662791 Tue Oct 27 15:37:40 -0700 2009 13 41 Cookware 0 5135608 Title says it all. I am torn between these two. I will be making chili, stew, jambalaya and pasta so that's where I lean towards the 7-1/4 because it's taller and made for dishes like this, but I also will be making some whole cut-up chicken along with pork chops, maybe a small pork or beef roast and whatever other recipes I come across. I am leaning slightly more towards the 6-3/4 one, because it will be much easier to cook chicken, brown ground beef, etc. and I can still cook stew and pasta in it, although it's probably not the ideal pot for pasta, being wider and shallower. I will be cooking an equal amount of all the foods I mentioned so I won't be using one pot more than the other (if I owned both). I need a bigger one because I bought a 5.5 qt. but sold it because the chili I made almost came to the top and the chicken dish I made I had to do in batches and stack them because of the lack of floor space. Can anyone help push me over either side of the fence? Thanks!! Ed Tue Oct 27 15:37:40 -0700 2009 1119225 moviefan 1 5135820 I think the 6 3/4 qt. might be a better fit for you. You can make just about anything in it you make in the 7 1/4 qt. and it's easier for the dishes you like to make. It's even fine for soup. I was just at a Williams Sonoma cooking demo and with all the pots they have to cook in there, they chose the 6 3/4 qt. low wide LC for making a butternut squash soup. The 6 3/4 qt. is fine also for pasta as it's easier to fish the pasta out with a spider, and longer pasta like lasagna noodles are also easier to cook in it and the wider surface lets you completely submerge things like linguine at the start. The 6 3/4 is also better for open roasting, not being so high, and takes a good sized butterflied chicken. Tue Oct 27 17:00:10 -0700 2009 5135608 63331 blondelle 2 5135879 Great info. I don't think I'll lose too much volume with it being a half quart less in size. But what I don't like is that some recipes I've been wanting to make call for a pot roast (for example) to be covered and simmered for a couple hours. I'm not sure the 6 3/4 is high enough. I guess in the end I'll have to just bite the bullet and choose one and it will probably be the 6 3/4. Thanks for your input! Tue Oct 27 17:31:13 -0700 2009 5135820 1119225 moviefan 3 5136051 A lot of pot roasts I've seen are like thick, flat steaks. The tied, round ones should fit too if it's not too large, as the cover is domed in the center giving you a bit more clearance. It's better than the 7 1/4 for making a brisket, or corned beef. If you do a lot of those types of taller roasts you might want to add an oval one later on. Can't have too many LC's :-)! Tue Oct 27 18:31:38 -0700 2009 5135879 63331 blondelle 4 5136093 You're right--I was JUST looking at the website with that recipe and it WAS a flat roast. My bad! Sorry---guess I was thinking of the bigger beef roasts (tied with string like you said). Let me ask you a question---I read in some recipe they said to make sure the meat fits kind of snugly in the pot. Is this how a roast should cook? Will the bigger landscape of the wider 6 3/4 pose any problems; if the bottom isn't entirely covered with food? WIll it still cook evenly? Here's that recipe I was telling you about: http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/pot_roast/ Le Creuset in action! Looks like a 5.5 or a 7 1/4. Tue Oct 27 18:51:37 -0700 2009 5136051 1119225 moviefan 5 5136255 Both are useful pieces. Assuming that you're not considering getting both for reasons of money, space, or both, why not get the 7 1/4 for stews and such and a bare 12 inch cast iron skillet for browning meats. That one will cost you around $20 and be easier to store than the 6 3/4. Tue Oct 27 19:59:18 -0700 2009 5136093 193049 pothead 6 5136319 True. I have many non-stick skillets and pots I use now and I do own a nice 12" cast iron skillet. I can see your point about the 7 1/4. I just wanted an "all-in-one" for browning, braising and cooking and that's why I was leaning towards the 6 3/4. Tue Oct 27 20:29:19 -0700 2009 5136255 1119225 moviefan 5 5136373 I would fill the space around the meat with veggies or use a larger cut of meat, or place two smaller roasts in there. Leftovers are a good thing and it freezes well. There's maybe about an inch or so difference between the bottom of the 6 3/4 and the 7 1/4. They both are large pots and either should have a good sized piece of meat in them if you're braising. Tue Oct 27 21:12:55 -0700 2009 5136093 63331 blondelle 3 5136755 The volume to the brim is half a quart less, but as you do not fill to the brim but (say) 1 inch down you will lose more volume in the wider pot. Wed Oct 28 05:39:27 -0700 2009 5135879 154622 Paulustrious 1 5137246 I've been trying to make the same decision you're working on, and I've finally decided that the next larger pot I buy will be the wide FO. My reasons may not apply to your situation, but here goes... I've already got three tall FOs...3.5-, 4.5- and 5-quarts. And I've got two of the braisers. But I don't have any wide ovens, whose wall height is in between the two other types and which I think offers the most searing/browning area. Most often, when I cook soups, chilis, stews, the 5-quart tall-wall FO is plenty large enough. But if I'm having a party or want to make a larger batch for left-overs or freezing, I figure I can always use two of the tall FOs to cook the recipe, in order to get a larger batch. I have a six-burner cooktop, so it's no problem to be cooking in the two pots at once. So the wide oven it will be for me, and now I just have to decided between the oval and the round versions. :-) Wed Oct 28 08:56:17 -0700 2009 5135608 1104013 Normandie 2 5139047 So many great replies! Thanks so much everyone. Six burner cooktop? I'm jealous! The main reason I wouldn't get the 7 1/4 qt. (and I am basing this on the 5.5 qt I once owned) is that when I cooked a whole cut up chicken, I had to brown it in batches and then cook them piled up on one another in the pot (along with chicken stock, garlic etc.). I was worried that the pieces on the bottom got cooked faster than those at the top. Not that they tasted any more cooked, though. These LC's are suppose to cook evenly, right? Should I worry about stacking without rearranging during cooking? Wed Oct 28 18:55:02 -0700 2009 5137246 1119225 moviefan 3 5141832 Mind made up. I bought the 6 3/4 wide one in black onyx at Bed Bath & Beyond. Had a 20% off coupon so it was a sweet deal. Also picked up a 2qt. dutch oven (another 20% off as well). I'd like to thank everyone for all your opinions and help!! Thu Oct 29 19:04:04 -0700 2009 5139047 1119225 moviefan 4 5142298 Glad you got that one after all. If you want a matching 5.5 qt. round in the Black Onyx for smaller quantities, it's only $137 at wasserstroms.com. Just that size and color for that price for some reason. Their shipping is inexpensive too there. Enjoy your new addition. I have one in red. Fri Oct 30 05:10:38 -0700 2009 5141832 63331 blondelle 5 5145467 Thanks blondelle, but that's the one I originally returned. Great price, though! I'm glad too I just hope I'll be happy with it. BB &B told me I could return it and get the another one if I change my mind. Even AFTER I used it! How nice is that?! I think mine are due in on Thursday so I can't wait to Christen them next weekend with a nice pot roast or stew! ~ Ed Sat Oct 31 13:41:55 -0700 2009 5142298 1119225 moviefan