The other day, my friend Merri sent me a cryptic email, Please find me a dutch oven. I think she’s going to secretly make me a tasty surprise and bring it over for dinner one night next week, so I’d better get on it.  She’ll probably even leave me the pan as a gift for my wonderfulness.  I’m not sure what she’s looking for or how much she wants to spend, so I’ve researched and found several for her to choose from.  Here they are…

All-Clad LTD 5-Quart Dutch Oven – $182 – 18/10 stainless steel interior; hard-anodized aluminum exterior; stick- and corrosion-resistant (NOT non-stick); lid included; stove-top to oven to table; lifetime warranty against defects; a regular old pan, but durable.

Lodge Logic Pre-Seasoned 5-Quart Dutch Oven with Loop Handles – $37 - cast-iron heats evenly;  pre-seasoned and ready for use; self-basting domed lid preserves moisture; stove-top to oven to table; some special care required (ie. no soap should be used) and I have to continually re-season the pan to keep it sort of non-stick;  bakes nicely; do not store food in this pan or it will taste like iron; will last forever!

Lodge Enameled Cast-Iron 6-Quart Dutch Oven, Caribbean Blue – $50 -chip-resistant porcelain surface eliminates need to season; tight lid seals in moisture; easy to clean; stove-top to oven to table to fridge/freezer; not microwave safe (duh); hand-washing recommended; food will not react with porcelain surface; oven safe to 400 degrees F.

Le Creuset Enameled Cast-Iron Round 5 1/2-Quart French Oven with Cover – $200 – perhaps the Volvo of dutch ovens, this thing is nearly indestructible; enameled cast iron, so you get the benefits of cast iron without the PIA; tight-fitting lid seals in flavor; oven-safe to 450 degrees F; dishwasher safe (YES!); pretty colors, so nice to serve in; stove-top to oven to table to fridge; lifetime warranty; very forgiving.