A traditional Dutch oven is usually made of seasoned cast-iron material due to its property. However, with this being told, today, Dutch ovens also come in cast aluminum or ceramic. Each type of material has its own advantages and disadvantages.
A Dutch oven is a utensil that has been in use for over 100-years, so, how exactly can we select and purchase the best Dutch oven? It is not easy as you think; the quality and performance of a Dutch oven can be known only if the product is used once. But, this is not a practical option right? So, the only possible option is to purchase the product from a top brand as they guarantee high-quality material and performance.
Here is the list of 10 such top brands.
1. Lodge
Lodge is officially known as the Lodge manufacturing company is an American company that manufactures cast-iron cookware, bakeware, and Dutch ovens and has its headquarters at South Pittsburgh, Tennessee, United States. The brand was founded in the year 1896. One of the notable things of this brand is that Lodge is one of the oldest and still functional cookware, bakeware, and Dutch oven manufacturing companies in the world. Unlike, other manufacturing brands Lodge is still owned by the lodge family and the manufacturing is done in their cast-iron foundry in South Pittsburgh.
2. Cuisinart
Cuisinart is an American manufacturer that designs, manufactures and markets Dutch ovens, cookware, bakeware and home appliances made of ceramic, aluminium, cast-iron etc. The brand is currently owned by the firm Conair Corporation and the brand was founded in the year 1971. This brand was founded for introducing the electric food processor to the US market. Conair Corporation acquired Cuisinart in the year 1989, but, they did not change the brand name. Cuisinart today, has its headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut, USA. The brand manufacture and markets products like Dutch ovens, Slow cookers, coffee makers, toasters, bakewares’s, cutting boards, grills, hand mixers, food processors, stand mixers, slow cookers, scales, gadgets, and espresso makers.
3. Le Creuset
Le Creuset is a French cookware, bakeware, and Dutch oven manufacturer and has their headquarters in Fresnoy-le-Grand, France. The products from this brand are well-known for its unique and colorfully-enameled cast-iron Dutch ovens, cookware, and bakeware which are also commonly referred to as casseroles or cocottes. It is said that the company manufactured its first product which was a cookware in the year 1925. The brand has been growing ever since and has dedicated their resources to improving their design efficiency. It was in the year 1970 the brand designed the first French saucepan that comes with a lid, this design is still used today. One of the notable things of this brand is that their cast-iron Dutch oven, cookware, and bakeware are manufactured using the standard sand casting procedure, which is then hand finished and coated with two layers of enamel for long life and high resistance to corrosion. The brand also has a unique lifetime limited warranty on almost all products.
4. Crock-Pot
Crock-pot is the brand name of a slow cooker manufacturer owned by “the Rival Company”. This brand was founded in the year 1932 and is now owned by the Newell Brands. Even if the name crock-pot is the name of a utensil, this brand also manufactures products like Dutch oven, and bakeware also. The actual expansion of this brand happened in the post- war-era when the brand acquiring the company Waverly Products, Inc., with this acquisition the brand started marketing cookware, and bakeware. The brand has seen several changes in the ownership, but, the product and the brand name Crock-Pot remains the same.
5. Utopia Kitchen
Utopia Kitchen is a cookware, bakeware, and Dutch oven manufacturing brand that was founded in the year 1995. The products from brand Utopia Kitchen comes with an assurance of the top-quality workmanship. The company in its long career has manufactured some of the finest cast-iron Dutch ovens that come with a quality that stand second to none. Most of the Dutch ovens and skillets from this brand are pre-seasoned cast iron models. Products like Dutch oven, Skillets, pots, pans, grills are few of the items that come under this brand name.
6. Calphalon
Calphalon is a cookware brand that was founded in the year 1963 and specialises in manufacturing cast-aluminium cookware and Dutch ovens. The product manufactured at this company boasts durability and performance. One of the notable things of the Calphalon products is that it is designed and manufactured for professional use. Comment from the customers about this product includes“cooking with Calphalon cookware and bakeware can be relaxing, fun and personal. The non-stick pans from Calphalon is infused anodized aluminium, stainless steel, enamel cast iron, sauce pans, stock pots, fry pans, Dutch ovens and roasting pans are few of the products that come under this brand name.
7. Circulon
Circulon is a non-stick saucepans, frying pans, cookware, and bakewares’s manufacturer that is owned by the company Meyer. Circulon products like non-stick pans come with a non-stick coating that is designed in such a way that it is bonded in a unique way to the hard anodized aluminium which, in turn, makes the non-stick twice as hard as stainless steel. As a result, the non-stick coating on the products adheres to the pan, cookware, and bakeware that last longer. The grooved wave design incorporated on their cookware and bakeware products protects more of the non-stick coating from abrasion. Few of the products that come under this brand name are Saucepans, Dutch ovens, pan sets, frying pans, skillets, grills etc.
8. Tramontina
Tramontina is a Brazilian manufacturer that manufactures and markets cookware and kitchenware. This brand has its headquarters in the city of Carlos Barbosa, Rio Grande do Sul.The brand was founded in the year 1911 by the firm Valentin Tramontina. The company alone manufactures more than 17,000 products that belong to different segments and has its presence in almost 120 countries. The brand also manufactures Dutch ovens, skillets, cookware, pots etc.
9. Vremi
Vremi is a kitchen cookware and bakeware manufacturing company that was founded by Jordan Nathan in the year 2015. The brand in a very short time gained a reputation for its top-quality and user-friendly cookware and bakeware designs. However, currently, the brand has expanded its products and services to fulfill the needs of every room in your house and backyard. This brand specialises in manufacturing colourful and aesthetic cookware that includes pots, Dutch ovens, knives, cookware, and pans.
10. All-Clad
All-Clad officially known as the Metalcrafters, LLC is a top cookware manufacturer in USA and has their headquarters in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania. All-Clad is known to market its cookware, Dutch ovens and bakeware products to specialty stores and department stores in countries like USA, Canada, Germany, United Kingdom, and Australia. The brand was founded in the year 1967 and it started manufacturing Dutch oven, bakeware, and cookware in the year 1971. However, the brand is now owned by an international company Groupe SEB. The company now manufacture cookware, ovenware, kitchen accessories, and kitchen tools.
Conclusion
Dutch ovens are made of different material, each material has its own advantage and disadvantage, so while purchasing a Dutch oven, you should consider the type of material.
But, it is impractical to check the quality of the material, only the best brands can guarantee top-quality and genuine materials.
Very nice I would suggest it to my friends
could you recommend a Dutch oven? i simply don’t know if spending 200.00 is the way to go. what other Dutch oven would be the second best according to your research.
That makes perfect sense if you are starting with this type of cookware. Lodge is a great brand that is made in the USA and fairly accessible on their price points. They offer an enameled version that is easier to maintain, or a classic cast iron version. Both of them will work great for you and even future generations of your family. Here’s the Lodge we recommend from our Dutch ovens product review.