A soup kettle is different from a Dutch oven.
The Dutch oven and the soup kettle are both types of cookware. Soup kettles are generally used only for stove-top cooking, while Dutch ovens can be used for stove-top cooking, baking and even campfire cooking. Both Dutch ovens and soup kettles are intended to be used to prepare large amounts of food.
Features
Dutch ovens are broader than they are tall and usually hold at least four quarts. Soup kettles also hold at least four quarts, but are taller than they are broad. Both pots generally have two handles, one on each side, as well as a lid.
Uses
You can use a Dutch oven to cook just about anything---you can bake, stew, broil, braise, fry and boil with it---but the biggest advantage of a Dutch oven is that you can transfer it from the stove top to the oven. Thus, Dutch ovens are often used in recipes that call for ingredients to be first browned on the stove top and finished in the oven. Soup kettles are more often used to prepare soups, stews, sauces and stocks, or to boil water. Soup kettles cannot go in the oven, generally.
Types
Dutch ovens are traditionally made from cast iron, but may also be made from ceramic, aluminum or steel. Soup kettles may be made from copper, aluminum, cast iron, stainless steel or nonstick materials.
Benefits
Because Dutch ovens are heavy and have thick bottoms, they are ideal for slow-cook recipes. Soup kettles are very versatile, all-purpose cookware---you can use them to do almost any kind of stove-top cooking.
Considerations
A Dutch oven can be substituted for a soup kettle in many circumstances, but a soup kettle cannot always be substituted for a Dutch oven, since many soup kettles are not oven-proof.
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