Like the other manual cooker we tested, it isn’t a “set and forget” device — the cook has to pay attention to get predictable results. This is actually one of the only slow cookers we tested where we truly had to read the manual before starting. It was not nearly as intuitive as the others, but we were eventually able to get it to cook our prepped food. The Cuisinart 6.5-Quart Programmable offers an additional simmer option, aside from the basic high, low and warm temperature settings. The interface is easy to use and will keep your food warm for up to eight hours. This is perfect if you’re cooking in the evening and hoping to wake up to a warm-cooked meal for breakfast.
The Lodge’s light-colored enameled interior makes it easy to see your food browning, and like most enameled ovens, the Lodge is a breeze to clean. For our original, 2015 testing, we started by making identical batches of long-grain white rice to evaluate how evenly each model distributed heat across the base of the pot. We were hoping to find some scorch spots, so we checked the rice after 15 and then 20 minutes, but none of the ovens burned our rice. As a second test for even cooking, we caramelized two large onions in each pot over low heat for an hour. Because the rice cooks for only 15 minutes, we hoped the slower cooking process for onions would show some differences among the contenders, but we didn’t notice many. Le Creuset’s Signature Enameled Cast-Iron 5½-Quart Round French Oven is the gold standard for Dutch ovens.
We’ve used these ovens for years in our test kitchen, and the enamel hasn’t discolored or flaked. The lids are also made from stainless steel, but the metal is thinner than that used for the pots. This is fine—after all, you won’t be cooking on the lids—but it does mean cuisinart griddler elite that if you happen to drop one, you could put a dent in it. Like the side handles, the lids get hot during cooking, so you’ll want to have a potholder nearby to safely lift them. Every unit in the set comes with tapered rims to make pouring liquids a convenience.
Le Creuset’s Signature Enameled Cast-Iron 5½-Quart Round French Oven is the best Dutch oven you can buy. It’s the most durable oven we’ve tested, and we think it’s the best option for cooks who want a heritage piece of cookware. Le Creuset’s CGWM-081 Clermont Pellet Grill & Smoker Cover oven turns out great food every time, and it’s the most enjoyable to use of any we tested. Le Creuset’s oven is one of the lightest we tested and has the largest handles, which makes it the easiest oven to cook with and to clean.
The glossy surface of the Lodge is also painless to clean, but we found that matte interiors like the one on the Staub gripped onto food and required more scrubbing. For one thing, its shape makes cooking in it particularly easy compared with other ovens we tested. It’s wide and squat enough to allow for searing meat, and the gentle curve from the bottom to the side of the oven helped onions brown more evenly because they didn’t get trapped in the oven’s corners. By comparison, we had to stir onions more attentively in Le Creuset’s Dutch oven, which has a more pronounced angle between the bottom and sides that can trap food around the edges. As we cooked with each oven, we evaluated how cumbersome they were to lift when full.
We then prepared the same dish again and cooked it on a high setting, but the chicken was then a little too tough for our liking. Other features include interrupt protection where the timer will continue to run so the slow cooker will continue to cook if there is a brief power outage, a one-year warranty and a dishwater-safe lid and pot. Although enamel-on-steel cookware is stick-resistant, occasional food sticking may occur, especially if you are using high heat.