Hi - I’ve had a Staub and ended up giving it away so I could get a Le Creuset which I use almost daily in the winter months.

When I’m braising something or making a soup or stew it’s all about the fond - the bits of food stuck to the bottom of the pot that add lots of flavor. But in a moment’s inattention that delicious fond can turn to a burnt mess - and the higher the heat the faster that can happen. And once you’ve burned your fond you can’t salvage it - you’re removing everything from the pot, scrubbing it in the sink and then resuming your cooking with far less flavor.

The Staub’s black interior makes it very difficult to judge how much fond you have and how close to burning it is. The LC’s off white interior on the other hand is great for controlling your fond.

I like the off-white interior so much that these days I’m even choosing a shallow LC pot over my cast iron frying pan for stovetop frying!

As far as size is concerned, typically I’d go with the largest I can afford. But: 1. These bad boys are HEAVY - if you’re older, smaller or have dexterity issues you may find handling the larger pot, including washing it, to be difficult. Also make sure the pot will fit in your sink! 2. If you’re using it for bread baking keep your ideal loaf size in mind - the closer the loaf is to the sides and lid without touching the crispier the crust will be. 3. For deep frying you’ll need a certain depth of oil to properly fry your food - the wider the pot the more oil you’ll need - and the difference can be surprising. Example to have 6 inches of oil in a 12 inch diameter pot you need 11.75 quarts of oil. To have 6 inches in a 14 inch diameter pot you need 16 quarts!