Tl;dr: How do you decide whether to go for a regular vs. the tall version of Staub's dutch oven? Is the tall version of the dutch oven more narrow than the regular version? I assume the tall one is better for deep-frying and the regular version obciously has more surface area for browning then, but not sure which tends to be more friendly for recipes.

I'm looking to get 2 dutch ovens from Staub--which combination covers the most for cooking applications? I have carbon steel skillets, a Staub 3.5 qt braiser, and I imagine a 8 qt stainless steel stock pot is better for soup. I see on Wayfair the tall version of their 5 qt dutch oven is $170, nearly half price to a 7 qt regular dutch oven at $330, which is actually cheaper than the 5.5 qt version.

But prices is not really a concern and I would rather not upgrade or accumulate any more cookware in the future. Primarily it will be for 1-4 people (90% of the time for 1-2) but want to get into serious meal prepping for days (and looking into recipes that are freezer-friendly).

Looking for soups, pastas, stews for 2 people. I like to meal prep and often use my 6qt Instant Pot but looking for DO for bypassing some of the drawbacks with the IP such as the wait time for pressure...

Anyone have both? Eventually planning on a 2nd larger DO for larger groups.

Just an FYI the Staub 5qt Dutch Oven is on a huge discount on the King Arthur site. Usually $359.95 is now $149.95. I’ve never seen them discounted that much.

My newest addiction to functional art seems to be Staub Enameled Cast Iron. And this forum has been beneficial in helping me feed the need. And now I'm looking for a final fix.

Some might just get one big pot and use it for everything. I seem more atracted to some degree of specialization. And variety in form.

Got the 26cm 4 quart wide first. French Blue. An apparent SLT exclusive both in spec and color. It was on sale on top of the ongoing sale for a couple of days. So I jumped. Heavier than I expected for a 4 quart. It's used as a semi large floored high sided pan-pot, to contain splatter when searing and frying. And as a braiser or a casserole. A pseudo sauteuse, but without the clumsy long handle typically found on similar size stainless pans. So it fits easily in a largish countertop toaster oven. I didn't really want stainless anyway.

Then the 5 qt tall, in graphite, that I had been intrigued by since the beginning. A whole couple of months ago. Searches within the forum led me to an attractive price at Gygi. So I lept. I like it for it's compact and lightweight form, while still having reasonable volume. Another splash and splatter resistant design in my mind. Seems popular for bread. Appropriate for boiling pasta. Deep fry. Probably do it all if it had to.

But I feel I'm missing the big black curvy pot. And to me, the Essential French Oven is particularly fetching. Sensual lines. Not too heavy or cumbersome. And especially in matte black, to blend with the blocky French blue 4 wide and the slick and slender graphite 5 tall.

And practical?,,, if that could be said about a $200 pot, which would be the most expensive in my "collection". But somehow reasonable for a high end over 5 quart. Might could be the most used. The stove sitter. Beautiful shelf art at the least.

Back to practically. While all are versatile to some degree, the EFO's strengths are somehow different: Spaghetti Bolognese. One pot chili. Enough space and curves for make shift small volume stir fry. Surely more to add to the list.

I think the Big Black French might be a different enough shape to be the coup de grâce.

Anywho,,, what say you r/staub community? Should I cannonball?