I don’t know about you, but I need all the joy I can get, especially during these times of rising authoritarianism. So when Great Jones, a direct-to-consumer kitchenware company known for their colorful aesthetic reached out to me, I readily agreed to give one of their products a try.
I picked out the Hot Dish, a 9-by-13-inch ceramic baking dish with a retro design. But this dish isn’t just stylish. It performs well, too. I love when form meets function!
Great Jones gave this product to me and this post contains affiliate links. As always, I decide what to write about and all opinions are my own.
First Impressions
Hot Dish – $105
When the Hot Dish arrived, I was surprised by the larger-than-expected box on my doorstep. Inside the box was another box, and lots of sturdy cardboard to keep the dish in place during shipment. (Though if your dish breaks during transit, Great Jones will replace it.)
The Hot Dish feels sturdy. Made of thick stoneware, it’s hefty, weighing in at 5 pounds empty. At 3 inches tall, it’s deeper than other baking dishes, and bigger too, with a four-quart capacity.
The pattern, which reminds me of 1970s graphic design, cheered me up. It currently comes in blue and pink as well as a striped design. (It also used to come in mustard and a dark green. I don’t know if Great Jones has plans to bring them back, but my vote is yes.)
The pattern on the Hot Dish seems inspired by geometric graphic design of the ’70s.
How the Hot Dish Performed
First, I should tell you what I previously used as a point of comparison: Pyrex glass baking dishes. While they were serviceable and came with handy plastic lids, they were no frills. Now, basic kitchenware is perfectly fine! But, what can I say, I care about how things look. My slight dissatisfaction with the Pyrex wasn’t only about aesthetics, though. I didn’t love the shallow depth and barely-there handles. Tellingly, when I moved across the country, I didn’t pack them. I gave them away.
The Hot Dish, on the other hand, sports big round handles, which stick out on either side by more than 1.5 inches. This allows you to get a good grip, which is important when you’re maneuvering food in and out of the oven with bulky oven mitts.
I found that the Hot Dish cooks evenly. My casseroles crisped nicely.
The Hot Dish is oven-safe up to 500°F, though the Great Jones FAQs says 450°F, so I’d go with that. It can also go in the broiler briefly. (BTW, use wooden, plastic, or silicone utensils with ceramic bakeware to avoid scratches.)
Ceramic conducts heat well, and I found that the Hot Dish cooks evenly. My casseroles crisped nicely. Thanksgiving stuffing came out moist, with a crispy top. It’s also a great vessel for lasagna as the sides are straight and it’s deep enough for all the layers. I’m looking forward to making enchiladas in them next.
Clean-up wise, I’ve found that if I let it soak for a little bit — even just 5 minutes — the bits that had browned onto the surface come off without much effort with a sponge. You can also put it in the dishwasher, though handwashing it was easy enough. (It’s also safe for the freezer and the microwave, though I wouldn’t know as I don’t have the freezer space or a large microwave.)
The rounded handles on the Hot Dish are so handy. (Yes, I topped this casserole with potato chips.)
Is it Safe and Where is it Made?
Ever since going down a research rabbit hole concerning chemicals while reviewing Caraway products, I’m asking myself this of every kitchen item. Modern ceramics for the food are generally safe. (Vintage ceramics made long ago may have lead-based glazes, which is why you shouldn’t eat from them!)
On the product page for the Hot Dish, someone asked whether the glazes used are free of lead and cadmium. The company responded, “Before we launched our products, we worked with a third-party lab to send each piece through extensive testing. They’ve all passed industry standard lead tests, and are free of cadmium.”
The wording of the answer is interesting because it doesn’t unequivocally say it’s lead-free. A food-safe item could have trace amounts of lead or cadmium, but won’t leach unsafe levels of them. But I’ve noticed that this is the answer that Great Jones give for all of their products, from nonstick baking sheets to their dutch oven, so this answer may not be specifically about its ceramics.
On Great Jone’s product disclosures page, which exists to comply with California legislation requiring cookware manufacturers to disclose chemicals, the Hot Dish and other stoneware items are not listed at all. I take this to mean there’s nothing potentially toxic in them.
The Hot Dish is manufactured in Tianjin, China, though the website doesn’t provide much information about the factory.
Is Great Jones Worth the Price?
Priced at $105 (and an additional $40 if you want the lid), the Hot Dish is many times the cost of Pyrex baking dishes. However, it’s comparable in price to other ceramic ones. (And sometimes you can snag it on sale. I recently saw it on sale for $75, which was the list price four years ago. Damn tariffs!) While I did not test Great Jones against other brands that make casserole dishes, Food & Wine did and included the Hot Dish in its recommendations.
Looking at longevity, $105 doesn’t seem unreasonable given that it’s stoneware. If cared for well, it should last a long time. I’ll update this post a year from now to see how it’s holding up.
Overall, I’m delighted with the Hot Dish. It’s well-designed, cooks like a dream, and looks cute too. Yes, please, to adding some joyful color to my kitchen. I’m now tempted by the matching pieces, like the eight-inch square Little Hottie, a pie dish (called Sweetie Pie, of course), and a set of nesting mixing bowls.
The Hot Dish cooks evenly and looks cute. What’s not to like?
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