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I love Tramontina cookware. I have their roasting pan, mixing bowls with lids, storage containers, and everything is really high quality and well thought out.

I received my Tramontina along with a replacement handle for the lid. The gifter told me that the plastic one that comes with the dutch oven gives off fumes at high heat in the oven. I don't know, because I've only used the metal one that replaced it, but I figured I'd ask here while there's a Tramontina discussion happening. So, has anyone experienced this?

@louiedog, that's really cool of them. Emma, it's nice to hear you had such a good experience with them. Customer service apparently isn't dead. Yay!

Stupid question - are those dishwasher safe?

I wouldn't put mine in the dishwasher, just like any cast iron. The lip of the pot and lid are both exposed, not enameled. It doesn't really matter though, it cleans easily and quickly and it would take up 2/3 of my dishwasher rack.

This is reassuring to read considering that I just bought a set of stainless pots and pans from Tramontina. I love companies with good customer service.

Still need to get a dutch oven.

Glad to hear of your positive customer service experience! I have a Cuisinart Dutch oven and I hope if it ever chips I have a similar one with them.

I can't live without my dutch oven. I use it everyday. I am on my second one. I picked up a martha stewart version at Macy's for really cheap after my Mario Batali chipped like crazy. We'll see how this one lasts. My next one will be an investment so I will consider the Tramontina. So far tge Martha Stewart is faring well.

I was so happy to see my prized dutch oven on here today! I own this exact same one...I made a special trip to the US to pick it up since I couldn't find it in Canada (I live fairly close to the border), and although I am snobby about quality, I couldn't afford the top-of-the-line (nor do I believe they’re always better anyway!). I probably use it more than any other pot or pan in my kitchen, and besides regular meals it is used every week to make bread and yogurt. I've had mine for almost a year now and no chips, which is good because I doubt I'd be able to return it from Canada. But thanks for letting us know about the good customer service...makes me feel better about supporting the company!

sigh.... I have a chip on the lid of my 7 liter le creuset dutch oven.... I'm presuming it's not covered by a warranty. And that thing was soooo expensive :-(

I still have no idea how it happened...

Is there any reason I should pay four times as much for le creuset?

"sigh.... I have a chip on the lid of my 7 liter le creuset dutch oven.... I'm presuming it's not covered by a warranty. And that thing was soooo expensive :-("

I have some superficial chips on my 7 liter le creuset lid, also. It's because I used to store it upside down on the pot in a hard to access cabinet. It has no bearing on the usefulness of the cookware. Over time it will show wear and chips, without any loss of usefulness.

"Is there any reason I should pay four times as much for le creuset?" Yes, you won't have to buy a second or third pot.

Actually I don't care, except I keep seeing these endless stories across the internet. This one is better, that one is better. Buy the best you can within your budget and get on with it. Please.

Also cookware is not impervious to any kind of treatment in the world. It chips, it wears. Are you using it for cooking or for art?

I thought I'd pass along another good customer service story. I use those glass storage containers with the plastic lid from Anchor Hocking and Pyrex. The lids are supposedly microwave and dishwasher safe, but I had one that got all warped. So I sent AH an email, and they responded the same day with an apology and said to send the serial number (on the lid itself) and they would replace it for free.

I inspected my lid to get the serial number, and saw that it was a Pyrex one, so I didn't have a beef with Anchor Hocking after all, but I was still impressed by their responsiveness.

The Pyrex and Anchor Hocking storage dishes look identical to me, so I'm not sure what difference the branding makes. If you're trying to get away from plastic like I am, I note that Pyrex is now providing glass covers in addition to the plastic ones to avoid plastic condensation drippage (and are oven-safe).

I just had a great experience with Lodge.

My boyfriend made soup for dinner. While eating, he bit into something and said it tasted gritty. When I emptied the pot there was a half dollar sized chip in the enamel.

I emailed Lodge and sent them photos to see if it was under warranty. They asked me a few questions about my care for it, then sent me a shipping label to send it back to them, for free.

Meanwhile, my boyfriend, cooking again, preheated the wrong burner. He turned the gas on high under the already damaged dutch oven and the damage proceeded to get even worse.

I still sent it back to Lodge and without any further explanation of the damage they shipped me a brand new pot to my door step within two weeks.

Not only was the Lodge a fraction of the price of a Le Creuset, but their customer service is fantastic.