I can't recommend Lodge enough. I have a few pieces of Le Creuset that I recieved as gifts from my parents, and a few Lodge, purchased by myself both for myself and gifts and am never disappointed. LC is basically kitchen fashion.

Try discount stores or sites and see if you can get one that way. I got a kitchen aid one for $30 at t.j maxx a year ago. I didn't want to invest in something that I would hate, (such as my crock pot, good thing that was a gift) but I love it. I will probably upgrade to a nicer one when the time comes to get a new one or bigger one.

Also, check out marshall's and home goods for cheaper prices on the alternates (i've even seem some small le creuset ones there)- or check out ebay/craigslist in case people are getting rid of their own ones.

I was also a student when I wanted to get a dutch oven as well. I bought this dutch oven for $40 at IKEA: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/70131724. I've been using it for a couple of years, and it's worked out great!

What about something like this (Lodge LCC3 Logic Pre-Seasoned Combo Cooker)? It's not terribly expensive, you get two pieces of cookware out of it, and it will last forever.

http://www.amazon.com/Lodge-LCC3-Logic-Pre-Seasoned-Cooker/dp/B0009JKG9M/ref=sr_1_8?m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1315503452&sr=1-8

When I started stocking my kitchen in college, I bought a few cast-iron pieces and they've been well worth the investment.

It's worth buying an inexpensive one before you can afford to shell out for the good stuff. I had a $50 Martha Stewart from K Mart enameled dutch oven in Grad School. It chipped after about 5 years, but $10/year is pretty cheap rent (I replaced with Le Creuset, which are still going strong, 10 years later)

I am also a grad student and I just invested in Cat Cora's Cook-and-Serve casserole, which works in the oven or the stove. It comes in several sizes, so you could definitely just purchase the smallest size if you're only cooking for yourself. I'd highly recommend it!

I second Lodge, especially since they're reliable and they've got several types of cast iron cookware options at very affordable prices. You won't need to save as long for them as you might for a Le Creuset.

Check out Lodge's prices and then what they sell for at certain stores. For example, at Target down near Hawthorne in LA, I found a Lodge 12in skillet mistakenly priced at $4! It was crazy, since the original price is $22, but even at $22 for a cast iron item that needs to last almost forever, that's a great price. Amazon may also have a competitive price, too.

I have a dutch oven from Ikea I bought during my college years - it has a bare cast iron interior, and enameled exterior, it looks like the more recent dutch ovens they are selling have enameled interiors as well - and it has performed beautifully for several years. It also cost under $50.

When it comes to bare cast iron, the performance will be in how you season it and care for it. With enameled cooking surfaces, quality can be a concern, but most of the Ikea cookware is generally well-made and designed to take some abuse. Same with Lodge and some of the other, cheaper-than-Le-Creuset options!

I too am a grad student, and have been very happy with my Lodge L Series 4 qt, which I got for $60 on Overstock a couple years ago. Check them out!

I have the Sam's Club Member's Mark 6 quart dutch oven. It was $40 and does a great job.

If you really do want to save up for a Le Creuset, (though I would personally recommend Staub), and not buy a temporary cheaper cast iron, try working with a ceramic casserole dish. Start the recipes on the stove top in a pan and transfer them to the casserole for the oven portion of cooking. If it doesn't have a lid, cover it with foil.

Many people are recommending Lodge cast iron, which are great products for their uses, but keep in mind that you aren't supposed to cook acidic things (like tomato-based sauces) in cast iron.

I would definitely go with the crowd here, and say look for a cheap alternative, I've owned two used ones over the years, one small, and one larger and i love them both, and still haven't given them up for a new one. I just kept an eye on craigslist til i found one i liked. But I have in a pinch used a regular old casserole dish, and some heavy duty foil to act as a lid.

I got my LeCreuset dutch oven at TJMaxx/HomeGoods for $40 about 5 years ago. I can't imagine life without it ;)

Also a grad student! To be fair my dutch oven was a gift, but I could have bought it myself; it's not a Le Creuset but I'm quite happy with it nonetheless. The cheaper alternatives are not bad at all.

Before I got it, though, I adapted a lot of stew- and soup-type recipes to cook in my crockpot, and if you can find them, you can get ceramic Corningware casserole dishes that are safe for the stove, although I don't use mine over high heat.

Not to get too off-tangent, but I cook acids in my well-seasoned (key point) cast-iron if the recipe is shorter on cooking time (another key point), as Lodge recommends (http://www.lodgemfg.com/use-care-help.asp#10). And of course, I put the food into a serving dish immediately, so it doesn't sit in the cast iron. I know the iron can still leach out, but I've never ruined the seasoning!

Another tip for those saving up for Le Creuset: amazon and outlet stores (like the Williams-Sonoma outlet) often carry discontinued sizes, shapes and colours that aren't seconds. You have to do some stalking, but it can be well worth the savings.

I used to have a Le Creuset, and mourned its loss during my cross country move. I have the lid but the pot is AWOL. I, however, received the a Martha Stewart dutch oven as a gift from my mom, who bought it on super sale at Macy's. Very affordable and it seems to work just the same. I love it. It even came with little rests for the lid.

@foodefafa
A lot of people are recommending Lodge because they have a really nice line of enameled cast iron dutch ovens that don't cost even a third of what a La Creuset or Staub does but is 100% as good at being an enameled cast iron dutch oven.

I see a 6qt. Lodge for $50 on Amazon today; a 5.5qt. La Creuset is listed at $200. By my math, that's a 400% markup for a name that sounds fancy and French.
That doesn't fly in my house.

Believe me: there isn't anything "temporary" about the Lodge gear I've got.

I'd buy a Lodge cost iron dutch oven in a medium/smallish size. It will work well and last forever. But I really prefer enamel-coated cast iron to plain cast iron so do save up, or get married someday. It is worth it.

I wouldn't recommend the cheaper Chinese-made enameled cast iron or regular cast iron.. It is notably inferior to the higher quality French and American stuff. The stuff we've had over the years from Cost Plus or Crate and Barrel or wherever hasn't worn well, cracked, discolored, and develops heat spots.

Lodge, Le Creuset, and Apilco are vastly superior.

Here in the Southern hemisphere you can get large and really solid cast iron ovens from camping supply shops. They're pretty cheap.

They're raw, but you can season them the same way you season a cast iron frying pan.

I make my no-knead bread in a smallish one I got for the purpose.

Tuesday Morning typically has Le Creuset for a fraction of retail price. If you have one in your area, I'd check there, too.

Also a graduate student, with two tips.

1) Check to see if there's a Le Creuset factory store near where you live. (link) Various colors are marked down more or less than others, but I got a sweet 3-qt dutch oven for around $100. Prices can go even lower.

2) Check out Cuisinart's line of enameled cast-iron - they are significantly cheaper than Le Creuset and basically identical. I have a 5-qt dutch oven and it's great so far.

@PhilMills I don't view Lodge as temporary, either, (I have some of my own). I only brought up the tomato issue because I was thinking that people were suggesting using the plain cast iron as an enameled dutch oven substitute while the author saves. (It should be noted, however, that Lodge's enameled items are made in China and many people avoid that or think it is indicative of inferior quality.)

Separately from that, I disagreed with those who suggested buying a temporary, cheaper enameled cast iron (whatever the brand) and later replacing it with a 'nicer' version as I find this wasteful.

I'd also like to add that, while you may find a markup for 'a name that sounds fancy and french' silly, (never mind that the markup difference may be largely due to country of manufacturing), it seems as if the author has already put thought into the brand of her choice and has every right to spend her money as she pleases. From the question, I didn't think she was asking for cheaper brand alternatives, but rather for a way to mimic dutch oven cooking with other kitchen tools she might already have on hand while she saves her money to buy what she wants. I didn't think many of the responses addressed this.

You don't REALLY need a Dutch oven. For most dishes, you can simply start the cooking stovetop in a large pot, then just transfer the contents to a casserole or Pyrex dish and bake.

Thanks everyone for your comments!

@foodefafa
Yes, I was really looking for people to suggest alternatives using what I already have, rigging things or what not. Thanks for reading my wordy question so clearly. :)

And to address the issue of the "fancy French" dutch oven... The women in my family all cook in Le Creuset, and I think having one would not only make me feel "part of the group" but also allow me to rely on their knowledge and expertise using the cookware to make sure mine lasts as long as their's have. Plus, I know all of our family recipes adapted to using Le Creuset, and while I am sure the recipe adapts just fine using other brands... I guess it is a matter of personal preference.

You can always use a regular pot or pan to fry and brown necessary items and then transfer it to your crockpot for the slow-cooking (or oven) part of the recipe.

Sorry that's the best advice I can think of without buying something new.

I have my grandmothers dutch oven - I see tons of them at yard sales and flea markets for less than $10. They work just as well.

AllieRose88, in that case it may be helpful to know what you *do* have. Anything in particular that you own and use already?

I received a Cuisinart metal pot as a wedding gift and cannot recommend it enough. I don't know how I lived without it!! We just found it on sale for $21 and bought 8 for Christmas presents. That is how awesome it has been. $21 for this high quality pan that should last you a long time must find a way into your budget! http://www.amazon.com/Cuisinart-Classic-Stainless-2-Quart-Multi-Purpose/dp/B000ND5CAM/ref=wr_it_dp_o?ie=UTF8&coliid=IWWXRWE68XNMU&colid=3NXFM15PX1ALX

I'm also a poor grad student and I waited on a triple-threat sale/30% off coupon/free shipping from Overstock to get my Lodge enameled dutch oven. It's not QUITE as perfect as when I got to use my former roommate's Le Creuset but it does work beautifully so far and it's in nearly-constant rotation between nightly dinners and putting-up (it's an amazing jam pot!)