Staub’s Enameled Cast Iron Cookware Is as Beautiful as It Is Useful
Staub enamel cast iron cookware, time-tested and timeless.
Enameled cast iron is the cooking vessel of choice for many French culinary classics, from coq au vin to beef bourguignon (not to mention modern faves like white bean stew and heart-healthy braised chard). It’s no surprise, then, that France is home to the best of enameled cast iron cookware.
Staub enameled cast iron cocottes have been produced in rural French Alsace for over 50 years. These have been the pots of choice for everyone from famed French chef Paul Bocuse (who contributed to their very conception!) to our very own editor-in-chief Laura Klein.
When it comes to clean, non-toxic cookware, enameled cast iron is the king. Naturally nonstick and made to last a lifetime, these trusty Dutch ovens and cocottes are an essential for any home chef.
TL;DR: The Benefits of Staub Cast Iron
- Generations of cooks have chosen Staub enameled cast iron not just for its aesthetic appeal, but because it’s built for real, everyday cooking
- Staub cocottes feature a thick cast iron base that offers superb heat retention to deliver the perfect sear (and hides wear like a champ)
- These time-tested pots are made by skilled French artisans with durable, naturally non-toxic glass enamel coatings — no need to rely on chemical nonstick
- While these pieces are a bit more of an investment, they’ll quickly earn a place in your daily rotation, and they’re designed to last decades (plus, they come with a lifetime guarantee to back the “buy once” mindset)
Table of Contents
- TL;DR: The Benefits of Staub Cast Iron
- Why “Nice” Cookware So Often Disappoints
- Why Choose Staub’s Cast Iron?
- Crafted for Generations by French Artisans
- Our Instagram Live Interview with Staub
- Enameled Cast Iron Products by Staub
- The Upsides and Trade-offs of Staub Cookware
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Staub: Built for Real Cooking, Not Occasional Use
Why “Nice” Cookware So Often Disappoints
Have you ever opted for a “premium” cookware brand, expecting it to be reliable and easy to use — only to end up sorely disappointed? The shiny enamel, heavy weight, and sticker-shock-worthy investment might feel reassuring at first, but problems inevitably start to crop up after regular use (hello chipped enamel, ugh).
In many cases, cookware advertised as premium is actually designed to prioritize aesthetics over durability or daily use. Their light-colored interiors stain at the drop of a hat, and their poor heat retention means you end up steaming your ingredients rather than browning them. Without effective heat retention, you can say goodbye to flavor development — especially for proteins.
To top it all off, their smooth lids often allow moisture to escape, leading to sticking or burning. Their handles may be pretty, but they feel awkward and might even overheat with use. And when it finally comes time to wash these pots, extra scrubbing increases wear and tear. Putting some extra oomph into your dishwashing to remove that chicken residue could cause your cookware’s coating to deteriorate, making you feel like you’ve ruined your pricey pot in a matter of months. Here’s why you should go for Staub cookware instead.
How Poor Performance Ruins the Cooking Experience
Imagine trying to cook while constantly adjusting a loose stove knob. Each fix is minor, but they build up over time, turning what should feel like a relaxing, restorative experience into a nightmare. Poor cookware creates that same constant friction. Instead of becoming a go-to tool, your high-maintenance pan turns into a “special occasion” item that rarely leaves the cabinet, forgotten behind easier-to-use pieces.
For example: You know when you’re making a stew and, after carefully bringing the oil up to temp, you add your meat — only to find the temperature drops and your lovingly sourced, grass-fed beef goes grey instead of brown? How about when you’re prepping a luxurious Indian curry, only to find that it’s left your pan permanently stained turmeric yellow?
Here’s the thing: none of this will happen with a Staub cocotte. These pieces naturally solve many of the frustrating hiccoughs that crop up when you’re preparing your favorite dishes at home. You’ll be pleased to find that properly made cast iron is genuinely designed for everyday use — especially when you choose a brand made to last like Staub.
Why Choose Staub’s Cast Iron?
Cast iron is beloved for many reasons — but if we had to pick just one, it would be its outstanding heat retention. Cast iron naturally retains and evenly distributes heat across the cooking surface. Translation: no hot spots, and minimal temperature fluctuation for easy frying, searing, and braising that delivers perfect results, every time.
“When it comes to enamel cast iron, nobody does it like the French.”
Joanna Rosenberg, Staub Chief Marketing Officer
But even in this already high-performance category, this Staub enameled cast iron cocotte stands out. It boasts a unique black matte glass enamel coating studded with quartz particles. The resulting surface doesn’t just promote exceptional browning; it also resists wear and tear from metal utensils. This means your pot will look just as good in ten years as it does today — if not better, thanks to all those years of seasoning. It also means that Staub can withstand more acidic dishes that regular cast iron might not handle as well, like tomato-based sauces.
The Staub cast iron pot itself isn’t the only part of this cocotte with some unique details. Look under the lid and you’ll find a forest of tiny spikes, which act like stalactites during braising. Each self-basting spike becomes a conduit for condensation to continually drop back down into your braise, returning moisture during long cooks for tender, flavorsome outcomes.
Crafted for Generations by French Artisans
To create these cocottes in the rural French village of Merville (fun fact: this name is fittingly similar to merveille, meaning ‘marvel’ in French — which these pieces truly are), the company relies heavily on the expertise of local artisans. These artisans have perfected the creation of Staub’s cocottes over time, explains Chief Marketing Officer Joanna Rosenberg, who notes that casting iron is a “very specific skill.” This is particularly true when it comes to pieces that will later be coated with enamel, as the enamel surface needs to be perfectly smooth.
“I have other cast iron enamel coated pieces that are finished with a light colored enamel, and over time you can see the wear and tear. With the Staub black matte finish you just don’t see it.”
Laura Klein, Editor-in-Chief of Organic Authority
“When it comes to enamel cast iron,” she says, “nobody does it like the French.” Each Staub cookware piece takes a week to make, with somewhere between 10 and 20 people working on it at various points in its journey. The outside of each piece is coated in three layers of glass enamel, which results in rich, intense colors on the finished product. After over 100 different quality inspections from beginning to end, the cocotte is ready to find a home in your kitchen.
A Company Led by Its Values
Staub remains true to tradition, and this, Rosenberg explains, means that sustainability and worker rights are naturally built into the company philosophy and core values.
“They come at it from a very different approach to what I think of as green marketing, American style,” she says. “These are communities where generations of people have worked at the factories and lived right nearby, within ten miles. And so for them, for a very long time, the factory is part of their community, and whatever output there is from the factory, it’s the water that they drink and their parents drink and their children drink; it’s the air that they breathe; it’s noise that they hear.”
“Think of the resources that go into everything that you have to replace every two years, versus buying something that you’ll have forever, that you can hand down to somebody else.”
Joanna Rosenberg, Staub CMO
Staub pays special attention to water usage and to the reduction of waste and scrap, reusing and recycling anything that doesn’t meet the company’s high quality standards. And while the company has always done its own work to improve its environmental footprint, Staub also began working with an outside consultancy several years ago to independently measure its inputs, outputs, and impacts. This is just one of the many strides Staub continues to take towards ever improved sustainability.
But perhaps both the simplest and most impactful eco-conscious element of Staub’s cookware is its lifetime guarantee. “Think of the resources that go into everything that you have to replace every two years,” says Rosenberg, “versus buying something that you’ll have forever, that you can hand down to somebody else.” During the many years you’ll use your Staub piece, you can pat yourself on the back for your sustainable contributions — while simply reaping the benefits of long-lasting cookware.
Our Instagram Live Interview with Staub
OA’s Editor-in-Chief Laura Klein sat down with Rosenberg to chat history, pronunciation, cooking tips and tricks, and more. Check out their interview below.
Staub Cocotte Review
Klein is a trained chef and our resident cookware expert here at OA. She took the Staub 5.75-quart cocotte for a spin at home and quickly fell in love. “I love the artisan handmade quality of Staub cooking vessels,” she says. “I have several Staub pieces, and each one feels incredibly special and thoughtfully made.”
She’s an especially huge fan of the black matte enamel coating, which achieves a better sear and is gorgeous to boot. “I have other cast iron enamel coated pieces that are finished with a light colored enamel, and over time you can see the wear and tear,” she says. “With the Staub black matte finish you just don’t see it.”
And it’s not just the coating that’s beautiful when it comes to these time-tested cookware pieces. “When I look at my cocotte,” says Klein, “I look at it not just as a cooking vessel, but as a piece of art I can leave out on my stovetop. You don’t get this type of passion and artistic work with most cookware brands.”
Plus, its beauty offers a practical win, too — it can go straight from the stovetop to the table for a gorgeous, rustic service of your favorite bourguignon recipe. Klein also uses Staub’s oven and au gratin dishes to serve up sizzling oven-baked sides, and the mini cocottes are perfect for dishing out soup at parties.
“They have a real wow factor for guests and are an immediate conversation starter,” she says. “You can serve anything in these gorgeous dishes and people will eat it up!”
Enameled Cast Iron Products by Staub
The 4-piece Stackable Set
Many cast iron sets are far too bulky for the majority of home kitchens — that’s where Staub’s 4-pc Stackable Set comes in. This set is designed for people who want full Staub performance without having to sacrifice kitchen space.
This set features a cocotte, braiser, grill pan, and universal lid that fits each piece. We love that they’re as innovative as they are functional. They’re designed with distinctive sloped sides for nesting and attachable rubberized bumpers that protect the interiors from scratching. The resulting set is a flexible, everyday cooking system that you’ll rely on for years.
Specs:
- 1 universal lid that fits each piece of cookware
- 5.25-quart cocotte
- 3.5-quart braiser
- 10-in grill pan
Price: $599.99
12-inch Perfect Pan
Staub’s 12-inch Perfect Pan is built for cooks who want one pan that handles (almost) everything. It combines the depth of a sauté pan with the surface area of a skillet, and its tall, gently sloped sides help contain splatter and make stirring easier.
This Staub pan is great for nearly any recipe, but it’s particularly wow-worthy when you’re searing steaks, chicken thighs, or thick-cut veggies like eggplant for parmigiana. And it’s downright dreamy for shallow frying with steady, controlled heat that keeps your food from getting grease-logged. We also rely on it for one-pan meals like sautéed greens with beans, mushrooms, or grains, and we love it for oven-finishing dishes like chicken thighs seared on the stovetop and baked until tender and juicy within.
Specs:
- 4.5-quart capacity
- 8.95 lbs
- Includes tight-fitting glass lid and stainless steel cooling rack
Price: $349.99
Double Handle Fry Pan
When you’re looking to shallow fry, nothing is better than Staub’s 13-inch cast iron fry pan. Durable and seriously solid thanks to its double handles, this pan also transitions perfectly from stovetop to oven, perfect for finishing grass-fed filet mignon to a perfect medium-rare pink or baking stuffed mushrooms for the ideal crispy top.
Specs:
- 4.5-quart capacity
- 8.77 lbs
- Also comes in a 15.75-inch size
Price: $299.99
Traditional Deep Skillet
For cooks who want classic skillet performance with more versatility, Staub’s 11-inch Traditional Deep Skillet bridges the gap. Think of this pan as a cross between a Staub enameled cast iron fry pan and a shallow braiser. It feels familiar, sturdy, and dependable from the first use, and the deeper walls make it more forgiving for everyday cooking.
Thanks to its durability and heat retention, cast iron also performs well outside the home kitchen. For example, many adventurous cooks rely on pieces like these when choosing durable cookware for camping and outdoor cooking.
Specs:
- 3-quart capacity
- 6.39 lbs
Price: Save 38% ($289.99), $179.99 at time of publish
Square Grill Pan
If you want those hot-off-the-grill char marks without having to venture outdoors, Staub’s 12-inch Square Grill Pan is the perfect compromise. In essence, this is another Staub enameled cast iron fry pan — but with a few key differences. The square shape gives it more usable surface area than a round grill pan, and the heat conduction and retention abilities of cast iron make it ideal for high-heat cooking (featuring real char marks).
Specs:
- 3-quart capacity
- 9.57 lbs
Price: $259.99
Round Gratin Baking Dish
Staub’s 7.5-inch Round Gratin Baking Dish is the ideal shallow vessel for dishes that are just begging to be topped with cheese, breadcrumbs, or both before a trip through the oven. Think potato gratin, creamed spinach or greens, mac and cheese, or even cornbread with the perfect ratio of crust to crumb.
Specs:
- 0.25-quart capacity
- 1.19 lbs
- Also comes in 4.5-inch and 6-inch sizes
Price: $124.99
Oval Coq au Vin Cocotte
Staub’s 5.75-quart cast iron cocotte (shown here in dark blue) is ideal for braises to feed a crowd — or just enough for delicious leftovers. Coq au vin is a clear classic, but you don’t need to stop with this delectable French peasant dish. This cocotte is also perfect for braised Roman-style stuffed artichokes, slow-cooked short ribs, mushroom or grass-fed beef bourguignon, or a rich veggie chili.
Specs:
- 5.75-quart capacity
- 13.67 lbs
Price: $439.99
Round Cocotte
Staub’s 4-quart round cocotte (shown here in eucalyptus) is our favorite vessel for making no-knead bread. Preheating it in the oven will give you the same performance as a professional convection oven, with phenomenal temperature control and excellent moisture retention due to the innovative lid structure.
Specs:
- 4-quart capacity
- 10.46 lbs
Price: $379.99
The Upsides and Trade-offs of Staub Cookware
Investing in some cast iron Staub pieces is likely to change the way you cook — for the better. After all, Staub’s biggest upsides show up not in chef-level techniques or special occasion recipes but in subtle upgrades to your everyday recipes. The beauty of Staub pieces is that they behave the same way every time you use them, releasing seared meats, keeping braises moist, and cleaning with ease every time. This consistency supports confident cooking and even invites you to take risks with slightly more involved recipes you might not have attempted before.
Of course, as with anything, there are still some cons to consider. Staub’s heavy weight can feel bulky, especially as you first get used to it (we like to think of it as an extra boost for arm day). And while the stellar heat retention is great for performance, it does mean it takes some time for the pan to cool down enough after use to clean and put away. Plus, this cookware isn’t cheap — and while we strongly believe its durability makes it a better deal in the long run, it does require a higher upfront investment.
If you do choose to take the plunge, a bit of special care will help ensure your pieces are around for years to come. Staub’s durable, non-toxic black matte enamel coating is built to last no matter what you throw at it, but the right non-toxic cooking utensils will help extend the life of any cookware.
| Pros | Cons | ||||||
| Excellent heat retention keeps temperatures steady | Heavy weight can feel bulky, especially for smaller cooks or quick meals | ||||||
| Black matte enamel interior improves searing and hides stains over time | Higher upfront cost compared to mass-market cookware | ||||||
| Naturally non-toxic material with no chemical coatings | |||||||
| Beautiful enough to go from stove to table as a serving dish | |||||||
| Lifetime guarantee adds long-term value |
Frequently Asked Questions
This question is so subjective that we’re going to have to take a very middling stance: it depends on how you cook and what you want out of your pricey pots and pans. Le Creuset is popular for its bright colorways and lighter enamel-coated interior, which gives you an easy visual cue when fond is going from caramelized to burnt.
Many experienced cooks, meanwhile, lean toward Staub for everyday, high-heat use thanks to its black matte interior, which improves browning and hides stains over time. Plus, the self-basting lid is perfect to keep moisture in your dishes rather than on the stovetop.
Ultimately, while both brands have their benefits, Staub tends to feel more forgiving for real-world cooking, not just presentation. For more details, check out our breakdown of how to choose between a Staub cast iron Dutch oven vs. a Le Creuset Dutch oven.
Yes! In a world where we’re all working hard to eradicate potentially toxic materials from our kitchen, Staub is an excellent choice. It’s made from cast iron coated in glass enamel. That means there are no synthetics — and no PFAS chemicals like PTFE, PFOA, Gen X, or similar chemicals associated with traditional nonstick pans.
Staub’s surface is designed for long-term, high-heat cooking without surface breakdown. The enamel creates a stable cooking surface suitable for acidic foods, which means it’s safe for long simmers, high heat, and repeated daily use. Long story short — yes, Staub’s enameled cast iron is non-toxic. If you have any specific concerns, however, we recommend consulting your primary care physician for personalized advice.
The cost of Staub cookware isn’t just a question of branding — it reflects how the cookware is made. The cookware’s exterior boasts three layers of glass enamel for durability and color depth. Each piece is crafted in France by skilled local artisans, involves between 10 and 20 people, and takes about a week to make from start to finish. The pieces undergo more than 100 inspections before leaving the factory to ensure they meet the brand’s high expectations for quality and consistency.
Staub pieces are built for decades of use, not rapid replacement cycles. Much of the value shows up slowly, through consistency and longevity. While this might translate to a bigger upfront investment, over time, this reduces long-term replacement costs. And they’re backed by a lifetime guarantee, which may help reduce some of that sticker shock.
Every piece of cookware has its benefits and downsides, and the strengths of enameled cast iron contribute to a few trade-offs. Luckily, most of these are related to physical inconveniences rather than performance-based issues.
For example, the heavy cast iron construction that delivers Staub’s durability and exceptional heat retention also means it’s heavier, and thus tougher to maneuver than stainless steel or aluminum. Similarly, the heat retention capabilities that help these pieces achieve the perfect sear also mean it takes a bit longer for these pans to cool down before you can wash them. Some beginner cooks may also find enameled cast iron less forgiving — since it’s not as slick as chemical nonstick, proper preheating is essential to keep things moving.
Perhaps the biggest downside is the cost. These artisan-crafted pieces are never going to be able to compete with mass-market alternatives when it comes to sticker price — but the one-time investment is well worth the longevity you’ll get.
When professional chefs choose cookware, they’re looking for one thing: consistency. A high-pressure professional kitchen demands predictability, and Staub’s time-tested construction has earned their trust.
This isn’t a coincidence: Staub cookware supports quality culinary technique. Stable heat retention paves the way for reliable searing and controlled braising, and the black matte enamel helps develop fond without fear of staining. The spiked lid design maintains moisture during long braises, and the non-reactive surface works well with acidic ingredients like wine and tomatoes, which are common in professional kitchens. Plus, the durable surface tolerates frequent use and metal utensils better than many alternatives.
Staub: Built for Real Cooking, Not Occasional Use
There’s a reason Staub cookware is a timeless classic, and it’s not just because it’s made in France. Staub enameled cast iron has cemented its reputation over the years as durable, functional, and gorgeous, and the longevity of these pots and pans means they’ll only continue to build that reputation in the years to come. If you’re a home chef (or a professional!) who cares about sustainability and genuinely improving your cooking with the tools you use, you can’t go wrong with Staub.
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