LE CREUSET Enameled Cast Iron 4-1/4 Quart Soup Pot Blue

If you only buy one "good" pot, buy this one.
This pot is wide enough to roast a four pound chicken, deep enough to make a standard casserole recipe, and heavy enough to make perfect rice for five people. The rounded bottom is just right for sweating onions and peppers. The tapered sides reduce soup and sauces quickly. The enamel coating soaks clean without scrubbing - even baked on pan juices. I've even served salad in it.

Like other Le Creuset pots, this can't be used for deep fat frying (very high temperatures will trash the enamel). So you'll have to settle for it doing everything else.

Great for under $... may be big enough for you
I started with the 2-5/8 quart soup pot before this size was available, and it is just too small even when making soup for two. It is now relegated to sauce duty, something for which the design is not particularly well-suited. What this design is wonderfully suited for is establishing "stirring" currents in the liquid as you cook. (Obviously, it doesn't work with chili or a heavy cream-type soup.)

If you're cooking for anything less then 8 people this size should suffice. As with all LeCreuset the quality is top of the line. If you are hoping to make soup for the extended family then you'll have to up to the the 7+ quart version. A friend of mine got it for a very reasonable price, also here at Amazon. However, be warned that it is much larger and much heavier than this model. (We refer to it as the "Herniator")

Poor Quality Inspection by Le Creuset
I've ordered and returned the Le Creuset 4 1/2 Qt. Soup Pot with Cover, Blue twice. Both pieces had flaws in the finish. The first piece had numerous pits in the finish and the second piece had red speckles on the lid as well as several pits in the finish too.
There is definitely a problem with the finishing process at the Le Creuset factory! Must be a lack of final / quality inspection by Le Creuset.
When I bought the second piece I also received the Le Creuset Poterie 16-Ounce Covered Soup Bowls, Set of 2, Blue. They also had a problem with their finish.
I'm starting to believe that the units sent to Amazon by Le Creuset must be factory seconds. The type of product you would normally find at TJ Max, Home Goods, Marshall's, etc.
All I can say is, "Buyer beware of the poor quality of this product! At least in Blue!"

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