MARQUETTE CASTINGS6 qt. Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven (Iron Red)

Perfect size, perfect color, not too heavy. I did burn some veggies a bit in the middle it scrubbed put very well. Dont need to use a high heat! Perfect for baking bread loaves with parchment paper. Love how it looks over all on top of my stove!

Introduction: Let me start by saying that I did a bit of research before investing in a dutch oven, and that this is my first dutch oven purchase. Everyone's eye is always drawn to the nice French brand of these pots (in certain-high end cooking stores), and I was no different. However, I refused to pay upwards of $300-$500 dollars for a simple pot made out of cast iron, and thus my search began for a cheaper alternative. On the lower end of the scale for these sorts of products are brands such as Lodge and Cuisinart, which from my experience get mediocre reviews and are somewhat known as simple Chinese knockoffs. Some people claim they love them and they'll last forever, others say they have issues with the enamel chipping or bubbling off (perhaps user-error, perhaps not), but nonetheless I was hesitant to have buyer's remorse, much less deal with the process of returning and shipping a very heavy object in order to fulfill some sort of warranty claim. Alas, my search led me to this Marquette Castings dutch oven. Having never heard of the brand (I stumbled upon it on Amazon), I did some quick Googling and found they are very much a start-up company - check out their website: [...]You can also find their Kickstarter campaign here, which is over now: [...]What I really enjoyed about the information provided by the company is their detailed comparison of the Sand Casting versus Investment Casting manufacturing processes. Marquette uses the Investment Casting process, which although more labor intensive and expensive, results in a higher quality product with a better surface finish and dimensional control. As someone with a manufacturing background, I can appreciate this attention to detail, and although this is less important for something like an enameled dutch oven which is going to have a nice surface finish anyway due to the enameling, I figured I'd give them a shot, especially considering the price point.Enough about the company and why I chose to support them - let's get down to the item itself. First, the item arrived in the normal Prime shipping speed fashion, quick and right on time. Upon opening the box, my eyes widened at the heft of the oven, but also due to the fine quality packaging. Picture unboxing a new top of the line smart phone - high cardboard quality, elegant folding, excellent design work - Marquette went above and beyond in their packaging. I am hopeful that their attention to detail with something as simple as packaging a nearly indestructible cast iron dutch oven will be representative of the oven itself, but only time will tell.I have used the dutch oven only about 10 times so far, and it has yet to let me down. I've made excellent soups, braised meat, and even simple items as stove-top popcorn, which turns out delicious every time. Clean-up is a breeze and the white enamel on the interior has yet to be stained. Overall this dutch oven has proven to be effective at doing its job, while also requiring very little maintenance. Be warned that it is very large (not a flaw of the oven itself, I chose the 6 quart on purpose), however if you're planning to store it on your stove top (as beautiful as it is, how can you not?), unless you have a very large stove, it may look awkward due to the size.One minor complaint about the company: I would like to have seen the item manufactured in the USA rather than China. While I understand China has much cheaper raw materials and labor, especially when it comes to castings, I find it a little hypocritical to be marketing the brand as a homegrown, rust-belt-esque American product from the great state of Michigan, but then having it be made in China. It is a little reminiscent of how Apple does their business. I would gladly pay a bit more and know that the product was made here - I hear Detroit is still at a 10% jobless rate...Overall a great product, and would buy future items from Marquette!

The media could not be loaded.    So I had a new recipe (Roasted Chicken Noodle Soup) that I wanted to try for a few years, and it suggested the use of a Dutch Oven. I couldn't bring myself to part with 3 Benjamins for a LeCruset, because I wasn't familiar with the different manufacturers of cookware, and the alternatives available. Additionally, my wife choked on her drink when she saw the price of them, and laughed like I had lost my mind.I had decent results without using a Dutch Oven with the recipe, but I wanted to use what the recipe called for. We were in the grocery store, and saw that they had a Lodge Enamelled Cast Iron 6 qt on sale, and the color matched most of our appliances (red). I purchased it, and used it twice, and I while perusing Amazon the other day, saw that I could get the same one for $10 less. Well, I had a bit of buyer's remorse, and read the reviews for the same model, and saw that a lot of customers were complaining about the coating flaking off, and there were several pictures to support their reviews. At the bottom of the page, the listing for the Marquette product came up, so I clicked on the link. Initially, I liked what I saw, and there were multiple reviews with a 5 star rating. Pretty impressive, but when there's less than 100 reviews, compared to thousands for the other products, it made me wonder why they were getting such good reviews, compared to the other alternatives. It turns out they are a new company, looking to get into an established industry, with new and attractive designs for their products. I have to say, the logo caught my eye. Additionally, the fact that they offer a lifetime warranty on the pot is another reason that I chose to purchase this product. Not many guys think about what their cookware looks like, but aesthetics does play an important role for the customer, as well as the warranty. Nobody wants to bring a ratty casserole dish to the potluck, or have it crap out after a couple of uses.I did a video of the unboxing and comparison to the Lodge model of the same capacity, and have attached it to this written review. I gave the product 4 stars for the lid. I know it's not supposed to sit flush to allow for some venting, but I was expecting it to sit evenly across the circumference. My video review shows this in effect. It's almost like the lid is warped, but I know cast iron doesn't warp. I'm not sure if this is an intentional design.The Lodge does claim to be a self-basting product, with the design of the lid, and judging by the design of the smaller circles on the lid, it would appear that the Marquette was designed to have condensation collect on the lid, and then drip back into the pot via these raised edges. Clever design.I do like the completely flat bottom, which will allow me to use it on our stovetop with the larger element, as compared to the smaller base of the Lodge. I also like the fact that the height is much lower than the Lodge, and I'm sure that I can get a whole chicken into the pot, without it touching the sides. The interior coating is very smooth, and the glazing of the exterior is very nice and rich. It looks like a very high quality piece of cookware. I would prefer to purchase a product that was designed and manufactured in the USA, even if it meant spending a few dollars more.I'll update the written review once I make my next dish, and hope that it performs as expected.

I got this dutch oven to replace one that I REALLY messed up (used the wrong kind of cleaner). This unit is so much nicer than my original one (plus I have learned how to clean it). Heavy duty, even temperature distribution, just a really great addition to my cookware.

Does everything the others do and I have not a single complaint about quality!

Took a chance on a newer brand, on an item that I use a LOT.. Dutch Oven. Needed a larger one than my Le Cre@#*$# brand.... Great items over there in France, but not cheap. Took a chance on Marquette. Received my item and was pretty impressed. Broke it out to use for the first time this week and didn't I chip the enamel right at the very top?? grrrrr... Now I'm unsure how this happened, but I simply could not stand looking at it..I called customer service.... Left a voicemail and figured ohhh yeah I'll NEVER hear back. Well wasn't I WRONG. A fine young lady called me back, took all my info and thanks to the lifetime warranty I will be receiving a new one. She was very apologetic and professional. That is HOW customer service should be. So guess what I'm going to do next?? Well I'm shopping for a new carbon steel pan at the moment, and guess who is getting my business.. You guessed it. Marquette. Carbon Steel Skillet next.Great experience.... super skookum product. Happy I tried Marquette.