Food

Foundry 24cm Dutch Oven

Foundry Ironworks

Bare cast iron, a flat lid you can load, and forty minutes to temperature.

8.9/10 Buy £96
Specifications
Diameter24 cm, 4.7 L
FinishBare cast iron, pre-seasoned
LidFlat, doubles as a griddle
Weight4.9 kg with lid
Oven safeTo 280°C, no coating to fail

What we found

The pot from the sourdough schedule. Forty minutes of preheat is not optional: at twenty minutes the base is measurably cooler and the loaf spreads.

Seasoning improves with use. Ours is darker and slicker at year three than it was new, which enamel cannot do.

Good

  • Bare iron has no enamel to chip or discolour
  • Flat lid takes weight, so it can preheat upside down
  • Holds heat well enough to bake two loaves back to back

Less good

  • Heavy, and awkward to lift full from a low oven
  • Needs drying on the hob and re-oiling; it will rust if you don't
  • Handles get extremely hot — two cloths, every time

Written about in

Bought at retail. No sample, no affiliate placement, no changes after publication except corrections.

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