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Not to upend everything you ever thought you knew about that large, perfectly color-matched enameled cast iron pot sitting on your stovetop, but I’m going to hold your hand when I say this: It’s not actually called a Dutch oven. That’s right, bestie, we’ve had it wrong the entire time—and what’s worse is that no one corrected the misguided naming snafu, leaving us ill-informed and unaware of the history behind the season’s hottest cooking vessel.
To clarify, enameled cast iron pots—like the ones from Le Creuset—are actually called French ovens, while their raw cast iron counterparts (Lodge, Smithey, Staub) have the distinct honor of bearing the iconic Dutch oven name. After being introduced to the kitchen staple by the Dutch, French brands began to make their own versions of the popular pot, adding a durable enamel coating that would distinguish them from those made by the Dutch. Thus, the French oven was born.
Unfortunately, the name never stuck, leading brands to embrace the more traditional Dutch oven moniker as a catchall term for the pro-cook’s favorite culinary workhorse. The more you know, right?
Related: Aldi Just Brought Back Its Fan-Favorite Cast Iron Dutch Oven—And It’s Nearly Identical to a Le Creuset Style 15x the Price
Aldi
Now that we’re up to speed, we’re reclaiming the French oven name, and it looks like Aldi might just be doing the same. Continuing its roll-out of show-stopping enameled cast iron cookware—from bread domes to sizable Dutch (erm, French) ovens—the fan-favorite retailer added the Crofton Cast Iron 4.6-Quart French Oven to its shelves, and it almost reminds us of another strikingly similar offering from Le Creuset.
This beautiful (and appropriately named) cooking vessel measures in at 11 x 8.7-inches, providing plenty of surface area to brown meats and veggies or bake a crusty loaf of bread. In addition to its generous size, the oven’s porcelain enameled interior and exterior offer excellent heat retention, making perfectly crispy, golden-skinned chicken easier than ever to achieve.
The buck doesn’t stop there, my friends. Not only can you use this incredibly necessary kitchen essential on the stovetop, but it’s also oven-safe up to 482°F, meaning no dish is off-limits with this ultra-handy culinary tool. In comparison to its nearly identical twin, the only notable difference (aside from the name) comes down to a mere 18 degrees, with the Le Creuset Enameled Cast Iron Signature French Oven being able to withstand 500°F temperatures in the oven.
When it comes to price, the two cooking vessels couldn’t be any more different, with Lodge’s choice fetching a lofty $284 (and being smaller), while the offering from Aldi retails for a cool $26.99. Not to mention, Aldi is at the forefront of the French oven’s long overdue rebrand, and who wouldn’t want to get in on that?
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