****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
Just love this cast iron dutch oven! I received stainless steel cookware as a wedding gift years ago, added various other pots, pans you name it over the last forty years...but my cast iron experience was limited to a small fry pan that I used to fry taco shells...but for some reason I never used cast iron other than a few LeCreuset pieces (an au gratin pan, large fry pan, huge dutch oven)which of course have a porcelain finish and after years and years of use the porcelain was wearing thin.My daughter, also a foodie, raved about cast iron, but really I thought maybe she just liked it because it didn't require "cleaning" on the other hand my Mother had been totally compulsive about her Lo-Heat stainless and cleaned it with KleenKing after every use for 60 years...it still looked like new but what a hassle! I'm an inveterate fan of dishwashers and yet just rinsing out a pan after using it and putting on the stove to dry sounded "iffy"...I knew I'd end up throwing it in the dishwasher and endlessly re-seasoning and watching it rust. Incidentally I did do that every time I used the small cast iron fry pan that I've fried thousands of taco shells in but hey, it worked, never rusted and has a lovely patina but then again I'd never used it for anything other than putting corn oil in it and frying corn tortillas...it was re-seasoned every time I used it! So while throwing it into the dishwasher was my "guilty secret".My 90 plus year old Mother passed away two years ago and while I kept her stainless for sentimental reasons, I re-discovered her 70+ year old collection of cast iron the source of countless roasts, fried chicken, stews and hamburgers. These pans were fantastic (of course they'd had 70 years of seasoning and love) after trying these cast iron "beauties" and discovering they were great...and no big deal to clean, I decided when I needed a new wok to try a cast iron wok...worked GREAT! Then I had a great recipe for no-knead bread and really thought I should try this dutch oven again just GREAT. I don't throw them into the dishwasher but I do gently swish them in a little mild dish soap, rinse them, dry them by putting them over a low flame on the stove to dry and "shine them" with a tiny film of oil and I mean really just the least amount possible it needs to disappear leaving nothing behind but the shine.So if you are looking at a relatively inexpensive pot that can become a cherished heirloom, is virtually indestructible, tolerates high temperature both oven and stove top and, while heavy, does a super job with very little effort I'd definitely recommend one of these healthy cast iron beauties.
