Lodge BOLD Exclusive 7 Quart Premium Pre-Seasoned Cast Iron Dutch Oven with Lid - Dual Handles - Use in the Oven, on the Stove, on the Grill or over the Campfire - Black

This is a large cast iron pot that is wonderful for cooking anything that benefits from simmering. The pot holds heat, heats evenly and is great for stews, pasta sauce and soups. Also, you can use tomato products in this pot. Just empty after cooking and wash that day. Don't store tomato products overnight, but don't hesitate to use them in cooking up a killer pasta sauce.

I loved this thing! I've wanted a dutch oven for a long time and finally found one I could afford! The size is perfect for larger cuts of meat and all the trimmings. The lid has a nice dome shape and the handles are roomy enough to be safe with heavy oven mitts. The weight is greater than I'd like, but you can't have indestructible AND light weight! This will be around long after I'm gone! The lid is a nice fit, too , so it seals well. I love that it came pre-seasoned and it seems nicely done. I knew I wanted cast iron without enamel coating so I don't have to worry about it crazing and chipping no matter what I do to it. I cannot handle the weight of this dutch oven - neither can my oven shelf! I put a baking sheet under it to disperse the weight but it stills makes the oven shelves sag - it's just too heavy. I don't cook outdoors, bought it for inside oven use, and it's just more than I can handle. I am average height, good health, but this thing with a ham in it was too much for me. Had to have hubby lift it in and out of oven. For safety sake I will be handing this off to someone else.

This is the best Lodge dutch oven i have ever seen. The handles are perfect, even that little bow handle on the lid. The bottom has a raised ring that helps you properly center it on the burner on the stove top and the lid closes into the pot so that it is down into the pot somewhat, and it makes a much better seal than any cast iron pot i have ever used before. I purchased this pot to replace a Le Creuset that is just under four quarts, because over the years the Le Creuset pots suffer degradation of the inside finish. Scorch something in one of them a bit and spend who knows how long cleaning it up to a point where you feel good about it again and if you scorch it a few times over the years that off white finish looks anything but good. This new Lodge Pro Logic has a black finish that looks as though it is painted on after very careful sanding and finishing repeatedly; but it is apparently just a regular cast iron that has been specially heat treated. Not sure how they do it but they have a winner in this design. Great handles, extremely nice finish and a lid that fits better than any other makes this a great pot. I use this size pot to cook chuck roast sized for the two of us and nothing does it any better. For my money, it feels great to get something this nice at this price point. What is there not to like about this pot?

I bought two of these for bread baking, one of which was well made and works great for its intended use, and the second I sent back as defective because it had casting defects (ridges of metal on the critical bottom of the pan) that made it unacceptable. The second one was roughly cast in other areas like the handles, so I gleaned that quality control at Lodge must be variable. However, I based my rating on the good one because Amazon accepted the return of the second without question, so I'll try my luck with another one. The shipping weight of the oven is 13 pounds, but the nicely rounded handles and balance of the pan make it seem lighter than that. The bottom of my good one is cast rougher than I'd like, but it doesn't stick and cleans easily, so the lack of a very smooth bottom has not caused any problem for me. Many YouTube videos seem fixated on making the pan bottom extremely smooth by removing the factory pre-seasoning and re-grinding the pan bottom. My experience with the factory non-stick pre-seasoning is that it works well-enough right out of the box, so any radical reworking of the inside pan bottom is unnecessary unless you're a purist. The lid flips over for storage of the pan, lowering its profile in a cabinet, and making it easy to stack other things on top of it.

Well I cook for two hearty eaters...myself included. And before I begin this review on the Lodge 4 Quart Dutch Oven, I want to let you know that I currently own a Lodge 5 Quart Dutch Oven, 3 Quart Chicken Fryer, 12 inch Skillet, 10 inch Skillet, Round Griddle and 10 inch Chef Skillet...I cook with Cast Iron several times daily. I made a huge Beef and Vegetable Stew in this Dutch Oven and it served 4 people w generous helpings. I roasted this in my oven at 325 degrees for 2.5 hours and it was the best stew I ever made. - Reaon that I purchased this size Dutch Oven is Ithat I needed something in the 4 Quart size for small Roasts, Cut up Chicken, Stews and Soups etc. It is perfect for these types of Foods. - Four Quart vs Five Quart Info...Now you may be wondering if you should buy the larger 5 Quart or the small 4 Quart. So I first took a picture of them side by side (picture one). *** The 4 Quart is 9.5 inches across the top and 4.5 inches deep. On the bottom of the 4 quart, it is quite a bit NARROWER than the 5 quart. Only a very small whole chicken or 2 to 3 pound roast will comfortably fit into this 4 Quart. The 5 Quart is 10.25 inches across and about 4.75 deep. * The 5 Quart will fit a much larger roast. I have roasted a large whole chicken in it. See all of the pictures below. Diffetences in Ligic vs Pro Logic...This is the newer Lodge PRO LOGIC Cast Iron. The lid on this Pro LOGIC is very different inside from my older 5 Quart LOGIC Cast Iron. This lid does not have the small spices inside. Instead it has the smooth rings for self basting. It works well and is easier to clean over the old LOGIC style with the spikes inside. - Surfaces - Both the Logic and Pro Logic have somewhat rough surfaces. The old, old Lodge Cast Iron has very slick surfaces. I like the new slightly rough surface better because I find it is better for evenly browning meat. - Non Stick abilities...I have found that the first time or two, good sticks just a bit. However, I discovered that every time I cooked I the Lodge Cast Iron pots, the food slid right out and cleanup a breeze. - Iron benefits....It is all over the internet that cast iron cooking gives o e extra iron in food. What a great way to get more iron in the diet. - The taste of food when I cook with Lodge Cast Iron is magnificent. Such better than using regular pots and pans in my opinion. I highly recommend this 4 Quart Dutch Oven. If you cook for say four or more people, I suggest the 5 quart Dutch Oven or larger. --- Preseasoned by Lodge. However, I washed and dried it and rubbed it down with vegetable oil. Then when I cook, I use Olive Oil or Vegetable Oil. Then when I wash it and dry it, I lightly run it down with a light coat of veggie oil and store it. This way, my food never sticks and slides right out.

Like many people, I jumped on the sourdough bread trend. My bread wasn't turning out well -- the taste was good but it was too dense, it didn't rise well and the crust was weird. So many sourdough recipes recommended a dutch oven, so I bought this. Holy smokes! My bread has been perfect every single time since using the dutch oven. It was a game changer. Preheating the dutch oven, plus using the lid, creates the perfect environment for the dough. The 'oven spring' is amazing and it has all the classic features of sourdough: Cracked crust, elastic interior, good air pockets, beautiful color ... just flawless bread. 10/10 recommend for bread making. I have yet to use it for anything else, but having several cast iron skillets, I know it will heat evenly and cook beautifully. The box was a wreck when it arrived, but cast iron is basically unbreakable. Very happy with this purchase.

Note: Amazon packs this big, heavy box poorly. So by the time it arrives to your house you can expect a lot of the seasoning to be chipped off around the edge of the lid and vessel. Inside the box the parts are just separated with some thin cardboard, which isn't quite enough to compete with the throw-it-in-a-box Amazon packing which cannot compete with however these things are handled during shipping. Otherwise, the product itself is great. 7qt model fits a normal 30" stove well without crowding out the adjacent burners too much. Have been deep frying french fries successfully with this, the tall sides keeps splatter to a minimum, the lid helps hold in heat between frying cycles. Overall it's exactly what I was hoping it would be. I can't believe how INEXPENSIVE cast iron is, and how well it works. I've been cooking eggs in my 12" cast iron skillet and we've felt like we've been lied to that we need to be using toxic non-stick products which always deteriorate and flake (into our food) and have some seriously horrible manufacturing byproducts. Only downside is the obvious weight. And the minor annoyance of the cleaning cycle of having to let it cool a bit, then clean, dry, and lightly oil it when done using instead of washing it and tossing it in a drying rack to air dry like stainless steel or other cookware.

Even baking and cooking. No enamel coating to chip n crack. Keep it oiled and it will last forever! It is so versatile. Dont put in fridge. Store leftovers separately. Rinse the pot out soon after cooking and oil it. I LOVE this asset! MADE IN USA!🇺🇸