Lodge 4.5 Quart Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven with Lid – Dual Handles – Oven Safe up to 500° F or on Stovetop - Use to Marinate, Cook, Bake, Refrigerate and Serve – Island Spice Red

I have a Lodge cast iron skillet, which is impressive, and a larger dutch oven, and after my experience and a lot of research decided to go with them for the new dutch oven. After reading that some units showed up with chips, I inspected mine closely and was happy to find no chips. It was packaged really well so I wasn't surprised. Lodge is an American company. Although their cast iron pieces are made in the US, these enameled pieces are made in China to Lodges specs and standards. They now make a line of enameled units in the US, but they are quite a bit more money than the Chinese-mades ones and they are only available on their web site. I would highly recommend this dutch oven or their American-made ones if you can afford it - Cooks beautifully, cleans up easily and looks great on the stove.

This is a nice sturdy dutch oven for a fraction of the cost of others, and every bit as nice. Oven safe up to 500'. No forever chemicals. Cooks evenly and can be used on all cooktops. It works like porcelain enameled cast iron should.

I'm using this to bake sourdough, and it works perfectly. It's very heavy duty and preheats just fine in the oven- I know it says not to preheat empty on the stovetop, but in the oven is fine. It cooks lovely loaves with a good oven spring, and is a good size for a standard sourdough boule.

Why did you pick this product vs others?:What a great Dutch oven. It is so versatile, it does everything from a roasted chicken to big pots of soup. It was a great purchase, and a great value.

Gorgeous. No hot spots. Even, perfect braise. Perfect size for 2 people. I got the rich, red color. Don't know why anyone would buy more expensive brands.

If I were stranded on a remote island and could only bring one pot, it would be the Lodge 4.5-quart model. It’s a versatile workhorse that can handle baking, frying, sautéing, braising, deep frying, slow cooking, and even stovetop-to-oven cooking. I use it as a slow cooker in the oven.I also have a 2 quart Le Creuset, a 5.5 quart Staub, and a 7qt Misen. My favorite is the Misen because of all the creative dishes I’ve made in it. I use the 5.5qt Staub for bread baking, the cute little 2qt Le Creuset for small batch sauces, toasting spices, rice, reheating soups and leftovers, and the 4.5-quart Lodge for my everyday workhorse tasks.Cooking in or cleaning the Lodge is just as easy as its siblings. I haven’t had any chips or dings, and I only use wood utensils, so there’s no unexpected staining. The interior color of the Lodge is similar to the Le Creuset, a warm beige or cream. I sense that the Le Creuset has a better quality finish, but I can’t quantify it. This differs from the Staub, which has a black surface.The Lodge’s corner shape, where the side walls meet the bottom, is steeply curved, similar to but not as much as the Misen, which is almost flat. The Le Creuset is the most curved. The lid on the Lodge isn’t as refined as the other lids and allows for more steam to escape (I can’t quantify this though). However, I often make a parchment paper cartouche using it instead of using the heavy lid.The Lodge might not be the fanciest or most refined Dutch oven out there, but it’s very good. It won’t break the bank compared to other models and if I needed another 4qt, I get this Lodge.

Heavy duty, beautiful coating

I have wanted an enameled cast iron Dutch oven for a long time and finally purchased this one on a sale. The 6 quart one was really too large for my needs, and this one is perfect. And Lodge always makes excellent pans. I have a number of non-enameled cast iron pans that I regular keep in rotation.