Lodge Essential Enamel Cast Iron Dutch Oven, 6 Quart, Lagoon

Heavy! In a GOOD way. Beautiful, All things typically Lodge in great quality. Of course, cleans easily and fits on my Lodge stand as not only functional and practical, but also lovely.

I bought this Dutch oven because I wanted to start making sourdough, and since I’d never owned one before, I didn’t want to spend a ton of money. I’m so glad I went with this one. It’s super sturdy, feels really well made, and has worked perfectly for every loaf I’ve baked so far. It’s also easy to clean, which I wasn’t expecting with something this heavy. The only thing I’d mention is that the color is a little more gray in person than it looked online, but I still really like it. For the price, I honestly don’t think you can beat it. It fits perfectly in my oven, and the quality is way better than I expected. I’d definitely buy it again, and I already know this is going to be one of my go-to gifts for friends or family who want to get into sourdough.

This is an easy product to like.! I have been a user and a fan of cast iron cookware for a long time. We used it 50 - 60 years ago while I was growing up and I continue to use it today. There are several good manufacturers of cast iron cookware on the market today. And there are even more if you consider the ones from the not-so-distant past.! But most of them were of the standard "black" or "grey" iron construction. It is only in the more recent past (say maybe the last ten or fifteen years..) that enameled porcelain has been used as a surface treatment for cast iron cookware. The advantages are many, but for me ease of maintenance and the ability to cook acid ingredients without damaging the pot or causing off-tastes in the food are what make me give these "new-fangled" cast iron pots a try. Lodge is one of the names that almost everyone has heard of (in the cast iron cookware business..). I am very happy to see that they have now decided to join the growing trend toward coated cast iron. The Lodge name on this pot was enough to make my decision for me. I have wondered about these pots for several years..... now I know the answer. I guess it doesn't matter too much which brand you choose, these coated pots are FAR better than the older style CI pots for cooking stews or soups or anything that contains tomatoes or other acid ingredients. For these tasks, these coated pots are perfect. I decided to make the purchase when I discovered that Lodge had seemingly broken through the price barrier and their pots were available at a much better price point than other brands (which I won't mention here..). I was pleased to see this addition to the Lodge line and jumped at the possibility to own one of these pots without raiding my 401K or seeing a banker for a loan.!! If you base your buying decision on performance alone, you will have a difficult decision. There are several brands available... all of which are top quality products. It is when you factor in VALUE that the Lodge line seems to rise to the top. This is a top quality product, beautifully made and finished, that cooks like pots that cost double or triple the amount. I made my decision based on value. I bought this pot because I wanted one... and I could justify the expense of THIS one. It does the job perfectly. It cooks just like you would expect a Lodge pot to cook. And it looks beautiful as well. The bottom line was price. Since I chose this Lodge pot, I can now afford to buy a second one of a different size.!! Yay.!! Give one of these a try. Top quality + Decent price = VALUE. Highly recommended. You cannot go wrong with this.

Amending my previous review, Lodge was amazing to work with and is replacing my dutch oven. It's so nice to have good customer service, I'll be a Lodge customer for life! Technically I loved the function of this Dutch oven. It worked perfectly and was easy to clean. My issue is that I've had it for a few years, and I don't use it that often, and despite taking excellent care of it, never using metal utensils and making sure to use the bumpers for the lid, I have enamel flaking off everywhere. It's not safe to use anymore and I'm just so disappointed because it obviously cost a lot of money and was an investment piece for my kitchen. I plan on reaching out to Lodge to see if there's anything they can do.

This is a well made heavy dutch oven. Love the color. I like to cook brisket in mine and it turns out wonderfully every time. Very easy clean up. Will last a lifetime.

I have been making soups in the pot all month on top of my induction oven with no problems. I thought it was a beautiful pot, but unfortunately there may be some flaws because I ran into a problem with mine the first time I used it in the oven. This should not happen !!! That said however the company is replacing the pot for me and that is why I've upped my review from a "1" star back up to "4" stars because LODGE is a very good company and I want to be fair to the company which is located in Tennessee. Here's the deal I bought the Pot on October 6th 2018 and used it for nearly 30 days mostly making soups on my induction top and it worked out nicely with no problems. But the first time I use it in the oven I made a roast at 300 degrees for 3 hours (the meal turned out just fine.) I then let the pot cool before I soaked it with dish soap in the kitchen sink. Almost immediately THE ENTIRE POT TURNED A DUSTY WHITE. It was indeed strange, so I cleaned the pot by hand and upon closer inspection I noticed THE CLEAR COAT HAS COMPLETELY BAKED OFF !! The pot looks like hell. I've washed it by hand since day one and the first time I put it in the oven it goes to crap. Now it's Nov. 11th and I'm "SIX" days outside of the Amazon return period !!! Great. No button to return this back to Amazon. So I called the Lodge company in Tennessee and talked with Ms. Reba in Customer Service. Explained the situation, after sending pictures of the pot to the company a couple of days later they informed me they strive for good customer service and they are replacing the pot. I can only hope the replacement holds up better than the first one. If it doesn't then I will look into another replacement brand like the Le Creuset, which would cost a whole lot more. I also bought a back up 6 Quart Dutch Oven from my local KHOL's store made by "Food Network" for less than $50, because I need it this weekend. It too is a beautiful blue pot made in China. I'm gong to try both pots before buying something more expensive. BOTTOM LINE: I would not be afraid to try the LODGE Dutch oven sold here on Amazon. It's reasonably priced and they company will back you up as long as you take care of the product. Just FYI: I own two other Lodge cast iron (Pre-seasoned) frying pans, with glass tops. Bot of those are black old fashion cast iron and they are 100% made in the USA. No problems with them what so ever. Both frying pans are available on Amazon and the glass lids from LODGE are also on Amazon. I recommend those highly. Therefore I've upped my review of this item back to FOUR STARS ****. Had the Red Dutch Oven been made in the USA like the other Lodge cast iron frying pans I'd give it five stars.

Nice size weight and quality! Definitely cast iron with beautiful cream coating !! Lid is functional and weighty

This is a very high quality dutch oven, very reasonably priced and an excellent value. I have a couple of comments to make regarding my selection of this product and the Amazon customer service experience: - I originally purchased this locally, however after checking the price on Amazon I returned the product to the local store and ordered it here, at substantial savings. - I did check for online reviews of the various dutch oven products available, and this Lodge model is generally rated highest or very high compared to others. For example, at wirecutter dot com there is a lengthy evaluation of dutch ovens, with the conclusion that this Lodge model is their pick. They also like the Cuisinart CI670-30CR Chef's Classic Enameled Cast Iron 7-Quart Round Covered Casserole , and of course they rate the Le Creuset Signature Enameled Cast-Iron 5-1/2-Quart Round French (Dutch) Oven very highly. If I am ever able to spend $300 or so for a dutch oven then I will certainly fill our kitchen with that as well as other Le Creuset products (and I will be sure to get at least one in their orange Flame color, which is the original color before they began to offer a full palette of choices). I am sure that the Le Creuset products are absolutely superb, but in the meantime I think that this Lodge product will do just fine. The 6-Quart size that I purchased is just right for our needs - it is large, and heavy, but it looks great in the blue finish, with large and conveniently sized handles. Now let me relate my experience with purchasing this on Amazon. The first Lodge dutch oven I received from Amazon had a very small imperfection on the inside enamel finish. I knew that other reviewers here have posted complaints regarding defective or cracked enamel and therefore decided to contact Amazon customer service to see if a exchange could be made. I didn't want to have doubts about the long-term durability of this dutch oven and wanted to start out with one that was as free from defects as possible. Amazon very kindly agreed to send a replacement, no questions asked. That is superb customer service and it is what I have experienced on several occasions from Amazon whenever I have purchased something here and have had an issue with it (which is infrequent). By the way, both times the product was shipped in it's own factory packaging, which is very heavy cardboard and gives the dutch oven excellent protection. I notice that one of the other reviewers suggests requesting extra packaging, but I personally do not feel that is necessary. It would take some very serious mishandling to damage the pot when protected as it is packaged, and it would be immediately obvious when receiving the package if that had happened, without even opening the box to inspect the pot. I will update this in the future if there are any notable points, good or bad, to add.

Well made.

Got a little sketched out initially by people claiming their enamel was chipping but thankfully after getting mine I can chalk that up to people trying to get a refund for a pot they ruined. I've baked at 500, seared and simmered soup in this thing so far and it looks 100% as good as new. Super heavy and holds heat great. I do have criticisms - the bottom is a bit too rounded and shrinks the cooking area a bit too much for me - but the enamel isn't one of them and for $100, who cares? Don't use metal, buy a non-scratch sponge and use a plastic scraper for stubborn bits and this thing will give you a good life. Cannot reccomend enough for others like me who want a dutch oven that lasts but can't swing the $400 for LC. Also worth mentioning - for whatever reason the pot's colour gets way darker when it's hot. I don't know if that's intended but it always goes back to normal once it cools so I'm not stressed about it but be aware that's a thing that happens. Actually kinda handy so you know when it's dangerous to grab. Edit: A few months after writing this my pot sponatneously chipped while it was being preheated. I've been regularly baking bread in it requiring 500 degree temps for hours and was searing in it so I think it was thermal shock that did it. Contacted Lodge and they asked a few questions immediately offered to replace it - seems like as long as you don't admit to absolutely abusing the pot they're pretty happy to send you another one. I've had that one for about a year now and it's great. Again this is essentially a budget version of another product (LC) so I'm not expecting perfection and a lifetime of use, and the company offering to send me a new one at no charge is all I could really ask for. For stovetop use I still think this pot is absolutely 5 stars, but maybe avoid for bread baking unless that's the only thing you plan on using it for. I still use the old chipped one for baking and it's great for that. Overall a little disappointed at the lack of flexibility but in terms of value for price I'll still happily call this 5 stars.

I have a cheap stove, so it's not easily possible to stew things at lower temperature with regular pots. The heat dissipates too quickly, so it just stops simmering. Not with this pot: It has amazing heat retention, so it has become indispensable since I bought it. It is extremely heavy though, which is to be expected by such a large mass of cast iron. Maybe it can double as a makeshift bomb shelter in a pinch. I guess any dutch oven has to measure up to Le Creuset, which I don't personally have any experience with. However, I can see that the Le Creuset costs at least twice as much on Amazon. I doubt that it can be twice as good because this pot is damn near perfect. At 6 liters, it is a bit too big for two people, but that's hardly Lodge's fault. Only disadvantage to me is that the lid edges are kind of rough so they feel like unglazed terra cotta. That means that putting the lid on, taking it off, or moving it makes a scraping sound which I personally hate more than nails on a chalkboard. Fortunately, the lid is very heavy as well so it's not like you move it around too much. I'm kind of blindly rating its taste though. I have not tried eating it because I find cast iron too hard to chew, but I have to assume it's delicious.

Finally bought a big enamel dutch oven that's affordable, well made and very good looking! I put 3 whole chicken leg (about 300gm each), 4 thighs (about 600gm), 4 chicken wings (about 600gm), 2 onions, and 4 packets of brown shimeiji mushrooms into the 6-quart dutch oven and baked them in an oven. The meat turned out really well. They were soft and juicy and the whole family loved it. The next time I cook this dish, I will experiment with shorter baking time & lower temperature.

Very high quality cast iron