I have the big ones and you might want to lift them without food in them and see what you think. They are HEAVY!

Once food is in them, you have to really be a pumping iron chick in order to manage getting them into and out of the oven.

My favorite dutch oven size is my 6 quart round and I love the oval one too.

Go for the big one....I'm not any pumpin' iron chick and I can lift it...with difficulty when it's full of liquid...but I CAN lift it.
Linda C

Hi, fenworth. I think the first consideration should be your 'vital statistics' -- sex, age, height -- rather than a comparison in cooking terms because those suckers weigh a ton! I haven't been around here long enough to get everybody straight. If you're a 6-ft. tall, 35-yr-old male, it obviously wouldn't be an issue, but it would be for the vast majority of women.

The 7.25 qt. round one is the largest piece of Le Creuset I have, and I sometimes struggle with it. I'm small, but not a 90-lb. weakling by any means. When it's full, though, it takes an effort to pull it out of the oven and lift it safely to the counter. (And remember that whatever it's full of will be extremely hot...) Also, our refrigerator is the french-door style with freezer on the bottom. I'm 5'3" and find that there's only one shelf in the refrigerator where I can store it so that I'm comfortable pulling it out again. Love the thing and use it constantly, but I doubt I'll have the physical strength to handle it in a few more years.

If none of this is an issue for you, the 9 qt. would be great. But I have to say I've filled the 7.25 qt right to the rim many times, but there's never been anything it couldn't actually hold.

And now for the most important question of all: what COLOR are you gonna get?

sm

P.S. I'm going to be really bummed if 10 people reply that they all pull these things out of the oven with one hand. :)

I see it more as a back issue than arm use. If I had a wall oven it might be different but a 7 quart filled is heavy and the angle from oven to counter is difficult for my back although I do it anyway.
And I would want/need both sizes so it doesn't matter what size you get as you'll probably buy the other size eventually anyway.

steelmagnolia - 5'11 39 y.o. male - close enough? LOL! As for color, I was planning on whatever color is on sale at the outlet because it's discontinued. Shortsighted? Probably. Life-long investment, right? Argh.

Fridge space aside (good point though) my main thought is would I find I have too much base surface area with the 9 qt?

I have never put mine in the refrigerator....nor have I put anyother le C Dutch oven in the refrigerator.
My ovens are wall ovens installed under the counter....so they are LOW. I am 5'3" and 71 years old...I have pulled that thing out of the oven when it has had a corned beef in it....or perhaps a pot roast. But mostly I use it on top of the stove. I can carry it full with no problem from cook top to sink...but can't dump it...so I use a 2 cup measuring cup and fill containers of soup for the freezer that way.
If there's a strong man in the house when it needs to be moved, I ask...but mostly I do it myself.
Linda C

I have a 5.5 quart and I think it's huge. Unless I was cooking for a big group on a regular basis I think I would stick with the smaller one.

I had a hard time deciding what size too. It's just my DH and myself at home now, so if it were too big I wouldn't be using it as much...
Once I got over the sticker shock (it took me a year)and bought my first 4 1/2 qt. Katie bar the door! I have since bought four more, larger and smaller. Frying pans too.
Hey, they're heirlooms right? :))

Another who thinks the most important factor is how often you would be cooking something requiring the larger size. They are very expensive so you'll want to get as much use as possible from it.

I find I use my largest one only for dishes for larger gatherings or for things I want large quantities of for freezing. The bottom is so wide that, for most things I make for the family, I find I don't get enough depth to the contents for proper cooking.....if that makes sense.

LOL, fenworth! That cracked me up. If I'd known I'd managed to profile you, of course, I wouldn't have even bothered asking about color... :)

Under the circumstances, sounds like your decision should be based on the 'special' factor. Do you have a very special dish or two that you'd like to make in such large quantities that only the 9 qt. could handle it? Do you sometimes cook for large groups on special occasions, so the bigger size would really make life easier when it matters most? If yes, go for it. If no, it's a total waste of money to buy the 9 qt.

Linda C, I'm curious about your comment that you never put LC in the refrigerator. I do it for several reasons -- the difficulty of dumping the contents that you mentioned, the ongoing quest to avoid more dirty dishes, etc. So unless it's being frozen, I don't bother to transfer to other containers. Is it a real no-no or just a personal preference? Thanks for explaining.

sm

I believe it's a lot safer when storing foods to cool them fast...in fact the "authorities" will bear me out.
As well you know, a huge Le Cruset pot full of "stuff" retains heat for a very long time. I want to cool my "stuff" a lot faster than a Le c allows and I don't want to heat up the rest of the food in my refrigerator.
I always bail it out and and divvie it up into smaller containers. And if I have a lot of "stuff" I will even divide it between 2 refrigerators.
It's really not a good thing to put a big pot of hot...or even warm stuff into your refrigrator.
Linda C

Like Jim, I also have the 5 1/2 (staub) and I think it is big! I do roasts, stews, and soups in it all the time. I might some day get the 7 1/2 but don't think I would ever require the 9!

The only time I wished for larger is when I do Sunday gravy type of sauce or turkey frame soup and then I use the huge stainless I have. Even then I think the 7 1/2 would be fine.

Storage can be an issue because you can't stack then. Also, even with a big sink I think that could be an issue.

I never put mine in the fridge either. Never crossed my mind! Maybe because of the glass shelves or taking a hot pot and putting it in cold ... I don't know - I just wouldn't want to...

Whatever you choose I am sure you will love using it.

I put my cast iron in the refrigerator all the time and we're still here:) But it does help that I have an extra refrig.

Goodness, I have a three quart Cuisinart and that seems plenty big enough for me. It holds enough for three or four of us. I try not to have too many leftovers, since no one eats them.

Linda makes a very good point about cooling left overs quickly. Another good way to do this is to set the pot into a sink of cool water and and submerge a gallon ziplock full of ice into the contents for a while. I let it sit for a while before doing this, I think the cast iron might crack if too hot.

I have the Mario Batali 6 quart and it seems big to me. I cook for my family of six and have never wanted larger. I used it last night to make a big chicken stew. It was full and HEAVY.

I did what Linda does too. To cool it down, I filled 2 13 x 9 pans and refrigerated them before portioning it into servings to freeze for my in-laws.

I have 3 sizes of LC dutch ovens, and the oval, as well as ass't sizes of frying pans. I use them daily. I also put them in the frig. The largest dutch oven is heavy & hard to get out of the low oven, like Linda, I ask for help if someone is available, if not somehow I manage, even with pain issues. I love my LC and feel it is an investment, an investment in tools to cook wonderful meals. I also buy whatever color is available.
I do not think you are suppose to expose this cookware to rapid temp changes - I would never use the cold water - ice cube method to cool it.

Thanks for all the input. Two comments in particular nailed it for me:

"The bottom is so wide that, for most things I make for the family, I find I don't get enough depth to the contents for proper cooking" - Exactly what I was concerned about. I'm generally not a big batch cooker.

"...you'll probably buy the other size eventually anyway." - I'm sure.

I think it'll be the smaller one for now. Thanks again, all!

I had the same decision to make when I bought the oval dutch oven & I bought the smaller size. In retrospect, it was a good decision, not only because 7.25 is very heavy to get out of the oven, but it's ackward to clean - or more specifically - to dry. Forget about holding it up with 1 hand & drying with the other - I don't think I could have managed that when I was younger! And while that's not a worthy argument, it is a consideration. If you don't have a specific need for the larger pot, the 7.25 holds a lot of stuff.