Dutch Oven vs. Cazuela

When cooking beans,we typically reach for a Dutch oven, which offers excellent heat retention for a steady simmer. But in Mexico, cooks often opt for a clay frijolera or cazuela. We wondered how they compared.

The frijolera is tall and narrow with a wide base. The cazuela is wide and shallow. Like most clay pots, they should be used over medium or lower heat and never heated empty. That’s where the differences ended.

We started our beans in all three pots with a sofrito. All easily handled the quick sauté. Same for the simmer: Each promoted even, gentle cooking with no scorching and produced creamy beans.

The only slight difference was timing. The Dutch oven reached a boil faster, but all three cooked the beans in about the same time.

In the end, picking a pot comes down to comfort. The Dutch oven is heavier but fuss-free; the clay pots are beautiful and functional, but require a bit more care.