I've been baking bread in a corning ware casserole we've got but I thought this might be better and in fact, it is. This is an excellent dutch oven and while I'll no doubt use it mostly for bread baking I'm quite sure it will work well for stews and soups as well.

This is a beautiful, large oven casserole, but the glaze doesn't hold up well on stove top. The size is great. it worked well for a casserole in the oven, but does not work for me on the stove top. I bought it for baking bread--it can withstand high heat and you can make a loaf inside the pot; but, I chose this pot because it's supposed to be ok on the stove top for soups or stews and it's not. I've made chili and tomato sauce only a few times on the stove top, and I do NOT like how the center inside seems to get burned more quickly and the glaze already has a faint orange peel look after 3 uses. It's too late for me to return it. It was an expensive pot, and though it works great for casseroles in the oven I won't use it again on the stove top. I really needed something large that is suitable for use on the stove top. We have a gas stove, I had the burner on lowest setting to simmer the sauce. Perhaps it's a problem with a gas stove, but beware if you want something for the stove top. My chili and tomato sauce does not get stuck in the middle in my cast iron dutch oven. What I probably need is an enamel pot, like Le Creuset, but was trying to save some money by getting this. Not a savings, I still want the other pot.

Exactly as described, and fast shipping!

I bought this specifically to make artisan bread, and specifically because Emily Henry was called out in "Flour Water Salt Yeast" by the author. Why spend a little more $ and get this higher-end and more costly one? Because every Dutch Oven comes with a warning that you should not heat it up empty for risk of cracking, which is exactly what you need to do (or should be doing if you're not) when making artisan bread. I get this to 480F for an hour empty before the proofed dough gets dropped in with absolutely no issues.

This ceramic coating on this oven is thick and heavy, and the entire unit has quite a weight to it. It retains a lot of heat so if you're working at high temperatures (450F+) make sure you have some serious oven mitts. The handles are adequately sized for easy handling and its a beautiful rust/red color for showing it off to your friends. Emile Henry is a family run business that's been doing this for many generations; it's not some plated piece of junk made in China. Spend the extra dollars and get something that will last a lifetime, you'll love it.

I bought the 7-quart Emile Henry Dutch Oven to replace my large Le Creuset, thinking it would be lighter and easier to use. Upon receiving the EH, I followed the seasoning instructions on the EH website to the letter. I had an inch of milk in the pot, and I had the burner set to 1 out of 10 to bring it slowly up to temperature. After a few minutes, I heard a pop and saw that a large crack had opened on the bottom of the pot, and the contents were dripping onto the burner. To be fair, I have an EH tagine that has served me well for the few times that I have used it (although, after this, I am a bit nervous to use it unless I can stay near the stove to monitor). After this experience, I will stick with enameled cast iron.