We Tested 20 Dutch Ovens to Find the Best for Braising, Stewing, and More (2024)

Long beforemulti-cookerscame along, cast iron Dutch ovens were the original kitchen multitaskers. These heavy, bombproof pots date back to colonial America when their design often included short legs to rest on a hearth's floor and a rimmed lid to hold fiery coals. Later, the French company Le Creuset's 1925 design removed the legs, added a domed lid, and forever changed the Dutch oven by coating it in enamel. The enamel protects the raw cast iron from rusting, which means that it doesn't require any seasoning and gives the pot a somewhat nonstick surface.

A Dutch oven owes a lot of its versatility to cast iron's excellent heat retention, but the pot's shape—short and wide enough for searing meats, yet still deep enough for wet dishes like braises and stews—enables you to cook a range of foods, especially dishes that require browning meats and vegetables first, followed by a simmering phase in a cooking liquid. During the weekday, you'll use one of these pots for soups, sauces, stews, andrice dishes, or maybe to upgradefried chicken. When time allows, you can reach for the same Dutch oven to turn out perfectlycrusty breador tenderbraised meat. A Dutch oven is one of the most reliable pieces of cookware in your kitchen, and when properly cared for, it should also last a lifetime.

But that lifetime of utility can cost you hundreds. Our question was, does it have to? To find out, we tested 20 enameled cast iron Dutch ovens with capacities between five to seven quarts, ranging from $45 to $330. We also recently retested all of our favorite Dutch ovens—including some newer models—to make sure they still held up. The good news: The best pots stood the test of time and our top picks remain the same after six years of evaluation.

The Winners, at a Glance

There's a reason Le Creuset continues to be one of the most recommended manufacturers in this category: It has a proven track record. We've used Le Creuset for years in our homes and test kitchen, reaching for it countless times to develop hundreds of recipes for Serious Eats, and it's never let us down. The price is high, but Le Creuset has never failed to make the purchase worth it.

Like Le Creuset, Staub has a long history of making handsome enameled cast iron in France, and costs a little less. Some home cooks may not like the black enamel interior, which does a fine job of hiding scratches and browns meat well, but can make it harder to see fond developing. Otherwise, this Dutch oven is a solid bet with a reputation for durability. (For more on how Le Creuset and Staub compare to each other, head here.)

With its wide cooking surface and tight-fitting lid, the Milo Dutch oven from Kana excelled in our cooking tests. The enamel was hardy, and it withstood chipping in our durability tests. Its price point might be a little higher than our budget picks, but it’s still much cheaper than our overall top picks.

Cuisinart's Dutch ovenscored near the top in our cooking tests (though it's worth keeping in mind that, with few exceptions, differences in performance were small). Despite this pot's smaller, 5-quart size, it has a roomy base that was able to comfortably accommodate more food at once than many of the larger contenders. The Cuisinart is a third to a quarter of the cost of the premium French brands, but some online reviews are describing chipping or cracking enamel, meaning you could be rolling the dice on the pot's longevity. If the Cuisinart is out of stock, we found the 5.5–quart Tramontina was another solid choice.

This capacious Dutch oven sports a creamy enameled interior, which makes it easy to examine fond. It did a good job at searing, frying, and stewing. We also liked the roomy handles.

What Is a Dutch Oven?

Dutch ovens are made from steel or cast iron, both with and without an enamel coating. For this review, we targeted enameled cast iron only because that's the type we find to be best suited to the dishes we usually make in this type of pot—stews and braises, chilis, and hearty ragùs. We prefer cast iron for many of these dishes because of its great heat retention and enamel because it offers a protective coating that's easy to cook in and clean. Acidic dishes, such as sauces and stews that call for tomato or wine, can develop a metallic taste after spending hours in plain seasoned cast iron, making enamel an even more important factor.

Dutch ovens also come in two common shapes (not including those kitschy heart- and pumpkin-shaped ones): round and oval. While the latter can be helpful for certain kinds of oblong roasts, a round Dutch oven is more practical for most recipes, so that's the kind we settled on for this review.

Which Size Dutch Oven Is Best?

While enameled cast iron Dutch ovens come in everything from cute 1/4-quart to massive 13 1/2–quart sizes, a 5- to 6-quart pot is the most practical size for most homes, as it should make enough food for four to six people. Go any smaller, and a typical recipe might overflow the pot; bigger pots can end up underfilled, potentially affecting the outcome of a recipe.

If you often need to feed a larger crowd, sizing up to a 7- or 8-quart Dutch oven may be worth considering. We tested a couple of pots that were only available in 7-quart sizes, but all of our favorite 5- and 5 1/2-quart models also have larger 7- or 7 1/4-quart offerings.

How We Chose Dutch Ovens to Test

To choose which Dutch ovens to test, we considered best-selling options from major retailers like Amazon and cross-referenced reviews from other reputable brands.

Our research revealed that the cast iron Dutch oven market falls into three pricing categories: the premium, French-made brands Staub and Le Creuset, which cost $200 or more; mid-tier models in the $100–150 range, usually made in China; and lower-cost brands that come in at under $100, also made in China. More than half of our testing field came from the last category, proving that there is some stiff competition for your Dutch oven dollar.

While an increasing number of brands are producing enameled cast iron Dutch ovens, the pot's basic design has changed very little over the years. The main differences from one pot to the next come down to small (but sometimes important) variations in form and more or less stringent oversight of the production process. One of the main selling points of heritage brands, like Le Creuset and Staub, is that they operate their own factories and are therefore able to maintain higher production standards. The engineers at the Staub foundry, for example, adjust the moisture of the sand in the molds that form their Dutch ovens daily based on the air's humidity. At Le Creuset's factory in Fresnoy-le-Grand, about two hours north of Paris, 15 employees inspect every pot before it ships out.

Ultimately, though, most of the brands we talked to were pretty tight-lipped about the specifics of their manufacturing process (good luck getting much info about how the enamel coating differs from one manufacturer to the next). Still, we can safely say that what makes a great pot is a closely controlled molding process for the cast iron, followed by a quality enamel finish, usually applied in two coats. We appreciate the kind of quality control practiced by the heritage brands and the durability it tends to promise, but we can certainly see a counterargument—take your chances spending less, and if it does one day fail, just replace it.

In the end, the most important attribute of a Dutch oven is how well it cooks food, both on the range and in the oven. Despite what you may have been told, iron is not a great conductor of heat and needs time and a relatively large burner to heat evenly before you can properly sear meat in it. The glossy enamel—while definitely not Teflon—should release stuck-on foods without shredding them to bits.

As for form, a few small details can make a big difference. Small pot handles can be difficult to grip securely, especially when you're using mitts or potholders. The knob on the lid is similarly important. It should be durable and easy to grab, a basic fact some brands didn't seem to grasp (literally!). One maker went with a whimsical daisy-flower design for its knob, with pointy metal petals jutting out from all sides. Another pot had sharp corners that dug into our fingers and palms.

A Note About Warranties

Most of the enameled cast iron Dutch ovens we tested are backed by a lifetime warranty. Despite some big price differences, they are fairly consistent from brand to brand. Does spending more get you a better warranty? No, but it might buy you a warranty without a lot of loopholes from a company with a better reputation for honoring it. We don't have much evidence beyond anecdotal information that the best-known brands—Le Creuset, Staub, and Lodge come to mind—are pretty good about it. Whether that's worth considering when you plunk down your card for a new pot is up to you.

How We Tested the Dutch Ovens

Test 1: Heat Conduction and Retention

The first question we had about our lineup of enameled cast iron Dutch ovens was whether there was much difference from one to the next in how they conducted and retained heat. We know that iron is a poor conductor of heat and a great retainer of it, but given that each pot has a different mass and slightly different build, including variations in floor and wall thickness, it's conceivable that some would conduct heat better than others, while others might retain the heat better.

We tested heat conduction by placing each Dutch oven on an induction burner set to a fixed, moderate heat setting. We then snapped photos with a thermal imaging camera and measured floor and wall heat in timed increments with an infrared thermometer. (We did the latter in a dark room to reduce the effect of reflective light on our measurements.)

We then tested heat retention by preheating each lidded pot in the same 350°F (180°C) oven, then recording the pots' loss of heat in both the walls and the floors using the infrared thermometer.

While our methods of measuring the temperature of the pots weren't perfect (because slight variations in the enamel coating of each pot could impact the accuracy of the infrared thermometer's readings), they gave us a decent enough picture to confidently draw an interesting conclusion: There isn't a significant difference that sets one enameled cast iron Dutch oven apart from another in terms of thermal properties. They all heated and cooled in remarkably similar patterns and at remarkably similar rates. This is not the area where one pot will distinguish itself.

Test 2: Rating Dutch Oven Design

As we washed, cooked with, lifted, and examined the pots, we noticed which details made certain Dutch ovens more user-friendly and which frustrated us. As described above, handle and knob design was one of the more important design factors we encountered (a fact that speaks to the overall sameness of most Dutch ovens in both design and performance).

Some aspects of a Dutch oven's build turned out to be not as important as we had expected. We measured the thickness of the wall and the bottom of each Dutch oven and found that there wasn't much of a correlation between those numbers and performance. Our top picks were all over the map in terms of bottom thickness, with the Cuisinart the thickest (followed closely by the Staub) and the Le Creuset on the thinner side. And yet they all performed well in cooking tests.

Enamel quality, meanwhile, was difficult to assess. In many cases, failures can occur after many months or years of consistent use—not something we could easily reproduce in our tests. Still, we tried some more extreme abuse trials to see if we could uncover any obvious differences in quality. We banged the pot bottoms together and smacked the insides with a metal measuring cup to see if we could chip the finish. Some pots retained slight scuff marks from the metal, but most were wiped clean with minimal effort, and none chipped. The test proved to be a great stress reliever, but it didn't help us eliminate any of the contenders.

Nearly all the pots washed up easily, too. Some manufacturers are okay with cleaning the cast iron in a dishwasher, though with time—after around 500 washes, we were told by one of the makers—the enamel can dull. A hazy finish won't change the performance, but we'll stick to hand-washing, using dish soap and a scratch-free nylon sponge for daily cleanings, to keep the pots looking their best.

Test 3: Cooking Jambalaya

To see how well the Dutch ovens cooked on a stovetop and in the oven, we used them to make Creole-style red jambalaya with chicken, sausage, and shrimp. This one dish tests Dutch ovens in a few key areas: searing meats and sautéing vegetables on the stovetop, then slow-cooking everything in a simmering broth in the oven.

Phase 1: Browning Chicken and Developing Fond Without Too Much Sticking

Using just enough oil to grease each pot, we expected the boneless chicken thighs in our recipe to quickly brown over moderately high heat. Here, we uncovered a rare quality that really does distinguish one cast iron pot from another: the bottom surface area.

A larger surface area is critically important since it reduces crowding and allows better, faster, and more efficient searing. In the end, we just couldn't abide by pots that skimped on the surface area for searing. All our winning models had bottoms that were a minimum of eight inches in diameter or very close to it.

Beyond that, only one pot grabbed a disqualification in this phase of the test because its enamel coating latched onto the chicken so hard that the meat shredded when we attempted to lift it. That's fine forropa vieja, but not much else.

Phase 2: Wet Cooking

The beauty of a Dutch oven is that you can start by developing lots of browning on the stovetop, then dump in liquid and simmer, braise, or boil, either continuing on the stovetop or moving the pot to the oven to finish. That kind of versatility comes in handy for all sorts of dishes, from a meat stew to a baked rice dish to slow-cooked baked beans.

The rice for our jambalaya requires wet cooking—simmering the rice, meats, and vegetables in the cooking liquid—but it also tests how evenly the pots cook since the goal is to have all the liquid absorbed by the rice by the time it's all done.

We expected to pull the pots from the oven, pop open the lids, and find evenly cooked rice. Instead, we found mixed results. Our winning Dutch ovens developed a flavorful jambalaya and plump grains, but a few other models struggled with this, leaving pockets of inconsistently cooked rice. One underperforming pot produced an abundance of undercooked grains, bordering on raw, earning a disqualification. (After noticing variation in rice doneness, we wondered whether this had to do with some pots losing more moisture than others while covered. But after testing evaporation rates with plain water, we saw no correlation between the amount of moisture lost and how well cooked the rice was.)

The Criteria: What to Look for in a Dutch Oven

We liked enameled, round Dutch ovens—oblong ones might look nice, but they are more restrictive. Our favorite Dutch ovens developed a nice fond, seared well, and remained sturdy and intact throughout our rigorous testing. They should also be easy to lift and maneuver since they're often used in stovetop-to-oven recipes.

Our Favorite Dutch Ovens

What we liked: The Le Creuset cast iron Dutch oven is a beautiful pot that comes in a range of core colors, plus special editions. Weighing just over 11 pounds, the 5 1/2–quart Le Creuset isn't as heavy as many of the other models we tested (the candidates in our test field averaged 13 pounds), but that didn't appear to affect performance. On the stovetop, it cooks very well: There wasn't an excessive amount of sticking when we browned chicken thighs, and the fond that developed was easy to see because of the contrast against the interior enamel's beige color. The Signature line has larger handles than the older Classic model, which we're all for—it makes the pot easier to grab and carry. We can also vouch for Le Creuset products' longevity, given that we've used their pots for years at work and home without any major complaints. Splurging for the Le Creuset means investing in a reputation that's backed by generations of satisfied users all over the world and a warranty that anecdotal evidence says you can rely on. The Signature pot comes in 1- to 13 1/4-quart sizes.

What we didn't like: With a pot floor that's 7 13/16 inches in diameter, the Le Creuset is just under the eight inches we like to see in Dutch ovens, and it's tighter than other 5 1/2–quart models we tested.

Key Specs

• Dimensions: 10.25 x 6.25 inches
• Weight: 11.4 pounds
• Capacity: 5.5 quarts
• Cooking surface: 7.8 inches
• Induction compatible: Yes
• Warranty: Lifetime
• Care instructions: Dishwasher-safe, though we recommend hand-washing

What we liked: Rounding out the heritage set of options, Staub's Dutch oven performed well in our testing. While it's the same 5 1/2–quart capacity as the Le Creuset, the Staub is heavier by one pound. Large side handles and a tall, easy-to-grab knob on the lid make handling the pot easy.

With a pot floor 8 5/16 inches in diameter, it accommodates more food at once for searing, making crowding less of an issue. The fond that develops comes up easily with just a little scraping from a wooden spoon, making it even more of a pleasure to use.

One signature Staub detail is the flat lid. The underside of the top is dotted with raised dimples, which the company claims help promote even distribution of condensed water back onto the food, though we haven't been able to think of a cooking scenario in which this would really matter. Another detail worth noting is the black enamel interior, which, for some less experienced home cooks, might make seeing the brown fond a little more difficult. The Staub Dutch oven comes in sizes ranging from 1/4 to 13 1/4 quarts.

Staub also has a solid reputation for standing behind its lifetime warranty. The company is the only one we found that didn't mind cooks using coals on their pot lids, which replicates an oven-like environment outdoors. During our research, we didn't turn up many complaints about Staub cast iron failing.

What we didn't like: Not much unless not being able to see the fond clearly against the darker background is important to you (we managed just fine regardless).

Key Specs

• Dimensions: 10.25 x 6.5 inches
• Weight: 12.5 pounds
• Capacity: 5.5 quarts
• Cooking surface: 8.3 inches
• Induction compatible: Yes
• Warranty: Lifetime
• Care instructions: Dishwasher-safe, though we recommend hand-washing

What we liked: The Milo line from Kana has a modern array of color options and an overall sleek look, but its performance was truly impressive. With a 9-inch cooking surface, there was plenty of room to sear four chicken thighs without crowding the pan, and when it was time to flip, they released immediately. The rice was cooked perfectly, due to a tight-fitting lid, and the enamel cleaned easily (even when we accidentally burned food onto the bottom during everyday use after testing was finished). While its white enamel interior scuffed slightly with use, it never chipped or cracked. Overall it feels like a nice step up from our budget pick while still being a great deal cheaper than the heritage options. And at 10.5 pounds, it’s lighter than all the other models we tested.

What we didn’t like: The side handles aren’t as wide as our top picks, so moving it into and out of the oven required a little more caution.

Key Specs

• Dimensions: 10.5 x 6 inches
• Weight: 10.5 pounds
• Capacity: 5.5 quarts
• Cooking surface: 9 inches
• Induction compatible: Yes
• Warranty: Lifetime
• Care instructions: Dishwasher-safe, though we recommend hand-washing

What we liked:Cuisinart's Dutch oven, meanwhile, is proof that price alone isn't an indicator of performance. At about $100, this one performed admirably in our cooking tests. It features comfy handles and a simple design that's attractive enough.

Manufactured in China, the Cuisinart performed nearly as well as the pricier pots and at a third to a quarter of the cost of the French brands. Despite the smaller, five-quart size, the bottom of this pot is just over eight inches in diameter (larger than the Le Creuset), offering ample surface for good, uncrowded browning. We developed fond easily, though we did have to work a little harder to scrape it off the bottom of the pot on the stovetop. The Cuisinart is available in other sizes from two to eight quarts.

The Cuisinart has an overwhelmingly positive online reputation, and the warranty coverage is similar to that of more expensive Dutch ovens. Despite this, we did finda few reviewsthat complained about chipping and denied warranty claims. Suffice it to say, this isn't the heirloom pot you'll likely be leaving to your next of kin.

What we didn't like:The Cuisinart retains heat very well out of the oven, but its handles also got warmer than most when we were working over a burner, forcing us to keep pot holders nearby as we sweated vegetables.

If the Cuisinart isn't available, we also found the5 1/2–quart Tramontinato be a very solid choice that's comparable in cost. However, it has fewer online reviews that vouch for the durability of its enamel.

Key Specs

• Dimensions: 11.5 x 6.2 inches
• Capacity: 5 quarts
• Cooking surface: 8 inches
• Induction compatible: Yes
• Warranty: Limited Lifetime
• Care instructions: Dishwasher-safe, though we recommend hand-washing
  

What we liked: We enjoyed cooking in this large Dutch oven; meats seared up nicely without sticking, fried items emerged golden and crunchy, and stews came out perfectly jammy. The cream-colored enamel made it easy to keep an eye on browning and fond development, which we appreciated, and the roomy handles made it a pleasure to grip and move. Like most of our favorites, Goldilocks offers a lifetime warranty, which is a boon.

What we didn’t like: Browning wasn’t quite on par with some of our other picks, and the pale enamel did get some minor stains after using it a few times. It’s also a bit larger (and heavier) than our other recommendations, and the knob on the lid was a little short and hard to grasp.

Key Specs

• Dimensions: 11 x 4.5 inches
• Weight: 14 lbs (including lid)
• Capacity: 6 quarts
• Cooking surface: 9.5 inches
• Induction compatible: Yes
• Warranty: Lifetime
• Dishwasher-safe: Yes, though we recommend hand-washing

The Competition

• Great Jones The Dutchess: This was the only oval-shaped Dutch oven we tested. While oval Dutch ovens can be great for certain jobs like roasting a chicken, we found round models to be the better all-purpose choice. The matte finish of the exterior and the graceful design of the loop-style handles made this Dutch oven a remarkably attractive option. However, it lost a couple of points in performance because the chicken thighs cooked unevenly and stuck to the bottom of the pot a bit. It held up very well during durability testing and was easy to handle; however, the loop on the lid was a little too small to securely grip with an oven mitt on.
• Made In Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven: This Dutch oven browned chicken and sausage nicely, without any crowding, and evenly cooked rice while making jambalaya. Its dark interior made it a little harder to judge fond formation, but it only showed a few scuff marks after banging a metal measuring cup around in there 25 times. The trouble with this pot was the handles. The openings were slightly too small to securely grasp with oven mitts, and they got overly hot while on the stovetop.
• Misen Dutch Oven: This Dutch oven had a substantial 9-inch diameter cooking surface, which was great for browning meat without any crowding. It also had nice, wide handles. However, at 15.8 pounds, it was incredibly heavy. Depending on the strength of the user, it could be hard to maneuver it in and out of the oven. It also lost points during durability testing, showing many scuff marks, as well as two (unexplained) chips on one of the handles.
• Beautiful 6QT Enamel Dutch Oven by Drew Barrymore: Even with plenty of room, we had issues with the chicken thighs sticking to the bottom, and the enamel coating was susceptible to chipping. Again, the oval shape was more aesthetically pleasing than functional.
• Amazon Basics 6-Quart Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven: Uneven browning and a scratch-prone enamel coating ruled this Dutch oven out early. With a center that picked up more heat than the edges, we found food was very prone to sticking.
• Crock Pot Artisan 5-Quart Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven: With a 5-quart capacity and a small base diameter, the Crock Pot Artisan Dutch Oven crowded the chicken thighs, preventing browning. The lid was prone to chipping.
• Uno Casa 6-Quart Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven: The enamel on the lid chipped early on in our testing, ruling this model out quickly.
• Anolon Vesta Cast Iron Dutch Oven: This Dutch oven was quickly disqualified during testing because it cooked rice unevenly; the rice on top was cooked, while the bottom was raw. It was difficult to remove from the oven due to the handle design, too. It also seems to be out of stock or discontinued at the moment.
• KitchenAid Professional Cast Iron Casserole Cookware: The chicken thighs were a bit too crowded in this Dutch oven, and the rice was unevenly cooked while making jambalaya. It was tricky to judge browning in the black interior. The flat, knob-less lid was the ultimate reason this Dutch oven was disqualified from testing. Plus, it now seems this version has been discontinued, with this one taking its place.
• Denby Cast Iron Round Covered Casserole: The handles on this Dutch oven got a little too hot while browning, and it didn’t develop quite as much fond as we wanted while making jambalaya. Though it was adequately non-stick, the rice was slightly unevenly cooked. The handles were also too small to be functional.
• Marquette Castings 6 qt. Dutch Oven: This Dutch oven had a real sticking problem. When browning the chicken thighs for jambalaya, the meat stuck and tore away from the enamel “like string cheese.” It was also harder to clean with a sponge than other pots.
• Tramontina Enameled Cast Iron Covered Round Dutch Oven: While this Dutch oven promoted good browning, it also exhibited some sticking while making jambalaya. However, we still think it's a solid, budget-friendly choice and recommend it should the Cuisinart be unavailable.
• Lodge Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven: The cooking area was too small to fit the chicken thighs in this Dutch oven all at once while making jambalaya, and the rice cooked up unevenly.
• Mikasa Gourmet Basics Swirl 5 1/2 Quart Dutch Oven: This Dutch oven was disqualified early in testing because of the lid knob, which forced your hand too close to the hot lid. It also now appears to be discontinued.
• The Pioneer Woman Timeless Beauty Cast Iron Dutch Oven with Stainless Steel Butterfly Knob: The quirky, butterfly-shaped knob ultimately disqualified this Dutch oven during testing, as it was really uncomfortable to hold.

FAQs

What can you use a Dutch oven for?

The original multicooker, you can use a Dutch oven for soups, stews, braises, deep-frying, boiling water for pasta, bread-baking, and more. A Dutch oven is oven-safe, so it can go from the stovetop to the oven.

What's the best way to clean a Dutch oven?

While some manufacturers say you can throw a Dutch oven in the dishwasher, the enamel coating will suffer eventually after prolonged dishwasher exposure. To keep your Dutch oven looking and performing best, hand wash it with dish soap and a scratch-free sponge.

Is an uncoated or enameled cast iron Dutch oven better?

Enameled cast iron is easier to clean and care for, as it does not require seasoning (like an uncoated cast iron vessel does). Acidic ingredients, like tomato sauce, can strip the seasoning of cast iron, too, whereas they are perfectly safe to cook in enameled cast iron Dutch ovens. But regardless of whether uncoated or enameled, a cast iron Dutch oven is importantly non-toxic cookware.

How do you season a cast iron Dutch oven?

If you're set on getting an uncoated cast iron Dutch oven, you can follow these instructions for seasoning cast iron cookware.

Are Dutch ovens compatible with induction cooktops?

All enameled cast iron Dutch ovens are induction-friendly. You can check out the rest of our induction compatible cookware recommendations here.

What shape Dutch oven is best?

A standard, round Dutch oven is the most versatile since its shape allows it to heat evenly on a burner, unlike an oblong/oval Dutch oven, which can heat up a little more patchy.

What size Dutch oven should I get?

While teensy Dutch ovens are cute for dishing up individual servings of things (cornbread, bread pudding, etc), they aren't exactly the most versatile. For most people, a 5-to 6-quart Dutch oven is an appropriate size. As Le Creuset notes on their website, "The general rule of thumb is to plan for one quart per person, and then round up. One quart roughly translates into a typical serving size for most people. So for a family of four, you would want something that is a minimum of 4 quarts. And then with rounding up, the ideal size would be somewhere in the 5-6 quart capacity."

Can you use a Dutch oven on a glass stovetop?

You can use a Dutch oven on a glass stovetop, though it's best to be careful when maneuvering it since a slip could result in cracked glass. If you're using a glass-topped induction stove, make sure the Dutch oven is induction compatible; any that have a cast iron core will work.

Why We're the Experts

• Sal Vaglica was the equipment editor for Serious Eats. He's written many reviews for the site, including Dutch ovens, stockpots, and measuring cups.
• Katie Leaird is a freelancer and professional cook who previously worked at America's Test Kitchen. She's reviewed Instant Pots, pasta makers, and more for Serious Eats. For this review, she helped to test some newer Dutch ovens, comparing them to our winners.
• Jesse Raub was the site's commerce writer. For this review, he tested the Milo by Kana Dutch oven, which is a popular pot we had previously not evaluated. After testing, we liked the Milo so much that we added it as our mid-priced pick.
• Grace Kelly is a commerce editor at Serious Eats, where she has been reviewing gear for nearly two years.
• Grace tested the Goldilocks 6-quart Dutch Oven for three months, using it to sear, braise, and stew. She’s also owned and used our winning Staub for more than two years and has cooked in Dutch ovens extensively.
• All in all, we tested 20 Dutch ovens to find the very best—searing, browning, simmering, and more. We recently retested our favorite Dutch ovens alongside some new models, making sure they were still the best. Indeed, our favorite pots have held up to six years of routine testing.
• As a site, we have published many, many Dutch oven recipes. Our favorite Dutch ovens are constantly used in our test kitchen and in our homes.