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I Love Caraway’s Nonstick Cookware, but Does Its Cast Iron Hold Up? I Tested the Dutch Oven to Find Out

Because it’s soup season

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caraway enameled cast iron dutch oven review: caraway enameled cast iron dutch oven in light mist on a stovetop
Taryn Pire

I’ve made my dad’s ropa vieja at least a dozen times to fight the cold-weather blues, but since moving to an apartment that has an electric stove instead of gas burners, I’ve had trouble getting it right. Being that this is a recipe I can tackle in my sleep, I wondered if my long, oval-shaped Dutch oven was the problem. Did it get super hot in the center, causing parts of the stew to burn and the veggies to completely evaporate, but not get hot at the edges? Is that why the tomato sauce turned into a mound of lava rock that I had to chisel off the bottom of the pot?

Once I caught wind of the *circular* Caraway Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven ($265), I knew it was time to give my go-to recipe another try. The 6.5-quart stunner is designed to retain heat like raw cast iron cookware but also has an easier-to-clean coating that doesn’t require manual seasoning. As PureWow’s food editor, I had to test it for myself. Read on for photos of my experience and my honest review.

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My Review of the Caraway Cast Iron Dutch Oven

What I Like

  • not terribly heavy for cast iron
  • large capacity
  • pretty, compact design
  • nontoxic enamel coating doesn’t require seasoning
  • easy to clean

What I Don’t Like

  • expensive
  • handles on pot and lid get hot
  • must be hand-washed
  • easy for the pan to quickly overheat

Caraway

  • Value: 16/20
  • Functionality: 18/20
  • Ease of Use: 18/20
  • Aesthetic: 20/20
  • Maneuverability: 20/20

TOTAL: 92/100

Caraway already had a ceramic-coated Dutch oven on its digital shelves before it launched the cast iron iteration. “It has high sides and a tight-fitting lid that retain heat for stews and slow roasts, but the aluminum core means it heats up in record time,” former PureWow senior food editor Katherine Gillen explains. “Think of it as a hybrid between a Dutch oven and a nonstick skillet.”

The cast iron Dutch oven, on the other hand, isn’t fully nonstick, but more long-lasting if properly maintained. Perfect for homemade breads, big-batch pastas, crowd-pleasing roasts and soul-soothing stews, the pot offers some nonstick-inspired slipperiness, along with the heat distribution and retention, durability and searing abilities of cast iron. Unlike uncoated cast iron, it doesn’t need to be regularly seasoned to maintain its nontoxic enamel coating. This makes the piece easier to clean and maintain, even if you’re a newbie to cast iron cookware. The lid is flat and tightly seals the pot, guaranteeing impressively moist results.

I found the brand’s claims about heat distribution and retention to be true. My ropa vieja cooked very evenly (and quickly!) without burning to the bottom. This is likely, at least partially, due to the pot being the same size and shape of my round burner, unlike my oval Dutch oven. The beef got a beautiful, crusty sear on both sides and turned super tender after a couple hours of braising. The pot preheated in a flash compared to other cast iron pieces I’ve worked with.

Aesthetically, I love the Caraway cast iron Dutch oven’s appearance. It looks smaller than it is; it’s deceptively deep. It also comes in six sleek colors that will look dreamy on your stovetop (I opted for light mist). But my favorite part of the pot’s design is how surprisingly easy it is to lift and move. Despite being made of cast iron, which is notoriously heavy, it was no chore to shuffle the pot around my kitchen, or even to lug it to my partner’s place full of ropa vieja. In other words, moving it from the stove to the oven is a breeze.

There are a few downsides. The handles on the lid and pot get hot (which is typically the case with cast iron) and it’s not dishwasher friendly. In my experience cooking with it, I found that it heated up very quickly compared to my other cast iron pieces, so I needed to strategically lower the heat while the stew was cooking to keep it from burning. (It was also tough to tell if things were burning because the interior is black, but that goes for all dark cookware.)

Above all, the cost—$265—is a bit steep compared to other Dutch ovens on the market. As far as enameled cast iron Dutch ovens go, Greenpan and Lodge offer comparable options for under $100, while popular brands like Great Jones keep theirs under $200. For a few dollars more, you can treat yourself to the 7-quart Staub equivalent. However, the Caraway model is still significantly cheaper than Le Creuset’s. That said, this can be a one-and-done investment that will last you virtually forever if you maintain it as instructed.

Fast Facts

  • Capacity: 6.5 quarts
  • Weight: 13.4 pounds
  • Dimensions: 6.8 inches high by 10.5 inches wide
  • Max Temperature: 500°F
  • Induction: yes
  • Colors: six

The Bottom Line

This pot is effective, pretty, easy to use (and clean) and great for cooking big-batch recipes. It’s not the cheapest option in its category, but it also isn’t the most expensive. If you don’t use a Dutch oven that often, you could choose a cheaper alternative. But if you trust yourself to use it as the brand instructs, it’ll last for the long haul and will be well worth the splurge.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why Does Everything Stick to My Enameled Cast Iron?

It could be that you aren’t using enough cooking oil or fat. Despite the enamel coating, the cookware still needs to be greased to prevent food from sticking to it. Using it over high heat can also cause food to stick and burn. Preheating the pan then lowering the heat before adding food can help prevent this. If it’s an old enamel cast iron pan that you’re using, the seasoning may have lost its magic over time.

What Should You Not Use on Enameled Cast Iron?

Steel wool, metal utensils, harsh chemicals and excessive heat aren’t recommended for use with enameled cast iron. (However, uncoated cast iron holds its own against these.) Caraway also suggests not using their enameled cast iron cookware over an open flame, like a wood-burning campfire or charcoal grill.

What Is the Difference Between Ceramic and Enameled Cast Iron?

Ceramic cookware can refer to true ceramic, which is clay in a silica-based glaze, or ceramic nonstick. Ceramic nonstick is most commonly a metal-base cookware (usually aluminum) coated in natural silicon. It’s referred to as “ceramic” because of the smooth texture its namesake is known for. Enameled cookware is usually made of cast iron or steel coated in enamel, often made from fused glass. This gives the cookware a shiny, slippery texture, and the cookware often doesn’t need to be seasoned, unlike uncoated cast iron.

What Is Caraway Cookware Coated With?

The brand’s cast iron cookware pieces are coated with a nontoxic, three-layer enamel coating. It’s free of harmful chemicals like PTFE, PFOA, lead, mercury and cadmium, to name a few.


taryn pire

Food Editor

  • Spearheads PureWow's food vertical
  • Manages PureWow's recipe vertical and newsletter
  • Studied English and writing at Ithaca College