wwyd? lodge vs kirkland sig french oven . . .

[gardenmom5]

ok. I was too lazy to bring my wallet in and order the kirkland signature (and I'd also been waffleing if I wanted it.).  now, costco is sold out online.  amazon has it - but it could be january.  I found a buy-it-now on ebay, that would be here for christmas.

 

I ordred a lodge (which is rated highly), will be here friday.  costs $40 less. (If I'd ordred it from costco online . . they'd be roughly the same.)

 

costco is made in france, lodge in china. . . . they're both blue.  so, no dif. there . . .

 

so, what would you do?  the money is an irritant more than an issue.

 

 

eta: and they're both cheaper than the le creuset I found today at marshalls, but didn't buy because it was a 5.5 (26), not a 6 qt. (28)

 

 

Edited December 16, 2015 by gardenmom5

[Lady Marmalade]

Is this for yourself or for a gift for someone?

 

If it's a gift for someone, I would just go with what you have.  If it's for yourself I would reconsider. 

 

If someone gave me the Lodge french oven for a gift, part of me would be a tiny bit disappointed because I know it's made in China and I don't really want that.  But I would be grateful for the gift and I would absolutely keep it and use it regularly.  If I ever had the opportunity to replace it with Le Creuset or the Kirkland one, I would consider it down the road.

 

If shopping for myself, I wouldn't have bought the Lodge one in the first place.  I would just wait for another opportunity to buy one of the ones made in France for a decent price.

[Guest]

What Lady Marmalade said. :)

[gardenmom5]

It's for dh - I'd love to see the difference in how his pot roast turns out (which is good) in that vs the thin and cheap aluminum pan he's used for years - but won't replace.  we've got two 8qt stock pots.  I'd be happy to get rid of one . . . .

 

I cancelled the lodge

 

I could buy a 5.5/26 le creuset for a good price at tjmaxx/marshalls - but I assume I would want the bigger one . . .  so, I'll order the kirkland.  (and be mad at myself for not ordering it earlier because it's costing me more.)

 

very fitting companion for his other present - the 2vol mastering the art of french cooking . . . 

 

for those with the 5.5/26 vs the 6.5/28 . . . . do you have a size preference?

 

what took me down this road was how unhappy he was with his coquilles st. jacque. (he's used this recipe before - and wasn't happy then.)   I told him he really needed julia child's recipe . . he doesn't do recipes online.

[dsmith]

I never knew the enameled cast iron was made in China. It is a very good quality, but I don't remember seeing that information in the store. I still think I would enjoy receiving one though. I love the Le Creuset that I have. Sometimes you can find amazing deals. 1/2 quart wouldn't put me off of buying it.

[gardenmom5]

I never knew the enameled cast iron was made in China.

 

most of them are.

 

kirkland signature, le creuset, staub are made in france.

 

it's a full quart difference between KS & LC.

[Tsuga]

It is a difficult question as you've already ordered. Since I don't have to deal with the changes, I will say Kirkland.

 

But if it was actually me I might just take the Lodge to avoid the online forms and stuff.

[gardenmom5]

this is driving me nuts.  I started reading more reviews - and the lodge kept coming out higher rated for performance than the costco. (they only recommend LC for lifetime - but it costs 4x more.)  I've asked to cancel - and I'll just order the lodge from amazon.  dh will be happier - as it's cheaper.  and I can still get it in blue.  it's made in china, but has a light interior.  and bigger handles.  (that was one thing I didn't like about the costco one when I've looked at it in the warehouse.).

 

maybe I shouldn't buy cookware . . . I did this in october when I was stressing between a 5qt copper core all-clad saute, and the 6qt d5 non-stick all-clad saute.  (I got the 6qt.  and I adore d5.)  I read reviews who said d5 is good - but marviel is better (I'm not a chef). - and order it from paris as shipping is cheaper than buying it in the states.  (they also said dont' bother with the AC copper core.)

[gardenmom5]

It is a difficult question as you've already ordered. Since I don't have to deal with the changes, I will say Kirkland.

 

But if it was actually me I might just take the Lodge to avoid the online forms and stuff.

 

what do you mean by online forms?

[Tap]

If you don't like the Kirkland one, you can return it to Costco or sell on CL.  If you don't like the Lodge one you can sell it on CL.  Either choice is fine as long as you are willing to try to sell on CL.  If you don't, then buy the Costco one.

 

I have the Costco one and haven't ever had an issue with the handles being too small.  

 

 

 

 

[gardenmom5]

costco is sold out.  I ordered it from someone on ebay. (nib) with hefty mark-up.  I've asked to cancel. they do take returns, so I'm hopeful it won't be a hassle.

the lodge would be off amazon.

 

update: very fast refund from ebay seller.

Edited December 16, 2015 by gardenmom5

[mamakelly]

I have a red cast iron Kirkland brand pot and it's fantastic. I use it weekly. No issues at all.

[Luckymama]

Gosh, I hope my fil ordered the Costco one before it sold out! Dh told him last month that I want it for Christmas---I really want a LC but I can't justify the money now. I would be a very disappointed person because I do NOT want one made in China.

[KungFuPanda]

I've had the Lodge for a few years because I was too cheap to pay for La Creuset and the discount stores didn't have the size I wanted. This was before Kirkland offered one. My theory is that I'll get the PC when I kill it. So far it doesn't have a scratch and cooks like a dream. The bottom is a bit discolored from frequent use, but that doesn't bother me. It weighs a ton, but I adore cooking in it. I can't imagine how a pot of this type can possible function better than this. It's just perfect and any one you choose will change your chef's cooking life.

PS, Americas Test Kitchen on Netfix has an episode on Dutch oven cooking :-) The recipes look yummy.

 

ETA:  I'd be careful about overgeneralizing a fear of Chinese products.  I mean, I wouldn't buy toys from there because that's clearly a problem, but I sure do drink a lot of green tea and oolong and I'm not worried about that.  It might be worth looking into how cast enameled pots are produced and if it's even possible for them to contain lead with those extreme firing temperatures.  I'm not saying it is or isn't, just that I've never seen any evidence of lead found in Chinese produced cast enameled pots and it could be worth the savings to follow that bunny trail.

Edited December 16, 2015 by KungFuPanda