Whole Birds and Long Roasts: The Best Oval Dutch Oven

A round Dutch oven handles most of what a kitchen braises, but some things are simply long. A whole chicken sits awkwardly in a round pot, a pork shoulder for carnitas wedges against the walls, and a chuck roast for shredded beef has to be cut in half to fit. An oval Dutch oven gives those cuts room to lie flat in the braising liquid, and it is also the classic shape for oblong loaves of bread.

The shape has a cost, and it is mostly at the stove. An oval’s ends hang past a round burner, so they heat more slowly than the middle. This guide covers seven oval Dutch ovens worth buying, from French enamel and ceramic to bare iron, gives the length and weight each maker or retailer states, and is honest about how each will sit on your burner.

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Quick verdict: which oval Dutch oven to buy

The table lines up the five ovals that suit the most cooks. All seven picks are reviewed in full after it.

Five oval Dutch ovens at a glance

One pick for each kind of cook, with length and weight as the maker or a named retailer states them.

Product images from Amazon. Weights as stated by the maker, its catalog, its listing or a named retailer; check the listing before you buy.

Our picks for the best oval Dutch oven

Five of these seven ovals hold 6 to 7 quarts, the range that fits a whole chicken or a 4- to 5-pound roast; a lighter ceramic oval and a small Staub for two hold less. Five are enameled cast iron, from French-made to budget, one is French ceramic, and one is bare iron with a lid that doubles as a skillet. America’s Test Kitchen has not published a review of oval Dutch ovens, so for how each one cooks we lean on its makers’ specifications and on ATK’s general guidance, and we say where that is all there is.

How to choose an oval Dutch oven

An oval is a specialist pot. These are the questions that decide whether one belongs in your kitchen, and which.

1. What you will put in it

Buy an oval for food that is long: whole chickens, pork shoulder, chuck roast, a leg of lamb for a barbacoa-style braise, or oblong loaves. For soups, beans and stews, a round pot does everything an oval does and heats more evenly on the stove. If you own only one Dutch oven, make it round; our best Dutch oven guide covers the round choices.

2. Burner fit

This is the honest weak point. Le Creuset’s 6.75-quart oval has a base of about 10.5 by 8 inches, according to a retailer, and the longer ovals here run close to 16 inches overall. On a round burner, the ends of the pot sit past the flame or element and heat more slowly than the middle. Lodge advises preheating enameled cast iron gradually, with oil, on the burner closest to the size of the pot, and keeping the heat low to medium. ATK says ovals have performed as well as round pots in its earlier testing provided you preheat them well. If your range has an oval or bridge burner, use it; otherwise brown in batches in the center of the pot and let the oven do the rest.

3. Length inside, not capacity

Two ovals of the same quart size can differ in length. What matters for a chicken is the interior length: Le Creuset’s 6.75-quart lists 12.2 inches inside. Check your largest roast and your oven: a 16-inch pot with handles needs a rack that clears it, with the door closed.

4. Light or dark interior

A light interior, as on the Le Creuset and Tramontina, shows you the fond when you brown a chicken or sear chile-rubbed pork. A dark interior, like Staub’s or bare iron, hides stains and, ATK found, gives bread a deeper crust.

5. Weight and handles

The full-size enameled ovals with a stated weight run from about 13 pounds (the Le Creuset, per one retailer) to 16.36 pounds (the Lodge, per Lodge), before a chicken and its juices go in. The Emile Henry ceramic oval is about 7.6 pounds, per retailers. ATK prefers large looped handles that you can grip with oven mitts. Lift the pot by both handles, never by the knob.

How we picked these seven oval Dutch ovens

We started from what a working kitchen asks of a roasting and braising pot: enough length for whole birds and long cuts, a lid that fits, handles you can hold with a towel, and enamel or seasoning that will last. We then looked for ovals sold and in stock on Amazon in the United States, and checked capacity, materials, oven ratings, care, weight and dimensions against each listing, the maker’s site, Lodge’s trade catalog or a named retailer.

America’s Test Kitchen’s Dutch oven review, which we read in full, covers round pots; it says ATK plans a full review of ovals. We use its round-pot findings only where they describe the same maker or material, and say so each time. We have not cooked with these pots ourselves.

Some ovals are missing for practical reasons. Le Creuset’s 5-quart and 9.5-quart ovals and Staub’s 8.5-quart oval were in short supply on Amazon when we checked, and Tramontina’s 5.5-quart oval was too. We also left out glazed or enameled ovals whose makers give no lead-free statement. For a bigger oval, Le Creuset’s 8-quart is in our best large Dutch oven guide.

Oval Dutch oven questions, answered

Is an oval or round Dutch oven better?

Round is better for soups, beans and stovetop cooking, because it sits evenly on a round burner. Oval is better for long cuts, whole birds and oblong bread, mostly in the oven. ATK says ovals have performed as well as round pots in its earlier testing if you preheat them well.

What size oval Dutch oven fits a whole chicken?

A 6- to 7-quart oval is the usual choice: Le Creuset’s 6.75-quart lists a 12.2-inch interior length. For a large bird or a chicken with vegetables around it, 7 quarts or more gives extra room.

Can you use an oval Dutch oven on a round burner?

Yes, with patience. Preheat it gradually on the largest burner, as Lodge advises for enameled cast iron, and expect the ends to run cooler than the center. Brown in the middle of the pot and finish in the oven, where heat surrounds the whole pot.

Are oval Dutch ovens good for bread?

They are the natural shape for oblong loaves. Lodge’s listing markets its oval for sourdough, and a dark interior like Staub’s tends to give a deeper crust. Our guide to the best Dutch oven for bread goes further into shapes and sizes.

Are oval Dutch ovens dishwasher safe?

It depends on the maker. Emile Henry, Staub and Le Creuset call theirs dishwasher safe (retailer Abt recommends hand washing the Le Creuset), Lodge prefers hand washing, and Tramontina says hand wash only. Bare iron like the Victoria must never go in the dishwasher.

Our final pick for whole chickens and roasts

Buy the Le Creuset 6.75-quart oval if you want the best-documented oval with a light interior and a stainless knob, the Staub 7-quart if you bake as often as you braise, and the Lodge 7-quart if you want the shape for the least money. Then put it to work on a slow-braised pork shoulder or a barbacoa-style beef. When you would rather someone else did the cooking, Julia’s is at 5402 N Highway 6 in Houston: call to order.