The Lodge Cast Iron 5-Quart Dutch Oven is a multi-functional cookware that works wonders with slow-cooking recipes and all your favorite foods. The Dutch Oven holds a heap of chili, chicken and rice, or fruit cobbler. This model features a flat-bottom and sits on the stovetop burner or coven, with a domed lid that sends moisture back into the pot. Loop handles aid in carrying with oven mitts. Cast-iron retains heat well so you can sear meat at higher temperatures and will keep your delicious meals warm for a long time. Whether used in a kitchen or camp, theses virtually indestructible cookware should last for generations. Made of cast iron, this Dutch oven evenly distributes heat from the bottom through the sidewalls. Sporting a stylish black color, the cast iron Dutch oven looks good in most kitchens and it doubles up as an excellent source of nutritional iron. This pre-seasoned Dutch oven is ready-to-use right out of the box. While the cookware comes pre-seasoned to prevent food from sticking, it works best when sprayed or lightly coated with vegetable oil before use. The Lodge seasoning procedure is a multiple-step process in which the seasoning oil is applied via an electrostatic spray system that coats the cookware, then it’s baked in commercial ovens at very high temperatures. This allows the oil to penetrate deeply into the pores of the iron. This seasoning process achieves a seasoned finish that would take many months of home use to achieve. Sometimes during this process, the seasoning oil can collect and create a bubble or slight drip at the bottom of the pan as it’s hanging through the production process. And that in turn can turn brown as it’s processed through the seasoning ovens. This brown spot is not rust but in fact, carbonized seasoning and will darken with use. The factory seasoning process makes Lodge cast iron products ready to use right out of the box, and the product over time “Just keeps getting better”. After cooking, clean with a stiff nylon brush and hot water. Using soap is not recommended, and harsh detergents should never be used. Towel dry immediately and apply a light coating of oil to utensil while it is still warm. Cast Iron, like your grandmother used, still ranks as one of the best cooking utensils ever made. It gives you a nearly non-stick surface, without the possible harmful fumes generated by preheating chemically treated nonstick cookware. The American-based company, Lodge, has been fine-tuning its construction of rugged, cast-iron cookware for more than a century. Measures 12.563”L x 10.375”W x 4.563”H (without lid) and 12.563”L x 10.438”W x 6”H (with lid).