Le Creuset - middle class nirvana or unnecessarily heavy con?

[PersonaNonGarter]

The Le Creuset from my wedding list (10yrs) is coming to it’s life end and tbh it hasn’t been a great ride. Each one is stained, with chipped handles, horrible to clean etc.

Do I repurchase at £££ or is there something better out there?

I absolutely love mine.

Nirvana. I couldn’t do without mine.

If you watch Sainsbury’s sales, they often have their own brand for unbelievably cheap. I got massive casserole dish for £15.

I now have Berndes and it's exactly the same.

I got a Sainsbury's copy and it's been brilliant. A big heavy lidded pot for around £40 I think. In a sale possibly.

I love mine, but the Sainsbos cast iron copycats are just as good and about £25 quid on sale.

I love Le Creuset. Even got DH some of the Star Wars specials.

Great for long slow cooks like casseroles and pot roasts (although everyone seems to use a slow cooker nowadays), but crap and a waste of energy for boiling pasta/potatoes etc.

I prefer Staub (I have one of each)

Nirvana

Hmm. Have you put it in a dishwasher?Or accidentally left it on the heat with nothing in? That will shorten its life in my experience!

I love the casserole dishes, but the saucepans are just too heavy to be a pleasure to use. I have tri-ply copper which I really like.

My parents (professional chefs) swore by them and have had them for 40 years so far.

I have three and I use them all the time. I wouldn't be parted from them. However, cheaper alternatives may be just as good.

I was glad to get rid of mine and get good quality stainless steel - lighter, doesn't chip nor makes big dints in the kitchen floor when I drop the lids.

You can get virtually identical cookware from Sainsbury's for about a fifth of the price, if you like it. I like the look but am too weak of arm for it to be practical.

They sell them in TK Maxx at a heavily discounted price! Happy shopping!!

I like my three le creuset mugs, but that's enough for me

What have you done to it in 10 years that means it’s coming to the end of its life? I’ve got family LC that’s older than me and still fine.

LC is very good but if I had to buy it myself I would struggle with the price at the moment - other brands are much cheaper and 95% as good. There will be 20% off LC in the run up to Christmas at John Lewis, otherwise Sainsbury’s own brand is good.

I have loads, but get it in TK Maxx/Homesense. They always have loads and it's a bargain.

Aldi had some Great cast iron pans a little while ago. Not le cruset quality but as they were fraction of the price it doesn't matter

I love my Dutch ovens and my grillet and skillet. They are teal! There's just something special about Le C.

I think the quality has really gone downhill, and I won't buy them now.

I love mine.

In fact I got a beautiful teapot in there last week for £12!

I use mine several times a week! Couldn’t manage without them. Mine are still in decent condition after 26 years. Do you have the cast iron?

Sorry, that doesn’t really answer your question!