7-Quart Lodge Logic Cast Iron Dutch Oven
I think of my cast iron cooking in two different eras: before dutch oven (BD) and after dutch (AD) oven. Well, not really, but I can’t overstate how much versatility this single piece of cookware added to my kitchen.
This dutch oven is available in three different sizes. The 7-quart option is best for the majority of cooks because it gives you extra room. Be warned that this oven is heavy and takes up a fair amount of storage space in the kitchen. I certainly wouldn’t go any larger than the 7-quart for our family of four. The smaller ones are lighter and easier to store, however they make it difficult to scale up your recipes if you’re entertaining or want to make extra to freeze.
I have cooked full recipes of soup in this oven on our electric range with a smooth glass top and was never worried that it would crack the cooking surface. As with all glass top surfaces, you want to take care not to scratch it by sliding a pot across.
As with the lids on their skillets, the lid on this dutch oven has basting points to help keep your food from drying out.
Cast iron cookware works best when you heat it gradually. While I occasionally use this to saute large amounts of onions and/or mushrooms for a recipe, I usually only break this out when I am cooking low and slow. Even though I have an Insta-Pot Duo and a traditional slow cooker, my Lodge dutch oven is my go-to piece when I am braising meat or making soup.
When shopping for a cast iron dutch oven, apart from capacity, you need to consider what kind of lid you want and whether you want an oven with feet. If you want to be able to cook over a camp fire, then you’ll want an oven that has feet and a recessed lid so that you can place hot coals on top of and underneath. Personally, I would just buy a separate outdoor oven if I wanted to cook both inside and outside, as the ones with feet are a little unwieldy on the oven’s grate.
