The Dutch Oven has emerged as a staple in the kitchen over the years, helping home cooks and professional chefs the ability to tackle various cooking techniques, including braising, sauteing, searing, and slow-cooking. The main consideration to make when preparing a new recipe in a Dutch Oven is picking the right size.
Picking the appropriate size Dutch Oven is easier than it seems, especially if you follow our complete guide below. Whether you're looking to slow-cook a beef stew, or roast a chicken to perfection, the Dutch Oven comes in a variety of different sizes, accommodating recipes of all types.
From the Oval Dutch Oven, to the Round Dutch Oven, Le Creuset offers four different shapes of this iconic piece of cookware in addition to an enamelled cast iron mini cocotte. Crafted with premium materials, our Dutch Ovens are built to last.
Picking the Right Dutch Oven
Each unique shape comes with its own set of advantages, and is best suited to particular recipe types. Here is how to pick the right size Dutch Oven.
The Round Dutch Oven epitomizes Le Creuset’s European craftsmanship and attention to detail and can accommodate recipes of all sizes. The original design is built to stand the test of everyday use, and comes in a variety of sizes, ranging from 0.9 L all the way up to 12 L. The smallest Round Dutch Oven (0.9 L) is good for one to two servings, while the 12 L Round Dutch Oven is best suited for hosting big get-togethers, serving up to 12 people.
The Round Dutch Oven comes in an additional seven sizes, offering home cooks the ability to serve between two and eight servings depending on the one you choose. This iconic piece of cookware is the trailblazer of Le Creuset’s Dutch Oven designs, and can be used to prepare stews, roasts, and bake bread. Like all Dutch Ovens, this multi-purpose pot is compatible with all cooktops, including induction and is oven safe up to 260ºC / 500ºF.
Classic recipes for the Round Dutch Oven include No-Knead Dutch Oven Bread and Scandinavian-inspired pork meatballs among other dishes traditionally prepared in it. Its round shape exposes food to a consistent heat source, perfectly matching the burner shape. Simply, preheat the Dutch Oven pot to the appropriate temperature according to your recipe and get cooking!
What makes this product unique
Tall walls allow you to hold lots of ingredients and liquids
Great for
Stews, roasts, and baking
Features
- Oven Safe
- Dishwasher Safe
- Suitable for All Cooktops
The Oval Dutch Oven is often confused with its round counterpart and can be used for many of the same recipes and cooking techniques. This piece of cookware, unlike the Round Dutch Oven, comes in an elongated shape, making it perfect for roasts, or neatly fitting poultry or fish inside the pot. The Oval Dutch Oven offers chefs more surface area for their recipes and is perfect for preparing family-style dishes.
Our Oval Dutch Oven can help you tackle medium-sized to big recipes and is available in two different sizes. The 4.7 L Oval Dutch Oven can accommodate between three and four servings and is typically used for weeknight cooking for the whole family. The 6.3 L Oval Dutch Oven, by contrast, is ideal when entertaining guests, serving between five and six people with ease. Ultimately, your decision will come down to how you intend on using it.
Like all Dutch Ovens, it is compatible with all cooktops, but especially thrives in the oven. After all, it is oven-safe up to 260ºC / 500ºF. The Oval Dutch Oven is particularly useful for preparing elongated cuts of meat and is traditionally used to prepare classic recipes, including Coq au Vin Mousseux or simple, easy-to-do roast chicken dishes. Indeed, our complete list of Dutch Oven chicken recipes are all worth a try in your Oval Dutch Oven! If you can’t decide between a Round Dutch Oven and the Oval one, our set of two is perfect for you.
What makes this product unique
Oval shape is idea for cooking larger cuts of meat and whole chickens
Great for
Roasts, larger meats, and poultry
Features
- Oven Safe
- Dishwasher Safe
- Suitable for All Cooktops
The Chef’s Dutch Oven is arguably the most unique in shape of all Dutch Ovens, opening up a new range of cooking possibilities. This Dutch Oven pot is designed with sloping sides to keep liquids moving and prevent ingredients from sticking on all four corners. As a result, the Chef’s Dutch Oven is ideal for preparing delicate sauces, while its tall sides still allow you to simmer large soups to perfection.
The Chef’s Dutch Oven comes in two different sizes, including the 4.1 L and 4.9 L, serving between three and four people comfortably. Its sloped sides create the perfect environment for preparing stews, soups, and sauces, preventing boil overs more efficiently. Recipes tailored to the Chef’s Dutch Oven include chicken noodle soup, and pan-fried noodles and shrimp among other delicate dishes.
Keep in mind that this pot’s sloping sides reduce the surface available, resulting in the need to sear in batches. They do, however, present an ideal shape for deep frying ingredients with precision, delivering a perfectly crispy interior and fluffy interior with the minimum of fuss. Like all Le Creuset cast iron, stainless steel, and toughened nonstick cookware, the Chef’s Dutch Oven can be used in the oven and is compatible with all cooktops, including induction.
What makes this product unique
Slopped sides help promote the movement of liquids
Great for
Sauces, soups, pasta dishes and deep-frying
Features
- Oven Safe
- Dishwasher Safe
- Suitable for All Cooktops
The Shallow Round Dutch Oven is yet another iconic piece of cookware worth adding to your Le Creuset collection. Combining the wide surface of the braiser with slightly taller sides than traditional Dutch Ovens, this multi-purpose pot is perfect for preparing stews, braises, and soups. The Shallow Round Dutch Oven is crafted with a particular attention to detail to hold more liquid, offering the ideal in-between shape of a Dutch Oven and a braiser.
This version of the Dutch Oven comes in one size, with its 6.2 L capacity capable of serving between five and six people. The Shallow Round Dutch Oven is commonly used to sear or brown large batches of meat before slow-cooking them given its large base surface area, while its taller sides are ideal for reducing delicate sauces. In fact, from the inside, the height of this Dutch Oven is 9.5 cm, providing a great environment for sauces and avoiding splatter.
Our turkey chili and pulled pork sandwich recipes are perfectly suited for the Shallow Round Dutch Oven, offering your guests a delicious meal all from one pot. Its chip-resistant enamel exterior ensures it is built to last for years to come and could easily be used daily.
What makes this product unique
Spacious cooking surface for searing larger ingredients
Great for
Stews, searing braises, and soups
Features
- Oven Safe
- Dishwasher Safe
- Suitable for All Cooktops
Dutch Oven vs. French Oven
French and Dutch Oven are often used interchangeably and rightfully so given their similarities. In fact, the French Oven modernized the original Dutch Oven design from the 18th century, replacing the pure cast iron with enamelled cast iron. This improved heat retention and durability, ensuring the Dutch Oven pot can be passed on from generation to generation. It is also commonly referred to as a cocotte.
Shop Dutch Ovens, the Versatile Kitchen Utensile
The Dutch Oven is as versatile a piece of cookware as they come, coming in 11 different colours and four different shapes. Each unique shape comes with its own set of advantages and is tailored to specific recipes and cooking techniques.
Whether you’re looking to bake a decadent dessert, roast poultry, braise a rough cut of meat, or simmer a soup to perfection, the Dutch Oven has you covered and can be used on a daily basis with the minimum of fuss. Its tight-fitting lid and self-basting cycle will do much of the work for you, delivering a truly delicious and tender final dish.
This iconic piece of cookware also makes for the perfect gift, allowing your loved ones to diversify their skill set in the kitchen and tackle recipes of all sizes. Visit our featured Dutch Oven recipes to get inspired and start making the most of your brand-new Dutch Oven pot today!
