One Pot To Rule Them All – Staub Dutch Oven Review
Staub Dutch Oven Review and Gujarati Potato Curry Recipe
A few months ago, we posted a general overview of Dutch Ovens.
Cast-iron aficionados, our kitchen has slowly built up a stock of high-quality pieces from woks to crêpe pans, mostly manufactured by Le Creuset. Until recently, in fact, we might have been called partisan, we even have the spatula and salt-pig to match. But—if that’s still the case, perhaps our allegiance is changing. We recently purchased a Staub cocotte, and have been won over by its performance.
Like Le Creuset, Staub crafts beautiful enamelled cast iron from one-off sand moulds. The glazing applied is sturdy and even. Pieces with even small blemishes are marked as seconds, and the pots are designed to last a lifetime with a warranty behind their promise. That said, there are several points of difference between the two brands.

Staub sells each cocotte with a brass or nickel-stainless steel knob, oven safe to 500ºF. This does mean you have to watch your mitts if you’re lifting the lid off of a hot pot, but it also means that the pot you purchase can be tossed in the oven as-is. Le Creuset Dutch Ovens come with a plastic knob that is not oven-safe. While it does not get as hot in stove-top use, it must be swapped out with a separately purchased knob if you plan to bake/roast.
Like getting a new toy for Christmas without batteries, this has always struck me as a hassle! I’ve never swapped back in a plastic knob after changing it out, and I have managed to burn my hands on plastic-handled pots just as often.

In the past, we’ve used any number of Dutch Ovens, but the Staub cast iron Dutch oven is our new favourite because of two major innovations.
1. The first is the matte black enamel on the interior of the Staub cast iron Dutch oven.
The coarse coating seasons quickly. After a short session of baking on a thin coat of vegetable oil, the surface already offers a good level of performance in braising and releasing food.
Aesthetically, we appreciate that even after cooking our most turmeric-laden Indian recipes, we aren’t left with a visibly stained interior. In fact, the surface has such good release that we are able to perform feats such as sautéing crushed garlic with minimal oil with ease.
2. The Staub Dutch oven lid has a series of nodules on its interior.
These self-basting spikes collect and distribute moisture as evaporated water condenses on the lid and drips back into the pot.
Most Dutch Ovens drip from a single point in the middle of the lid, from the screw holding the handle in place, and may have a looser lid. The Staub cast iron dutch oven seems to encourage moisture to stay in the pot and distribute it evenly.
Together, these two features are the perfect partners for the thermal performance of cast iron. They allow you to cook even relatively thick stews, gravies, and curries without scorching and to move directly from stove-top to oven with one pot.
GUJURATI STYLE SLOW POTATO CURRY
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1.5 tsp panch phoron a mix of mustard, cumin, fenugreek, fennel, and nigella seeds available at most Indian grocers. 1/2t whole mustard + 1/2 t of whole cumin is a fine substitute
- 1 tbsp chickpea flour
- 2 dried chillies
- 1/2" ginger chopped finely
- 350 g whole raw potatoes cut into bite-sized cubes
- 3/4 cup water
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tbsp lemon/lime to taste
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/4 tsp black salt/salt
- 1.5 tsp ground coriander
- 1/2 tsp garam masala
Instructions
- Slowly bring your pot to medium-high heat. To avoid thermal shock, start no more than half-way up your dial.
- Once your pot gets nice and hot—think pancake cooking hot, where splashed water beads and runs before fizzling into nothing—lightly wipe the interior with vegetable oil.
- Next, pour in 2T of a vegetable oil with a high smoke point.
- Once the oil is hot, turn down the heat and add panch phoron, dried or fresh chillies, and wait until you hear your mustard seeds pop.
- Next add ginger, turmeric, hing, sugar, and chick-pea flour. Sauté this mixture in oil until the flour takes on a deep golden colour.
- Toss in your chopped potatoes so they are coated with masala. Add dry spices, water, and 2T of tomato paste. Stir.
- Cover and let cook on medium-low at least 25 minutes. Then, take off the lid carefully, and peer in. Most likely—depending on the variety of potatoes you have chosen—you will need to be patient a while longer.
- Once they are tender and ready garnish with fresh chopped cilantro, lemon or lime juice and a pinch of salt. Keep in mind that salt added during cooking will mostly go straight into your spuds, so the salt you add at this point will be the salt your guests taste. Don’t go crazy, but don’t skimp either.
- Garnish with a sprig of fresh cilantro salt to taste and wedges of lemon or lime.
The secret to the deliciousness of potatoes is all in the sugars. While frying, boiling, and even pressure cooking all still produce a tasty product, the absolutely best way to get maximum flavour from your spuds is to slow-roast them at a moderate temperature. This one-pot curry is the perfect cozy home food for a cold winter’s night.