Ask any chef what their most prized piece of cookware is, and there’s a good chance they’ll tell you theirs. dutch oven. A high-end model, like Le Creuset, is a serious investment, but for the money, you get a surprisingly versatile pot that you’ll use for all sorts of things.Cook the rice, Fried chicken, Baking breadyou name it.
A Dutch oven’s true calling, though, is making stews, braises and other one-pot dinners, so it’s an essential piece of equipment for easy, hearty, comfort food on cold winter nights. The combination of their deep shape, substantial size, and cast iron’s heat-retaining powers make Dutch ovens the perfect tools for browning meats and vegetables, then slowly cooking them until perfectly tender. To help you appreciate your Dutch oven as much as any chef, we’ve rounded up 20 of our favorite Dutch oven dinners, from chicken cicator and Portuguese caldo verde to Guinness stew and oven-roasted pork. .