Le Creuset Reviews

Don't waste your money. One of the few badly made LeCrueset products (I'm a huge fan of their enameled cast iron.)

Get a plain stainless steel one with a rolled edge or straight edge instead. There's quite a few well made ones out there. All Clad makes an excellent one, so does Tramontina, Analon, and Revereware (to name a few). Get a solid metal lid.

The metal band on this pot will over time create a sharp edge where it's joined. No fun to encounter when washing it. The enamel coating needs to be treated very carefully as well. This stock pot is just not a work horse to last a lifetime. A good quality 18/10 stainless steel stock pot is a much better choice. It'll take a beating and then some. This one won't.

Please be aware that this is not the same as the heavy Le Creuset clad cast-iron pots. It is lightweight and inexpensive, which has its good side, since a 12-quart cast iron stockpot would be too heavy to lift, plus terribly expensive. It looks good on the counter, and it is ok for some things (it is big enough to make a double batch of jam without boiling over, and it is good for boiling a whole lot of corn on the cob). If you are cooking anything that might stick or scorch, do not use this pan! In spite of being treated very delicately, the bottom of my two pans quickly became badly scratched up. This is not the pan you want if you are making a big pot of clam chowder, because it will surely scorch and stick to the bottom of the pan.

I loved this pot when I first bought it because it was a nice heavy pot that I could do things with like brown onions and carrots in it before adding additional ingredients, etc. Also, I get water to boil much faster in this pot then I ever did in my lighter weight pots. But there are two downsides that make me wish I had gone to our local All-Clad outlet and spent the extra money for one of their stockpots instead: one reason is because the enamel scratches fairly easily - I find this annoying on a fairly expensive item because I expect such items to last a long time. But the reason why I am starting to HATE this pot is because pasta sticks to the bottom of it ALL THE TIME. I never have this happen with stainless steel clad aluminum pots. This pot just might be ending up on ebay.

I still haven't received the trivet, therefore can't use or review the casserole dish

This monstrous beast is the largest piece of cookware that we own. Once I manage to wrangle it out from the cupboard and heft it onto the stove, it's many uses range from cooking chickens, small turkeys, and roasts to making potato leek soup. The beautiful thing is that it really retains heat and cooks items thoroughly and evenly. The downside is that it can take a while to heat up, especially since it should heat up on a med-low setting so as not to burn items and/or damage the porcelain. Learned this the hard way by turning up my soup to med-hi in order to get it boiling more quickly (doh!). Now that we know how to properly use this type of cookware, we are enjoying it much more! Another clever use of this piece is to incorporate it into your weight lifting routine (did I mention this thing is very VERY heavy?). Now that we have tried the largest, we have begun collecting some of the smaller pots and really enjoying them.

This massive, weighty, cast iron, ovenproof pot is a serious cook's dream. Though expensive, like all Le Creuset cookware, it's high value is proven by the stove-top and oven performance.

In the oven, internal heat distribution is perfectly uniform, eliminating sticking, beautifully cooking large roasts. On the stovetop, long, slow cooking is perfectly executed.

Though there is no "positive" seal between the pot itself and its lid, the high level of fit and finish between the two pieces retains all liquids and moisture.

Clean~up is a cinch..., just soak in warm soapy water and the surfaces wipe clean (you may however need to purchase a larger kitchen sink to accomodate this monster).

The company offers a lifetime warranty on the enameled surface they apply to their high~grade cast iron; the quality of manufacture is so supurb I cannot imagine ever having to make use of it (I own inherited Le Creuset pieces over 40 years old with still~perfect enamel).

If you are a serious home cook prepared to make a serious investment in a lifetime tool, buy this pot.

I held off purchasing this behemoth--I thought I would never have a use for such a large "French oven." However, having taken the plunge, I find myself doing all sorts of new things in the kitchen. I have created vast amounts of jams and preserves, and have used this several times for giant family get-togethers (something I never did before).

My latest adventure was packing it up for a big family camping trip! I had a blast--the cast iron makes it very heat-efficient, so the unsteady heat of a campfire is no longer a cooking liability. Clean-up down at the stream was a breeze due to the super-hard porcelain enamel finish. The campfire did make a smoky mess of the exterior of my pot, but this was as easy to clean as the interior. Everyone thought I was crazy for lugging this giant on a camping trip, until they tasted the results: Lip-smacking-good campfire food, with a little gourmet pizzazz!

This is the nicest pan I own (and I own a lot of pans). It is a perfect size for salmon, corn beef, roasts, ducks, chickens ...

If you splurge on one pan in your kitchen, this is it. Here's why:

There's nothing you can do in a round pan you can't do in an oval. It's easier to lift and maneuver than a round pan. Lots of food is longer than it's wide (fish, lobsters, ribs ...), so you will appreciate the length. And if you want to make a beef stew or curry or ciopino or something that doesn't care if it's in an oval, you will still be happier (and safer) lifting this one than a round one.

If you are thinking of getting a smaller one, well get this first. You may be thinking, "It's too big. I can get a brisket in a smaller pan." In this one, you can get the brisket in AND a bunch of vegetables and get more stock as a result and a more well balanced meal. The same goes for chicken. You don't want your chicken to be all alone. Add some vegetables and make a chicken soup your grandmother would be proud of!

I cook with plain cast iron pots as well. After you cook in them you have to empty the leftovers into something else. With this pan you can keep your food in the pan and stick it in the fridge for the next day. Don't even think of getting a round one in your refrigerator.

The pan is thin for cast iron, so it's lighter than some cast iron pans, BUT it is just heavy enough. I believe a lot of thought went into this design. Another reviewer comented on not using the pan at high heat. I agree. If you want to sear things at high heat, use plain cast iron. BUT if you use medium heat to gently brown meats and saute and carmelize onions and then lower it to a simmer on your smallest burner, this is where this pan excells! The lids fit beautifully and slow cooking anything in this pan is in a class all its own. You can get away with serving food without a knife because all you need is a fork! Again if you don't use high heat, cleanup is fast, requiring just a soaking at the worst and usually you can clean it immediately in a matter of minutes.

Leave some room in your fridge, because it will live there as much as it does in your pan closet, when it's not on your cooktop or oven.

Leg of lamb is superb coming out of this pan. Bon apetit!

We use this one at work. It's a wonderfull, verstatile piece for medium size jobs such as braising, stewing, sweating, roasting, etc. This piece does it all!
Le Creuset quality craftsmanship is the standard in cast iron cookware.
I want one at home...in granite...please?

We be givin' dis biggie 5 mojo*z!!!

Holds everything. Makes perfect pot roasts. I use all clad MC2 for most cooking, but when I need to braise I use this -- I love it.