Side by Side Comparison of: Useful. vs VonShef vs Amazon vs Gibbs Smith vs Rockridge Press

Making our own bread has become a fun thing to do and of course the results are very satisfying. Many of the recipes recommend baking the bread in a Dutch oven. We purchased the Useful 5.5 quart Cast Iron Enamel Covered Round Dutch Oven with Lid. The Dutch oven is a pretty shade of red with white enamel inside. The enameled solid cast iron offers even heat distribution as well as head retention. There are self basting condensation ridges uniformly placed on the lid which collects and directs vapors onto your food, producing moist and savory dishes. The lid has a stainless steel know that fits securely and keeps the heat in. The Useful Cast Iron Enamel Covered Round Dutch Oven is oven safe to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. The Dutch oven is not dishwasher safe, but easily hand washed after it has cooled down. Even though the Useful Cast Iron Enamel Covered Round Dutch Oven is manufactured in China, it has all U.S. FDA certifications. It offers PFOA- and PTFE-free cooking surface that will not react with food for an additive and chemical free experience. My biggest drawback is the weight of the Dutch oven is that it is extremely heavy and hard for me to carry particularly with food in it. I originally looked at more expensive Dutch Ovens but found the Useful 5.5 quart Cast Iron Enamel Covered Round Dutch Oven with Lid to do as much for a lot less money. Our bread comes out beautifully and the taste is perfect. I am sure we will be using the Useful 5.5 quart Cast Iron Enamel Covered Round Dutch Oven with Lid for other recipes as well.

This is a great pot at a really great price. I have some other enameled cookware that I may like a bit better, but it cost four to five times as much. I see no reason the spend the extra money any more. You won't be disappointed in this product.

I received this dutch oven and began to use it for making bread as per a video off of you tube. So far it is doing just what I want it to. It seems too early in the process to review a product, but so far I am very happy with it. There were no issues when it arrived like some reviewers stated. I hope to get many years of happy cooking out of it.Update 5/5/16: I love this pot so much I may order another one. My husband asked me the other day how I ever got along before I got this pot.It is handy for my bread making or anything for which you need a heavy dutch oven.Jan. 28, 2017 Update: I love this pot so much that I just ordered the second one. That ought to tell you something.

Here is the least expensive, heavy enameled cast iron pot available. I bought it to bake artisanal breads at home, and it makes a tall, round loaf of up to 10 cups of flour with a perfect, shattering crust. Of course, it's also great for soups, stews, cassoulets, you name it, and would likely brown meat beautifully, too, if you eat that sort of thing. Now, you could buy a 5.5 qt. Staub pot right here on Amazon, almost the same item but for the name, a different knob, and some bumps on the Staub lid's interior for continual moisture, at a heavily discounted price of $249, but their Grenadine color looks kinda brown on my monitor. Or, you can have the Staub in your choice of 8 colors from Chef's Catalog, for a mere $284.99 (quoted as saving $122!). (At that price, however, you can whimsically French the pot as a 'cocotte.') For baking bread, however, the self-basting Staub lid probably defeats a shattering crust. I expected a drab, brick color here and was delightfully surprised to see a deep cherry red with a blue undertone--this pot is frankly gorgeous. Really get my drift on this point; the depth of color is so breathtaking, it almost hurts to hide it in a cabinet. It also comes exquisitely packed, a marvel of packaging engineering, in fact. One caveat: both the pot and its lid are far heavier than other pots, even those made of cast iron--if you have weak arms, it might be too much for you. All enameled cast iron will chip if dropped, so this could be a real issue. That said, I'm disabled with a fairly weak right arm and I manage just fine, albeit slowly. This pot and I, well, we could be a lifetime affair.

I've been thinking about buying cast iron pots for a long time. I was initially considering to buy the most expensive brand but felt guilty of investing a lot of money in cooking pots. Then I was browsing on Amazon and came accross this brand and pot. I am very glad that I did. I purchased this one and the 7-quarts one and I am very happy with this purchase. They are beautiful, the quality is outstanding, and they look very elegant. So happy that I did not spend tons of money and still got a great piece. I can't wait to use it. I will have a party at my house this month and these pots will be the "on the spotlight" of my party!

Attractive, useful, and of good design. I got this to replace a Lodge version we accidentally left outside. We use ours to make bread so the metal handle was a plus. This is no le Creuset but the quality is terrific and we are very pleased.

Omg I love this set, and the Grill skillet make certain foods look so beautiful when they are prepared, I have to be honest I have not used the other two items yet, but plan on it of course, but I've been using this skillet from the day it arrived and to me it's already paid off my set, I am that satisfied I am so pleased with this product, I just love it

I purchased this for my mother and she absolutely LOOOOVES it! In fact, she's used at least one part of this cookware set every day since she got it.

I really like them have had no problems so far hopefully they will continue to stay that wayI really like them they have been used in the oven and stove

Very nice. The items were larger than I expected which was good. They have a textured rim similar to Le Creuset.

Worth every penny!! I am extremely satisfied with the quality of this product.

Everything I have tried in these pans, from chili with corn bread to mussels, has not only cooked exceptionally well but has cleaned up very easily a well.

Nice Dutch Oven in beautiful true red (not orange-red). Very heavy weight which is to be expected from cast iron. I took away one star since mine arrived with a small chip in the enamel. In reading other's reviews this seems to be a relatively common problem, but this is the best price out there and it wasn't noticeable enough to bother returning. Works great for large loaf of artisan bread. Great alternative to the more expensive brands.

This is a pretty pot and quite useful. I wish it wasn't so heavy, but then cast iron is heavy. I use it often when I'm feeling strong.

I gave this dutch over to my daughter for her birthday. She loves it!! It was not her first choice of color, but was her second. She loved the self-basting condensation ridges on the lid -- what a great idea!!! The pot roast was delicious and evenly cooked. Liked the stainless steel knob on top the lid too. Some knobs have a short life because of the extreme oven heat -- that's another great idea!!! Overall, it's a wonderfuldutch oven, great size, and she plans to use it a lot. Maybe she'll cook lots of meals for her Mom & Dad! She and I would recommend it to anyone.

Good processing time, nice color. would have given five stars but there is a small chip on my pot.

wife loved the set, only complaint was it was not oven usable

Items arrived on time, shipped in a secure packing materail. Just the right size for easy handling and for use on a small RV three burner stove. Really nice product

Excellent product, just what I wanted to complete the cookware at home.

Great value. Very pleased.

This was a gift from my husband.

Great pans and clean up nicely

I'm sorry to say that I had to return it. It was so heavy I wouldn't be able to get it in or out of the oven.It was well made not doubt about it, plus the ceramic coated oven & cover. If you can lift 15-20 lbs, it's good for you. I can't.

Disappointed in smaller size of dish.

The dutch oven and casserole work well enough and would be 3.5-4 stars on their own. The grill pan however is useless and hard to clean. Still not a bad deal for the other two pieces.

The red color paint on the outside of the container chip off after couple of uses and washes.

Delivered on time but had a chip on one of the pans .

I love the shape of this — rather than the rounded bottom. But the enamel is mottled both inside and out. It is so heavy, I hate to pay the shipping to return it.

The 5.5 quart Useful Dutch oven is attractive, but the pictures for the 5.5 and 7 quart Dutch Ovens are reversed on Amazon. So be aware you will not receive what is pictured on Amazon product pages. This is not a comment on the functionality of the product. I just received it today, and have not used it yet. It is just to make my fellow Amazon customers of the picture error.

item was chipped,

Seemed OK, but arrived with unacceptable chips to outside enamel. Return started 5 mins after opening.

Cheap quality paint on these. This is supposed to be baked on enamel but I dropped the handle to the lid and the paint flew off like it was never there. Tried to get help from the manufacturer but did not want to buy a whole new lid just for a handle. Not really liking the quality of these items.

I am extremely disappointed in this product...have only used twice and the inside coating is peeling off (in our food🙁)....And I can't return it........hmmmm🤔

Very poor quality. The enamel was chipped in multiple places. I had to return it.

Buyer beware. I bought this pot in September, 2015 and the enamel has already chipped off the bottom. Picture attached. What a waste of $50.

Didn't have any problems with the set for over a year. After that the inside button surface of the Casserole started to darken, even though the manufacturers "how to use" directions were strictly followed. It is getting worse every time we use it. Will get in touch with Amazon and will go from there. I would not recommend this product!VonShef Cast Iron Dishes Set of 3 Casserole, Gratin and Griddle Set Oven to Table Cookware

Top part of lid detached and fell as I lifted it. Good thing it didn't fall on my foot or even worse, one of the children. That would have been disastrous.

Says on site that suitable for oven. As soon as box is opened instructions say do not use in oven. Then had to pay to return it. Not impressed.

Purchased this set as a Christmas gift for my daughter, who loves to cook. When opening the box and reading the instructions, it plainly states it is NOT suitable to be placed in the oven. So, it is going back. The whole appeal of cast iron is that it can be put in the oven as well as used stovetop. I didn't want her to risk voiding the warranty and/or something happening to it, so rather than use it and trying it in the oven (as others have) it is going back. VERY misleading when it is advertised as oven to table but the instructions say not for oven use.

Chipped the first time I used it. Returning

i had to return these. grill pan totally useless, hot spots, no even heating, burned in center, cool on outside. advertisement says oven and stove top. instructions inside say no oven