Dutch Oven - ECI or Clad?

Question

I think I need a Dutch oven. For Christmas Eve we cooked 10 pounds of French fries and on Christmas Day, we fried 10 pounds of chicken wings. With each being double fried, this put a lot of strain on my cookware. I have a Vollrath Optio 8Q stocker, a 14" heavy carbon steel wok and a Mauviel M'Stone 6Q stewpot. The stocker is too narrow and tall for proper deep frying, and with it's thin steel walls, subject to temperature drops that are unacceptable. The wok is great for small amounts of food, but much too slow to recover temps with large amounts of oil. The Mauviel, being ~3mm aluminum, holds heat well enough and is the right shape, but it's steel disk is underpowered on my induction cooktop and it's ceramic coating makes using my preferred deep fry tool, a spider, a less-than-ideal idea. I also wouldn't mind having a DO for a few foods that are too big for my 3Q sauté.

So for folks who've used both clad and ECI DOs, does one work appreciably better than the other? Does the ECI clean and/or release better than clad? I never had problems with release or cleanup with my old Calphalon Tri-Ply 5Q DO, but occasional scorching was a problem, one I'm not as likely to encounter on my induction cooktop. 

Budget is a concern, and I'm considering Lodge and Tramontina in ECI, but have no idea who makes a decent but inexpensive clad 6Q DO. Any recommendations one way or the other?

Duffy

Answer

Duffy, you won't like the weight of ECI in a size you need. Also, for stovetop, clad will be a better choice.

Answer

Have you considered one of those electric turkey fryers? I would for that amount of fried food. We have one of those Masterbuilt electric fryers that will do a whole turkey.

Answer

You don't need a DO, you need a proper fry basket for your 8Q stocker.

Answer

Hi Duffy,

Given the kind of cooking tasks you describe, I'm not sure why you're considering a real dutch oven at all. From the type of DO pots you've had before, I'm think you might like the All Clad d7 dutch oven. If you can afford it, the 8 qt. is probably the best utility, but the 6 qt. has been on sale.

If you decide to go ECI for some reason, I personally wouldn't choose the Lodge (too heavy), or the Tramontina (too delicate).

Ray

Answer

We don't deep fry so can't help much with your question on temp loss, but as far as shape the AC 8 qt is fairly wide and easy to work with. Watch the AC 2nds sales, I picked up a lid less D5 for $89,00 on one of those. D5 holds heat a tad longer than a triply. 
 Like Mikie I can't imagine you being happy with ECI, it shines best in oven use, if you use it for deep fry only it will end up being one of those one trick ponies for you.

Answer

Duffy:

If I understand your question correctly, I found these salient points:

1.	Appropriate to use as deep fryer;
2.	Versatility to use as larger saute (i.e., don’t want a one trick pony);
3.	Considering ECI - but have already narrowed to Lodge and Tramontina;
4.	Slightly concerned about benefits to either ECI vs Clad;
5.	Seeking advice on a REASONABLE (i.e., inexpensive) CLAD Pot in the neighborhood of 6 quarts.

Personally, I would go with the Clad, which I think is the ultimate point of your question. Without debating the pros and cons of ECI, I think it is more limited and less than ideal for deep frying at relatively high heat. Plus with your LC history, you don’t need a primer on ECI cookware. 

As to the Clad, my immediate thought was the Zwilling Sensation 5.5 Quart Sauce Pot. It is NOT inexpensive, but with the current sale and code I think it can be had for about $160. Although I have seen it for less; in fact, it was $149.99 (no codes) prior to December 25 - and it was like that for months. It is a great pot and has the added versatility of functioning as a steamer for another $40. The steamer basket is larger than most and great for large scale items like broccoli, etc. The pot is low enough that I think it could function as a larger saute when three quarts just won’t do it. And I think it would share the same lid as your saute. My two concerns about this choice are (1) the price and (2) is it large enough to function as a deep fryer for your purposes? 

On that second point, I think it is compromise. To deep fry twenty pounds of any food, you almost need a dedicated item. But as I read it, you do not do this weekly. On the other hand, the pot is substantial enough to retain a fair amount of heat and probably recover quickly especially on your stove (induction). Plus, I know you like the Sensation line. So, as with everything, it is a tradeoff. 

My second thought is a Vollrath Tribute Sauce pot - which has better dimensions than most commercial stockers. They sell these in multiple sizes, including a six and an eight quart. The six has about the same dimensions as the Sensation. That will run you a fair bit less ($88 or little more for the eight); but the lid is extra, and as you know, the lids are the Achilles heal of the Tribute line. In full disclosure, I do not have any Tribute (but, if I recall, you do.) Although I have been meaning to order the twelve quart for some time, if you can find me an acceptable lid, I will. 

And my final thought is SLT’s house brand. Currently, they have their ½ off sale going on Tri-Ply. They offer an eight quart Tri-Ply Stockpot with a Pasta Insert for $99.96. I have not handled the eight quart, but the six is kind of squatty, which I think is the shape you want for deep frying. It looks like the eight is squatty as well, as opposed to more of stocker shape, but checking this out in store should be easy enough. Normally, when I see pasta cookers, they are cheaper, disk-based pots (i.e., “All-Clad’s”) with an added fancy name, colander, but ultimately, one use: water-boiler. However, this is a fully clad pot with the added benefit of pasta insert, which I consider a freebie.

Just my thoughts taking into account what I interpreted your goals to be.

Good luck, Brian.

Answer

If you are into frying wings, it seems to me that an electric fryer is the way to go. A small commercial-type fryer can be had for only $100, less than the price of a good dutch oven:

http://www.webstaurantstore.com/avantco-f100-10-lb-electric-countertop-fryer-120v-1750w/177F100%20%20%20%20%20120.html

Yes, it's specialized, but if you make large batches of wings a few times a year, that seems to me the way to go.

Answer

Then there's Bayou -- lots of options for deep frying:

http://www.bayouclassicshop.com/?gclid=CNTG_KeTldECFQeewAod6CAObg

This pot comes with a thermometer attachment -- very important for safety:

http://www.bayouclassicshop.com/bay-1101.html#.WGLIAes76rU

Answer

There was a big thread on this topic a month ago, with quite a few good points raised. Worth a read: http://www.chowhound.com/post/reason-buy-le-creuset-eci-clad-ss-1043527

Answer

Hi Duffy,

Keep in mind that if you go for an ECI solution, you pay a price in klutz for your savings in dollars on Lodge or Tramontina. A 5.5 qt. Le Creuset weighs 11.4 lb., a 6.0 qt. Lodge weighs 15.2 lb., and a Tramontina 6.5 weighs 17.8 lb.

Ray

Answer

A few days ago I borrowed my son's ECI DO to make Kenji's Slow-Cooked Tomato Sauce (http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2014/09/the-best-slow-cooked-italian-american-tomato-sauce-red-sauce-recipe.html) for my New Year's Eve dinner. I modified the recipe a bit to include ground beef and sofritto, cooked on the stovetop. I have to admit that the ECI performed beautifully in the oven, cleanup was easy, but damn! was it heavy. I'm not sure that it performed better than a clad DO would. I may try the sauce in my stocker to get an idea of how clad would work. 

As this is the kind of recipe that I'll only make on really cold days, I don't expect to make it more than once or twice each winter. Several of my dinner guests told me it was excellent Bolognese (not quite, lacking pork), so that was nice to hear. 

Despite how well ECI worked for this sauce, the hassles of hauling it in and out of the oven every hour, and trying to maneuver it during cleanup, have convinced me that ECI is probably not the way I want to go. Still, it was a good demo of ECI's high points and drawbacks.

Duffy

Answer

I would go with an electric turkey fryer and keep the splatter outdoors. And you can do an awful lot of food in just one batch. But they do use a lot of oil.

Topics

Locations

Your post has been published!

Dutch Oven - ECI or Clad?

Chowhound Recommends

Guides

8 Places in Your Kitchen You Didn't Know You Can Clean with Vinegar

More from Chowhound

Food News

Win Game Day with These Vegetarian Party Nachos

Recipe Round-Ups

11 Ways to Gussy Up Guacamole for Game Day

Recipe Round-Ups

Quick and Easy Instant Pot Breakfast Recipes for Less Morning Stress

Entertaining

Easy Shortcuts To a (Mostly) Homemade Valentine's Day Dinner

Trending Discussions

Portable induction plate recommendations

Inauguration Spirits

February 2021 Cookbook of the Month VOTING

Home Cooking Dish of the Month - NOMINATIONS, February 2021

What's For Dinner #447 (January 2021) - Happy New Year!

Quick Links

Latest Discussions

Cookbook of the Month

Dish of the Month

Weekly Menu Planning

Get fresh food news delivered to your inbox

January 2021 Cookbook of the Month: VEGAN JAPANEASY & JAPANEASY

Chowhound

Policies

Community

Editorial

Content