Made In’s Cast Iron Dutch Oven Is the Secret to My Best Ever Meals in Six Years of Cooking

After cooking in the Made In Round Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven for three weeks, it's clear that it holds its own amongst the top competitors for quality, reliability, and style. I was able to bake bread, roast meats, and simmer wholesome stews in this practical kitchen essential, which would surely become one of your most sought-after heirloom pieces.

The best Dutch ovens can be costly, so it is only right to expect quality, well-rounded flavors, and simple maintenance from your chosen pot. Luckily, the Made In Dutch oven delivers on all three counts and then some.

This is how I found cooking with the Made In Dutch oven over the last three weeks, the few minor snags that resulted in me docking half a star from my review, and why I think it is a fantastic mid-price offering for the busy, everyday home cook.

I Was Impressed by the Made In Round Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven on Test

Product Specifications: Made In Round Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven

Design and First Impressions: Made In Round Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven

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I loved the simple yet elegant styling of the Made In Round Enameled Dutch Oven. It has a sturdy cast-iron build, a heavy base, and a polished enamel surface. The lid felt well weighted, and the polished handle was secure and easy to manoeuvre.

I received the heritage 'Harbour Blue' color to review; however, it is also available in 'Made In Red' and 'Antique White', with occasional special edition seasonal colors available throughout the year.

At the time of writing, this includes 'Willow Green', 'Marigold Yellow', and Ruby Red', all three of which are unquestionably sumptuous by design. This is a good range of colors, but it is a far cry from the positively indulgent range of color options from the likes of Le Creuset. If you are not a die-hard collector or are indifferent to your pots matching your beautiful kitchen ideas, this will not be a problem.

The packaging also left an impression, made from nearly 100% plastic-free materials (cardboard and tissue paper) with the minor exception of four small plastic clips that sat around the top of the pot to protect the rim and the nestled lid during transport.

This is the same packaging approach used by other heritage Dutch oven brands, including Le Creuset; however, I am not going to dock points for this, especially as you can keep the clips and reuse them to safely store your pot without damage. Overall, I was very pleased with how thoughtful the packaging was, making it easy to be sustainable at home when shopping with Made In.

Cooking Performance: Made In Round Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven

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To ensure a fair test, I used the same approach we have used in the past to test Dutch ovens and cooked a stove-to-oven chicken casserole to test the versatility and limits of the pot.

I started by rendering the skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs, which developed a beautiful golden, crisp skin. The chicken thighs stuck ever so slightly, but it was nothing that my silicone utensils, available from Amazon, couldn't work around.

This was when I noticed that the edges of the Made In Round Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven did not get as hot as the centre. The wide base of the 5.5 qt pot overhung the edges of my largest electric stovetop ring, so I believe this is partially to blame. As a result, I had to move the chicken to ensure all edges were crisp and golden. This was more noticeable when I removed the chicken from the pot, and the layer of fond was localized to the centre of the pot.

The fond was easy to deglaze after adding my vegetables (onions, carrots, and garlic), using a wooden spoon to stir. Made In recommends avoiding metal utensils in their pots to protect the enamel from scratches. Within a few minutes of cooking, the vegetables softened nicely and developed a golden color. At this point, my kitchen smelled delectable.

Finally, I added the tomato paste, chicken stock, potatoes, and peas to the pan and brought it up to a slow simmer. Again, the bubbles were centered and didn't reach the rim, suggesting that even after a prolonged heating period, the pot doesn't quite distribute heat evenly. This was replicated in another, separate test I ran with a soy sauce glaze (video below).

To finish, I added the chicken back in so that the skin remained above the liquid level, added the snug-fitting lid, and placed the pot in the preheated oven. This pot is marginally heavier than other makes at 13.6 lbs, with the similarly sized STAUB Dutch oven, available at Amazon, coming in at 12.57 lbs and Le Creuset's sitting at 11.5 lbs.

While it was easy enough for me to bend to place in my floor-level oven, it may be moderately more cumbersome for someone with less grip strength or wrist pain. Luckily, the flat, ergonomic handles ensure a secure grip on the pot, and I found that after 30 minutes on the stove, they were still cool enough to handle without gloves.

Halfway through, I removed the lid and added my mom's suet dumplings to bake and crisp. After the full cooking time, removing the pot from the oven with oven gloves was easy thanks to the sturdy flat handles.

The casserole emerged perfectly golden, with butter-soft vegetables, fall-apart meat, and remarkably crispy skin and dumplings (tapping on them with my cutlery produced a seriously satisfying sound). On the taste test, my partner dubbed it one of the 'best meals' I have ever made, and we have been cooking together for over six years, so that certainly speaks to the quality of the item.

On separate evenings, I also assessed the pot by making seriously sticky soy-glazed chicken bites and a hearty bolognese. On both occasions, the meat cooked beautifully, developing good color and flavor that far surpassed my experience cooking in traditional non-stick or more affordable stainless steel.

However, both meals also highlighted the same issue of the pot not heating evenly to the edges on my electric stove. Sauces didn't bubble to the edges, and the meat needed to be moved closer to the middle for more even results. It's a minor inconvenience, but one nonetheless. Overall, however, I was very impressed.

Cleaning, Storage and Maintenance: Made In Round Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven

One of the best parts about cleaning enameled cast iron is that you only need soap (I use a non-toxic dish soap such as Attitude from Walmart) and a soft sponge. Made In stresses that the Dutch oven is hand-wash only, so I was thrilled at just how easy it was to clean. Even after simmering a seriously sticky soy glaze, a swill with plain warm water was enough to disloge 90% of the residue, with the soap and sponge removing the rest rapidly, and with next-to-no effort.

I allowed the pot to soak in water and soap overnight after the casserole (out of laziness, truthfully), and the next day, even the baked-on residue wiped away instantly, no elbow grease required.

As the pot is on the larger, heavier side, this task can be a little finicky. My partner and I are both avid gym-goers, so this made the task easier, but for others, washing (and towel drying immediately after to prevent rust) might prove to be a workout. I found that putting the pot on the counter and drying the inside, followed by the outside, rather than trying to juggle it in my hands, was a lot easier and minimized the risk of my dropping it on my toe.

Storing the Made In Dutch oven (as with any sizable cooking pot) requires quite a bit of cabinet space. This proved tricky in my tiny kitchen, so I opted to leave the pot out on the lesser-used back rings of my stove. Luckily, it looks stunning enough to double as practical but pretty kitchen decor. Enamel is more delicate than it looks, so you want to avoid stacking other pots inside of it.

How Does the Made In Round Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven Compare?

The main competitors for the Made In Dutch oven are to be found in Le Creuset and STAUB, two heritage heavyweights in the enameled cast iron world.

All three are well designed and provide fantastic flavor and texture; however, Made In's offering comes in more affordably. At the time of review, the 5.5 qt Made In Round Dutch Oven retails for $299 on their website, around $130 dollars less than both equivalent offerings from either brand. For the minimal disparity in cooking results and variance in color options, it is a reasonable mid-range price point.

It isn't the lowest-priced option we have reviewed, the Lodge Dutch oven reviewed by Lydia Hayman, but it outperforms the more affordable option by a mile, offering more robust construction that will last for years.

The Made In Dutch oven is also capable of withstanding higher oven temperatures than Le Creuset and STAUB, oven safe up to 580°F (304°C), compared to 500°F (260°C). We're not sure when you would need that high a temperature, but it does offer some peace of mind that you won't easily damage it with heat.

Overall, it stands in good stead as a great mid-tier Dutch oven that I feel will last for years with the correct care.

My Verdict: Should You Buy A Made In Dutch Oven?

If you are looking for a good quality, reliable Dutch oven but don't want to spend a small fortune on one, you can't go wrong with the Made In Dutch oven.

I found it to be very robust, easy to use, and good-looking, and it created a delicious flavour and texture in my food. It is also completely free from PFAS, one of the most important labels for food safety, so it provides one of the best non-toxic cookware experiences, too. It is the perfect mid-range investment for any home cook.

How We Test Cookware at Homes & Gardens

The best cookware has to tick all the boxes: Versatility, manageable weight, safe materials, brilliant cooking performance, and, crucially, ease of cleaning.

You can read more details about how we test cookware at Homes & Gardens, including how long we vet each piece for and specifically which recipes we trial.

I test all cookware in my own home under real-world conditions – usually mid-week meals cooked after work, putting the pans through regular use over a range of recipes to get a good understanding of how these pans perform and fit into the everyday, hard-working home.

What Else to Shop

Maintaining and cleaning your cookware investments with the right tools and products will help to ensure its longevity and make every meal made in it worth the initial outlay. Here's my selection of the best.

All prices were correct at the time of publishing.

Once you have made your investment, be sure to explore the most common Dutch oven mistakes people often make when making meals with their new cookware to ensure perfect results and a pot that will last for decades.

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