Kitchen

[Sooner]

On 4/29/2015 italia8140 said:

On 4/28/2015 house_cat said:

On 4/28/2015 Sooner said:

On 4/27/2015 house_cat said:

The jury's still out, in my opinion. I've had mine about a month. There's nothing wrong with it, but so far I haven't seen anything fabulous about it, except for how pretty it is.

I haven't done an oven roast yet. That might convince me that it's extraordinary.

What were you expecting it to do? It' just a cooking pot. . . ???

I was expecting it to perform better than the ones I own that cost 1/4 of the price. So far, I've only made soups in it. It was very nice to use and it's so pretty that it makes me smile, but I don't know if it's that much better than my other pots. I think it's going to outshine the others, though, when I make an oven roast or stew. I'm looking forward to that.

Great comeback to her SNARKY comment!!!

It wasn't snarky. At least wasn't supposed to be taken that way. It is simply a pot. I mean they all cook. It depends on how people cook, how they follow directions, the size of pot they use, what they put in it to begin with, etc. You can cook a great meal in any pot.

Do you expect to make a bad cook great with a Le Creuset pot? It won't happen. Do you expect to make lesser ingredients come out wonderful? Nope, it won't do that either. It is, after all, just a pot. I was really asking what she thought it would do that would be so much better. If that were explained maybe some of us here could help her out in getting that result.

If you heat the pot up too much, you can ruin a meal. If you don't read the directions that come with it, you may be disappointed. If you expect magic, you'll REALLY be disappointed. I was just asking what she wanted it to do for her. . .

[chickenbutt]

What Sooner said didn't sound snarky to me either.

House Cat - I think you will find that it DOES perform better than the cheap, Chinese-made ones. It will last longer, because it is made a thousand times better than those. The enamel won't explosively remove itself from the pot. It will not crack and chip easily. If something does happen it is covered with a Lifetime warranty. But the main difference is in the manufacturing. You don't have to worry about having bits of enamel in your food. You won't have to worry about it breaking down, the cast iron rusting, or any of the things that WILL happen with the more cheaply made pots. So, if the integrity of the manufacturing is one of the things you are looking for, you should be happy.

[karlam]

Costco does sell a 6 1/2 quart dutch oven. The cost is $90 and it is made in France. I got this for my daughter and she says it is as god as her LeCreuset.

[novadc]

I believe the dutch oven sold at Costco today is made by Tramontina, unless Costco co-opted that brand, like it has so many others, and put the Kirkland name on it. My experience with a other Tramontina (and Kirkland) items has been excellent.

And, yes, the LC instructions say you can put in dishwasher, but indicate this could diminish the finish somewhat. Haven't noticed this effect on mine.

I could also put in a plug for LC stoneware casseroles, au gratin and baking dishes. Work great and clean up so easily that I won't even consider using any glass Pyrex these days. Sur La Table and Williams Sonoma recently had reduced prices on LC yellow (color name "Soleil") ceramic casseroles and at least some yellow cast iron items. I believe the sale lasts through April but not sure if anyone's interested.

[Still Raining]

They are pretty and a nice, heavy weight, but I have managed to crack the enamel on two of them and switched over to a cast iron. I do have their teapot in the small size and it is so cute and works well.

[camochef]

Quick answer...No!

As a collector and cast iron cook that owns Le Creuset, Staub, Kitchen Aid, Techniques, MCM, Better Homes &Gardens, Paula Deen, Mario Battali, Cooks Essentials, Lodge and many other brands of Enameled Cast Iron and I'm talking 100's and 100's of cast iron pieces, I can't see why anyone would pay those absurd prices.

My favorite and most used Dutch ovens are by Kitchen Aid, MCM, and Lodge. I don't stop with Dutch Ovens. There are skillets, casseroles, bean pots, fry pans, croquettes, I use them all.

Nowadays people seem to prefer the easy clean-up and non care benefits of enameled cast iron, but if you use well seasoned plain cast iron...it's just as non-stick and easy to cook in as enameled, perhaps even easier and more healthy.

I know a lot of people that paid top dollar for their LeCreuset cookware are going to be offended by my opinion, but I can by 10 or more pieces of the same item for the price of one french made piece.

I've only had 2 pieces ever chip out of the many hundreds that I own and one of them was a LeCreuset Dutch oven. (small chip on the lid).

I use my Lodge Comal's almost daily, (plain cast iron) and I love them. and as far as making pizza, nothing beats their large cast iron pizza pan. Prices are just a fraction of the price of those French pieces.

Enjoy! and save your money!

Camo