Le Creuset

I love my Le Creuset braiser, so probably. I got mine at the nice price, unblemished, from the factory outlet.

I know people who swear by them. I think the colors are horrible.

Is OP one of those pansexuals I keep hearing about?

I use my Dutch oven all the time. Terrific investment.

Yes.

Interesting. Though I always thought they were French, not Belgian.

It works great. But so do the knockoffs.

OP save yourself $300 and buy a 6 quart Dutch oven made by Lodge. You really will not notice the difference.

I have one. It’s wonderful. I also have a couple of good knock offs. I can’t really tell the difference.

I have both Lodge and Le Creuset pans (and a Martha Stewart knockoff from the Astor Place Kmart (RIP!)), and the enamel on the Creuset has held up better, after 15-plus years. That said, they still all work well. OP, I'd suggest also thinking about the shape before you buy. If you plan on doing lots of roasts, then an oval shape might be better. But if you're mostly going to do soups, then I'd go with round. I don't have an oval pot, and kind of wish I did.

Does Le Creuset have a lifetime guarantee? I thought they said if the enamel begins to wear, they’ll replace it.

I’ve had y Creuset for 20+ years, and it’s still perfect. I can’t even begin to list the great the great meals I’ve made using it. Go for it, OP.

They're wonderful, but way overpriced. I have one I bought many years ago. I bought a Tramontina the same size about 7 years ago and it has performed just as well as the far more expensive Le Creuset. I also have a Le Creuset covered butter dish that I love.

You can find Le Creuset at TJMaxxx and similar stores

Don't buy a Cuisinart version. That fucker will burn EVERYTHING. I just bought a Lodge based on recommendations here, but haven't used it yet.

Yes! I've had two of mine forty years. Clean enamel carefully. No scrubbing, no gritty cleanser. I use a little Bon Ami and a sponge.

Worth it.

Can you fry things inside without ruining it?

I’ve got several different knock offs. They all hold up fine. You’ll save a ton of cash.

[quote]I know people who swear by them. I think the colors are horrible.

which colors would you prefer?

I have a dark green one. I've had it since 1988! I don't know if I have anything else in my kitchen for so long. Clearly a worthwhile investment.

[quote]Is it worth the price?

and again. yes.

I’ve had luck finding them used at estate sales. Usually barely worn and as good as new.

We have both LeCreuset and Staub. Stay away from any Dutch oven with a dark interior,(Staub) you won’t be able to see when the fond burns. I’d prefer spending the extra bucks and getting LeCreuset. It will be more impressive when you reveal your braised food at the Lesbian potluck.

[quote] when you reveal your braised food at the Lesbian potluck.

I don’t attend potlucks, lesbian or otherwise. I grew up going to church and to paraphrase DL fave Vivian Vance, “I’ve had sufficient.”

Did someone say a Dutch oven??

Splurge. You won’t be sorry.

I have a real Dutch, Dutch oven -- made by DRU. It is yellow enameled cast iron.

Check out DRU on eBay.

Way overpriced. I have a number of enameled cast iron cooking vessels: several Dutch ovens, a saucepan, cocottes, a grill pan, a braiser/paella pan, etc. The only Le Creuset among them is a chicken fryer. It's nice, and perhaps somewhat better than the ones from other manufacturers, but it's not worth the premium you pay. I will say that in general, the enameled cast iron pieces are great to cook with and easy to clean (although never in the dishwasher!) Large ones are VERY heavy--be forewarned.

They are great, as are the ones made by Staub. Le Creuset and Staub are the only enameled cast iron cookware still made in Europe. All the others are made in Asia of questionable composition. There have been reports of the enamel easily chipping and leeching toxic substances into the food. One line bore the name of a television celebrity chef.

You can’t bang these around. I swear we can’t have anything nice.

I have a Staub 5 1/2 Qt. We use our cookware heavily and Dutch ovens don't last forever, so I buy Staub of the same rated quality but costs less. Lodge is fine, too. The enamel that cooks so well does wear out.

Anything smaller is a waste of time.

I use mine almost every day. I've had several for 20+ years now. As for the warranty, it's legit - my mom destroys her cookware, managed to crack the lid or the pot. They sent her a new one.

It’s enameled cast iron. I’d rather just get plain cast iron.

Worth it. An investment that will last.

What are people making with all this cooking?

OP - if you can, wait for a sale - I see them at William Sonoma and on Gilt all the time

As my mother says... "Martha Stewart sells her own, but uses Le Creuset."

Love mine but the Martha Stewart version performs just as well for a lot less. I tried a friend's out just to compare.

Make sure you have a place to store the damn thing. It’s one of the things of us really thinks about until we have it. I’ve really paired down what I am using to match the recipes that I really prepare often.

I inherited several Le Creuset pieces from my parents, and already had a few of my own. I use it all the time -Cared for properly they will last for generations. With cookware you generally get what you pay for.

R35 Everything! Chicken thighs, stews, roasts, a whole chicken, spaghetti sauces, roasted vegetables, bread. Most anything.

[quote]I’d rather just get plain cast iron.

Well aren't WE the butch one!

I have a number of pieces and couldn't be happier with them. I'd suggest buying them now before they shift their manufacturing to China and ruin the product.

Some of their products are already made in China R43.

I love my Le Creuset and I use it for all the things you mentioned and more. It makes a great washing pot for my lace underthings.

Yes. I have two pieces, and they're great.

If you live alone and are lazy, is there any advantage to a dutch oven over a crock pot? I'm curious about getting one but I am not sure I would use it. I bake bread and make stews in my crock pot, but that's about it.

They weigh a gazillion pounds. I keep the Dutch oven in a high cabinet and I’m always afraid I’m going to lose my grip on it and drop it on my head and give myself a concussion and die on the kitchen floor when I’m taking it down. I have a few pieces. They are pretty and clean well but I don’t think the performance is outstanding…I mean it’s just enamel-coated cast iron. I like them for roasting but I prefer the deep sided Lodge cast iron for any deep frying.

R43 yes but I avoid those. I believe their enameled cast iron pieces are still made in France while some of their baking pieces and tools are made in China.

Lodge works for me, and it's made in America.

I have both Lodge and Le Creuset. Both are great. If you feel like Le Creuset, get it. You won’t regret it.

I have a Chinese knockoff that I bought for $30 at an HEB. I also have a Le Creuset. No real difference.

Kitchen retail ice queens!

They are worth the investment. Go for it. QVC has a good sale from time to time plus easy pay.

I started with Le Creuset but I'm a Staub convert now. The prices aren't all that different but Staub has a heavier base which to me makes all the difference. Plus the lids fit better. (Also, I was once carrying two LC Dutch ovens, one in each hand by a handle, tripped over the cat, dropped both, and they both cracked irreparably. I didn't think about the warranty, but these were Marshall's purchases and it probably didn't apply.)

R55 Madcap!

[quote] If you live alone and are lazy, is there any advantage to a dutch oven over a crock pot? I'm curious about getting one but I am not sure I would use it. I bake bread and make stews in my crock pot, but that's about it.

A Dutch oven is just a large pot with a lid. If you don't know how you'd use it, you probably don't need one.

Come on over after I've had grilled onions, OP, and I'll give you a dutch oven

R54 if you have to pay for cookware in installments you cannot afford it. Best to get the knock off brand from China!

How is the name pronounced? My boyfriend pronounces both the ‘Le’ and the ‘Creuset’ wrong. I’ve heard ‘Creuset’ pronounced two different ways.

Yes, OP, I think it's worth it. I have both Le Creuset and Staub enameled cast iron and--for the work you describe--I suspect the LC dutch oven is your best bet. Generally, I have a slight preference for Staub because I think its enamel is a bit more robust and its exterior color more glossy and deep, but if I were going to deep fry potatoes I would want the light colored enamel of a Le Creuset to allow me to clearly see how done my food was. I think plain Lodge without enamel would be a pain to clean up after a soup or anything but the most perfect round of deep-frying. (Lodge gets a lot of work in my kitchen, but I would never use it for what OP described.)

I have not regretted any of my Le Creuset purchases, but I recommend waiting for a good sale.

You could also check eBay for previously owned Le Creuset Dutch ovens. You could probably save 50%.

[quote]previously owned Le Creuset Dutch ovens.

eeeeeew!

R6

Fresnoy-le-Grand is in France though.

The actual owner is from South-Africa;

I have a few Le Creuset pieces that were gifts or thrift store finds and I dont see much much difference between these and the $30 cast iron dutch oven I bought from Amazon

I have a few Le Creuset pieces. The one I use the most, almost every day, is the large shallow casserole. My partner calls it "the magic pan". I hardly use the regular LC casserole anymore. We fry in it, make stews, lasagne, various meats, eggs, on and on. It really is a magical thing.

^^

[quote]£215.00 - £245.00

Blimey!

R67, I can't remember how much I paid for it. I've had it a few years. I don't buy many things, but try and buy quality, useful things when I do make purchases. To me it's worth every penny as I use it multiple times nearly every day.

R63 "previously owned Le Creuset Dutch ovens." That is the gateway drug to eventually buying shoes at the Goodwill.

r62 The shipping costs would erase any savings.

r45=Lindsey Graham

eBay is so over priced R62.

Factory outlet or do one of the "off" sales- I bought almost all of my all-clad this way.

The only acceptable le creuset colors are white, stone, gray and charcoal.

[quote]The only acceptable le creuset colors are white, stone, gray and charcoal.

I'm a follow the crowd gay.

R75- I went across the street to my non-gay neighbors home and the wife had decided to buy EVERY color of Le Creuset. It was like the rainbow of crockware. It was HIDEOUS. She didn't even RGBIV it.

r75- He's a tasteful gay.

Speaking of RGBIV- Have we talked about those cunts on The Home Edit yet? Bleah! The blonde is a alkie. The brunette is closeted.

r47- HOW do you bake bread in a crock pot?

This I wonder as well.

Actually they say your dishes should be white so you can see the color of your food. Makes the food look better. I would imagine when cooking you would want your cookware white too.

The Le Creuset lid knob is made from some funky spunk that is only good up to 450 degrees or so. You need to replace it to use it to bake bread in.

You should buy one of you are youngish because Le Creuset can last a lifetime. Failing that, is there someone you can bequeath it to?

'I would imagine when cooking you would want your cookware white too."

No, you want the insides to be white or stainless steel so you can judge browning. The color of the outside is irrelevant to cooking.

[quote]The only acceptable le creuset colors are white, stone, gray and charcoal.

The nineties called, they want their Le Creuset back. Color has been back for a while. I bet you still go to circuit parties.

Who gives a shit R84. Because of the investment it will limit you if you want to decorate. White is the way to go and use color somewhere else.

for God's sake your fucking Le Creuset doesn't need to match your dreary gray and white decor.

R59 knows as much about cost-benefit analysis as he does cooking and interest-free financing.

And what I can and can’t afford.

[quote]White is the way to go and use color somewhere else.

So clearly you use your pots and pans for decoration rather than actual cooking. White is ridiculous for the outside of piece of cookware. Try and keep white looking good.

But what about my Fiesta ware?

They aren't worth the money. I have 2 pieces of Le Creuset. The food doesn't come out any better than it does in my Target brand knock off Le Creuset.

And food sticks to it

Yes, it's worth the price! I accidentally burned my oven after 15 years and Le Creuset replaced it for free. Amazing.

If you like it (Le Creuset) and it makes you happy, buy it and enjoy it.

[quote]She didn't even RGBIV it.

You mean ROYGBIV, R76?

OP, I bought a set of Flame Le Creuset in1979, which cost just under $100 at that time. Twenty years later, I had used every piece to death, and Le Creuset replaced the entire set. For free. In a smart shade of green—jade, I think it was called. No more orange (my least favorite color).

I ended up selling it all to a friend after a few years. I got pretty bad arthritis, and I switched to All-Clad cookware. It's much lighter.

One piece of advice: I don't roast chicken in a Dutch oven. I use a roasting pan with much shorter sides, so the air in the oven can circulate more easily around the bird. I would not buy a cast iron roasting pan, however, as they're much too heavy to take out of the oven uncovered with all those drippings at the bottom. All-Clad makes a much better roasting pan, in two sizes.

Someone asked about the pronunciation. It's "luh-croo-ZAY."

FFS. OP., it's not that expensive and it's always on sale somwhere.

This week it's $200 at Bloomingdale's

FFS. R94.,

[quote]This item is currently unavailable

r94, that size holds only 2.75 qt. The size he'd want is either 5.5 or 4.5 quarts. The 5.5 size is $370. They may have stopped making the 4.5.

R88 what the hell do you do to your cookware? I'm not into the all white look. I used bold colors in my home. Food shows better on white dishes. Why do you think most restaurants use white dishes? White is not harder to keep clean than any other colors. That is such a fucking myth. Maybe you are not such a good cook and you need to disguise your food so no one will question what the hell it is.

Must be where you are R95

It's available where I am

Who the fuck was talking about dishes, you fucking moron? I have white dishes too. Learn to read.

I don't have white pots and pans. I don't think I know anyone who has a white pot or pan.

I'm a fucking great cook, btw.

What’s the point of buying Le Creuset if you’re going to choose white? What a bore.

Also, I find that food also looks good on turquoise dinnerware. Green, red, and brown—the colors of most things I eat—look better on turquoise IMO than on white.

r84- Yes and I'd like to extend a invitation to you- AND- your Dutch oven. See you at 1 Main Walk, Cherry Grove, NY!

Because there are those of us R100 that don't want to decorate our kitchen or dining room to accommodate the color of Le Creuset.

I have a light beige frying pan and it’s a nightmare to keep clean. Darker colors look best over time.

I just ordered this one. Arrives tomorrow. I'm excited.

If you're going to be miserable if you don't have a Le Creuset Dutch oven, a Vitamix and a Kitchenaid stand blender, then buy the pricey stuff. I have three Le Creuset Dutch ovens and am much more likely to use my instant pot.

r104 We can't see how much you paid since it's out of stock, but I'll bet it was at least four times what I paid for this one at Target ($50; mine is in navy blue.)

They are good, but as others have said, probably not really worth the premium. I hate the original orange, but they do other colours. I have a large oval yellow casserole from the 80s, and I always enjoy using it.

They are very heavy so always take care with them. I know two people who have dropped casseroles or gratin dishes on their feet - either manoeuvring them out of cupboards or taking the dish out of the oven - broken toe and broken foot respectively.

If they’ve discontinued a product, say the 4.5 quart Dutch oven, how do you get a replacement?

R108, call Le Creuset of America at (803) 943-4308. They're located at 114 Bob Gifford Blvd, Early Branch, SC 29916.

You might be able to find one at your local Le Creuset outlet store, but I don't think they do returns.

[quote] call Le Creuset of America

But I mean if the product is discontinued, do they substitute a different size or do they make one especially for replacement?

Give them a call, r110. I don't really know.

Worth it if you want the cache of owning a LC piece (which many do, no shade). Not worth it if you just want a heavy cast iron pot with a lid to cook with and don't care about anything else - go with Lodge (although I concede that the light interior of an LC is helpful, if you actually use it it won't stay light indefinitely) if that's the case.

Flame and cobalt are the classic colours and the poster above who said anything under 5 quarts isn't worth buying is correct, imo.

If you're not buying it as a substitute stock and spaghetti pot, a smaller size is fine. I use mine for stews and chili.

Seems like it would be overkill for boiling water and making bone broths / vegetable broths.

[quote] How is the name pronounced? My boyfriend pronounces both the ‘Le’ and the ‘Creuset’ wrong.

That doesn't make any sense. How can you know he's pronouncing it wrong if you yourself don't know how it is pronounced?

The Lodge is great. Don't get a light color. Mine is 'oyster' and it always looks grungy.

The French "le" is a little bit hard to pronounce. There's almost an "R" at the end. It's not pronounced "lay." However, "les" is pronounced similar to "lays." E.g., "les enfants."

[quote]However, "les" is pronounced similar to "lays."

Not when it precedes a word starting with a consonant. Then it sounds like "lay," as in les vins (the wines), or les livres (the books). You only pronounce the "s" before a vowel.

If this thread becomes about who Jacques Brel was sleeping with, I’m out of here.

Plain iron pots and kettles are fine for many things, but they're not completely interchangeable with enameled iron vessels and they don't do the same jobs in every respect. Proper seasoning of the iron takes care of only some of the issues. Iron can pit despite seasoning, and catch microscopic bits of food, which can make it harder to clean without affecting the surface.

Iron can impart an unwanted taste, and does not work as well with acidic ingredients. Enameled iron doesn't heat well when empty, which iron does, but enameled iron handles braising and stewing better. Enameled iron can have enamel crack with sudden temperature changes. It's unusual for an iron pot to need replacing, but enamel does wear out. The better products last much longer. People who claim to have used enamel cookery every day 30+ years seem to exaggerate (to be kind), but miracles do occur in cookware if not in matters of war, genocide or the stupidity of fascist-fed sheep.

[quote] That doesn't make any sense. How can you know he's pronouncing it wrong if you yourself don't know how it is pronounced?

Because 1) he pronounces ‘Le’ as ‘La’, and I took enough French in high school (4 years) to know he’s pronouncing ‘Creuset’ incorrectly, too. He says ‘Crue-SAY’. I figured it had to be either ‘crue-SET’ (with a barely-there T sound at the end) or … something else. Anyway, the company has a short video on YouTube explaining how to say it, though I wish the guy would’ve slowed down AND I wish he didn’t have such a damn thick French accent. And the music is too fuckin loud.

Thanks to you bitches I had to go out shopping for a pot and I found one in the clearance section of bed bath which is a Staub 2.75 for only $92.99. It’s a turmeric looking color which is really interesting. It’s on the smaller size but should be big enough to make something like petite roasted potatoes or some sort of risotto. Can’t wait to try it out.

[quote]Worth it if you want the cache of owning a LC piece

Oh, dear.

No I meant cache. Like if you have a bunch of them all stored in a hole you dig in the yard. It's a cache. Yeah, that's the ticket.

[quote] Why do you think most restaurants use white dishes?

R97, no restaurant serves things in the pots or pans they prepared the food in. They serve them on white plates

I've never seen white pots or pans

For cleaning your enameled cast iron, nothing is better than Barkeepers Friend.

R66 do you have the 2.2 liter or 3.5 liter size? I already have a LC dutch oven and I’m sold by your recommendation.

Quite taking things out of context R125. Chefs want to see their food and the color changes when they are cooking it. They don't want to use a dark interior. Besides the other properties of stainless steel you are able to see the coloring of your food. For those that bitch about stainless steel being hard to clean, hot water and baking soda make your pots and pans look new. Enjoying your dinner is about presentation. If you are fine eating frozen food in plastic so be it, but it is not my idea of a good meal.

I have owned Le Creuset and various knock-offs. The enamel discolors and chips with heavy usage. The Le Creuset look new after years of use. None hold up like the Crueset.

I find Tramontina to be a perfectly cromulent knock-off brand, r13. I have a sauce pan from them that must be nearly 20 years old, it's still going strong.

Some Calphalon is quite good too but their non-stick is useless. It wears out after a few years and they will replace it, but it takes 8-10 months. I rarely need a Dutch oven but I did get a Calphalon stainless several years ago, yet find myself going back to my 80-year-old Griswold cast iron for the rare times I need a Dutch oven.

[quote]Quite taking things out of context [R125].

No, you're the one taking things out of context. Everyone here is talking about enameled cast iron pots and pans. Someone suggested the only colors you should get your enameled cast iron wares are black, white, gray, or stone. You brought up white dishes when no one was talking about dishes.

Please, let's not ruin this thread.

I don't cook but my cousin does and she loves Le Creuset. If she watches my dog while I'm on an extended trip or at Christmas I always buy her a new piece. Fun for me and she loves it.

Go fuck yourself you damn hall monitor R131. I was making a comparison.

R134, see r132.

R135 see R131.

According to America's Test Kitchen, for ~7.5-quart Dutch oven (enameled cast iron).

1st Place: Le Creuset.

2nd Place: Cuisinart, at 1/3rd of the cost of Le Creuset.

[quote]I find Tramontina to be a perfectly cromulent knock-off brand, [R13].

I have a full set of the Tramontina All-Clad knockoff pans. They're great and have held up well. I can't say the same for a Tramontina enameled cast iron Dutch oven. It had all kinds of issues -- chipped enamel, broken knob, scratched surfaces, etc.

Whatever you use to cook at the end of the day you want people to remember the food.

[quote]Go fuck yourself you damn hall monitor [R131]. I was making a comparison.

Aww, R134. Your fee-fees get hurt?

You compared apples to oranges. Why compare dishes to cookware? It didn't make sense then and no matter how much you scream and try and defend it, it doesn't now after umpteenth posts about it. You're still wrong.

And learn what a hall monitor is.

The Cuisinart can be found at Home Goods and Marshall’s for around $79, making it a steal. Sometimes they have Staub and Le Creuset.

I have all-clad pieces that are now 22 years old and still look good as new.

[quote]I have all-clad pieces that are now 22 years old and still look good as new.

They didn't get thousands of teeny-tiny scratches like mine did?

The interior of a Le Creuset does discolour, in my experience. Out most discoloured is the one we use to make stovetop popcorn about once a week. We never burn it and the heat is medium-high but the interior surface has progressively gotten darker over time. Still light enough to be useful and it doesn't affect performance at all but definitely not untouched-looking. Others that get use are also slightly discoloured. No issues with any chipping, inside or out.

R142 Of course there are some very minor scratches but considering the age and use they have held up admirably.

I do take good care of them, always had washed and I avoid putting them in a full sink. Bar keepers friend keeps them shiny.

I store them on a rack so that helps keep them from bumping into other cookware.

I have all kinds of cookware and the nastiest looking are my Le Creuset griddle frying pan (its very light colored) and my aluminum pots that I used to make rice and fry in, but those are cheap so I don’t care.

r141, I had a Cuisinart dutch oven and the thing burned everything. Even when making red sauce on the stove top at a very low setting. And even when put in a 250 degree oven to braise meat. I don't know, maybe I bought a reject from Marshalls.

r145, I believe cast iron gets hot spots, regardless of how hard the manufacturers push the "even heating" gospel. I got more burns using Le Creuset (my only brand of enameled cast iron) for stovetop cooking than I get from All-Clad. You can buy 6-qt. and 8-qt. stockpots from All-Clad that are the same shape as LC size 26 and 28 (5.5 qt. and 7.5 qt.). Not to say I've never burned anything in All-Clad, but usually it was because I turned the wrong burner on.

Overall, I'm happier with All-Clad. It's so much lighter. Unless color is a major factor, I'd choose A-C.

Someone Gay and semi famous, like an influencer, recently told the story of dropping one on his foot and breaking it- the foot, not the creuset. Anyone remember this?

I have one and it's great but I've had the same version by Kitchen Aid and it was just as good. The Le Creuset is made in France and anything made in France is expensive. I bought mine at Marshalls or somewhere like that for about half the regular price, I wouldn't pay full price for one, I would go for the cheaper version. I am a label queen so when I was getting rid of things I kept the Le Crueset and gave the Kitchen Aid to Goodwill.

[quote] Someone Gay and semi famous, like an influencer, recently told the story of dropping one on his foot and breaking it- the foot, not the creuset. Anyone remember this?

That actually happened to me. They're really, really heavy.

I haven't used mine in at least a decade because it's so heavy. It's a pain in the ass getting a pot full of food in an out of the oven

We bought two pieces at a Le Creuset at the outlet mall and saved a fair amount - 40 bucks on each piece from what we had seen at some retail stores.

I remember a fabulously designed outlet store in that town before Palm Springs with the dinosaurs. It really looked more upscale then the regular type of outlet store.

r151 Desert Hills Outlet Mall in Cabazon

R152 Yes, I recall like a big central hearth area as tall as the store, but I don’t see pictures of it and the store being set up like a Sur La Table more then a discount space. The only reason I remember it was that it went beyond the usual outlet store decor, which I’ve seen a lot of, and I thought that was impressive and must have been due to it being a French company. And until that time I had not, at least on the east coast, seen a outlet store for them before.

Yes, I have two sizes, had them for over a decade, and they are used quite often. I have a Lodge cast iron skillet which I also love (considerably less money, but not enameled.) I can't speak for other brands, but I do love to cook. They were definitely worth the splurge.

I have a friend who owns the 8-quart dutch oven. Huge! The lid dropped on the floor and broke. Le Creuset replaced the entire oven and lid no questions asked.

R74

Orange orange, orange.

You, imbecile.

I threw mine away a few years ago. It was the hideous orange color.

I hated washing it ... weighed a ton. It got dingy looking on the inside. One day I finally said fuckit and hauled it off to the rubbish bin, along with its smaller cousins. I believe I dumped 3 pieces in total. The handles had fallen off the smaller pieces and they looked like crap. Not worth the money.

What on earth are all of you people making that requires the damn thing?

The food doesn't taste better in a Le Creuset

[quote]What on earth are all of you people making that requires the damn thing?

Ramen noodles, silly.

I bought some felt inserts (at Aldi, of all places) that let you stack your enameled cast iron without worrying about chipping or scratching.

Speaking of Aldi, they have some VERY cheap Le Creuset knockoffs. They usually show up a few times a year.

R169 That is a great idea and I’m off to Amazon to buy them.

I purchased a enclume rack to display my nicer pieces.

I put my brand new Lodge enameled cast iron 6 qt. pot to work today. (In cobalt blue, thank you.) Made red sauce and simmered it on a low flame for two hours. No burning and sticking, unlike the POS Cuisinart I gave away to Goodwill. Next up will be pot roast this week, which the Cuisinart failed miserably no matter how many times I tried. Got the Lodge on sale at Walmart.com. Different prices for different colors; red was the most expensive.

There’s a beautiful store in the outlet mall in the DC area.

I hesitated going in because there was nothing I could afford. Too bad.

I read there’s gonna be a sale online in mid-August. Maybe I can get that coveted 7 quart pot in Artichoke.

I do have a Martha Stewart one and it’s worked wonderfully for years. Got it on sale at Macy’s.

People still go to malls. Who knew.

R121 if you want to slow down the playback speed of that video just go to the cog icon on the bottom part of the video. Press on it and you can adjust to slow the speed down three different levels as you choose. You can also speed up the playback speed as well. It’s very helpful in terms of figuring out pronunciations.

I’ve had a Le Creuset Dutch oven about 20 years. It was a gift & I love it! The inside is light tan but very discolored on the bottom. I could never get that clean and it bothered me. I read somewhere if you add a quarter cup of Oxiclean powder to about 2 quarts of water and heat the Dutch oven to simmer it’ll come out in about an hour. It worked! And now my Dutch oven looks new!

I would never buy this for myself though. I cannot justify paying almost $400 for a Dutch oven. I would definitely buy the Lodge if I had to pay for it myself.

R121 I forgot to add that you must open the video in the YouTube website or the app. Then tap on the video and you should see icons on the bottom part of the video.

I got all the stains off mine with dishwasher powder and soaking. You can degunk the sides and bottom with a steamer. That works on all cookware but it takes a lot of time to do it.

Le Creuset is a cult. I have several Dutch ovens, mini-casseroles and au gratin dishes bought at TJ Maxx 30 years ago. I never use them but I can't bring myself to sell them. And I was always upset they discontinued my color before I got the lasagna pan and pate mold. It's about collecting. Never wanted the saucepans and frying pans, though.

I finally decided to deep clean my white enameled Le Creuset griddle pan, I placed it in the sink with very hot water and a little dawn which I then scrubbed with bar keepers friend for cookware which removed almost all of the stains that had accumulated on it. For the bottom edges and crevices I gently used a razor blade to loosen the caked on gunk.

Using the correct kind of cleaner makes a big difference, I usually use the regular bar keepers friend but the cookware formula is much better.

I did not buy a LC 5.5 quart French oven yesterday. It would have cost $375. The only reason I wanted it was because of the color. I don't need it. I have an All-Clad the same size, same profile.

A Dutch oven with a 100% name? Is it a Belgian brand?

Just throw it all away. C'mon, you can do this.

If your color is discontinued, watch ebay. Occasionally unused pieces in discontinued colors do come through. I got my chocolate brown brasier and terrine that way.

Buy an Instant Pot. Just use the pressure cook setting and add a cup of liquid to insure pressurization. An hour later and your perfect meal is done. The pressure cook button works for everthing and makes cooking a simple joy.