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I'm looking for the English name for this cooking utensil:

enter image description here

It can be used for roasting on top of the stove, or it can be put in the oven for slow cooking.

I've stumbled upon 'roasting dish', or 'baking dish'. But when I search for these terms, I get results that differ from what I'm actually looking for:

enter image description here

enter image description here

Source: Google image search

Joe
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Velvel
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    I'm reading that dutch oven are more versatile than casserole dish, because the former can be put in the oven or on the stove, whilst the latter can mostly be put on the stove (you could use it as a dutch oven too, but apparently it's not as good). I'm not a cook though, so I can't say how true that is. The picture you showed most likely resembles a casserole dish, but your description fits a dutch oven. – Clockwork Feb 25 '23 at 00:26

7 Answers7

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To me, that's a Dutch (*) oven. You could also call it a "heavy braising pot." Often, they are enameled, so you could call it "enameled pot" also.

In general, a dish doesn't have a lid, and a pot does, so a roasting or baking dish will generally be that open thing in your lower pictures. (The exception that proves the rules will be casserole dishes, some of which do have lids, but may not be ok for the stove.)

(*) - not because it's from the Netherlands, but because it lets you do baking-like things without an oven. Same as Dutch treat, Dutch courage, and Dutch uncle - in the US, it means not-really. (The UK does something similar with French.) In an outdoor cooking situation, a cast iron dutch oven that sits on a fire and has a small twiggy fire actually set burning on its lid will give you quite oven-like results for some foods.

Le Creuset, probably the most famous brand of the enameled version, calls them French Ovens and Dutch Ovens interchangeably on their Canadian website. I have no connection with the firm.

Basil Bourque
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Kate Gregory
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    Thanks for the detailed information. This brief digression was also very interesting. – Velvel Feb 13 '23 at 20:19
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    Nit: the Dutch oven actually IS named after the Netherlands. https://bushcooking.com/history-dutch-ovens/ , not the origin you give here. – FuzzyChef Feb 13 '23 at 20:41
  • @FuzzyChef not sure I agree with that article, I have read elsewhere it's more not-an-oven, but I don't have links handy to prove it – Kate Gregory Feb 13 '23 at 20:58
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    There are a lot of sources that cite Abraham Darby, who is both known to have sold some of the first commercial cast iron pots in England, as well as having spent a lot of time working with Dutchmen. Supposedly the Darby cast iron patent even mentions the term Dutch Oven, but it hasn't been scanned and put online, so I can't verify that. – FuzzyChef Feb 13 '23 at 21:07
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    If you search on "Darby dutch oven", you'll get dozens of hits from reputable publications, plus Wikipedia. – FuzzyChef Feb 13 '23 at 21:08
  • The uk had a long war with the dutch iver the spice islands, dutch-something is also an insult. – WendyG Feb 13 '23 at 22:42
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    Much like calling all disposable facial tissues "Kleenex", I and many people in my life call an enameled Dutch oven a "Le Creuset". As in, "can you get the Le Creuset out of the cabinet?" – Todd Wilcox Feb 14 '23 at 02:44
  • But it’s not a prototypical Dutch Oven. Those are deeper than what’s pictured. It *might* be a Le Creuset “Shallow Round Oven”, but it might be even shorter than that. If the bottom edge was more rounded, I’d have considered it to be a braiser or sauteuse. – Joe Feb 14 '23 at 14:29
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    For what is worth, [Etymonline](https://www.etymonline.com/word/Dutch#etymonline_v_16017) seems unsure of the origin: _Dutch oven is from 1769; OED lists it among the words describing things from Holland, but perhaps it is here used in the slighting sense._ – Davidmh Feb 15 '23 at 07:52
  • Sometimes "Dutch Oven" refers to a [particular type of dish](https://assets.katogroup.eu/i/katogroup/LG-L-14DCO3_01_lodge?%24product-image%24=&fmt=auto&h=434&w=652) with a raised lip on the lid to put coals for cooking on a campfire. – Daron Feb 15 '23 at 23:09
  • Sometimes you see it said that the enameled ones are French ovens and the plain cast-iron ones are Dutch ovens. But as an American I've only ever head them called Dutch ovens, even the stainless steel ones! – johncip Feb 16 '23 at 02:21
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I call mine a cast iron casserole dish. And google agrees with me in the uk.

lecreuset in their uk shop calls them casseroles.

https://www.lecreuset.co.uk/en_GB/c/cooking-and-baking/cooking/casseroles

WendyG
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A "casserole". From Cambridge dictionary (my emphasis):

a dish made by cooking meat, vegetables, or other foods in liquid inside a heavy container at low heat, or the heavy, deep container with a lid used in cooking such dishes:

While "casserole" is more often used for the type of food, the original meaning is still in use. The dish is named after the cooking pot. Casseroles can be iron or ceramic.

James K
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    +1, I find this a better fit than "Dutch oven". For Dutch ovens, I always think of cast iron, never of other materials, and it is frequently taller than a casserole dish, so not really as good for oven use. – rumtscho Feb 14 '23 at 13:36
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    Not to be confused with [French casserole](https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casserole) – Clockwork Feb 14 '23 at 17:40
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    mais dérivé de cela – James K Feb 14 '23 at 21:55
  • Just wondering - would you ever say: "go get the casserole out of the cupboard"? That doesn't sound right (to me). You'd always call it a "casserole *dish*" – freedomn-m Feb 16 '23 at 08:13
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    Yes, I'd say that... – James K Feb 16 '23 at 08:41
  • Unfortunately if you search for "casserole" your first hits will be food recipes, your second will be ceramic pots, and cast iron pots will be far down the list. – Mark Ransom Feb 16 '23 at 22:57
  • @MarkRansom Actually, when I search for "casserole", this is what I find, first hit: https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/711b85PkbrL._AC_SL1500_.jpg (it's French for "saucepan"). Edit: I do see your point though – Clockwork Feb 23 '23 at 01:23
  • It looks like [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cookware_and_bakeware#Types_of_cookware_and_bakeware) agrees with you: _Casserole pots (for making casseroles) resemble roasters and Dutch ovens, and many recipes can be used interchangeably between them. Depending on their material, casseroles can be used in ovens or on stovetops. Casseroles are often made of metal, but are popular in glazed ceramic or other vitreous material as well._ – Clockwork Feb 25 '23 at 00:15
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Dutch oven if you are in America. Cocotte if you are in Europe.

Vicente Olivert Riera
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A quick look at Le Creuset's French, English and Canadian websites shows that they list the same item as a Cocotte ovale en fonte émaillée on the French site and as a Cast Iron Oval Casserole on the English site; and a similar-looking item (but only in two sizes for some reason) on their Canadian site as an Oval Dutch Oven.

So a literal answer to your question is "cast iron oval casserole".

Will Crawford
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I suspect that the issue is that there isn’t a typical English name for it. At least, not one that’s universal across English dialects.

First, we have to ask what characteristics you most care about:

The material is enameled cast iron, so holds a lot of heat, and has what looks to be a relatively flat lid.

Some people would say ‘Dutch Oven’, but usually the sides are higher, as they’re used for stewing and larger roasts. If it’s a Dutch Oven, it’s specifically the Le Creuset Short Dutch Oven.

It might be a braiser (for braising) or sauteuse, but braisers usually have more domed lids, and both have a fairly large radius curve at the bottom edge.

I’ve also seen similar items that are slightly shorter sold as an ‘everyday pan’ but there are companies that sell a ‘deep everyday pan’

Joe
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  • I'm looking for a cast iron 'pan' that I can use for roasting and slow cooking. And it should also be possible to prepare whine-based (acidic) sauces in it. I've never owned cast iron cookware, so I'm still trying to figure out what exactly fulfills my need. – Velvel Feb 14 '23 at 16:03
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    @Velvel enameled cast iron can stand up to acids so long as the enamel isn’t cracked. You don’t want seasoned cast iron for that. As for shape/size, it’s mostly an issue of what you’re going to be cooking in it. If you’re not doing deep frying or large pots of stew, a shorter vessel is often easier to get into when you’re cooking on the stovetop. Also remember that iron is heavy, and a large Dutch oven filled with food can get **very** heavy, so make sure it has decent sized handles to grab onto with pot holders. – Joe Feb 14 '23 at 23:32
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Top picture is a Dutch oven. Specifically it looks like a enameled cast iron Dutch oven https://www.google.com/search?q=enamel+dutch+oven&sxsrf=lnms&tbm=isch&sa https://www.amazon.com/s?k=enamel+dustch+oven
https://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/le-creuset-signature-round-wide-dutch-oven/?group=1&sku=2189990&pkey=cdutch-ovens-braisers

Middle picture is a "Casserole dish".

Last picture is a "Roasting Pan with Rack"

Rudy Potter
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