Proper Le Creuset or Sainsburys own?

[bluecheesefiend]

Hi,

I need some decent cooking pots & have always quite fancied the Le Creuset stuff, especially since all the chefs on TV seem to find them so indispensable, but they are obviously on the pricey side.

I saw today that Sainsbury do their own. They're essentially the same shape, style & colour but for £40 rather than the nearly £200 that the Le Creuset equivalent would cost

So my question is, are Le Creuset worth it? Is this like a roasting tin scenario where you buy one from Sainsburys for £12 & within 3 Sunday roasts the black non stick stuff is dissolving into your gravy. Whereas the heavy duty thing that cost a fortune would have been with you for generations.

Can you really go as wrong with cast iron?

Your learned opinions would be most welcome

[jkklpu]

Le Creuset are an investment for your lifetime (or your children's). They clean very well and are indestructible. Work on hob or in oven. No idea about Sainsbury's, but there's likely to be a very good reason why they're much cheaper, ie their life will be shorter and, quite possibly, they are a bummer to clean. But, as I say, no idea of the comparison, other than that Le Creuset are superb.

[LondonMumsie]

I blew up one of my Le Creuset dishes. I thought they could all go on the hob, but it turns out this is not so. They are very good quality, I am just an idiot who ruins lots of things. But if you are a fellow idiot you may prefer the cheaper model.

[Elliptic5]

I'd shop around for Le creuset, I managed to get a 20cm round casserole in teal for £56 (down from £99) a couple of months ago - on offer at John Lewis for a few days only.
It's the first piece I've owned and I love it - I can't compare it to the sainsburys tho' perhaps someone else can help with that.

[Annanymous]

I have Le Creuset - which I love. I also bought an IKEA Le Creuset look-alike which was much much cheaper and I now know why. I've used the IKEA one twice and it's stored away at the back of my cupboard now. Food stuck to the inside of it and burnt.

I haven't seen Sainsbury's lookalikes, but I tend to think you get what you pay for.

[ParsleyTheLioness]

Sainsbos have done pink creuset u like recently, for breast cancer. These look lovely, and was v tempted, but not idea if a bad buy.

[natashakaplinkyplop]

I've seen the sainsburys ones, they were on offer a couple of weeks ago.
I think if you do get them, regardless of how they perform, you'll still want the 'proper ones'.

I went to Boundary Mill in Colne recently, they had them for quite a bit cheaper than JL etc.

[Annanymous]

Pink is JUST WRONG for pans, don't you think Parsley ?

[ParsleyTheLioness]

Maybe...but is it wrong for a casserole dish :o

[Finn77]

Hi There,
I bought the Sainsburys very large deep casserole one about 8 months ago and I think its better than le creuset. I have some le creuset items (wok, grillit pan and a large saucepan) all of which have not fared well. The saucepan got very burnt.
The sainsurys casserole on the otherhand is being used on an induction hob, and then put into the oven for hours, hasn't a bit of burnt stuff left on and is very easy to clean. They are just as heavy and imo better quality than Le C. Hope this helps!

[ParsleyTheLioness]

Better! Splurts

[snailoon]

Try TKMaxx for cheap Le Crueset.
I think the best is an old fashioned unpainted cast iron skillet and deep saucepan. Cheap if you can find it at all, nonstick after a little use, good on hob or in oven, lasts forever, healthy iron added to food.

[jenni75]

I bought a set of le creusets over 10 years ago, and they are brill, they came on a wooden stand, and it's true they would do you a lifetime. Don't dishwasher them though as the wooden handles split, hope that helps.

[Civliz]

I have the Le Creuset triple ply stainless steel non stick saute pan - the non stick doesn't work, it didn't last long at all - everything sticks! But my cheapy John Lewis non stick pan which cost a third of the price is still doing the job 3 years later!

[lampli]

I have cast iron Le Creuset and Sainsbury's casserole dishes and there is absolutely no difference in performance between them. They both wash very well. The only reason I would buy another LC is that they have a broader range of sizes and shapes.

[lampli]

Just wanted to add that you can get good enamelled cast iron stuff from catering supply places. I got a rectangular roasting dish for £15 and a couple of gratin dishes for about a fiver each from a catering supplies shop, and they have lots of casserole dishes too. My local independent kitchen shop also have a range of cheaper cast iron. The Sainsbury's prices look good compared to Le Creuset but you can actually get cast iron cheaper than that. Also TK Maxx as mentioned above, but I've noticed that recently they have lots of Le Creuset stoneware and not so much cast iron.

I am addicted to cast iron now, despite having nowhere to store it. I find I cook different things as I search out recipes just to use the cast iron I don't have the saucepans though, as I prefer non-stick.

I would like a marmitout, a tarte tatin dish and a smaller shallow casserole.

[bluecheesefiend]

Thanks all

I do agree, with things like this you tend to get what you pay for, but having said that, I think you pay a bit extra for Le Creuset as it's such a premium brand.

When I picked up the Sainsburys version it really looked & felt exactly the same (unlike the cheap versus expensive roasting pans where you can feel the difference in the weight & standard of metal) so it's interesting to hear there's a risk it might burn - I hadn't thought of that

We have a TK Maxx nearby so I may have a look there

I wonder if they have any outlets like at Bicester Village or similar....

[bluecheesefiend]

I also love the idea of catering suppliers - will definitely be following up on that!

[natashakaplinkyplop]

I think there's a shop at cheshire oaks that sells it.

[PotteringAlong]

There's a le Creuset outlet at royal quays in North Shields but it depends where you live!

Cast iron le Creuset can go on the hob. I've got a round and a shallow casserole dish and love love live them. Have outlived list of cheaper versions.

[PotteringAlong]

20% off at amazon

Quick google found this!

[BananaPie]

I have some le creuset pans that my mum bought in 1987. They're still going strong!

[iarebaboon]

Outlet in Swindon too.

[PigletJohn]

I have some genuine le Creuset. They're orange, which I've gone off, would rather have black

The magic and mystique is just because it's sold (here) as an expensive premier product. Cast iron is an old material that has been made all over the world for more than a hundred years. Anybody can make it an enamel it. There is not the slightest reason why cast iron made in one factory should be any better than cast iron made in another factory.

If you are seriously buying it for the cooking experience, Aldi own-brand will work just as well. If you are buying it for the brand name, fashion value, the pleasure of parting with lots of money and to impress your friends, go for the brand name and display it on your Ornaments shelf.

BTW try picking up a few of the vessels when they are full, especially sauce pan (one handed) and big casserole, esp. with lid on. My DP says they're too heavy to carry.

[DontWantToHaveSex]

I wouldn't buy it, purely because I find them so exptremely heavy, even when empty. When they're full, they're unmanageable for me. Who will be using them, and will they be able to manage them when full of hot food/boiling water?