LC is certainly fine stuff, but I also have some Lodge ECI (enameled cast iron) that works great. I do have a LC piece for comparison. The fit & finish is marginally better, but is it worth four times the cost of other ECI? I personally don't think so. Now maybe if you're using it day in, day out the LC might outlast the other brand, but it would have to outlast four of the other brand to make it financially worth it. But that's speaking mere practicality: if that's all we listened to, we'd all be driving Impalas and no one would drive Cadillacs.

Still, if you're wanting to make a nice present, you can't go wrong with LC. Or Staub, for that matter. If it's a color she would like, go for it. LC makes both round and oval dutch ovens (oh, all right, they call them French ovens) and each has its advantages. The round one is a great all around 'rondeau' for everything from stews to soups to braises. The oval one would fit a bird a little better. However, I just made a casserole-roasted chicken with tarragon in a round 6 qt Lodge ECI dutch oven, and it came out great. I was able to fit a 7 lb roasting chicken in the 6 qt dutch oven.

And if you're looking for another present for her, check out Molly Steven's great cookbook, All About Braising. Whatever brand of dutch oven you get, you can learn all sorts of ways to use it with this cookbook.

Here is a link that might be useful: all about braising

Like Arley, I have one single piece of LC. It's a very good pan and actually belongs to my husband who bought it on eBay.

Is it better than my Lodge enameled cast iron? I don't think so. The finish might be a bit better but I can't tell the difference in an end product cooked in the LC or the Lodge and the clean up on them is the same, but the LC comes in prettier colors, I think.

Annie

I love all my CI...LC, Staub, and Tramontina. I don't have to pay retail because I have a local LC outlet and my Staub and Tramontina have been deeply discounted from Tuesday Morning stores.

Also, a replacement knob is a good idea for high heat oven cooking.

Nice present choice and good luck.

Here is a link that might be useful: Knob

If you shop thrift stores and discount stores, you might find LC rather inexpensively. I've been fortunate to do so and love all three pieces I have. The Tramontina and Lodge are nice as well. I've not seen Staub but have heard good things. If you have a Costco near you, they have a 6qt round for about $80 that I bought for someone that works well.

I got SUPER lucky and found a 6-3/4 quart oval LC at Tuesday Morning for $69.99 and had to talk myself into buying it. Best purchase I made. I have a 2 qt black ($20 at TM) and a red tomato I got for $99 about 10 years ago at Amazon. I only bought the tomato because it came with a stoneware crock with a boatload of silicone spatulas that matched. It was a good deal.

FWIW: I just happened on a 2010 CI rating of Staub (8qt) vs LC (7 1/4 qt.). They rated LC best-said Staub is considerably heavier (6# more) and the black interior(LC is cream) made it difficult to see if frond was developing or burning. At that time, there was not much price difference.

My CI is from Aldi's and I love them. And I love the price point also. No problem with the knobs on high heat. The interior is also coated cream, like the LC. Colors are red and blue, but the red works for me. There are several shapes and sizes and they are in stores this week.

For $29.99 you get a good bang for your buck.

Ditto what Peppi said re Aldi's. I got the robin's egg blue and it's as pretty and as functional as I could wish for. i also have a Martha Stewart and 3 Bella dutch ovens from Macy's. I use mine for high heat, 550 degrees, no knead bread. i strongly recommend them all.

I have all sizes, different brands. The small five set LC was a wedding gift 24 yrs ago. Used for years but less now, so small. The lid handle is broken in two places. And it was a replacement.
I did not know that the handle is rated 375heat and the pot 450. (shoulda read the fine print, lol)
I now use my small stainless all-clad and a copper sauce for those sizes. Traditional cast iron, all sizes, for griddle and pan cooking. A few this-n-that steel. Non-stick no more, garaged and maybe useful for plant saucers.
My favorite round enameled roaster is LC. Probably 7qrt. The smaller one, its baby, (they nest),
is cuisinart. 3.5 qrt?...i use them all the time. Baby for soup, or re-heating soup. Mama for a big soup, stew, stove-to-oven braising, etc. They perform the same. I actually did not know the brands until i just looked. I did not pay retail. Both together could not have been more than a hundred. White interior, black exterior. I like color but if i have a choice, i like neutral. Yard sale finds bring in enough color, and you can't pick color at a tag sale.
I collect Jens Quistgaard and found this at a tag sale a couple weeks ago. A dollar. It is blue.
Not a good color for me. But will be great for keeping gravy warm. (see pic)

The best thing about the cuisinart enameled iron is that the lid knob is enameled.
I bought my replacement LC knob, that broke also, at an outlet and still cost 20 bucks. They should give them away with a broken return! So i have been off LC for some time and the cost is so high you could get multiple decent enameled iron dutch ovens for less.

Most important, buy local if you can. Check for lid chips and a tight lid. Even if boxed. We make that mistake ALL-the-time. Nothing worse than a gift that has to be returned because of a chip or crack.

My mother does not like gifts, but likes nice things. Last year i took along a low heavy pot i bought for myself and left it behind for her to enjoy and see if she would like it. It is her favorite now and does not leave the stovetop. I sent DH out to get another for us and it was factory dented in two places. Crapy gift if i had given her that one. (he didn't open the box)

I have the CostCo one and *love* it! I use it for everything - it is my go-to pot. I'm sure you will be happy with the quality and price of this one.

Jeri

I can't say I've compared cooking quality between LC and other brands, but I can say that even at discounted prices at outlets I find them grossly overpriced. And when I spend that kind of money I don't think I should have to try every permutation of lid and pot to find the combination that fits the best. "Best," mind you, not perfectly. At this point I have bought four, and fit has been as issue with each.

(That said, I love the discontinued Aubergine and couldn't help myself from buying two pieces a few weeks ago!)

I don't have much to add to the above... I just wanted to say welcome and I love your nickname! One of the best books ever!

Don't panic!

Alexa

I have two Martha Stewart pots that I bought at Macy's. In the course of using them, the off-white interiors have become very discolored (and nothing I've tried including Le Creuset cleaner will remedy this) and the exterior enamel has chipped in several places. I bought them because of the price and color (MS blue) but am not happy with how they have worn. If someone would tell me that neither of these things happen with LC, I would seriously consider upgrading.

Coolbeans, many of the MS pots from Macy's were recalled due to chipping and cracking about a year or two ago. You may have one of those.

I have Lodge ECI and Le Creuset. I find that they perform equally well.

I've never had an LC, but my late aunt gave me a deep Chantal pot (similar to LC) years ago that was too big for her use. I absolutely love it! It gets constant use. Its in a red with black interior. I even burned a utensil into it a year or so ago and got the stuck on part of it off easily. I wouldn't trade it for anything.

I discovered enameled CI here on the forum Mom had a small enameled saucepan as did my MIL. I wasn't enamored. After being here for awhile, I began to jones for my own CI soup pot

Happlly someone here on the CF alerted me to a sale on Mario Batali's CI Dutch Ovens and I adore them! They are available on Amazon and at Crate & Barrel. Recently I yearned for a few more pieces. There was nothing more I wanted in that line. Each time I went into a kitchen store I'd look at the LC and hm and haw. Finally DH went a bit overboard when we were in LC outlet store. I now have a couple of saucpans, a small skillet and a brasier. I love the brasier and use it quite often, the small skillet is also very handy. Both clean up easily too! For my well used MB pots I use a weak clorox solution which brings back a whiter finish. I also have a lovely little Staub Dutch oven that was a gift from Sheshebop, a former poster.
Although my Mario Batali pots are at least 5 yrs old, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them to you. If the quality is at least as good as it was 5 yrs ago, they're a much cheaper, well made alternative!

I have a large Tramontina that I use all of the time. I had an over-cooking accident and the bottom is permanently stained, though.
I just bought a 5 qt dutch oven yesterday. Actually two! One at Aldi for $30, but the enamel finish is flawed so it's going back. HEB also had them on sale for $30 with a coupon for a free skillet so DH went and purchased those instead. Enamel is perfect and cleaned like a dream after making Beef Bourguignon. The brand is Cocinaware.

Home Goods has a good selection. I stopped in yesterday as it is right next door to my local grocery. I need another set of measuring cups and spoons. They had exactly what i wanted and even have a good selection of fresh shiny 1/2 sheet pans, lol. But the checkout line was crazy long, so i left.
They have Staub, LC, and a few others, some with chef names...at least their portraits are not embedded in the surface but sometimes their names all over can be annoying...
Interesting to find out who makes the WolfgangPuck ones. I just don't need any more but it was handsome. Almost a gunmetal surface, white interior, a bit more shallow with a curved bottom. Around the 45 dollar range i think.

I just read a blurb in a Cooks Illustrated issue ('Revolutionary Recipes'--a little hype, but I did find the issue worthwhile). They recommended the Lodge ECI dutch oven as a Best Buy--they thought it was very good quality for the price.

Coming in a bit late here, but mine is by Fontignac and I love it. I have the blue one, which is very pretty. I've been using it a little over a year with no problems at all. I believe the company is a subsidiary of Staub.

Here is a link that might be useful: Fontignac round Dutch oven at BB&B

love le creuset I have the red ,every \sayturday morning I get upandmake ahomemade soup in the big dutch oven Hubby got me a set one year for Christmas,Id like to get a few more pieces.