Use part of your tax refund and get a great ROI.

This time of year Americans start feverishly checking their bank accounts or mailboxes for lump sums from the IRS. Many of us will pay down debt or build a nest egg for later vacations or other major financial commitments. And usually, we’ll set some aside for a splurge.

I rarely advocate spending a lot on kitchen gear--I lost nearly an hour the other day urging my best friend to buy her next nonstick pan from IKEA--but there are exceptions, and today I’m making the case for one: a Staub 4-quart cocotte.

Two hundred dollars for a pot is...not insignificant, but hear me out. This sucker sees at least weekly use. It will likely be included in my will, to minimize bad blood among the survivors. The heavy cast iron gives you that great heat distribution and holding, and the enamel lining means you can use it for tomato-based sauces and soups and wash it with soap. A friend was planning a fancy gourmet canoe trip and my first thought was “I know just the pan for that.” Recently it saved me about $40.

I’ve been baking bread weekly, following the flexible guidelines laid out in Tartine Bread. They use the same two-piece cast iron cooker we use at work. I love cast iron. It’s not expensive. But I was unsure that regular baking would become a thing for me, and the 10” diameter was the same size as both a skillet and two Dutch ovens (including the Staub) I already owned.

I made one loaf by inverting the bottom of my Staub over my skillet. It wasn’t a tight fit, and the risks involved in turning over a nine pound, 500 degree pot were too uncomfortable. So I baked loaf two straight in the Dutch oven. The lid fit tight and the loaf was pretty correct. So now I bake once a week. And I love our local bakeries, but I also love paying about $2 a loaf instead of $7.50.

I've included links to the Staub, the Boos block it's pictured on, and my budget choice, an enamel-lined Lodge. It isn't as heat-tolerant, apparently has a glass knob, and lacks the self-basting lid, but it's a fine pot.

A purchase like this makes sense, but most people won’t pull the trigger on such a generalist piece of cookware some Tuesday in October. So now, when you’re feeling flush, treat yourself.