This affordable, two-for-one Dutch oven doubles as a grill pan

My kitchen is full of workhorses. Given the amount of testing I do of cooking gadgets and gear, the products that I give permanent counter space to are always hyper-functional and multi-use. So I was super excited when cookware startup Misen released its versatile new seven-quart Dutch oven—with a lid that can be flipped over and used as a grill pan.

The Brooklyn-based cookware brand raised more than $4.2 million on Kickstarter to create the new Dutch oven, which costs $165 (a comparable sized Le Creuset, by contrast, starts at around $370). The oven features a 4.5mm cast iron-core that’s been coated in four layers of sprayed-on enamel for protection against cracks, cracks, and dings. The company offers a grill top option, made with the same enamel tech, which acts as a traditional lid and a non-stick, cast iron grill pan on any cooking surface. (A traditional lid with a knob handle is also available for the same price.) What’s more: Each Misen Dutch oven also comes with a matching silicone lid, which cuts down on the weight when hauling leftovers in and out and the fridge.

Misen, founded by Omar Rada in 2015, is a somewhat quieter name in the millennial cookware boom, falling somewhere between the pro chef-endorsed Made In and the cleverly Instagrammable brand Caraway. Misen’s focus is on cost-effective, high-quality goods: It made its name with a $65 Santoku-style steel Chef’s Knife in 2016. Today its line spans cookware and prep, and includes carbon steel and stainless pans, cutting boards, and a full range of knife sets.

When the Misen Dutch oven arrived at my house, the first thing I noticed was its heft. It’s roughly 11 pounds without the lid, nearly 18 with it. This translates into some serious durability. The oven was untouched by my preliminary test of dropping a 15-ounce can of beans from seven feet high into the center of the pot. The pan’s enamel didn’t falter, and several drops later, there was not a chip nor dent in sight.

As for cooking: My first test was making a batch of nutritional yeast popcorn. The oven heated quickly; the kernels popped evenly, and everything wiped clean easily. I’m excited to make a curry and use the lid to grill green beans and corn. I could see the pan and lid working incredibly well in tandem, browning proteins before tucking them in for a braise. And I can’t wait to do use this for a batch of no-knead bread.

At $165, Misen’s isn’t the cheapest Dutch oven on the block—Great Jones’s very cute Dutchess is $155 and Milo by Kana sells a smaller version for $135—but it’s certainly the most versatile and functional I’ve seen. And with the company’s lifetime guarantee, I’m eager to see how it stacks up against better-known heritage brands. It might be 90 degrees in Boston today, but soup season is coming. You might as well get prepared before this one sells out.