For All Your Fall Cooking Needs, Grab This $30 Aldi Find Before It’s Gone

Aldi shoppers often head to the middle of the store before shopping for groceries to check out what’s new in Aldi Finds, an aisle of tempting items that can include everything from home decor to cookware. Aldi lovers affectionately and jokingly call it the “Aisle of Shame” because they usually come home with an item or two (or ten) that wasn’t on their list. 

There’s always something new in the aisle, especially when the seasons change. Aldi just stocked the shelves with fall items, and Instagram’s The Amazing Aldi took followers on a video stroll through the aisle pointing out the new decor, throw blankets, leggings, candles, plush pumpkins, and some great cookware. 

One of those cookware items is perfect for the soups, roasts, breads, and more that you’ll be cooking this fall. It’s an enameled cast iron Dutch oven, a dupe of a coveted Le Creuset that costs hundreds of dollars. 

Aldi’s Cast Iron Dutch Oven 

Aldi is known for copycat versions of popular items. This summer, it released a $10 copycat of the super popular Stanley tumbler that can cost as much as $60. The $10 tumbler was part of Aldi’s Crofton cookware line. Now, Crofton has a 6-quart Dutch Oven that comes in two colors—off-white and grayish blue. It’s priced at $29.99 and is designed much like Le Creuset’s famous line of Dutch ovens. 

While the quality of the Crofton probably isn’t the same as the Le Creuset, it will still function very much the same. And at more than $300 less than the famous brand, it’s much more affordable for many home cooks. 

The Usefulness of a Dutch Oven

An enameled cast iron Dutch oven is a versatile piece of cookware. The colored enamel makes it look stylish and also easier to clean than plain cast iron because it completely covers the cast iron inside. The cookware goes from stovetop to oven: You can brown meat on the stovetop for a recipe like arroz con pollo, add the remaining ingredients, then throw the whole Dutch oven into a hot oven. 

This fall, a Dutch oven can also come in handy for one of fall’s best soups, creamy butternut squash. Purée the soup right in the cookware with an immersion blender, one of which Aldi also happens to have in its Aisle of Shame right now for $14.99.