They both operate on the same principle--conduct the heat of the water through the cast iron into the air. You're trading aesthetics off. One issue is that you need a fairly long run of baseboard to give the equivalent heating "power" (i.e., amount of heat given off by a unit) to equal one of those decent sized old radiators. A heating guy can do the calcs, but when we did a renovation we mostly reused the old radiators in part because we needed a lot of wall if we wanted to switch to baseboard.

Lars, I did end up buying the 6 qt Lodge enameled cast iron dutch oven. It is very heavy, but I love it. Things dont burn in it as quickly as the light weight pots. I am gradually getting away from non stick pans. I recently picked up an enameled skillet. Not cast iron. I just wipes clean like a dream and non stick. Will see how it holds up.As for the DO, I am glad I made the choice I did. I bought mine on sale at walmart.com. I have made chili,applesauce for canning, beef roast etc. It cleans up very easily. And since there is no bare cast iron, no need for special treatment. My mother made a boneless turkey breast in her DO and it turned out VERY moist. I also eat very little meat, but my family eat it. I dont know if you can or not, but I have recently been canning chicken. I will do turkey too as I dont like turkey frozen after its cooked. It gets kind of a grainy texture. I bought chicken breast, some boneless some not when it was on sale. Cut chunks and placed into pint jars, small amount of water and salt, and canned them according to usda directions. It comes out fully cooked and ready to use.Very moist in its own broth. Great for quick meals such as chicken salad sandwiches, creamed chicken, etc. Tammy

Here are some favorites: Beef Pot Roast Submitted By: Teresa Prep Time: 20 Minutes Cook Time: 2 Hours Ready In: 2 Hours 20 Minutes Servings: 8 "This is the best and easiest recipe for pot roast I have ever tried. It is best to make it a day ahead. Serve with oven roasted vegetables, potatoes, carrots, onions, or your favorite side dish." 2 teaspoons olive oil 4 pounds boneless chuck roast 1 onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 bay leaves 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). 2. Heat a heavy Dutch oven on top of the stove over medium high heat. Add oil, and sear meat in the center of the pan for 4 minutes. Turn meat over with tongs; sear all sides for 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Remove meat from pan. Arrange onion, garlic, and 1 bay leaf in the bottom of the pan, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Return meat to pan, place remaining bay leaf on top of meat, and cover. 3. Cook in the oven for 30 minutes at 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Reduce the heat to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C), and cook for 1 1/2 hours. Remove roast to a platter to rest for 10 to 15 minutes. Slice, and top with onions and gravy. Note: the recipe is best with a boneless chuck roast; do not add any other liquid; follow the directions exactly. Coca-Cola Beef (roast or stew beef) 3 lbs. beef pot roast or 3 lb. 2" cubes of beef 2 TB oil 1 large onion chopped 1 pkg spaghetti sauce dry mix 1 1/2 t. salt 1/2 t. garlic salt 1 16 oz can tomatoes 1 cup Coke (not diet) Brown beef in oil in a heavy pan on the stove top. Add onion and brown. Sprinkle sauce mix, salt, garlic salt on top of meat. Pour tomatoes with juice over top of meat, then pour Coke over. Cover and simmer 2 hours or until tender. Serve over rice or noodles. Huron County Pork Stew 2 pounds boneless pork butt or shoulder All-purpose flour, for dredging 4 slices bacon, coarsely chopped 12 small white onions, peeled 1 garlic clove, finely chopped 2 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch slices 1/2 cup diced celery 4 Granny Smith apples (peeled and cored), diced 1-1/2 pounds russet potatoes, scrubbed and quartered 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage leaves or 1 teaspoon dried rubbed sage 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves or 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme 1 cup apple cider 1 cup chicken stock Salt and freshly ground black pepper Trim the pork of excess fat and cut into 3/4-inch cubes. Place the flour in a shallow bowl and dredge the pork cubes in the flour. Spread the pork cubes out on a board to allow flour to dry while you render the bacon. Place bacon in a Dutch oven or large, heavy saucepan over medium heat and saute until it begins to render its fat. Brown all the pork cubes on all sides, a few at a time. Remove pork from the pan and reserve. Remove all but 2 tablespoons bacon fat. Place the onions, garlic, carrots and celery in the pan and saute until the onions are golden brown, about 15 minutes. Return the pork to the pan and add the remaining ingredients. Bring the mixture to a simmer and simmer, loosely covered, for 1 hour or until the pork is tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve. Serve with hot cornbread or biscuits. Note: If you prefer a thicker sauce, whisk 1/2 cup of the sauce together with 1 or 2 tablespoons flour. Stir this mixture back into the Dutch oven and cook for an additional 7 to 10 minutes, or until sauce is thickened and the flour is cooked. Serves 6 Source: John Hadamuscin's Enchanted Evenings

It looks like they have the same six pieces that they had last year and I bought five of them for my own use plus a couple of pieces for gifts. The braiser, dutch oven, oval oven and the roaster pan are all very good. Each of them has a good finish on both the inside and outside. The skillet has a different finish and it is not as smooth as I would like. I wash it, then put a tiny bit of oil in it and rub it with my fingers to cover the inside then wipe it off with a paper towel. If I don't do this it shows signs of rust within minutes. I think it will get better as it is used, or at least I hope it does. It is very heavy and almost more than I can hold with one hand if I am trying to pour something out of it. I have used mine for a year and I have one small chip on the bottom side of the handle. It could have been there when I bought it and I just didn't notice.