I got my new cast iron 6 qt. Dutch oven and 2 qt. covered saucepan from the "Cajun" cookware place in Louisiana today.

It's true that the quality is not as high as my old 1950's American cast iron items. They are, as I figured, made in China. They are heavier, thicker, and a little rougher in surface texture. BUT they will work fine for my baking purposes and now I can bake my usual two loaves of bread at once, together in the oven in my 2 iron pots. They just barely fit in there together! But fit they do!

Now I can look forward to cutting out 45 minutes of oven 'on' time every time I make bread. Something to appreciate during the summer, for sure!