Dutch Oven vs Crockpot

The debate over Dutch Oven vs Crockpot has been there for a long time and people are still confused over which one to buy and what advantages it has over the others. Crockpot and a Dutch oven are basically slow cookers. Crockpot or slow cooker was invented in 1936 by a man named Irving Nixon who wanted to help his Jewish mother’s classic bean recipe; whereas Dutch ovens are considered as the original slow cookers. One of the first companies to manufacture a Dutch oven is Le Creuset which began; they began production in 1925. 

Both, Dutch over and crockpot are slow cookers and both are good for long-cooked dishes like stew, but the debate as to which is a better investment needs us to evaluate all the pros and cons of both these appliances.

Dutch Oven vs Crockpot vs pressure cooker 

The Dutch oven is a heavy cooking pot that has a tightly fitting lid. Dutch ovens are versatile and can be used on the stovetop or in the oven as well. It is an all-in-one cooker that can simmer, sear, soften and boil in the same vessel. 

The slow cooker or crockpot on the other hand is an easy-to-use appliance too. It is also used as a cooktop vessel used to simmer at lower temperatures than baking and boiling. Slow cookers hold up the heat. The bread and chili stay warm even if kept in for hours together. However, the downside is excess moisture builds up in these slow cookers which makes the food watery as condensation is created on the inside of the lid. Also, even in high settings, slow cookers don’t get too hot unlike Dutch ovens and pressure cookers. The flavour also doesn’t turn up that great in a slow cooker. 

Now, pressure cookers work using steam. The steam is sealed inside the vessel to create pressure, raising the boiling point of water and speeding up the cooking process. The major advantage it has is the speed. The pressure cooker cooks faster as compared to the Dutch oven and crockpot.

Also, a pressure cooker retains all the healthy vitamins and minerals in food, unlike boiling appliances. A pressure cooker has its downsides like the lid of a pressure cooker is tough to close and can get tricky sometimes. It cannot be opened once closed unlike Dutch oven and slow cookers in which we can open and add ingredients. Pressure once closed, remains closed and more items cannot be added otherwise the whole process will begin again. 

Each of these three appliances has its advantages and disadvantages. So, at the end of the day, it is your decision as to which of them will serve you well and will turn out to be most useful. Here is Dutch Oven vs Crockpot.

Which is better crock pot or Dutch oven?

It all depends upon the usage and the requirements of the buyer.

Now, let’s compare both of them point to point. 

1. Size: Both the appliances are almost the same size and occupy the same amount of space in the kitchen. However, a Dutch oven is much heavier than a slow cooker.
2. Ease of use: Crockpot beats Dutch over here. You can just switch it on and forget about it, while the Dutch oven requires to be looked at after some intervals of time.
3. Versatility: Dutch oven beats crockpot with a huge margin here. A Dutch oven can be used to cook numerous dishes while a slow cooker or crockpot can only be used to cook low and slow, moist heat dishes. In a Dutch oven, we can bake, fry, stew, and even roast.
4. Price: Crockpot is certainly cheaper than the Dutch oven because of its limited usage. \
5. Care and maintenance: Both of these are low maintenance appliances but a Dutch oven requires more care compared to a crockpot. 

Now, if you need a slow cooker and think that you will not be using it much then you should go for a crockpot. On the other hand, if the usage is higher and you need to cook more dishes then the Dutch oven should be your go-to. Regardless of which one you decide to buy, most recipes can be made in either one of them. However, a Dutch oven offers more versatility. In the end, both of these are classic kitchen investments.  Here is Dutch Oven vs Crockpot.

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