Le CreusetEnameled Cast Iron Signature Round Dutch Oven, 13.25 qt., Cerise

I don't splurge. But I did here. I love these. The colors are wonderful. I saw the Le Creuset site mix Oyster with Marine and I fell in love. You can even add some of their staple cherry to that mix and the result is wonderful. Some of their items only come in Cherry or Marseille. So that is something to think about when picking a color scheme. I could have saved money here. But, I rarely eat out these days and the food that I cook is so good in these. I use half the heat on my oven that I used to and they cook in half the time. Money saved on energy consumption and eating out. The food is as good as the best restaurants I've eaten at. Even if you are on a tight budget or don't have space you can get the skillet and the all in one sauce pan with fryer for your cooking needs. Who else sells cast iron with an enameled gradient. Go cheap with dishware and get Fiesta at one of the sales, but if you must splurge, do it with your cooking tools.

I was initially very excited when I ordered this item, it came in a very poor state. Although the item was advertised as "Acceptable" the item was absolutely destroyed including the box (important for an item 25+ lbs) and the item had multiple cracks more than the 1" advertisers. LC is known for lifetime products but im afraid the cracks/chips will turn into larger ones and eventually end up in my food. I would just advise anyone to be careful about purchasing this item.

Initially when I purchased this 13.5 qt Dutch oven I thought I made a huge mistake due to it’s size. However, it has become my favorite go-to pan for making soups, spaghetti sauce, and baking roast dinners. I love it! It is heavy to place in oven when filled with meat and veggies. To make it a little easier transferring to oven, I remove lid. Once it’s in the oven, I place lid on Dutch oven. After food has finished baking in the oven, I remove lid, then I lift pan out and replace lid to keep food warm. This Dutch oven is the highest quality for baking all types of roast dinners.

We have a smaller 7-quart but wanted something much bigger for larger batches. Despite the reputation of cast iron, we find that the bottom really does not evenly heat. When cooking meats in a little oil, you can see that fond develops only in a circle where the heat is underneath. Still, it gets the job done, and it really is beautiful; when not in use, we usually leave it right on the dining table as a display piece. And man, is it heavy -- 20 lbs empty! Getting it in and out of the oven when full of food might definitely be a challenge for older folks or those without enough strength. Lift with your legs!

Do you have food particles burnt on your Le Creuset enamel pots? My wife HAD to have a complete set of Le Creuset, so Christmas was VERY expensive last year. There is also a learning curve to cooking with these enamel coated iron pots which resulted in burnt-on food in the bottom. No cleanser in the house (and we own them all), including Le Creuset's own brand of cleaner, even started to remove the burnt food residue. My wife was near tears as she saw her new, very expensive, cookware now containing brown and blackened patches all over the bottoms.I grew up with Bon Ami using it all around the house but I hadn't seen it in stores for decades. I had even forgotten about it until I was watching an old movie re-run of "The Ghost and Mr. Chicken" (the cleanser name was used as a running gag during the movie). My wife looked at me with much skepticism when I mentioned trying Bon Ami to clean her new pots (she thought Bon Ami was a made-up name in the movie). Additionally, she has always maintained the "new" cleansers would be better than the old ones because of advancements in science and chemistry.Bon Ami household cleanser has been around since 1886 and contains no harsh chemicals or abrasives (how many original products are still being manufactured after 129 years that DON'T work?...not many, I'd say). I got a can of Bon Ami and, with my wife looking over my shoulder, arms crossed and a sneer on her face (she was sure Bon Ami wouldn't work OR it would ruin the pot forever) I applied a sprinkle of Bon Ami and, after a little elbow grease, my wife was beaming. Whew...Don't waste your time and money on other cleansers, Bon Ami and a sponge were all I needed to clean even the most burnt-on food from our Le Creuset. Now our pots look brand new again. FANTASTIC CLEANSER when I was a kid 50 years ago and, thankfully, the manufacturer has not tampered with its original formula making Bon Ami the 129 year reigning champ among household cleansers. We're ordering another case...

This is a fantastic Dutch oven! It will be used for years to come! It holds a huge amount of anything! Love the color too! If I was rich I would have all the colors! Only downside...it's heavy and it's costly. Clean up: fits in my sink (barely) always cleans like new....