Pros: Cleans easily; dishwasher-safe; lighter than more traditional materials; safe for ovens, microwaves, stovetops, freezer, fridge, etc.
Cons: None, although I’d suggest buying a larger size (larger sizes are available)
Rating: 5 out of 5
First published 12/8/2005
Review item courtesy of Emile Henry and Jardina Communications
The Emile Henry Flame Top stew pot is a bit unusual. It’s made of a ceramic material that’s lighter than most such dishes, yet is still thick and heavy enough to retain heat as good-quality cookware should. What makes it truly different, however, is its versatility. You can use it in the oven–okay, not so unusual. You can also use it on the stovetop–any kind of stovetop–not bad. But you can even use it in the microwave, and that’s where things start to get surprising.
The Flame Top’s material is, in a nutshell, extremely tolerant of temperature fluctuations. Oven? No problem. Gas, halogen, or electric stove? Sure. Microwave, refrigerator, freezer–yes, freezer–you betcha! One thing that has confused me a little is that the promotional material states that the pot can be heated dry without damage, while the “manual” has the usual warning about never heating a dry pot. I’m guessing this disparity is due to the fact that the Flame Top will handle dry-heating with greater aplomb than most pots due to that temperature tolerance, but that like any pot it has its limits and is capable of being damaged–thus, although it’s likely to hold up better than other pots if you accidentally heat it dry for a while, you should probably try to avoid doing so just as you would with any other cookware.
One of the primary things about this cookware that pleases me is its microwavability. It’s tough to find good-quality microwavable cookware. Of course we do most of our cooking on the stove and in the oven so it isn’t a problem often, but now and then the lack of decent microwavable cookware does drive me mildly insane. This pot fills a great little niche there.
I would probably recommend buying a slightly larger size than the 1.9 qt pot I reviewed; you can’t fit a huge amount inside this thing. However, it does fit well in a small microwave oven and certainly works for many purposes.
The smooth surface of this pot comes clean easily in the dishwasher, and so far it has stood up to use quite well. The fact that it’s lighter than more traditional good-quality cookware is good for my hands, although I should stress that it’s lightER, not light.
If you’re looking for good-quality cookware that can be used anywhere at all in your kitchen, this is the ultimate solution. If you just don’t need that kind of versatility, then the Flame Top does still have some advantages over other cookware (not all cookware is dishwasher safe; some is heavier), but the differences aren’t quite as striking.
stew pot is very beneficial in the kitchen. i used to make a mix soup in this bowl. I just cut everything up and cooked it. with little salt, sugar and peppers, my soup is so delicious. you can try to have mushroom and sausage soup. and trust me, this stew pot is very helpful especially for a single person like me.
Hi – I have had a few Emile Henry flameware dutch ovens. They cook beautifully, clean easily…and they crack! Apparently, the warranty period used to be three years and now it is ten – but be forewarned: If Emile Henry replaces an item (such as mine that spontaneously cracked) – they will state that the replacement they send is “final replacement”. That, in my opinion, is not a “ten year warranty”! It’s an “if we make a defective product, we will replace it once and if that one is defective, you are out of luck” warranty! Considering that I have had several Emile Henry Flameware issues (once I had a pot of soup simmering on a low flame on the stove – after about a half hour, I heard loud sputtering noises and couldn’t figure out what it was since nothing was boiling over! I lifted the pot off of the flame and that’s when I saw liquid pouring out of the bottom!!! There was a crack across the middle of the pot! – so that item got replaced and within a few months, the lid on the new pot cracked across one side!) and Emile Henry decides that if they have to replace an item, it is “final replacement”, that is not a ten year warranty! My Staub has been great – no problems ever!!! For a bit more money, I’d stick with Staub or LeCreuset from now on…they may be a bit heavier to lift, but they won’t crack, that is for certain!!!!! As much as I like them, I will not purchase another Emile Henry item – it’s too expensive to have to keep replacing them; ten years is not that long of a warranty and they cancel the warranty if you have a defective item replaced!