Universal Housewares Pre-Seasoned Cast Iron Camping 5-Quart Dutch Oven

This oven was my first purchase and foray into camp dutch ovens, one that I wanted to keep in my truck camper. I have had it for about 5 months.I chose this brand because of the legs on the lid as well as the pot.Upon receiving it, I was struck by the heaviness and robustness of this oven. The lid fit well on the oven and overall the quality looked good- no thin or thicker walls, and a somewhat smooth interior finish (not machine finished like the old cast iron of our youth!). It came 'preseasoned', but I am as skeptical as anyone regarding items coming out of China, so I burned off the finish in a 450° degree oven for an hour and a half, and then reseasoned it to my liking.I have used it many times and it cooks beautifully. The lid is perfectly flat, unlike the Lodges that I have, and is well adapted for using as a griddle or a fry pan. It is an exceptional feature.Since this purchase I have bought 3 more dutch ovens, 2 Lodges in 8" and 10", and a Kelty 12" deep (China) at a garage sale. My education in dutch ovens have made me cautious about the metallurgy of the Chinese products. Not to say they are bad, but it might be a crap-shoot where quality control of the metal content is concerned, and would be the only factor that I would consider for choosing an American Lodge.Needless to say, I am still using mine!

Great, versatile dutch oven. We bought a couple of dutch oven cook books at the same time. It's a good heavy dutch oven with the lid that functions as a skillet. My only sadness is that even this cast iron dutch oven is made in China. We can't even make cast iron here cheaper than we can ship it across the ocean. That shouldn't detract from the value of this unit, just a sad observation.

First I'll mention that while my oven came with no damage, the lid fits fine, there are no thick or thin walls, but it was made in China. I do not trust the Chinese to have used a safe oil for the preseasoning. They may have used burnt motor oil, lead based paint, or Heaven knows what(?)I elected to burn off all the oil and re-season everything before eating from it just to be safe.The oven is well built and very heavy. I give 5 stars since I have no proof that the seasoning is unhealthy and the lid is a dynamic plus feature.In addition to having 3 legs on top, the inner surface of the lid is perfectly flat with a nice 1 inch rim when used as a griddle. No center dip, as with all others I've seen. This is truly TWO pieces of cookware. The lid also has two side handles to aid in using it as a griddle / fry pan.The 3 'extra' legs on top also allow for placing another pot or pan on top while baking or roasting in the oven.While I could have bought a less expensive D.O., the photo of the lid and other good reviews steered me to the Universal. I was very pleased when it came and I saw the inside of the lid was a flat griddle / fry pan.What puzzles me is that the lid is not complex, yet, as far as I know, this is the only D.O. with such an ideal lid. It seem like someone would have done this long ago(?).

Bought for my husband. On 1st camping trip since purchase, this pot cracked in a U- shape handle to handle. I am SO SO disappointed!! There was great care taken in the use of this pot, yet the first time cooking stew in it over a campfire (on a tripod as advertised) it broke???!!! Total waste of money! And, of course it's past the return date, so I'm out the money and the pot. Sad.

I wish I hadn't bought the pre seasoned oven. The tastes it leaves on food is OVERWHELMING to me. My husband has tried to cook several things in it, but to me, all I taste is the metal seasoning. Not what I expected, but my husband enjoys playing with the fire, so it's just an ok toy for him.

I am very happy with my new Dutch Oven. It is well made and I love the way the lid is made because the lid not only acts as a lid but, if you turn it over and set it on its legs, which are normally on the top of the lid pointing up in the air, and put some coals under it, you can use it as a frying surface to fry eggs, hamburgers etc, or, while acting as a lid on this Dutch Oven you can put hot coals on the top of the lid and set another pot or frying pan on the lid's legs and you have a double decker pot, another pot or frying pan on top of this Dutch oven, and you can be cooking two things at one time and that takes up less cooking space because one is on top of the other.Putting legs on the top of the lid, as well as on the bottom of the Dutch Oven body, was a great idea and makes the Dutch oven able to multi task cooking.The Dutch Oven is well seasoned and with a wipe out with cold water it is ready to cook. I am well pleased with it and would recommend it to others.

I was searching for a reasonable pot for my Girl Scout Troop, but didn't want to spend all our cookie money on a Lodge pot. I found this one online, and based on exceptional reviews, and a much more reasonable price, I took a chance. Now I don't have anything to compare it too,as this was my first time using a Dutch Oven, but it worked perfectly. We made a dump cake and I had the pressure of 19 girls watching me, so I was praying it would come out well. And it didn't disappoint me! It cooked evenly with charcoal, even inspite of the windy day cooling my coals. The girls were thrilled and so was I. I love the dual function of the lid, how clever is that lid, and will definitley use that on our next campout for breakfast.I would only suggest that you wash the interior first with cold water and dry well. Then heat it first, probably as long as an hour, to burn get off the smell of the oil used to preseason it, which will taint the smell of your food. (The second time I used it the smell was gone) I also suggest lining the pot with aluminum foil to ease the cleanup after use. Good luck and enjoy!