Le Creuset: What's it Good For, Really?

As I posted previously, we are busy hunting down some improved cooking implements. Enough with the Wear-Ever (ha!) and other cheaper pots and pans, we want the good stuff for once. But while searching seconds stores looking for All Clad pans, we keep coming across Le Creuset Dutch ovens.

I would like one, but to be totally honest, I can't really say why. I think it's more its timeless Euro appeal and less that I have specific uses for it. Truthfully, I have no idea what you'd do with a Dutch oven that wouldn't be possible with, say, a slow cooker. But since we keep finding well-priced Le Creuset, I am open to buying one if it would be something we'd use. So what DO you use the Dutch oven for, anyway? Aside from cassoulet.

The LC dutch oven isn't essential, but it's nice. Good for browning your meat and veggies before adding liquids. Any heavy bottom pot would work.

Hi,

Be really careful when buying a LeCreuset "second". Many of these are "seconds" because the lids do not fit properly. You want a lid that seals all around the perimeter. I went through about 10 seconds before finding one with a decent lid.

Tim

for those that like cooking on cast iron the enameled versions offer ease of maintaining and the ability to cook stuff that reacts with seasoned cast iron--acidic dishes, etc--did I mention the ease of cleaning??
Tomorrow the 6.5qt DO will be slow roasting the eye of round that is being pickled today for sauerbraten tomorrow and a smaller dutch oven will be used to cook the spaetzle

I've collected quite a few LC pieces over the years and I pretty much only use them for braising. They're especially useful for dishes that start on the stovetop and finish in the oven. Other than that, I don't get much use out of them. For boiling, sauteeing, searing, etc. I've got pieces by other manufacturers that help me tackle those jobs more efficiently.

=R=

ronnie_suburban wrote:I've collected quite a few LC pieces over the years and I pretty much only use them for braising. They're especially useful for dishes that start on the stovetop and finish in the oven. Other than that, I don't get much use out of them. For boiling, sauteeing, searing, etc. I've got pieces by other manufacturers that help me tackle those jobs more efficiently.

=R=

I've kind of had the same questiuon as Suzy Creamcheese in the back of my mind.
If briasing is really the purpose of LC then why not save some money and use a stainless steel pot?
I get that they look pretty so it's nice to put on the table, but is that pretty much it?

I use my oval French oven all the time for all-day slow cooking. Did it earlier this week, in fact. Made the Bayless habanero/vinegar/carrot salsa, put a pork roast in a Zippy bag with a cup or so on Monday to marinate, and Wednesday, I pulled out the French oven, plopped the pork roast in it with another dollop of leftover salsa and some leftover calamansi juice that I'd had no idea what to do with, sealed ith with foil, put on that heavy lid, turned the oven to 250, and went to work. 9 hours later - dinner. MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM Takes maybe 5 min. to assemble, and the payoff is great. The heaviness of the pan really discourages scorching of sauces such as this that have a sugar or fruit component. I might be living in a fool's paradise, as well, but using my oven seems far safer than leaving an appliance plugged in and unattended all day long.

I do my saurbraten in this vessel, too, though I do brown the beef first - though now that I think about it, it might not be necessary to do that. My pork/habanero creation browns up just fine, and it sure would speed up the assembly. . . .hmmmm. This sounds like a lovely Thursday-night dinner, as I literally have all of the components on hand, apart from a big cheap hunk o' beef!

Will report back on what happens. . . .Thanks!

zoid wrote:

ronnie_suburban wrote:I've collected quite a few LC pieces over the years and I pretty much only use them for braising. They're especially useful for dishes that start on the stovetop and finish in the oven. Other than that, I don't get much use out of them. For boiling, sauteeing, searing, etc. I've got pieces by other manufacturers that help me tackle those jobs more efficiently.

=R=

I've kind of had the same questiuon as Suzy Creamcheese in the back of my mind.
If briasing is really the purpose of LC then why not save some money and use a stainless steel pot?
I get that they look pretty so it's nice to put on the table, but is that pretty much it?

Well, I think the LC stuff is generally heavier -- especially the lids -- so they retain heat and maintain the cooking environment better than anything else I own. I don't have any stainless cookware that's as dense as the LC stuff.

=R=

It's the standard for baking no-knead bread, although there are alternatives:

http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/cook ... ens-042145

I'm a pretty big fan of my LC oval. Like Ronnie mentioned I mostly use it for braising, which i do plenty of, especially this time of year, if you're patient and let it really heat up well, it really browns nicely. I also like deep frying in it because it maintains good temperature and has nice high walls which limit splatter. It was expensive but i use it all the time and it has showed almost no signs of wear aside from some discoloration on the bottom.

EDIT: elaboration

AlekH wrote:I'm a pretty big fan of my LC oval. Like Ronnie mentioned I mostly use it for braising, which i do plenty of, especially this time of year. I also like deep frying in it because it maintains good temperature and has nice high walls which limit splatter. It was expensive but i use it all the time and it has showed almost no signs of wear aside from some discoloration on the bottom.

I don't do much frying but this makes perfect sense. Next time I fry, I'll definitely use the LC. Thanks!

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ronnie_suburban wrote:

AlekH wrote:I'm a pretty big fan of my LC oval. Like Ronnie mentioned I mostly use it for braising, which i do plenty of, especially this time of year. I also like deep frying in it because it maintains good temperature and has nice high walls which limit splatter. It was expensive but i use it all the time and it has showed almost no signs of wear aside from some discoloration on the bottom.

I don't do much frying but this makes perfect sense. Next time I fry, I'll definitely use the LC. Thanks!

=R=

Deep frying is one of the main uses for my LaC oval. For me, my LaC pieces are great general purpose cooking vessels that I use for everything from soups and stews to puddings and desserts and even occasionally roasting chickens. I think I get more use out of my LaC oval 7 Qt. than just about any individual piece of cookware I own.

I've had both Le Creuset and Staub and I much prefer the Staub. Nothing ever sticks to it and I cannot see how the enamel could ever chip. I can't even really see the enamel as it looks almost like the cast iron base. It also seems heavier but I haven't had Le Creuset in years so my memory could be imperfect on the weight. I'm not sure how they compare on price as we got ours when Field's (Macy's?) was clearing it out and was about 75-90% off retail.

spinynorman99 wrote:It's the standard for baking no-knead bread, although there are alternatives:

http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/cook ... ens-042145

I borrowed a former roommate's for this very reason. After successfully making the Cook's Illustrated's version of No knead (it was my first success with bread, by the way) several times, I went to the factory store and got my own.

Since then I've also made conserves, jams, and stocks in it. It get's used pretty much weekly for bread making.

I use my Le Creuset/Staub pieces for almost everything. I have a 5 qt covered braiser (misnomer, really, because it does so much more than braise) which has completely taken the place of my high-side All Clad covered saute pan. I love the way it retains heat and clean-up is so easy-as is the case with all of the pieces. Plus they are just, IMO, beautiful to look at I have a large round Dutch oven, which I use for braising, soups and deep frying, and an oval one I use for whole chickens, oblong roasts and no-knead bread. My latest acquisition is the large enameled cast iron gratin dish. I'm going to do a spatchcocked chicken in there soon. I also have two large skillets and a small 2 qt D.O. that is great for rice, small servings of pasta and reheating leftovers, or meatballs I've made and kept in the freezer. About all I use my stainless for now is pasta.

In addition to braising, I use my LC Dutch oven for making caramel-- it gives a nice, even heat that reduces scorching. Of course, with the high heat retention of cast iron, when the caramel hits temperature, it has to be poured out of the pot FAST.

Jen

I would say in order to fall in love with enamel covered cast iron, you must love plain cast iron first. After constant care and babying, alchemical approaches with bees wax and salt and rare oils to keep the non-stick surface on your perfectly seasoned cast iron pan (which you love for its even heat distribution and retention, ability to reach very high and very low temperatures and never having to worry about the surface becoming dipped and warped) it is obvious why you would want one covered in beautiful enamel.

Suzy Creamcheese wrote:Truthfully, I have no idea what you'd do with a Dutch oven that wouldn't be possible with, say, a slow cooker.

If you need to take the lid off a slow cooker and stir something it will add a significant amount of cooking time to get it's temperature back up. With a LC that isn't an issue since as Ronnie pointed out they retain heat better.

The heat retention issue is one I hadn't considered. Point one for LC on that score. Overall, though, I don't think the special qualities of LC that justify the extra cost are anything we need right now in the kitchen. I'd consider a second, but as pointed out upthread, the lids often don't fit tightly (I have yet to find one that does). I will continue to admire LC from afar, but at present I think our cookware dollars will be put to best use in some decent pots and pans. Thanks for all the opinions!

I think LC (and, frankly, we have an off-brand that I'm happy with) offers three things: heat retention, high sides (as compared to a cast-iron skillet) and an enamel bottom that you can use detergent to clean.

I lived without one for years; it's not a critical piece of equipment compared to, say, a cast-iron skillet. However, I find myself using it quite a bit - and I'm a big crock-potter and pressure-cooker. If you have space for it, and can angle to get it as a gift, I say go for it. Otherwise - no reason to run out and buy one, especially if you don't deep-fry or make candy often.

My most common use: keeping stock hot for risotto. I can use a very low heat and keep it right below a boil, so I don't lose as much to evaporation as I would with an ordinary pan. They also have slightly lower sides than an ordinary stock pot, which is a benefit in this case as it's easier to ladle stock out - also a benefit when deep-frying.

Mhays wrote:I think LC (and, frankly, we have an off-brand that I'm happy with) offers three things: heat retention, high sides (as compared to a cast-iron skillet) and an enamel bottom that you can use detergent to clean.

Another benefit of the enamel bottom is that a raw, non-enameled cast iron dutch oven can potentially react with acidic ingredients.

I mainly have Staubs, not LC, but I've never encountered one in which the lid doesn't fit properly (excluding factory seconds).

The slow cooker vs french/dutch oven question is interesting. You can set your oven at its lowest setting and pretty much do anything with the dutch oven that you'd do with the slow cooker. The dutch oven can go between stove top and oven, and can withstand a high oven temperature. For example, you can brown food on the stove, add liquid, and then move it to the oven. The slow cooker can be put on the counter top and be left on while serving during a party (for example).

I think the real alternative to getting an enameled cast iron dutch oven is to get a stainless steel dutch oven that can do double duty to boil large quantities of water for pasta, potatoes, etc. If you have the money and space, it would be nice to have a large aluminum or stainless stock pot (say 12 qt or larger), a stainless dutch oven (around 8 qt) for pasta, potatoes, etc., and an enameled cast iron dutch oven for braising. If you only want one pot, the stainless dutch oven is the most versatile. It doesn't have the heat retention of cast iron or the size of a dedicated stock pot, but it does the trick.

GMFcooks wrote:I would say in order to fall in love with enamel covered cast iron, you must love plain cast iron first. After constant care and babying, alchemical approaches with bees wax and salt and rare oils to keep the non-stick surface on your perfectly seasoned cast iron pan (which you love for its even heat distribution and retention, ability to reach very high and very low temperatures and never having to worry about the surface becoming dipped and warped) it is obvious why you would want one covered in beautiful enamel.

Hah, this I love. I've endured so many nights in the kitchen, with the singed metal smell of shortening cooking on my cast iron skillet. (But I so do love my cast iron skillet).

A few years (?) ago, Cook's Illustrated did a guide to Dutch ovens. Predictably, LC came out on top, but a dirt cheap Chefmate (sold at Target) got a surprise recommended rating. I've been using that one ever since, and it's been pretty versatile. Plus, the literally hundreds of dollars I saved have been spent over the years on ingredients!

I got my post card. Sale is on at the Outlet.