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I’ve Owned the Misen Dutch Oven Since 2022
Misen has made a great Dutch oven, but it isn’t for everyone.
What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you hear “enameled Dutch oven?”
For most people, it’s a brightly colored pot with a lid. The Le Creuset they grew up watching grandma cook with. That Staub they gifted mom on her birthday. The budget Amazon Basics Dutch oven they bought for their first kitchen.
The upstart cookware brand Misen is trying to change that: It wants to shake things up with a roomy, 7-quart (6.6-liter) enameled cast iron Dutch oven whose lid doubles as a grill pan.
At $185, it’s an offer that seems hard to pass up.
But is it worth your hard-earned money, or is this piece of cookware trying to do one thing too many?
I bought the Misen Dutch oven in 2022, used it for one year, then gave it to my dad (who cooks with it weekly). If you’re thinking of buying it, read on — I’ll share the ins and outs of this pot in this review so you know exactly what you’re getting yourself into.
It’s time to give it The Going-Over!
Reviewing the Misen 7-Quart Dutch Oven
Misen debuted its 7-quart Dutch oven with a Kickstarter campaign in 2021.
The campaign was a smashing success — it got 36,728 backers and crowdfunded a total of $4.2 million in pre-funding. Its initial goal was a modest $25,000. Soon after, the first Dutch ovens were shipped to backers’ doors and the reviews were overwhelmingly positive.
Today, you can find the Misen Dutch oven in one size — 7 quarts (6.6 liters) — with porcelain enamel colored in blue, red, sage, gray, or black. Blue, which is what I got, is considered the classic Misen color.
The pot’s interior is light colored, allowing you to observe the browning of meats and vegetables, and the lid’s interior is dark, just the color you want on a grill pan.
Previously, the lid/grill pan used to be available as a standalone purchase, and you had the option to buy the Dutch oven with a regular lid. As far as I can see on Misen’s website, the only choice available now is to buy the Dutch oven with the grill lid.
The Pot
This Dutch oven’s size is both a boon and a bane. Yes, it’s fantastic to have this much capacity at your disposal. But if you cook for one or two and you don’t necessarily need it, you may want to look at other options because, nine times out of ten, it will be just too much.
Not to speak of the space it will take up in your kitchen cabinets! (Ironically, if you’re in the market for a large Dutch oven and a grill pan, this one actually saves space since it’s a 2-in-1.)
If you do need a cooking vessel this big, the Misen Dutch oven is just wonderful:
The bottom is thick and heavy, and it holds heat like a champ. If properly preheated, the walls — tall, sloped enough to allow stirring but not so much that they eat away at the base cooking surface — heat evenly, thickening the thinnest of liquids and cooking down the most fibrous veggies to spoon-tender.
Many Dutch ovens have tiny handles that can be tough to grasp with a kitchen towel or oven mitts, especially when the pot is filled to the brim and weighs a ton. Not this one, though. The handles on the Misen Dutch oven are HUGE, big enough to help you maintain a good grip even when maneuvering this pot around. They are one of my favorite features.
The Grill-Lid
The lid fits snugly and traps in the heat.
Due to the lid’s dual function as a grill pan, there is no top handle — only two side handles of the same size as those of the pot.
The lid performs well as a grill pan.
It weighs 6 pounds (2.7 kilograms), and retains and distributes heat beautifully. But bear in mind that it is the lid of a tall, somewhat narrow pot, and it’s round instead of square, so it isn’t going to be the most spacious grill pan you’ve owned.
The indents on the underside of the grill pan/on the top of the lid make it challenging to clean, and that’s admittedly a downside. Removing oil that has scorched onto the logo and three concentric circles can take too much elbow grease. (There’s no way that’s good for the porcelain enamel.)
Has It Stood Up With Time?
Earlier, I mentioned that I cooked with the Misen Dutch oven for one year before giving it to my father. So, how has it fared after two years of ownership by two generations of cooks?
To make a long story short, pretty darn good.
The enamel remains unchipped and intact, and since this is cast iron we’re talking about, there’s virtually no warping of the pot and lid.
The photoshoot was taken during the first few weeks of me owning it, and since then, the Dutch oven longer looks as pristine as it used to — there is some oil residue caked on the underside of the lid. But these are proud marks of wear and tear if you ask me!
My dad recalls a time when the exposed cast iron on the rim of the pot rusted after being cleaned in the dishwasher and left to air dry instead of patted dry immediately. However, this can happen to any Dutch oven, as this Reddit thread shows, and he fixed it by scrubbing away the rust with the help of distilled white vinegar and lightly oiling the edge of the rim.
The Verdict
If you’re willing to spend a few hundred dollars and are looking to equip your kitchen with brand-new enameled cast iron cookware, then the Misen Dutch oven is certainly worth considering. It is, after all, a great Dutch oven and a decent grill pan all in one!
Still, keep an eye out for other options, particularly around Prime Day or Black Friday. You never know when you might find Le Creuset or Staub at a discount, and there’s good reason why these heritage cookware brands have been around for a very long time.
And if you prefer something smaller — say, three or four quarts — check out my review of the Amazon Basics Dutch oven. I think it’s a solid option for home cooks.
Where to Buy
Prices change, sometimes hourly. See the latest at:
Thanks for reading!
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