**Imarku 5 Quart Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven with Lid – Heavy Duty Braiser Pan for Baking, Frying, Roasting & Broiling – Oven & Stovetop Safe up to 550°F – Easy Clean Ceramic Pot – Perfect for Bread, Stews & Holiday Gifts**

IntroductionI’m a bit of a Dutch Oven Enthusiast myself. Imarku certainly has their work cut out for them as far as competition at this price bracket. As far as the enamel over iron/metal types, I’ve owned Le Creuset, Staub, Lodge and Dansk. Currently I have Staub and Lodge, the latter I purchased as “beater” types because of their low price (lower on sale). As far as I’m concerned, the French are the ones to beat. I’m rather partial to Staub as far as aesthetics and build. I have to say, the Imarku is in a category by itself. I’m quite impressed, possibly more surprised.ComparisonsFirst off, my impression of the Chinese built Lodge (all of their enameled products are made overseas) is fairly low. I was expecting a slightly more upscale Lodge here. I’m partial to the enameled/porcelain coated ovens because of their ease in maintenance, and oven to table good looks. I purchased 2 lodge ovens 2 years ago on sale to take the load off of my smaller Staub. The first thing I noticed as I was cleaning them is the coating is more than happy to flake off if you look at it wrong. I couldn’t believe the fist time after gently cleaning with a sponge to see several chips around the edge. Well, I guess that’s what I can expect for a sub $100 Dutch oven. And to be honest, I was expecting something similar with this one. I couldn’t have been more wrong.Fit & FinishLet it be known this is a seriously heavy pot! Far more so than any of the brands I’ve just mentioned. Good or bad, be prepared. I’m a big guy, and I think there’s 2 other pieces of cookware (vintage cast iron) I’d say this about. The walls are noticeably thicker than my Staubs or Lodges. In a straight comparison to the French products, the enamel is much glossier, it doesn’t quite have that semi-gloss finish of the Staub, or orange peel of the Le Creuset. No, it’s glasslike and glossy. Furthermore, the color gradient is smoother, it doesn’t have the stipple hand-sprayed look of the French product. I might slightly prefer the Staub as far as finish appearance, but this is purely subjective. One thing I do like a lot is the interior. I’ve always preferred the white of the Le Creuset over the Staub’s matt black. However, it is easily stained if one is not careful. And the Lodge – well just expect it to stain the first time you use tomato or red wine in it. My take for this review was to make a stew with a tomato, red wine and beef stew. I browned the beef, used red wine to deglaze and added tomato paste partway through cooking.Did it stain? At first it looked like it. But a bit of soft scrub and a sponge and it was bright white again, zero elbow grease. This same method proved useless on other white interiors. Color me impressed. The smooth interior makes cleaning a breeze, I can’t say that for the Staub, which easily traps food. Even after you think they’re clean, something will show up once properly dried.One other thing I noticed while cooking is that the lid seals almost pressure cooker like. I’ve never had this with any of my other Dutch ovens. The Staub was the leader up to this point as far as sealing. I’ve almost always wound-up adding liquid at some point during cooking. Here it was totally the opposite, I had to remove the lid just to reduce the base. I’m somewhat inclined to think that the finish and lid sealing qualities may have something to do with modern manufacturing. The lid fits perfectly with no gaps or “play”. The enamel is super thick and non-porous. Looking at their marketing materials seems to back this up. Oh, and just like the Staub, the lid has the little fingers for self-basting. The knob on the lid is thick and easy to grasp, and just as solidly placed as any of the French products.DesignAesthetically, this has a mid-century modern or even art deco appearance. This may or may not be your cup of tea. If you prefer the Tuscan farmhouse look, you won’t find it here. Imarku have certainly differentiated themselves from the rest of the pack with the modern triangular appearance. As for myself, I really dig it, more so in person. And, it’ll definitely be a conversation piece with guests at the dinner table.One more important feature. It’s square. IMO that means its also more flexible as far as use. I’ve found in the past that chickens usually tend to get crammed in so the front and rear are pressed against the walls, which is why I have a cocotte (oval) Staub. Here, if the chicken is a bit on the large side, you simply point it at the corners and problem solved. Why I like square fry pans as well, you can put in strips of bacon all the way across fitting far more. Why isn’t anybody else doing this? Tradition I imagine. And, manufacturing made it all but impossible on a large scale before the advent of CNC machines.Pros:- Incredible fit and finish- Beautiful glossy enamel- Durable- Square- Tight fitting/sealing lid- Heavy- Competitive- Good looking design- Easy cleanupCons- Pricey- Heavy- Looks not for everyoneSummaryThat about wraps it up. Oh, I should probably mention the handles. Unlike others, they’re smooth and solid, with a slight cupping for firm grip. I’m not sure I see any pros or cons, but if you have smaller hands, the traditional open handle might just be easier due to the weight. I’m really reaching for nits at this point. I honestly thought I would at best be “meh” on the Imarku. I own what are currently acknowledged as the best Dutch ovens on the market. Imarku have priced themselves in an interesting spot. They’re not quite as expensive as Le Creuset or Staub, but are far pricier than the typical cheap Chinese pretenders. Lodge has lost its luster with their enameled products, but are still quite affordable and many will overlook the issues at that price. And for those who are laying out $200, they might just spend a bit more for the tried and true brands with time and tradition on their side.Despite that, I would not hesitate to purchase this Dutch oven at full pop. If I didn’t already own a disturbing number of Dutch ovens, I wouldn’t hesitate to buy the smaller 3.5 quart. I might just still and give away my Lodges. I’ll be checking out Imarku’s other products. If they’re all up to this caliber, then they’re going to be a contender in the consumer space. I’m delighted with this Dutch oven, and I have no qualms giving it an enthusiastic 5 star rating.I love to cook but never saw the need to get a dutch oven. After I brought an induction range into my kitchen, I had to upgrade to all new pots and pans, and splurged on Demeyere Atlantis cookware. At first there was buyer's remorse, but after some experience cooking with it, I now feel its the best cookware you can buy. I've had the urge to start baking sourdough bread; I know, a little late after everyone became bakers during the pandemic. So the Dutch Oven was mainly acquired with that purpose in mind. I was immediately impressed with the heft and quality of this pot, though was surprised since it seemed a bit smaller than imagined. I even had to check the box to make sure they hadn't sent me a smaller size. But no, it was accurate. As another test, I filled it with several quarts of water to see if it really held the amount advertised. While it does, it is filled, literally to the tippy top which is not a usable amount in actual cooking. Even filled with just 4 quarts of water is about the limit of its usable capacity, though 3.5 might be a safer limit. To compare the heft and density of metal I filled a similar sized Demeyere pot and this Dutch Oven with the same volume of water and turned the induction to high. Both went to a boil in about the same time with the Demeyere about 40 seconds earlier. But still impressive. I used it next to make some chicken soup. I was again impressed with the consistent heat is conducts and the even cooking of all the vegetables in my soup. Appearance wise, I think the finish is strikingly attractive. I examined it thoroughly and found no flaws. I still haven't experimented with baking sourdough bread using the oven, but feel certain it will produce the even heating environment to make artisan bread well. The side grips are a bit small and are not loops but just curved extensions. That is sufficient for lifting straight up, but I would prefer the loop grip handles since those smooth extensions can become slippery if wet and there is a greater possibility of the heavy pot slipping out of your grip when turning if not careful. At the full price it is still much less expensive than the leader in the category, that french company you all know and gasp at their prices, but with the 50% off coupon if it is still there when you are shopping, the price becomes about $100 which I think is a great value.I own a LOT of cast iron. Some I inherited from grandparents & greats. I've always cooked with gas & I've always used Cast iron. There are just certain things that only taste good in cast iron. My kids have been making off with my cast iron, as they first learned to cook with cast iron. So when my favorite piece of enameled cast iron wandered off to NYC, I was a little miffed. I had been looking for a replacement, but I always felt the quality wasn't there. It just wasnt MY old piece from my mom. So when I took a chance and ordered this, I was stunned when I could barely lift the box this came in. It was PERFECT! The weight, the enamel quality, the sheer balance of the piece was perfect! The roast that we tested it with? PERFECT! I had to get my son to move & clean it; but I wouldn't trade it for ANYTHING! It is square, which had me a bit nervous. I only own a square panini pan. I wasn't sure how the square dutch would work. But it worked perfectly! This is now my favorite piece. There are some pieces that just do things right all the time, every time. This is one of them. I have some incredibly expensive pieces that sit unused in my cupboard, but this one will probably never see the inside of the cupboard. Imarku has a storefront on Amazon. They seem to specialize in higher quality knives & cookware. I actually didn't snap, that one of my favorite knife sets is Imarku. But they are now on my radar due to this dutch oven. I'm not a cooking snob. But I do like quality pieces that are versatile & usable. This exceeded all my expectations for quality. I'm actually considering their orange 3.5 Qt for my next cast iron acquisition. I haven't tried baking bread in this yet - and that's next on my list.