Great Jones
Quick verdict: The Dutchess is the reason to know this brand: enamelled cast iron in colors nobody else was making, at roughly a third of what the heritage French names charge. Enamel is the honest end of the non-toxic cookware argument, because there’s no synthetic coating to wear off, just glass fused to iron. The brand had a bumpy few years and was acquired by Meyer Corporation in 2023. Our rating: 3.4 out of 5.
Who they are
Sierra Tishgart and Maddy Moelis founded Great Jones in New York in late 2018, aiming at a generation buying its first serious cookware. It raised venture funding, became very popular, went through a public wobble, and in June 2023 was acquired by Meyer Corporation, one of the largest cookware companies in the world.
Under our current policy that’s a disclosure and a lower ownership score rather than an exclusion. Meyer is a cookware manufacturer with a long record, not a company whose conduct conflicts with what the brand sells.
What they get right
Enamelled cast iron is the durable answer. Glass fused to iron, nothing to flake, nothing to off-gas, no coating with a service life. Unlike ceramic non-stick it isn’t a consumable, and unlike bare cast iron it doesn’t need seasoning or react with acid.
The price gap is real. A Great Jones dutch oven costs a fraction of the classic French equivalents while doing the same job, and enamelled cast iron is a product category where the premium is largely brand.
Design that gets used. Cookware left out because it looks good gets cooked with, and used cookware displaces the pan you were going to replace.
Meyer ownership actually helps here, since manufacturing consistency was the brand’s weak point before the acquisition.
Where they fall short
No third-party certification of any kind. No B Corp, no published impact reporting. Enamel’s safety case rests on the material rather than on an audit, which is reasonable and still less than the certified brands offer.
The ceramic non-stick pieces carry the same caveat as Caraway and Our Place: that coating is a consumable with a finite life, and we’d steer you to the enamelled and stainless pieces instead.
Quality control was inconsistent through the pre-acquisition period, and enamel chips if you treat it roughly or heat it empty.
What they sell and what it costs
The Dutchess dutch oven, skillets, bakeware, glassware and sets. The Dutchess typically runs $145 to $165 against $400-plus for the heritage French names.
Who it’s actually for
Someone buying their first proper dutch oven who wants it to look like something, and anyone who has priced the French brands and balked. Buy the enamelled cast iron rather than the ceramic non-stick.
If you want no coating at all and don’t care about color, Lodge for a fraction. If you want the lightest cast iron, Field Company.
Deals and discounts
No affiliate program on our side, so nothing here earns us anything.
Related reading
Frequently asked questions
Is enamelled cast iron non-toxic?
It’s one of the cleanest answers in cookware. The enamel is glass fused onto iron at high temperature, so there’s no synthetic polymer to break down and nothing that degrades with heat the way PTFE or ceramic non-stick coatings do. The thing to check on any enamelled pan is lead and cadmium testing, which reputable manufacturers do.
Who owns Great Jones?
Meyer Corporation, which acquired it in June 2023. Meyer is one of the largest cookware manufacturers in the world and also owns Farberware and makes KitchenAid cookware. Sierra Tishgart and Maddy Moelis founded the brand in 2018 and it was independent until the sale.
Is Great Jones as good as Le Creuset?
For most home cooking, close enough that the price difference is hard to justify. Both are enamelled cast iron and both hold and distribute heat the same way. The French brands have better enamel consistency and a longer warranty record; Great Jones costs roughly a third as much and comes in better colors.
Should I buy the ceramic non-stick pieces?
We’d skip them. Ceramic non-stick is a consumable coating that degrades in a few years regardless of who makes it, and the enamelled cast iron and stainless pieces in the same range last indefinitely. Buy the Dutchess, not the frying pan.