When I saw the price,free shipping, and factory pre-seasoning,this dutch oven proved irresistable. The size is great and the black color was attractive.Sadly, the factory pre-seasoning did not meet expectations! I learned to cook using cast iron, and I still own several "original finish" cast iron skillets, griddles and specialty pans (tri-ply stainless steel is wonderful, but some things just cook more evenly with cast iron). While cast iron is not difficult to season,it was just an added bonus to order a dutch oven that I thought would have an even, well applied finish to begin the seasoning process (properly seasoned cast iron pans only get better over the years). When the dutch oven arrived, I was surprised by what seemed to be a discoloration under the finish on the inner surface of the pot lid. I used the dutch oven for the first time to make chili. The steam from the chili caused the "pre-seasoning" on the inner surface of the lid to mottle badly, and the area that had initially appeared discolored was revealed to be covered withrust. A tell-tale metallic smell was also present (usually a sign that your pan might need to be seasoned again). Needless to say, I was disapointed. This pan proved to be MORE effort than the original finish pans since I had to scrub down the lid to remove the remainingmottled pre-seasoning, and to remove the rust. I then just seasoned the lid properly the old-fashion way in my oven. All in all, the Dutch oven is well worth $25 (and the saved $12.66 in shipping charges is also appreciated), but the Lodge Cast Iron Manufacturing Co. has a reputation for quality that this finish did not meet.I contacted the company to express my concerns (ie, did I need to take additional steps to remove all of the factory applied finish) and to ask if this problem was evident in other pans in the pre-seasoned line.The Lodge Co. has not responded to my email. Bottom line, before paying full price plus shipping, for anything in the pre-seasoned line, I would compare the cost to the original finish, or to the beautiful new Lodge enamel cast iron items.
Short review.This will become one of the most important pieces in your kitchen.I like the handles better than the other lodges, and NOTHING compares to cast iron.
Alton Brown raves about this thing and for good reason. He also writes of a casserole pot, don't get it unless you are a chef.This works everywhere that one does.An excellent buy.
My only word of caution.I love the loop handles, but IF you are one of the rare people who still cook with a campfire, get the other 5qt lodge.
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First off I enjoy quality kitchen tools. I never minded paying for a quality tool. But when you get prenium quality at a rock bottom price, well it just doesn't get any better than that. Also any of the cast iron products from Lodge will easily last a lifetime or two, with minimal care. I previously owned a 7 quart duch oven and loved it. But my daughter finally has moved out, and it's just the wife and I at home now, so I downsized to a 5 quart dutch oven. I was happy to see Lodge offer a dutch oven with side handles instead of a wire bail, because we do most of our cooking at home in our oven, not at a campfire. The 5 quart dutch oven and 10 inch skillet would be a perfect gift for someone just starting out in life. They probably would not realize the value of what they recieved, until they are cooking a pot roast or a pot of chili for their grandchildren thirty years later. Update May 2011. I just purchased another Lodge 5qt. dutch oven to give to my daughter's boyfriend as a birthday gift. We gave him a 12" Lodge cast iron skillet a few months back, and he loves it! Our daughter tells us he uses it every single day. So we thought we would add to his cast iron collection, by giving him a 5qt. dutch oven. At the very least he can learn to make chili and pot roast. By the way, I got an exception deal on this dutch oven on Amazon.com. The lowest price I have ever seen on this item, and free shipping too. I hope he learns to love this Lodge 5 qt. dutch oven as much as he does his Lodge 12" skillet. Once you learn to use your cast iron dutch oven, your crock pot will never get used again. Our grandparents knew something that many people today don't know. Cast Iron cookware works well, and works for the long run.
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The dutch overn itself is just what I expected: sturdy and indestructible cast iron. The pre-seasoning was blotchy. I removed it with detergent and water, then re-seasoned using the directions in the old Joy of Cooking: coat generously with grease/oil, place in 450 degree F. oven for 30 minutes. Much better.
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Why five stars if the title says "fourteen pounds of grief"? Read on.
I got this probably six months ago, and had a moment of laziness. Normally, I'd go ahead and add several more layers of seasoning, even on the pre-seasoned iron. But I didn't this time. Which was ok. The Lodge pre-season isn't perfect, and they don't claim it is. It's just a good head start.
Shortly after I got this, my wife and I left my step-daughter house-sitting for the weekend. When we got back, I found my new dutch oven ruined. Apparently, my step-daughter had burned something in it, helpfully grabbed a stainless steel scrubby and some Comet cleaner and tried to scrub out the crunchies. She only succeeded in scrubbing off the seasoning, but not the burned-on stuff. So she threw it in the sink to soak.
Yep, pretty much a complete list of things you should not do to cast iron.
The bottom four inches of the dutch oven were solid orange rust. My wife took one look at the expression on my face and started hustling her daughter out the front door. I wasn't going to kill her. Honest. Especially when I realized that the five-quart pot was way too big to serve as an urn for her ashes.
Instead, I grabbed some sandpaper, took the rust down to bare metal, coated the pan with lard and threw it in the oven. Rinse, lather repeat.
And that's the beauty of cast iron. You can't mess it up, and if you do mess it up, you can fix it. My dutch oven is better now than when it was new, and it will only continue to improve.
It's forever-ware. Lodge makes a great product, right here in America, and you can't buy better cast iron. I love mine for stews, and for the occasional batch of no-knead bread. Oven, cooktop or charcoal grill, this dutch oven turns out delicious food.
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I own the entire set of Calphalon Contemporary and use it daily. These pans are outstanding; the heat distribution is excellent (I've checked it with a laser thermometer), it's nicely weighted and the curved sides on the pan itself are excellent when flipping contents (which makes you look quite professional, if I do say so myself).
