred an exchange.