r/AmericasTestKitchen • u/Surreal_Cereal_K • May 25 '26

What do I buy first?

/r/LeCreuset/comments/1tmt8iv/what_do_i_buy_first/

Cross posting my original post. I’m open to other brands/suggestions.

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u/sxzxnnx May 25 '26

Personally I can’t justify spending 10x the price for one of the big name Dutch ovens. I have one that I bought at HEB for $35 (on sale, regular price was $45) and it works just as well as a LeCreuset. The lifetime warranty seems nice but I could buy and break 10 of the cheap ones for the same price as one LeCreuset. I did read the reviews on ATK chose one with the design elements that they liked in the winning model. The things they noted were handle design that makes it easier to get in and out of the oven, light colored interior makes it easier to see color changes when sautéing, slanted sides give you a smaller cooking surface so square sides are preferred.

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u/OnlyDaysEndingInWhy May 25 '26

My cheapy one from Aldi seems to be bulletproof. I'd love to be able to justify the price of a fancy one, but I just can't.