****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
Well, my 10.5 inch cobalt blue Lava Dutch oven arrived today with 1-Day Prime shipping. I bit the bullet based a couple reviews that went into some amount of detail, info from the Lava website and some guesses about these. Initial first impressions are wonderful and pretty much everything I guessed it would be which is a good thing. These are, as I suspected, very very good quality for their price and take many queues from Staub cookware of the same type. The styling is similar as well. The enameling is matte and dark and slightly rough/porous like a Staub, but the enamel is not quite as smooth or as perfectly uniform as a Staub. The exterior enamel is rich and beautiful, though the finish is not anywhere as perfect and deep as that of a Staub and it has a bit more of an "orange peel" to it. The lid even has very similar "dimples" for self basting, just like a Staub. In truth, this is a Turkish-made, Staub-inspired, wonderful oven. It is not as perfectly refined as the French version but for a casserole of this size, I think that is fine for me personally.I'll be putting this through the paces for the next 30 days while I decide whether or not to keep it, seeing how it holds up. These are more expensive than the cheap, Chinese made Le Creuset wannna-be cookware and it shows. Soon I'll see it's performance but I expect it to be quite good. Also note I do own a 4.5 qt Staub myself, for over 3 years of heavy use (and that thing is a literal work of amazingly functional kitchenware ART by the way - prefer Staub to Le Creuset by a huge margin) so my comparison is direct and 1st hand from my own kitchen, as you can see from the photos. Lava seems to be absolutely legit. I'm rather impressed right out of the gate. More to come.Quick Update: In the first two days I've used it three times: some Western baked beans, lamb stew, and baked chile chiken thighs. Freaking wonderful, large oven. One additional note - the color of mine (Cobalt Blue) is definitely a lighter shade than shown in the pictures, which isn't quite what I wanted, but it's still very very good looking.UPDATE 3-3-2017:This thing has, in just over a month, become one of my most-used pieces of kitchen cookware. No contest. It is slightly oversized for somethings, but better oversized than undersized. I've cooked bacon. Made a several stews. A couple casseroles. A giant batch of chile verde. Cleans up easily, but you've gotta *want* it - this thing is big and heavy so get ready to LIFT if you've got it full of liquids! We've nickednamed it "Baloo" and it is definitely the new big old blue bear beast of our kitchen! Not a complaint in sight thus far.UPDATE 2/13/2018:Nearly a full year later... I. Love. This. Oven.No other way to put it. It weighs as much as a Chevy when it's half full but I don't care. No problems whatsoever with this wonderful piece of cookware. Not a chip on the enamel inside or out and I've used it constantly. Over the past year I began baking naturally leaved breads and was using my smaller Staub in which to bake them, but for the past 4 months or so I began no splitting my dough balls into two 500kg loaves and instead started baking full 1Kg loaves and baked them instead in (you guessed it) "Baloo" the big old blue Lava brute. :) My point to this is to simply state that this dutch oven has been heated to 550 degrees F for extended periods of time over and over for several months, and STILL it is completely without flaw. It's just excellent.FINAL UPDATE 7/28/2024----- Still amazing. Period. Full stop. Still not a chip inside or out and it has been absolutely abused for now 7+ years. I'd give this thing 6 stars if I could.
