I bought my first piece of enameled cast iron cookware in the spring of 2007. It was from TJ Maxx and cost all of $40 (which felt like a fortune on my grad student budget). It was lime green, held about five quarts, and I thought it was the nicest thing in my kitchen. Heartbreakingly, the enamel began to chip and crack after only dozen uses.
Since then, I’ve had a number of pieces of enameled cast iron from a number of different makers, but continue to search for the unicorn of this category. A piece that is affordable enough that I can recommend it to someone on a grad school budget, that doesn’t chip easily, holds enough to feed a crowd, and is great for cooking down jams, fruit butters, and sauces.
Friends, I think I’ve finally found the mythical creature of enameled cast iron cookware and it’s known as Anolon’s Vesta Cast Iron 7 Quart Casserole. The outside is an elegant coffee color and the interior sports a matte black enamel interior. The underside of the lid is studded with raised nubs that are designed to channel flavorful liquid back into the food as it cooks. It conducts heat evenly, cleans up beautifully, and is far more affordable than other enameled cast iron pots of comparable size.
Now, if this pot looks familiar, that’s because I featured the braiser from this line a couple of years back. And while I still regularly employ that braiser, this seven quart casserole is the pot that’s taken up permanent residence on my stove top. I’ve used it for at least eight batches of jam, chutney, and compotes, as well as several rounds of soup and pasta sauce. It’s a work horse and I couldn’t be more pleased with it.
If you watched my livestream earlier tonight, you saw me scooping chutney out of this very pot! And happily, this week the folks at Anolon are letting me give away one of these highly useful, totally durable, and perfectly elegant casseroles away to a lucky blog reader! Use the widget below to enter!
For more information about Anolon and their cookware, follow them on social media. Here’s where you can find them.
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Disclosure: Anolon is provided both the casserole you see here and the one I’m giving away at no cost to me. All opinions expresses are entirely my own.
I would probably coq au vin.
The first thing I’d make in that wonderful pot is tomato sauce using tomatoes from my garden.
Tomato sauce
My first thought on seeing this post is that this pot would be brilliant or refried beans!
Hmmm, endless possibilities, Probably potato soup (which usually has broccoli, or cabbage and polish sausage or bacon or ham).
I have some currants in the fridge that need preserving.
This would be a wonderful pot to cook up a batch of peach jam.
The first thing I’d cook in that pot would be a slowly simmered pot of bolognese sauce. Mmmm.
I have been seeing some really good deals on cherries, so probably a batch of cherry chutney.
Seafood jambalaya would be the first thing I would make.
Would definitely use it for cooking up some of your always tasty recipes! First up would be something in Peach 🙂
I think it’d be a toss up between jam and soup!
I have been in the mood for some chili.
Well I want to say blackberry jam but with a baby due any day now I’m guessing it’s much more likely to be a breakfast casserole or baked creamed eggs.
There are so many possibilities with this pot – probably applesauce and then a slow cooked pork roast. The list is endless!
Jam. The summer is not over.
I need to make tomato jam. Also, that thing screams to have a roast braised in it.
I would make some pasta sauce, or maybe applesauce… a sauce of some kind, definitely.
I have long wanted a cast iron dutch oven type thing. If I win (hope I do) I would make a big batch of taco filling to have a few meals to help get my family through September as I’m a high school teacher. Thanks for hosting this very generous give-a-way
I have long wanted a cast iron dutch oven type thing. If I win (hope I do) I would make a big batch of tomato pasta sauce to freeze as I’m a high school teacher and need to fill up my freezer with meals to get my family through September!
I just love, love me some cast iron. What a nice shape!
I’d cook a vegetable & chicken saute in this bad boy pot!
What a generous giveaway-thanks!
I would use it to make jam ♡
Since it is August, I would most likely make a batch of spaghetti sauce with fresh tomatoes with this beautiful Anolon Vesta Casserole vessel. 🙂
The first thing I would cook in my Anolon Vesta Casserole is probably a nice cabbage soup.
Peach sauce! Or some other peachy preserve as peaches are in full season.
The first thing I would cook would be some spaggetti sauce. Then I would make some sort of fruit sauce.
I would cook a big pot of chili for the coming cooler weather.
The first thing I would cook would be baked beans!
Soup. Not corn chowder maybe. Or a chicken stem or maybe a pot of sauce with meatballs. Thanks for the giveaway!
Peach jam!
I’d make my favorite sweet potato & andouille soup!
Peaches, peaches, peaches
I have lots of jam to make. Past that…what a great bean pot this would be amongst so many other things.
Mhmmm probably some beach plum jam from NJ beach plums.
It’s the beginnning of peach season in Philly, I’d have to make a peach jam. Or possibly pickled peaches?
I would cook a big pot of soup!
I would make a pot of braised greens from the garden the first time I used this cookware.
More jam!!
I’ve got figs sitting on my counter ready to get made into jam! Love the look of this pot.
It’s August, so a BIG batch of peach preserves!
Mixed fruit preserves!
Either a braised pork shoulder or apple butter. Both would definitely happen in quick succession!
Braised beef shanks or short ribs.
Probably a batch of blueberry jam from the berries I’m going to pick tomorrow!
I would probably make a pot roast – we have some fabulous beef from our own steer.
I think I’d make a batch of zucchini butter to freeze. I’ve got three big ones waiting to turn into it one of these nights! We use it over pasta with bacon and dried tomatoes with shavings of parm on top. So good!
It’s something I would use a lot.
First thing I would cook this time of year most likely would be a jam or something like that. Looks beautiful!
The first thing I would cook in my Anolon Vesta Casserole dish is corn chowder.
Something involving eggplant, because our eggplant bushes are overflowing these days!
Most likely an Indian chicken dish (at least that is what I’m hungry for at the moment 🙂 )
Great looking casserole!! Fingers crossed 🙂
Tis the season for tomato sauce here. So many tomatoes and a nice large pot would be perfect.
The first thing I would make is jam. I’ve been wanting an enamel cast iron pot!
I would LOVE to make a blackberry cobbler with the wild berries the kids and I are picking!
I think the first thing I would make in this pot is a batch of salsa or tomato sauce to preserve.
I’ve got 20-odd pounds of free pears to process… sure could use another suitable pot!
This looks like a perfect size for a nice large batch of blackberry jam using the wild blackberries that grow here.
It’s so pretty! Probably soup, I’m always making soup.
I wonder if it would be a good pot for making cheese in.
I would make a nice pot of chili! Thank you!
I’d try to bake some bread in it.
I would make a split pea and ham soup.
Braised short ribs…as soon as the weather makes them so delicious! Great product…thank you!
Enamel on cast iron does seem to be the holy grail of cooking. I have enamel on steel and even it gets an occasional chip. I’ve heard the cast iron is worse because of the differences in temperature and expansion and contraction.
Does this really perform as good as you say?
I love the idea of the little drip nubs under the cover.
Oh, and I’d try chili because I hate the clean up. Plus you’re not supposed to do tomato anything in cast iron.
I would make peach jam straight away!
Coq au vin.
Apple butter – once apples are back in season this fall.
I had no idea until I saw another poster’s idea for tomato bacon jam and now that’s all I can think about.
Big batch of soup!
I’d make my Dad’s spaghetti sauce, yum!
id make some soup
I’d make a big batch of blueberry-rhubarb jam!
I would make some pozole or noodle soup.
Blackberry jam!
Soup! I have several recipes flagged that make more than my current biggest pot…
Hmm… refried beans or tomato sauce!
A massive batch of steel cut oatmeal!
I would make a big batch of home fries. You can make them an endless number of ways to suit any taste.
I would make the biggest yummiest batch of corn chowder!
Greek lamb stew with olive and new potatoes!
Probably veggie tex-mex chili – a winter staple for me. Or, tortilla soup. Also a winter staple.
I love the black interior. Practical and beautiful.
I would love this pot for Italian tomato sauce, beef stew and soup!
Jam!!
Oh gosh, either preserves or stew!
I would love to try tomato jam!
I’m going with roasted tomato bacon jam.
A big pot of meat sauce!
The first thing I would like to make is a chutney. Thanks for the chance. I have always wanted to own a cast iron pot.
Maybe the peach cutney you featured!?
Considering it’s the start of tomato season, I’d make tomato sauce and tomato ketchup.
Spaghetti sauce is the first thing. I always like to try a well used recipe on a new piece of equipment, so I know what it is supposed to be like.
A giant batch of black beans!
Would it work for salsa? That’s what I’m making today and hoping to do another batch soon.
Strawberry jam with all the berries in my freezer.
Jam, sauce, and salsa!
I’d probably make some homemade soup or tomato sauce.
beautiful! i’d make plum jam in this. 🙂
I’d love to make a big crusty loaf of sourdough!
I would make a delicious pot of stew, good anytime of the year in this house!!!