What is a Braiser

Three Braisers: Le Creuset, Lodge, and All-Clad Braising Pans. In short, braisers are more shallow and have wider bases than Dutch ovens. They also have tight-fitting lids, and should go to from stovetop to oven back to stovetop just fine.

I have a few enameled cast-iron pieces in my collection, but few pots get more use than my braiser. I adore it. In fact, I like this pan so much that I've written an e-book about it.

What Is a Braiser? 

The fabulous Le Creuset Braiser. Quite possibly, the most often-used pot in my kitchen — in winter, anyway.

A braiser is a wide, shallow pan with a tight-fitting lid. Here's why they're great:

• Wide bases allow meat maximum contact with the heat source, making it easier to get it all nicely browned before it simmers.

• Because braising requires less liquid than stewing, the sides of these pans are shallower that those of a Dutch oven. The liquid spreads out for a true braise (cooking with moist steam heat) rather than a stew (simmering covered in liquids).

This is not a braiser. It's a Dutch Oven or a French Oven (known as a cocotte, in France).

Confusingly, some companies that sell braisers call the something else. Lodge, for instance, offers a 3-quart cast-iron "casserole" that's perfect for braising (in fact, I'd call it a braiser). It's also about one-third the price of the Le Creuset braiser, by the way.

I can wholly vouch for the Le Creuset braisers—I've owned both the 3 1/2-quart and the 5-quart braisers for a few years now, and they wear like iron (because they are iron!). But I would also say that the Lodge "casserole" is definitely worth a look if you don't feel spending enough for the Le Creuset.

What size of braiser should you buy? I’ll tell you!

P.S.: You can find great recipes in my e-book The Braiser Cookbook: 22 irresistible recipes created just for your braiser-great for Le Creuset, Lodge, All-Clad, Staub, Tromantina, and all other braiser pans.