I'd recommend this to a friend, but only friends that are a little more sure-handed than I. The very first time I cooked in the pot (great size etc) I dropped it. The enamel inside separated rendering the pot useless. I have other enamel-coated cast iron that has made it through 3 generations of clumsy cooks without being damaged so badly. Don't misunderstand, however, it is a nice pot- it filled a void in my cookware.