I have an LC Dutch oven. Lovely piece of cookware.
Nowadays I pretty much do all my cooking in cast iron, but everything else I have is non-enameled, so whenever I need to make an acidic dish - bam - Le Creuset to the rescue.
That is AMAZING… I want a LC Dutch oven, but I know i’d never use it out of fear of chipping it. I abuse my cookwear so I buy sturdy and cheap for my own mental health… But LC is just so pretty, I’m envious.
You can get a Lodge dutch oven pretty inexpensively if you want to try out enameled cast iron. Fred Meyer here in the NW is the local Kroeger affiliate sells them, and I think Target has them too. Around $80 to $100 depending on size.
I have the same large Dutch oven and we use that and a cast iron pan for basically everything. I envy your le creuset collection we barely have space for the Dutch oven!
Ill have to check them out. I bought a cast iron lodge years ago (and I ended up wrecking it, hehe) but it was great while it lasted. Didnt know they did enameled stuff!
Lodge works just as well, but you can also get on Le Creuset’s mailing list for discounts and they have outlet stores with deals too, that’s how I built this out. Sales + free shipping.
I used to recommend Anolon, but unfortunately they discontinued their enameled cast iron. I much prefer the slightly rough, black enamel style of Staub. I find it sears much better, at the cost of being a bit tricky to keep clean.
You can often find sales on individual Le Creuset and Staub pans on Amazon, bringing them down to around $100. I do have my eye on a Le Creuset skillet that has a black enamel.
All-Clad often has individual D3 pans on sale on their site, and they regularly have factory seconds and packaging damage on sale at homeandcooksales.com. You can subscribe and get notified when they have an event, they don’t go overboard with emails.
Don’t feel like you need to buy everything at once, or even stick to one brand. You might get a 9" skillet here from All-Clad, see a Fissler Original-Profi sauce pot on sale there. Then decide you want to splurge on a saucier, because a saucier is worth splurging on, from Falk when they have a 15% sale. There’s something to be said for having the bulk of your collection from a single brand for the sake of lid interoperability, but there’s also something to be said for sniping the best in class for each piece when you find a deal.
Just don’t buy sets, it’s a sure way to get stuck with pans you don’t really use.
If you are located in the US, you might be able to get a good deal at one of the outlets. I got some trivets and a dutch oven a few years ago. The pan has a small dent in the side (works fine, and you don’t really see it). www.lecreuset.com/outlets.html
I got it, it works well, and I like it. I think we made bread in it a few times before. Small disclaimer though, we’re pretty casual cooks and had a World Market brand Dutch oven for several years before this one.
Outside of that we got a knife block and their scissors but I haven’t tried anything else of theirs (Misen).
My grandmother got a massive set as a wedding present, then when she died it went to my mother, whom I live with. Most of it gets used a lot, but we gave some pieces that had never been used to a charity shop some years ago.
Must be nearly 75 years old now.
Added to that in recent years is one of the shallow casseroles with enamelled interior.
I’m slowly trying to build up my collection. While I like the benefits of cast iron, I know I’ll slip up and not be able to maintain one. Then enameled cast iron swoops in with bright colors to the rescue.
You won’t slip up, just don’t let it rust, which is easy. Dry after cleaning.
You can use soap. It’s fine. Don’t believe people who freak out. It’ll be ok.
A small dash of soap, a brillow pad, scrub, then some oil to finish it, ez pz.
I seasoned it when I bought it by peeling a bunch of russets, throwing the skin in with a bunch of coarse salt and veggie oil. Brown the skins, stir constantly. Get the oil and salt everywhere using the skins like a mop. Once browned, wipe out and store.
I treat mine like described above, and mine are extremely non stick, durable and ez.
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