0:00 Do you really need to spend hundreds of dollars  to get a quality Dutch oven, or are the cheaper brands just as good? To answer these questions  and find out which Dutch oven truly is the best, I tested nine of the highest-rated brands on the  market. After cooking with them for months and comparing all the key specs, I put them through  a series of controlled tests. I measured their durability by dropping a metal spatula from  12 inches high on the interior and exterior.

0:27 I tested their heat retention by heating them to  400°F and measuring the surface temperature after 5 minutes. I tested how well their lids lock in  moisture by boiling 32 oz of water for 10 minutes, letting it sit for 30 minutes, and recording  the weight before and after. I tested how evenly their lids redistribute evaporated moisture  back over the pot, and I even measured the temperature of the knobs to see which stayed  the coolest after boiling water for 10 minutes.

0:56 In this video, I break down each Dutch  oven. I show you exactly how they performed, what they're best at, and where they fall short.  You'll find out which premium brands live up to the hype, which budget options surprised  me, and which ones aren't worth your money. The Tramontina 5 1/2 qt Dutch oven is the least  expensive one I tested. The enamel didn't chip when I dropped a metal spatula on it, and the  heavy lid was the third best at locking in moisture, but that's where the positives end.  This Dutch oven arrived with a chip on the rim of its lid. It had the worst heat retention score,  the knob got hotter than all but one other brand, and the ridges under the lid that are  supposed to redistribute moisture evenly over the pot don't really do anything. The  performance is fine and the price is fair, but the design is basic and the handles are too  small to fit four fingers. Unless affordability is your top priority, this isn't the best option. Lodge has two enameled cast iron collections: one is called Essential Enamel, which is cheaper and  made in China, and the other is called USA Enamel, which is more expensive and made in the USA.  This is the 6qt Dutch oven in the Essential Enamel collection. Besides the lower price at just  around $80, this Dutch oven has large handles, a big lid knob, and a beautiful gradient exterior.  It performed well in my heat retention test, and the knobs stayed cooler than most brands.  On the negative side, this was the only Dutch oven that slightly chipped when I dropped the  spatula on it. It left a mark on the others, but it made a tiny chip on this one. I also  noticed some inconsistencies and imperfections in the enamel inside the lid.Another unique  feature to consider is the shape. This Dutch oven is more rounded at the bottom with curved  sides - most Dutch ovens have flat bottoms and straighter sides. The rounder sides make  it easier to get in the corners and stir, but the flat cooking surface is smaller, so you  have less room to brown meats. One benefit I love about this Dutch oven and Lodge in general is that  it's the only brand I tested that will replace or repair your Dutch oven for free if the enamel  chips or cracks under normal use. Every other brand has a standard warranty covering defects in  materials and craftsmanship, but those warranties don't cover any damage that occurs after you  start cooking. This is not just a marketing tactic - many customers have taken Lodge up on  their guarantee, and they keep their promise.

3:19 The Lodge USA Enamel 6qt Dutch oven is more than  twice as expensive as the Lodge Essential Enamel Dutch oven, but it's made in America and has  a unique retro look inspired by cars, guitars, and other mid-century American designs. Compared  to the cheaper Lodge collection, this Dutch oven has even larger handles, a much wider cooking  surface, and a slightly lighter interior color that makes it easier to see your food and make  sure it isn't sticking or overcooking. It's also a pound and a half heavier, and instead of a  rounded knob, it has a thin oval knob. This knob aligns with the retro design, but I prefer  the rounded knob because there's more to grab, which makes it easier to lift and tilt the lid.  This Dutch oven performed well in my cooking tests, average in my heat and moisture retention  tests, and the enamel survived my durability test.

4:10 The one feature that annoys me about this Dutch  oven is the metal accents on the handles - they look nice, but they're not completely flush  with the cast iron part of the handle, so food can get trapped and be a pain to clean.  You can unscrew these metal pieces to clean them, but it's an extra unnecessary step. The Great Jones Dutch oven comes in one shape and size: oval and 6.75 quarts. This is the only  Dutch oven I tested with a matte exterior finish instead of a shiny polished finish. It also has a  gray interior while the others are either white, sand, or black. They chose gray because it hid  stains better than white but allows you to monitor browning better than black. It's functional,  but in my opinion, it looks a bit dull and ugly. Although this Dutch oven performed well in  my tests, there are two things I don't like about it. First is the handle on the lid - instead of  a knob, it's a brass-colored metal handle shaped like an upside-down U. While it looks nice, it's  not nearly as functional as a traditional circular knob. You can only fit two fingers, which makes  it difficult to lift and control the heavy lid.

5:14 Similarly, I'm not a fan of the looped side  handles. Compared to the other Dutch ovens, the design is very basic, and they're not  long enough to comfortably fit four fingers. The Made In 5 1/2 qt Dutch oven is made in France  and costs $250. On the positive side, the handles stick out further than any Dutch oven I tested,  giving you plenty of room to grip. I also love the lid knob, which has the widest diameter of  the group. The flat cooking surface is 9 inches, making it the largest of the several 5 1/2  and 6qt Dutch ovens I tested. In my controlled experiments, Made In had the second-best heat  retention, the second-best moisture retention, and the lowest knob temperature, and it didn't  chip from my durability test. On top of that, it performs excellently in real-world testing. All  that said, there are a few downsides. At 13.6 lbs, it's the heaviest 5 1/2 qt Dutch oven I tested.  Another minor downside is that the top of the lid is completely smooth, which looks nice but  since there are no ridges or design, you can't rest a spoon without it sliding off. And finally,  despite having self-basting dimples on the inside of the lid, moisture still collects around the  edges and doesn't drip back over the pot evenly.

6:30 The Misen 7qt Dutch oven is $250, and there are two  versions of it. There's a traditional Dutch oven with a standard lid, and there's this one that  comes with a cast iron lid that you can flip and use on its own as a grill pan. If you go with  the grill pan version, you also get a lightweight silicone lid. On the positive side, this Dutch  oven has large handles with wide openings. The grill pan lid retained the most liquid of all nine  Dutch ovens I tested, and the ridges on the grill pan lid collect and redistribute moisture evenly  over the pot. The downside of this brand is that when you use the grill pan lid, the entire Dutch  oven weighs close to 17 lbs, which makes it the heaviest by far. Also, the grill pan doesn't  have a knob, so it can be tricky to lift. Lastly, if you cook with the grill pan, the bottom will  stain and discolor over time just like any other pan, so if you don't scrub it thoroughly, those  stains will be visible when you use it as a lid.

7:28 Caraway is best known for its ceramic non-stick  cookware, but they recently released an enameled cast iron collection that includes this $265  6.5qt Dutch oven. It has a sleek modern design with smooth rounded side handles and a pill-shaped  lid knob. It also has taller walls than the other brands I tested. This limits splatter, but the  narrower design means the flat cooking surface is smaller. Most of the pot has a shiny smooth  finish, but the top of the handles, the knob, and the bottom of the pot have a rough texture -  it almost feels like they're not enameled. This texture provides a slightly better grip, but I  don't like the rough bottom because it can scuff delicate surfaces like wood if you slide the  pot. This Dutch oven performs fine in cooking tests but poorly in my controlled experiments.  It had the second-worst heat retention and the worst moisture retention, and despite the flat  lid and self-basting dimples, evaporation runs to the edges and doesn't drip over the middle of  the pot. I appreciate the modern look, but I don't like that the handles have small openings that  don't provide enough room to wrap your fingers.

8:36 The Staub 5 1/2 qt Dutch oven is made in France  and comes with a premium price tag of $400, making it the second most expensive brand I  tested. While the handle openings are bigger than Caraway, they have the smallest overall depth  and length of all Dutch ovens I tested, and the knob diameter is also the smallest in the group.  In my controlled experiments, Staub had the best heat retention score of all brands, and the flat  lid and self-basting dimples resulted in excellent moisture distribution. One downside is that  the lid knob got extremely hot during testing, with the second-highest temperature of all brands.  I noticed some minor imperfections in the enamel of the cheaper Dutch ovens that are made in  China, but with Staub, the construction quality is outstanding. The enamel finish is flawless, and  the whole pot has a truly high-end look and feel, as it should at this price point. I also  appreciate the flat lid design, which lets you rest a spoon on top or add ice to make the  lid cold and quickly turn steam back into liquid before it can escape. Staub offers 10 different  sizes and 15 colors - only one other brand, which I'll talk about next, offers more colors. The Le Creuset 5 1/2 quart Signature Dutch oven is made in France and at $420, it's the most  expensive brand I tested. This Dutch oven has thinner walls and is notably lighter than the  others, weighing just 11.4 lbs. Along with Misen, Le Creuset handles have the widest openings.  Because of that and the lightweight design, it's by far the easiest Dutch oven to pick up,  wash, and store. The lid has ridges that prevent a spoon from slipping off, and the knob has a  wide top and a thick stem, which makes it easy to grip and control. You can buy this Dutch oven  with a steel knob that's oven-safe up to 500°F or a plastic knob that's oven-safe up to 480°F.  In my test, both knobs stayed cooler than most other brands, but the plastic knob barely heated  up at all. In my other controlled experiments, the results were mixed. Le Creuset had the third-worst  heat retention, likely due to the thinner walls, but the lid locked in moisture better than most.  Le Creuset has been making Dutch ovens since 1925, and while the price is steep, you get the  same flawless enamel quality as Staub but over 20 color options and a beautiful two-toned  gradient that the brand has become known for.

11:05 Now that you know the pros and cons of the  top brands, the question is: which Dutch ovens are worth buying and which should you avoid? If  budget is not a concern, I'm buying Le Creuset, Staub, or Made In. I love Le Creuset's color  options, lightweight design, and large handles. Staub's flat self-basting lid is fantastic, and  I really like Made In's large knob, big handles, and wide cooking surface. If you're looking for  the best value, I recommend the Lodge Essential Enamel Dutch oven. It has a large knob and  handles, a warranty that covers chips and cracks, and a reasonable price. I'm a fan of Lodge's  USA Enamel collection, but in the $200 to $300 price range, Made In has a more functional  knob and performed better in my tests.

11:51 Tramontina and Great Jones are the two brands  at the bottom of my list. Tramontina's handles are too small, and the chipped damage right out of  the box makes me question their quality control, and the Great Jones lid handle is a deal-breaker  for me. The truth is that all of these brands are made of the same materials, and they all  cook great. The minor differences in design and performance won't make or break a recipe, so  pick the design you like the most that fits your budget. This chart comparing all the key specs  should help you decide - pause the video to read.

12:22 If you're ready to buy, I've linked to all nine  Dutch ovens in the video description. Those are affiliate links, so I'll earn a commission if  you click and buy, but at no extra cost to you. If this was helpful, you need to  watch this video where I explain the biggest mistakes people make when buying  a Dutch oven, and for more videos like this, click the logo to subscribe to the channel. Thanks  for watching - we'll see you in the next video.