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journalism → support → readers
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When it comes to cooking at home, one of the best workhorses in any kitchen is a Dutch oven.
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one → come → kitchen
Also known as a cocotte, a casserole dish, or a stewing pot, the collective names usually refer to a round cast iron dish (though larger ones are often oval) with a lid that's often relatively tight and an enamel coating.
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But now, there are plenty of designs that are much lighter and aren't made from cast iron – and these are often more affordable, too.
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They are most useful for their one-pot wonder cooking possibilities, lending themselves best to stews and casseroles, as the name suggests.
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name → lend → stews
They can be used for braising meat and vegetables, making soups, and even loaves of bread.
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Plus, they can be used most can be used on top of the cooker (across most heat sources, but do always check) and inside ovens too, which is great for slow cooking.
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which → use → cooking
To top it all off, they're so aesthetically pleasing: Dutch ovens can easily go from the hob to the table for serving – and the bonus is this also helps reduce the washing up.
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this → top → washing
Especially to best look after these hard-working pots, they should be washed by hand.
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they → look → hand
As a food journalist of more than a decade, and a keen home cook, I’ve been testing the very best Dutch ovens for 2026.
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I → test → 2026
Best ceramic pot – Our Place ceramic non-stick perfect pot: £135, Ourplace.co.uk
How I tested
I made batches of my usual favourite mid-week meals, including red lentil dal and Mexican bean stew.
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I → test → dal
I tested each pot using the same format, cooking on my induction hob, letting it warm up slowly on a low heat, and then starting the cooking at level five on the induction hob, cooking with both the lid on and off and only cooking with wooden or silicone utensils.
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lid → test → utensils
I was looking for how well the pots conducted heat, how evenly each cooked, how heavy they are to manoeuvre, and how easy they are to clean.
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they → look → heat
Each was cleaned by hand with a sponge, as most brands advise.
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M&S cast iron large casserole dish
★★★★★
Best: Overall Dutch oven
What we love: Very affordable and cooks well
Take note:
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we → love → note
Marks & Spencer's homewares have always been reliable, but have been taken up a notch or two in the past few years.
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homewares → take → years
And this cast iron dish is one of its best.
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dish → cast → best
The dish conducts heat well and cooks fairly evenly – put simply, it does the job it was made to do.
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it → conduct → job
The inside is smooth and sandy-cream hued, meaning it's easy to prevent food from catching on the heat, as you can see it better than pots with dark interiors.
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you → hue → interiors
Plus, it's very easy to clean.
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it → clean → ?
The handles do get hot when it's cooking, so always use oven gloves.
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it → get → gloves
The only real downside is the limited colours, as there's only this grey, which isn't that exciting and a cream alternative, but for the price it's hard to quibble over that.
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- Enamel: Yes
- Sizes available: 2
- Diameter: 26.2cm
- Litre: 5.2 l
- Colours: 2
Habitat cast iron casserole dish
★★★★☆
Best: Budget Dutch oven dish
What we love: Budget price
Take note: Quite heavy
Undoubtedly the most talked-about “dupe” of Le Creuset, Habitat’s dish even has the 'ombre' colour fade design too.
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dish → love → design
It's enamelled inside and out, with the inside coated in a smooth pale cream colour (very easy to wipe clean).
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inside → coat → colour
At less than £50 for the 27cm diameter, this is a great piece of kit for students and budding home cooks
Oil disappears quickly inside, and food cooks best right in the middle – the outer edges don't really cook that much, but positively, the handle doesn't get hot so it's easy to move.
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it → bud → much
The lid isn't the best fit, but it still forms a seal and is a little rougher than some of the other more expensive dishes.
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it → form → dishes
- Enamel: Yes
- Sizes available: Two
- Diameter: 27cm
- Weight: HAVE ASKED
- Litre: 5.3l
- Colours: 5
- Guarantee: 25 years
Le Creuset cast iron round casserole dish
★★★★☆
Best: Luxury Dutch oven
What we love: Excellent construction, lifetime guarantee, wide colour range
Take note: Expensive
As the king of the Dutch oven sector and the best-known brand, Le Creuset has been making its signature cast iron enamel dishes for more than 100 years now, and clearly knows what it's doing.
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They're a go-to for a reason: reliable, hard-working, and with a lifetime guarantee.
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I found it heats quickly, and maybe even conducts heat a little too well – I had to turn it down from number five heat on my induction hob while sautéing onions.
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Though there are always marks left on the inside of the pot, as long as they're not really burnt on, the smooth interior makes it really easy to clean.
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, it comes in 15 colourways.
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it → come → colourways
- Enamel: Yes
- Sizes available: 18cm -30cm
- Diameter: 28cm
- Weight: 6.13kg
- Litre: 6.7l
- Heat sources: Oven, induction, halogen, gas, ceramic, electric, aga
- Colours: 15
- Guarantee: Lifetime
Pro Cook cast iron casserole dish
★★★★☆
Best: Dutch oven for families
What we love: Affordable price and large size for big households
Take note: Some ingredients catch in the middle of the pan, doesn’t cook as evenly as other pots, and is harder to wash
Another well-known brand, Pro Cook rivals big names with good design and affordable prices – this comes in at £75.
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this → love → 75
A traditionally designed dish, the interior is black and is rougher than some others.
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interior → design → others
It's enamelled on both the inside and outside, despite it looking like raw cast iron on the inside as it's black.
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it → look → inside
I found some ingredients caught in the middle of the pan, and it didn't cook as evenly as some of the other pots, but this is bigger than others, and my induction hob isn't the biggest.
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hob → find → others
The bigger size is great if you prefer to batch cook or are cooking for a large number of people, though it does make it a little harder to wash in the sink.
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it → prefer → sink
It performs well and is an excellent buy for the price.
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- Enamel: Yes
- Sizes available: 20cm -30cm
- Diameter: 30cm
- Weight: 6.5kg
- Litre: 6.2 l
- Heat sources: Oven, induction, halogen, gas, electric, ceramic
- Colours: 6
- Guarantee: 25 years
Cookut lightweight non-stick Dutch oven
★★★★☆
Best: Designed Dutch oven
What we love: Great design, very light, and very easy to clean
Take note: Food cooks a little unevenly compared to other pots, and the quilted pot holders are easily misplaced
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holders → design → pots
With this Dutch oven’s curved design, the designers at Cookut really took a leaf out of the mid-century designers' cookbook here.
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designers → take → cookbook
…and 37 more, not listed.
The Aporia
