Fantastic Pot for Soup and Bread (and Everything Else)
I'm leery of ceramic dutch ovens for both weight and durability reasons. Also I'm vaguely considering getting an induction stove. I already had a HexClad non-stick pot, and had used it for bread, but it turns out those actually do have chemical non-stick in them (and their lids are only good to 350 degrees). Since I've been loving my Always Pan Titanium skillet, when they announced this pot I was very happy to get it. I've made potato leek soup (with immersion blender), bread, and Indian yogurt beef (sauteed onions/peppers/garlic/ginger with spices and ground beef, the yogurt doesn't go in the pot) in it. Pros: - Can handle way more heat than my oven will ever produce, lid included. It made a gorgeous loaf of bread (see photo). - Durable. This was the first I'd used an immersion blender and I did bang it into the sides and bottom a bit, but there's no scratches I can see. - Very even heating on the stove. Everything I've made in it has simmered exactly right. - Pretty. I love the simplicity of it, and the big chonky easy to grip handles. Everything gleams, and the pattern inside is lovely. - When correctly seasoned, it really does act like a nonstick pot. It's easy to clean by hand with the right tools (and I normally hate cleaning pots by hand beyond the amount needed to get them in the dishwasher). Cons (that don't bother me but could matter to you): - Needs seasoning before cooking. It's a simple process, just smear vegetable oil around on it and heat it for 90 seconds, but it's not actually easy to evenly coat with the oil in the minimal amount they describe, even using a silicone brush. The textured interior, which is the secret to the pot's nonstick, catches and sucks up the oil long before you get it brushed up the sides and I usually end up with a bit of extra oil at the bottom with the sides possibly not well coated. - The textured interior is also harder to clean than a smooth pot. I have an OXO scrub brush that I got for the skillet, and that does the trick of getting food grime out of all the tiny grooves. A regular sponge or scrub pad isn't going to work. Read more









