Moving to Cast Iron pans and casseroles only, is it worth it?

I have a couple of LC casseroles that will no doubt outlast me, I use them all the time, I also have a couple of cast iron roasting dishes that are great for roasting and doing things like lasagne - combination of LC and supermarket ones bought in France. I wouldn’t buy the saucepans because everything I want to cook I can do in the casseroles or roasting pans, and the saucepans are heavy to lift with one hand.

I was a bit of a sucker for cast iron cookware. I grabbed a wok from Woolworths for £3 or £4 back in the day, and it does keep on trucking. An elderly family member moaned about them being heavy, and I was like: what you talking about? These days I have to go through a bit of a pan dance. Move the wok, move the frying pan/skillet, move the smaller frying pan. And I have gotten a bit sick of moving them about. I like my bare iron frying pan. I have two casserole dishes, and they don't get used that much, but come into their own in the winter. Got the bread in one today. But again. They are heavy, I was considering down sizing them today. Work out where you can place them near to the cooker, and don't smash your induction hob with them. Oh and try not to drop the lids. You can chip enamel.

My wrists thanked me when I gave mine away in favour of lighter pans. I do cook for a large family though, so mostly big portions.

My LC saucepan set and casseroles are all inherited, and I love them. They’re pretty non stick and easy to cook in. The only thing which annoys me is that you can’t put them in the dishwasher because of the wooden handles. I also have a purple classic LC casserole dish which I was given and use more than any of the others, probably because I can put it in the dishwasher

No a cast iron pan will not turn you into a great cook.

If you can't make stuff that tastes good in budget hardware, moving to cast iron isn't going to miraculously make it taste better.

Save your money. Get better instructions/lessons and buy better ingredients.

Not all the gear no idea.

Just a tip that curries, casseroles in Dutch ovens etc do cook better in the oven than stovetop.

if you can get to one of the outlet centres like MacArthur Glenn. They have LV and Staub

As do ProCook if you've got one near you My sainsbury one needs a bit of jiggling to get the lid to sit flat, the LC you can just plonk the lid on and it fits perfectly, is that worth an extra £150+ though.

They are lovely but heavy. I did buy a master class one I think it was which is cast aluminium - looks very similar but lighter weight.

They are lovely but also very heavy. I have the large lc frying pan and had to stop using it as I really struggled to lift it up when it was full.

Just bear in mind some of these pots and pans are very heavy. I collected a set of LC pans and found them difficult to manoeuvre and drain. Wooden handles really help.

I've given them all away now bar one knock off large cast iron casserole dish I can use two hands for.

We got a set of Le Creuset saucepans as a wedding present, but when they needed to be replaced, we chose a set of John Lewis stainless steel pans, with a thick base. The Le Creuset pans look gorgeous, but once they were full, I could barely lift the bigger ones.

We do have Le Creuset casseroles, though, and they are definitely worth having - they make a gorgeous casserole.

Sainsbury’s have lovely cast iron products and often on sale

I've had my LC pans for decades and I think they're great. I think the oldest, a small white casserole with lid, is probably about 40 years old. I used to buy one a month or every other month if it was a big expensive one. It's turned out to be money very well spent on cost per use basis.