Even if you already have a lot of pots — you should probably have this. Here are five reasons why.
This is a 5.5-qt Round Le Creuset Dutch Oven. It is the one you should get.
Maybe you want to step up your cooking game. Maybe you are outfitting your first kitchen. You're doing your wedding registry. You're making your Christmas wish list. Maybe you're just ready to own a decent pot for goodness sake.
Get this one. It will set you back about $270 but IT IS WORTH IT.
Image by Ryan Broderick/Buzzfeed
5.5 quarts is the perfect size
Source: hillpeppard.com
It will fit a whole chicken, a pork loin, a bunch of boneless pork shoulder, short ribs or lamb shanks.
Ask yourself these questions:
How much food do you usually cook?
The 5.5 qt is perfect for making meals for four people, or for two people with leftovers. If you regularly cook for more people than that, consider the 7qt, which is the next best option. Any smaller than 5.5 quarts and it's going to be annoying if you want to, say, make a bunch of chili.
How big are your oven, stovetop, and sink?
It can be tempting, especially if you're asking for this as a gift, to GO BIG. And that's fine, but keep in mind that the big ones are very heavy (you're going to be transferring this thing from your stovetop to your oven when it's very hot and full of food). Le Creuset's largest models might not fit in a modest-sized sink. So check the dimensions before you buy.
What other cookware do you have/use?
Nothing? Cool. Then this is perfect. But let's say you have a stockpot in the 7-10qt range — then you won't have to use your dutch oven to make stocks, huge quantities of soup, pasta, or steaming lobster. If you have good saucepans in the 3qt range you won't need it to make sauces. And if you have a small saute pan for eggs and sauteing small portions of steak, fish, or chicken then you won't need to use it for that, but you could!
It is the better shape.
