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The problem with these is that they're only enamelled on the outside - the inside is straight cast iron. I was all set to buy one until I opened the lid.
For anyone who is seriously thinking about a dutch oven purchase, I'd suggest Marshall's or HomeGoods - I got my HUGE one at Marshall's for $30!

My husband purchased an enamel cast iron dutch oven for me from Homegoods as a surprise, which I must admit was a fantastic present. The only problem: the handle is plastic!

I made a provencal style beef braise so I unscrewed the lid from the actual pot (it was held in place by an ordinary screw) but it was a pain to get the rocket hot lid on and off to check on the meat. Any suggestions for making a plastic handle oven safe or a replacement? Other than this minor snafu, it really works wonderfully, especially since I've grown to hate our slow cooker.

Just curious, Loki, why do you hate your slow cooker? I rec'd one as a Christmas present and haven't really used it beyond keeping chili hot.

Loki, you can replace the plastic handle with a stainless steel drawer pull from a hardware store. See the threads on no-knead bread for other suggestions.

I have the fondue pot in this line from IKEA, but I haven't used it yet. It was an impulse purchase, and it turns out that my boyfriend is not a huge fan of fondue...I'm thinking a chocolate one is in order sometime soon though...

I considered getting the skillet, but it struck me as expensive. What sort of price point is "right" for such a thing?

Loki--

I have a Lodge Color that also comes standard with a plastic knob. I ended up ordering a Le Creuset stainless steel knob for it. It works perfectly. A drawer pull could also work, but I managed to convince myself that there might be some sort of not-safe-for-high-temperature resin coating those knobs to keep them shiny. No, I have no proof. No, I don't think I was being particularly reasonable in this conjecture, but meh, that's how I work sometimes.

I have the smaller one of the IKEA pots. I quite like it. It's just the right size for cooking for two, and I love the color.

mahlookma: where did you order the Le Creuset knob?

The inexpensive 6.5-qt ChefMate that Cooks Illustrated praised is back in stock at Target for $60, and Walmart has an identical (though green) one under the Tramontina brand for $40. Walmart's our of stock online--mere hours before I caved and decided to order, grr--but there are still some in stores; you can search on their site.

Both these are enameled on the inside and less expensive than the Senior. I'm not sure that Ikea is such a deal if you're just going for the no-knead bread or a single dutch oven.

sarahbest, Le Creuset knobs can be ordered from wherever you purchased your Le Creuset product from. Those who are looking for a replacement knob should do the same...occasionally the store has a couple of extra knobs on hand and may just give it to you if you're a regular customer.

The Ikea Senior pots *are* enameled on the inside -- just in black, so it looks like they aren't. The instructions that come with the pot explain how to season the enamel inside.

I've been very happy with my medium sized one, used it for the famous (infamous?) no-knead bread and it worked great.

i almost bought one the other day but was held back by the color. i have a red thing going on so i hope they introduce more colors!

Some plastic handles are made of a particular material designed to handle (hah!) oven temps up to a certain point, usually in the 400s. my guess is that is what yours was, although if the packaging didn't specifically say it, i wouldn't risk it...

I agree - I bought a Calphalon one at their outlet store for $49 -- the 5 quart, with metal handle, and spikes on the inside - I think I have used it every night since I bought it!!