Lodge Cast Iron 5 Quart Seasoned Dutch Oven with Bail Handle

paid review - my husband wanted a larger Dutch oven for cooking large roasts in. we don't love the lid style, we have another Lodge lid with the same design, and it's annoying to clean. We use a lot of cast iron skillets and this works well.

Lodge brand is the best made longest lasting cast iron in the world! i have every piece Ive purchased in the last 48 years! I have aged but it just keeps getting better! This is my second dutch oven (The other one has feet). I have used them in the house, camping, and even smoking/grilling. My friends jok1 qe about who's getting them in my will! I think they're more expensive but you cannot argue with proven quality. I will not buy any other brand. They make the statement regarding passing them down and thats the truth! Thank you Lodge for a tried and true product from a company over 100 years old!

I purchased 2 Dutch Ovens for our cabin on Lake Sam Rayburn. We cooked a pot of Cowboy Stew in one and pinto beans in the other one over an open cooking pit my husband built. The results were delicious and fed the crowd of friends we invited over this past Saturday. I would recommend these to anyone that needs a good heavy duty pot. We can't wait to make chili and fry catfish in them. Nacogdoches, Texas

I used it today and am very pleased with my purchase. I was disappointed that it did not have a 'mini' cookbook/tip book with it. The only improvement I can think of - is to say there should be more room between the handle of the lid (not the bail handle) and the base of the lid. There is not much room for your hand when you have a potholder in your hand.

Great dutch oven. My only comment is the inside of the lid showed a bit of rusting after first cooking a pot of chili (due to the condensation while cooking) even though I had rubbed it with oil. It may have been good to rub it down with oil & then bake in the oven to more carefully protect it before the first use. I use it on an induction burner--great for that!

Virtually bombproof, like all Lodge products. This isn't the most expensive, finished, polished, or shiny Dutch oven out there, nor is it intended to be. It's a workhorse, equally at home in on over, or at a campsite buried in red-hot coals. The looped wire bail handle is a nice touch that's not always found at this level of over. Take care of it and it will take care of you. It's meant to be used and will serve you well for years to come.

I bought this 9 quart version with no campfire legs because I wanted a huge heavy duty cast iron dutch oven that I could use indoors or outside on the fire. It is perfect. It weighs a ton and it holds a ton. I have used it on the stove, in the oven, in my wood stove, and over the camp fire. Every time I use it I get compliments. People admire it and ask if it is a family heirloom. It has an old time look to it, and it probably will be an heirloom because it is built to last. It came factory seasoned, but I cleaned it and soaked it in oil anyway. It is very quick to develop a tiny bit of surface rust if you miss any spots with the oil or if it stays wet after washing, which is annoying, but all cast iron is like that and it will get better as it ages and gets more oil baked on. The big handle is comfortable and lets me hang it over the fire. It makes it easier to carry, but it isn't easy to carry as it weighs a ton, especially once it is full of food.

I have been using Lodge brand products for several months now and have found them to be supreme quality for a reasonable price. I had bought the 5 qt dutch oven at my local Walmart, and ever since had been wanting the biggest one (without the legs) I could get to cover the spectrum in size. Most places want at least $80-$100. Amazon and Walmart were the only ones to have it for the astounding price of $59, and of the two only Walmart had them in stock online. What was even more amazing is this 22 pound beast only cost me $3.97 in shipping costs (it would have been free if I had it shipped to my local Walmart!) Diameter is 13 1/4", and it stands 4 3/4" tall. These are outside dimensions. Inside it is about 12 3/4" (approx.) at the top tapering smaller to the bottom a bit, and it goes about 4 1/2" tall from inside bottom to lip. The lid, I believe, will fit the Lodge 13 1/4" cast iron skillet (also on my "to-get" list.) So there is yet more utility out of this than just the dutch oven part itself. It has the bail handle (the only option available in the 9 quart "non camp" dutch oven line. As with any Lodge product it comes "pre-seasoned", but what they always fail to really clarify is that to get it into a "non stick" phase it needs more seasoning. The thing is that cast iron that is not shipped pre seasoned is done in a wax (to keep it from rusting) that must then be removed by the purchaser and then a seasoninregimenne started. The Lodge form of seasoning keeps the pans from rusting in transit, and if need be allows instant use. So, as always, season your cast iron (I give at least 3 good coatings before really starting to use them.) There are tons of ways to season cast iron, so I won't bother with those details. If you need a spacious dutch oven, this is your pick. If you are looking only to dabble more in a general sense I would suggest splitting the difference between the 9qt and 5qt by getting the 7qt (also available from Walmart). The 5qt will fit a 5-6 pound chicken for roasting, but would be too small to do a good sized batch of dutch oven cinnamon buns, something the 9qt will do no problem. Thus the 7qt should give you the best of both worlds. In my Lodge dutch ovens I have roasted chickens (wonderful!), made soups and have joined the "dutch oven artesian bread" movement (super wonderful!). No matter what size you choose you can't go wrong with one of these black beauties!

I purchased a well used vintage Griswold #8 5 qt. Dutch oven online a few days prior for the same amount plus shipping cost as a baked bean pot. After spending weeks looking for a large #12 9 quart, I just could not justify the $300.00 ebay was getting for the vintage ovens. After reading many reviews for the Lodge ovens and comparing prices I decided to pull the trigger and order one from Walmart, and have it delivered for free. Hey I thought if it doesn't pan out, I will return it. "Flash forward, that is not going to happen". I am beyond pleased by the quality, value, and excellent workmanship of this oven. It is very heavy cast iron (about 12 lbs,) as it should be for proper heat transfer and retention. The lid mates perfectly with the deep smooth inner lip of the pot. The self basting inner lid is a plus, and the pre-seasoned oven baked finish is perfect. This is not a wax finish as some manufacturers provide, but a true oil baked on finish. The large spring handle centered on the heavy wire bale is a pleasant feature for added comfort when the oven is full. Couple all this with the fact that it is made in the USA by a family owned company for nearly 100 years, and you have the perfect package. Use this beauty on the stovetop, oven, grill, or camping, for the best, easiest, tastiest, healthy, and most durable cooking adventure you will ever experience. My wife and I are in our sixties, and have tried every type of cookware out there, including that stick to it glass Corning Vision Ware back in the early 80's, but have happily added the old cast iron back in the kitchen as of late. We still use our stoneware for some things, but for hearty meals, and an old fashioned tasty breakfast, cast iron cannot be beat. So if your thinking about it, do it, give it the good ole' American try, and you will not be disapointed. Oh, and the beef stew we cooked as the first meal out of this pot was just like mama used to make. Be well, J. Linton

First thing I used this for was to make chili on my smoker. I worked perfectly and the chili was awesome.