Consumer Reports' 8 favorite Dutch ovens under $400

Dutch ovens turn a stovetop into a slow-cooking, bread-baking, sauce-simmering workhorse for any kitchen. That much responsibility on one pot means uneven heating or a fragile enamel coating can ruin dinner fast.

Consumer Reports tested top Dutch ovens for heating speed, cooking evenness and handle safety to find ones built to last.

Credit: Caraway

At $132, the Caraway Dutch Oven held a steady simmer without scorching or uneven hot spots, Consumer Reports found in lab tests. Bread baked in the pot came out with a crisp crust and even color, a result CR rated very good in its baking evaluation. It also earned very good marks for handle temperature, meaning less risk of burns when moving it from stovetop to oven. Heating speed scored very good too, meaning a quicker start to dinner.

Credit: GreenPan

The GreenPan Stanley Tucci Ceramic Non-Stick swept nearly every performance category in Consumer Reports' lab, from heating speed to cleanup ease. At $370, it costs well above every other pot in this lineup. Bread baking came out very good, with a crisp crust and soft interior in CR's evaluation. Its handles run hot enough to require potholders, but it's oven-safe to 625 degrees Fahrenheit and works on induction cooktops.

Credit: Amazon

The $245 Merten & Storck Enameled Iron 1873 earned an excellent rating from Consumer Reports for its bread baking. Cleanup scored just as well, and CR's testers found it comes in lighter than most cast-iron competitors at just over 7 pounds, an easier lift from stovetop to oven. Sauce simmering and cooking evenness landed only in the middle of the pack, though. Its handles also scored a middling result for staying cool, so a potholder is worth keeping nearby.

Credit: Our Place

The $149 Our Place Perfect Pot baked bread evenly, held a steady simmer, cooked evenly across its surface and heated up fast, earning excellent marks across the board in Consumer Reports' lab. It also weighed in well under most other models in the roundup, and testers found cleanup took little effort too. One tradeoff stands out, though, since its handles ran hot enough that potholders are a must. Its warranty covers just 30 days, far short of the lifetime coverage some competitors offer.

Credit: Amazon

With five quarts of capacity, the $230 Staub Enameled Cast Iron Essential French Oven is on the smaller side, yet at nearly 12 pounds it weighs almost twice as much as some rivals Consumer Reports tested. That heft pays off in heating speed, where CR's lab clocked an excellent result, and cooking evenness followed close behind. Cleanup posed little trouble for testers either. Sauce simmering came back only middling, and the handles heat up enough that a potholder belongs nearby.

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Budget shoppers can pick up the 6-quart Ayesha Curry Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven for $80, among the cheaper options Consumer Reports tested. Cleanup and heating speed both scored excellent in CR's lab work. Sauce simmering proved to be its weak point, falling short in a test that measures how well a pot holds a burn-free simmer. Nearly 15 pounds, oven-safe to 500 degrees and backed by a lifetime warranty, this pot trades a lighter build for long-term durability.

Credit: Lodge

More than 120 years of cast-iron manufacturing back the $90 Lodge Essential Enamel Cast Iron Dutch oven. Its 6-quart capacity turned out bread with a nicely browned, crispy finish in Consumer Reports' baking tests, and cooking evenness and heating speed both scored very good. CR's testers found cleanup exceptionally easy, and the pot is dishwasher-safe. At more than 13 pounds, though, lifting it from stove to table takes some effort.

Credit: Walmart

Walmart $WMT sells the Mainstays Cast Iron Ceramic Enamel Round Dutch Oven for just $30, well below every other pot in this lineup. Consumer Reports still rated its overall performance very good, crediting it with strong bread crusts, a stable simmer and consistent heat across the cooking surface. Despite being cast iron, a material that's often slow to heat, CR clocked an excellent result in heating speed testing. Handle temperatures climbed above 140 degrees Fahrenheit in the lab, though, so potholders are essential when moving this pot.