5 Qt. or 7Qt Dutch Oven

[jmax]

I've always wanted a Le Creuset Dutch Oven. I was given a gift card to Bed Bath and Beyond with plans to buy one. Should I get a 5 Qt or 7 Qt? We are newly married and it is just the two of us, but we plan on a family and entertain often. I am a pretty good cook and currently have a 5 Qt steel dutch oven - I use it to make stock, soups and stews.

[moviefan]

Ahh yes, I too was in a similar predicament. I was torn between the 7.25 qt. round and the 6.75 round "wide" one. I did buy the 5.5 quart originally but turned around and sold it and bought the 6.75 wide round. I cooked one batch of chili and one chicken dish in my 5.5 qt and as it turns out I didn't have much room to spare not to mention with the chicken dish I had to brown it in batches. That's why I chose the 6.75. I just love it. You can brown chicken, make roasts, brown ground beef better and yet you can still do everything else in this one that you can in the 7.25 one. Stews, chili's, etc. But it all depends on how many you're cooking for. My chili was for 3 with leftovers for 3 and then some. The whole chicken lasted two days, about 3 or 4 servings I would say. Good luck in your decision. Here's a link to Williams-Sonoma website with people reviewing the 6.75 wide round one: http://www.williams-sonoma.com/produc...

[valerie]

It may be too late for jmax, but out of the 4 LC's that I have, I use the 5 1/2 qt. round the most by far. My first piece was 6 3/4 qt. oval, which is nice, but when I got the 5 1/2 qt. it became my workhorse. I am mostly cooking for me, my husband, and my 2 small kids (although they eat a lot!) and I often make extra portions to freeze for my kids to eat during the week.

And whichever one you decide to get now, don't worry too much about which one you choose...LC's are addicting and you will soon be adding to your collection!

[RichardM]

Another vote for the 7 1/4 round. It'll give you the extra room for entertaining but work well for two. Like any pot or pan you're likely to eventually want different sizes for different jobs. Sizes range from 1 qt. to 15 qt. Clean up is easy but weight is an issue for some.

[josephnl]

There are just two of us, but we sometimes have four or six for dinner. We have a 5 1/2 quart round and a 6 3/4 quart oval Le Creuset ovens. We use the round more, and it certainly is adequate to make six or eight portions of soup, stew or anything. Nevertheless, if I could only have one, I would probably take the 6 3/4 quart oval oven. Anything bigger will be really heavy and unwieldy when filled with food.

[janeh]

Jmax, if you're still looking check the recent posts on the "Le Creuset Outlet Sale" thread...a couple of folks have gotten 35% off coupons this week!

[Candy]

I have a bunch of LC but have never needed more than a 5. Anything larger and I probably would not be able to lift it when filled. I do have other pans and pots that are more manageable when full. When it comes to my back or the pot the back wins.

[C. Hamster]

I have both

The 7 is what I use most of the time. It's much more versatile, IMO.

[janeh]

I agree with everything that everyone has said. Go for the 7 quart, but, most important, see if you can find your way to a le creuset outlet - outletbound.com lists the locations. Prices are always better, seconds are great and well priced and they have good sales. Get on their mailing list for future sales and coupons, since once you have one piece of le creuset you're likely to find yourself wishing for more. Oh, yeah - find a BB and B 20% coupon to maximize your gift card - usually you can find one on line to print if one hasn't arrived in the mail. Happy cooking!

[blondelle]

Go with the 7.25 Le Creuset or their 6.75 oval which is sort of in the middle of those two sizes. Don't forget to use one of their 20% off coupons.

[beauxgoris]

I would get the 7 qt. I had a 5qt for years (before I purchased a ton of Staub and got a bunch of different sizes) anyway: my 5qt. was always too near the top when I made soups, stews. or braises. Better to have a little wiggle room than to be so close to the top. Enjoy your new pot!

[sarawithanh]

Do you have an LC factory outlet near you? If so, save the BBB gc for another time and go straight to your outlet - or call first if its a good distance away...they have sales all the time.

The outlet near me is selling a 7.25Q seconds quality for 35% off bringing it to $140 - saving $100+ dollars compared to BBB.

I had the same dilema as you (and I'm getting married in Oct) and we decided to register for the 7.25Q based on suggestions here - I loove cooking soups & stews

[Romanmk]

I bought a 5 qt, and then later I felt I needed a bigger one, so I bought a 9 qt. Buy the 7 if you want to save money or space in the kitchen down the line.

[BeaN]

Why'd you have to go and tell me that they make a 9? Now I'm looking at my 7 and it is looking a little puny. Sometimes size really does matter.

[blondelle]

<< Why'd you have to go and tell me that they make a 9? Now I'm looking at my 7 and it is looking a little puny. Sometimes size really does matter. >>

Well, if you want the 9 qt, you had better not be puny. That size is hard enough to lift empty. That's a very important consideration. Being able to lift that sucker! They make a 13 qt. too, but it comes with a crane.

[BeaN]

Well, in my 9.5 x 11' kitchen I don't have room for a crane. I dont even have room for the garbage can.

Wait - they make 13 qt trash cans . . .

[Hungry Celeste]

I'm a fan of the 9 quart "wide" french oven (also sometimes called a risotto pot by LC, though i can't imagine 9 quarts of risotto!). The lower sides/wider bottom suit my cooking style much better, as I primarily use for stovetop cooking, rather than oven braises.

[MMRuth]

I would get the 7 - there are two of usually, but I use it all the time, even for just the two of us. Risotto, braises, soup, even for boiling pasta when I don't feel like digging out the stock pot.