Slow Cookers vs Dutch Ovens | Sur La Table – Lid & Ladle (2024)

FAQs

What's better, a slow cooker or a Dutch oven? ›

"Both a Dutch oven and a slow cooker can be used to cook foods over a low heat for a long period of time. Both can give excellent results, but generally, dishes will taste better when cooked in a Dutch oven as opposed to a slow cooker," says Fiona.

The Le Creuset Dutch oven is the original one-pot slow cooker that easily goes from stove to oven to table. Sear on the stovetop to seal in juices and build flavor, add your favorite liquid, cover with the heavy lid, and pop the Dutch oven into the oven to finish cooking.

Is pot roast better in a crock pot or Dutch oven? Both options are great for cooking pot roast. Dutch oven cooking is slightly quicker than slow cooking.

Le Creuset's Dutch ovens have wider handles and light-colored interiors, which makes it easier to see fond development. Staub Dutch ovens have slightly smaller handles and black interiors, which can be tougher for monitoring cooking progress, but hide marks and stains better.

Versatility: Dutch Ovens are way more versatile than Slow Cookers. Not only can you make stews like you could in a Slow Cooker, but you can also bake bread, build a pasta sauce, sear meat, sauté vegetables, and plenty more.

A Dutch oven is a perfect pot for cooking over or in a campfire, because it's heavy weight insulates food from burning over the heat. Instead of cooking over the direct flames, bank the hot coals around your Dutch oven, and dinner will be ready in a few hours.

In Linda Carucci's Cooking School Secrets For Real-World Cooks, she notes that testers for a short rib recipe in the book finished the recipe as much as 30 minutes faster using Le Creuset Dutch ovens than they did when they used less sturdy pots.

Chuck roast is one of the more popular slow-cooker options because of how tender and flavorful it becomes after several hours of cooking on low.

Acidic ingredients like vinegar, lemon juice, yogurt and wine weaken collagen and protein in meat. Once the proteins are broken by acid, one loose protein can bond with another and trap liquid in the meat, making it juicy and tender. Yay!

When you buy from Le Creuset, you're paying for high-quality pots and pans that are designed to stand the test of time. Rather than aluminum or stainless steel, Le Creuset craft their pieces from cast iron, which has a much higher heat capacity.

Do real chefs use Le Creuset? ›

And while there are plenty of sizes to choose from, like oval Dutch ovens, or shallow Dutch ovens, Cimarusti prefers the classic Le Creuset 5.5-quart Dutch oven. “The attention to detail is just great,” he says. If a Michelin-starred chef uses one everyday, it's worth adding to your kitchen.

Explore versatile alternatives to Dutch ovens for your cooking needs: stock pots, casserole dishes, slow cookers, roasting pans, cast iron skillets, and clay pots. Adjust cooking techniques and monitor closely when using substitutes.

The Benefits of Using a Dutch Oven

They retain natural flavors and tenderness, making them ideal for roasting, braising, stewing, and frying. Dutch ovens distribute heat evenly, ensuring consistent cooking results. They are durable and can be used in high - temperature ovens, providing excellent heat retention.

Not only are slow cookers ideal for people who want to leave dinner to simmer away and attend to other errands, they work out to be one of the cheapest appliances to cook with in the kitchen. The electricity usage of an electric oven is estimated to be around two to 2.2kWh, compared to a slow cooker at just 0.7kWh.

✔️ Instant Pots are multi-functional.

Many people think that Instant Pots are just electric pressure cookers, but they're actually multi-cookers that cover a wide variety of functions: They slow cook, steam, warm, saute and work as a rice cooker in addition to pressure cooking.

Yes, round slow cookers or oval slow cookers can both be used to bake bread. You're only limited by the size of your slow cooker.