The Dutchess is undeniably gorgeous, but is this Great Jones Dutch oven more than a pretty face?
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Of all the beautiful cookware to be ogled on Instagram, few are as aesthetically pleasing as the pieces from Great Jones. But when it comes to cooking, good looks don’t mean anything if your pots and pans can’t perform. Our senior shopping editor was blown away when she tested the Great Jones Holy Sheet pan, so when I had the opportunity to test the Great Jones Dutch oven, I had high standards and great expectations. The Dutchess is undeniably gorgeous, but does it cook as good as it looks?
What is The Dutchess, the Great Jones Dutch Oven?
Great Jones Dutch oven, The Dutchess (as well as its smaller counterpart, the Dutch Baby), is an oval-shaped, cast-iron pot with a slick, non-stick enamel-coated interior that not only makes cooking easier but makes cleanup easy, too. Food residue cleanly wipes off with a soapy sponge, so it truly takes only seconds to wash The Dutchess by hand. If you don’t feel like handwashing, though, this Dutch oven is also dishwasher-safe—just be sure to dry it by hand once the cycle is finished to prevent the exposed cast-iron edges from possibly rusting.
Like almost everything Great Jones makes, The Dutchess is not only well-made but utterly gorgeous. It’s available in six vibrant colors: blueberry, broccoli, taffy, pepper, salt and, the color I chose, mustard. I’ve been ogling this Great Jones Dutch oven online for a long, long while, and upon unboxing it, it didn’t disappoint in the slightest. It’s as beautiful as it is in the pictures and has earned a permanent spot on my stovetop, even if I don’t cook with it every day. This Dutch oven is a work of art that I love staring at.
But as someone who has tested more than her fair share of Instagram-famous cookware, I know that looks aren’t everything. The Great Jones Dutch oven had enough heft to give me hope that it would excel when I put it to the test.
VIA MERCHANT
The Dutchess is a Dutch oven by Great Jones that moves gracefully from stove to oven to table centerpiece.
Great Jones Dutch Oven Features
With its 6.75-quart capacity and oval shape, The Dutchess is a big pan that can do big things. You can use it to boil pasta water, simmer soups and stews, bake casseroles or roast a whole chicken. Its tight-fitting lid keeps heat and steam well-trapped, making it ideal for baking bread and braising meats low and slow without losing moisture.
Quality
Like many Dutch ovens, The Dutchess is made of enameled cast iron. In the kitchen, cast iron is unrivaled for conducting and retaining heat, and works on gas, electric and induction stovetops. It’s also oven-safe up to 500 degrees Fahrenheit. And thanks to the enamel coating, you won’t have to fret about caring for your pot! Not only does the enamel create a nonstick interior, but it also protects the iron underneath from rusting and oxidation.
The non-stick enamel coating is also non-toxic and free of polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAs). The inside of the pot is a soft gray, which helps make the Great Jones Dutch oven more resistant to staining while being light enough to let you notice color changes and other visual cues while cooking.
Aesthetics
Aside from the fact it’s a quality cooking vessel, The Dutchess’ biggest asset is its looks. It makes an incredible gift for home cooks, and to make it extra special, Great Jones can engrave a name or message on the lid.
The Dutchess retails for $160, which is cheaper than many other Dutch ovens on the market, but still on the pricier side of the cookware spectrum. But as they say, you get what you pay for, and the Great Jones Dutch oven is meant to last you for many years to come. Plus, it’s backed with a limited lifetime warranty. The company also offers a 60-day “no-questions-asked” return or exchange policy, so if you don’t fall head-over-heels in love with The Dutchess, you can send it back for a full refund.
How We Tested It
Since I so regularly use a Dutch oven in my day-to-day cooking, I figured the best way to test The Dutchess was simply to put it into use in my own kitchen. Real-world use provides real-world results! And The Dutchess was more than up to the challenge.
Stocks and One-Pots
Since I have a small kitchen, my Dutch oven doubles as a stockpot for making things like stock and soup, but most often I use it for boiling pasta water. It’s a simple task, but The Dutchess excels at it by rapidly conducting heat and preserving it, especially when topped with the heavy-duty lid that prevents heat and steam from escaping. Its oval shape makes it easy to add long pastas like spaghetti or linguine without having to awkwardly push them underwater with a wooden spoon.
Dutch ovens are also great for cooking one-pot meals, which is another reason why they get so much use in my kitchen. With plenty of surface area on the bottom, you can easily sauté enough vegetables and brown enough meat to feed a whole family. As a mom of two teenage boys who have ravenous appetites, I’m always able to make enough food to keep them satiated and occasionally have leftovers for lunch the next day.
Deep Frying
Another thing Dutch ovens are good for is deep frying, which is something I rarely do at home because of the hassle involved. However, The Dutchess made deep frying nearly painless, thanks to high sides to contain splatters and a smooth design that allows you to clip on a fry thermometer without worrying it will slip or slide. Because it conducts, retains and distributes heat so well, it was easy to adjust and maintain the temperature of the oil. When you’re making homemade doughnuts, you don’t want a single one of them to be disappointing. With The Dutchess, I was able to make a whole batch without burning or undercooking a single one.
In the Oven
The Dutchess dominated on the stovetop, but a Dutch oven isn’t worth a damn unless it performs just as well in the oven. Unsurprisingly, this Great Jones Dutch oven yielded dynamite results in there as well. It braises like a champ, but more impressively, it can roast a chicken that comes out tender and juicy with minimal effort. And you barely need a recipe to do it! Just cover the bottom of the pan with cut-up vegetables like potatoes and carrots, add your chicken, season everything liberally, pop on the lid and slide it into a 375-degree oven. In about an hour, you’ll have a chicken so succulent that it practically falls off the bone. One-pot cooking at its finest!
For its final trial, I used the Great Jones Dutchess to make no-knead bread. It yielded a loaf with a shatteringly crisp crust and fluffy interior that could rival any bakery and ran circles around the bread from the supermarket. The pictures truly say it all.
Pros
Outstanding quality
Aesthetically gorgeous
Truly non-stick interior
Available in six vibrant colors
Oven safe up to 500 degrees Fahrenheit
Works on gas, electric and induction cooktops
Dishwasher safe; easy to handwash
60-day “no-questions-asked” return policy
Limited lifetime warranty
Cons
Pricey
FAQ
Is Great Jones cookware non-toxic?
Yes! All Great Jones cookware is non-toxic and free of “forever chemicals,” including polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA). These pots and pans have also passed industry standard lead tests, and are 100% cadmium-free.
Where is Great Jones Dutch oven made?
Great Jones is a female-founded small business that’s based in New York City, but its cookware is produced in factories in Guangdong and Tianjin in China, as well as some in the United States.
What Other Reviewers Had to Say
There’s something to be said about a Dutch oven that gets people this excited. Here’s what real-life home cooks have to say about The Dutchess:
“I have been a chef for over 25 years and have always used the big French named Dutch ovens and always loved them,” writes verified Great Jones customer, Jennifer M. Hopkins. “I decided to give GJ a try and YES!! One-third of the price and superb quality. I am sold and even told a few others all about it! Can’t wait to use it more and more.”
Five-star reviewer, Christine P. calls this Dutch oven the “best gift,” and says, “I love mine—and my friend, when I brought it to her house on Thanksgiving, filled with an amazing butternut squash and wild rice side dish—threatened to refuse to return it. So I got this one for her for Christmas!”
“A work of art,” writes verified buyer, Elizabeth R. “I found Great Jones on the hunt for a good Dutch oven and ideally not spending $400 to $500. I was intrigued by their story and the rich green of The Dutchess in broccoli. It works great and cleans up so easily. The quality is more than five stars!”
Product Comparison
Here at Taste of Home, we’ve reviewed many Dutch ovens from top cookware brands, like HexClad and the famous Le Creuset. In comparison to other heavyweights, the Great Jones Dutch oven performs just as well while being relatively wallet-friendly. (A high-quality Dutch oven isn’t cheap!) With its outstanding performance, generous return policy and limited lifetime warranty, you may want to check out the Great Jones Dutch oven before you consider any of its competitors.
Final Verdict
The Dutchess is far more than a pretty face—it’s the real deal. Though I’ve only been cooking with it for a few months, based on its steady performance and easy cleanup, I fully expect it to last a lifetime just like Great Jones promises. Not only that, it looks damn good sitting on my stovetop, which is a very nice bonus. If you’re looking for your first Dutch oven or are unhappy with your old one, I highly recommend adding The Dutchess to your cookware collection.
Where to Buy the Great Jones Dutch Oven
VIA MERCHANT
This cast-iron oval pot delivers exceptional heat distribution and retention for slow cooking to braising or roasting.
The Dutchess, the Great Jones Dutch oven, is available on the brand’s website for $160. You can also shop it on Sur La Table, Nordstrom and Saks Fifth Avenue. Choose your color and get to cooking!
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