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?

Nirvana!
I've had two of the casseroles for 32 years. Use them a couple of times a week. Both go in the dishwasher. Both still perform as well as they ever did and look great.

I love my LC. I annoy the pants off my dc when we visit the nearby outlet centre by looking at the various pans and baking trays I own, and working out just how much I’ve saved by only buying in charity shops.

However, my Tesco & Sainsbury’s knock-offs are as good if I’m honest. It’s just that they lack that truly middle class edge. Hyacinth Bucket, eat your heart out.

Love my casserole dish. I was a Christmas present.

I have a fake one, but I didn’t know Le Creuset was a thing when I got it. It’s just a handy sized casserole dish like something lots more expensive.

I love mine.

I have two-one large casserole pot and one large wok shaped one. I leave them on top of the stove-because they look good there and also because it means I don't have to break my hands fetching them in and out of a cupboard.

I've never ever seen a cast iron one in a TK Maxx, although I did buy a pale pink stoneware salt pig there.

I sold mine on eBay. They weigh a ton. I could only lift the pans up with two hands, which is no good at all.

Love cooking in them but was disappointed with their customer service. A lid was damaged (our fault) so I wanted to purchase a new one - turns out they don’t sell them separately, nor can they repair the chipped enamel.

If they're only lasting 10 years for you I wouldn't bother buying again. Try a cheaper version if you need cast iron. The point of Le Creuset and their ilk is that they last a lifetime.

Some Le Creuset is dishwasher safe (some cheaper enameled cast iron is not) but it is not designed for high temperature stove top use unless boiling something watery (soup, reducing a sauce, etc). So no frying or searing at a high temperature. And it shouldn't be heated dry. So if these are your normal cooking methods then it's probably not the best cookware to suit your needs anyway. The benefit of cast iron is in the way it stores heat, if you really just want the immediate effect of the flame you should use stainless steel, which heats up and cools down faster.

I've bought a mist grey lidded serving dish from TK Max for Christmas and want another to match, but can't find one.

For my sister

Nirvana. How have yours only lasted 10 years?! My oldest one is about 15 years old. Ok, so the knob on the top has fallen off but it still works and after a quick soak cleans like a dream!

I was gifted a Le Creuset casserole pot by my MIL 2 years ago because she knew I loved my Sainsbury’s version and wanted to treat me to the real deal. I can hand on heart say that I cannot tell the difference between the two in terms of performance. Sainsburys copy is just as good and still going strong 8 years on. In my view, the Le Creuset is overpriced.

I've had my Le Crueset casserole and baking dishes for 40+ years not a mark on them. They've been real workhorses. I find the saucepans a bit heavy for me but my DC have happily nicked them.

@pettyprudence

Have mixed feelings about my cast iron pots - dont know if they are better than other cast irons? The bottom ALWAYS burns on my ceramic hobs and they are so heavy and hard to wash. I utterly love my Le Creuset tri-ply plans though. 10 years in, used daily, look like new and the bottoms never burn.

Yes to the Le Creuset tri-ply pans! We have them and they are amazing - they are a good 15 years old and still perfect and we use them daily.

In fact, when DH and I were having some issues a few years ago, he said to me that they were the first things he’d have to replace if we split up (they were a present from my parents to me).

LC great but too heavy for me now. John Lewis have nice quality heavy pans I can lift and cheaper

Love my casserole pits and really dont understand yours being destroyed in 10 years. I dont wash in dishwasher but only because they take up too much space and they are so easy to clean it's not worth sticking in dishwasher.

I dont have saucepans but do want to get one that I can use for hob to oven for eg lamb rack or pork chops.

I have 3 LC casseroles. All bought at various charity shops over the years. They are at least 25 years old and still going strong. I absolutely love them. I am another person wondering how you can have ruined them in 10 years. They are practically indestructible.

I also have a shallow, lidded casserole that is an Aldi copy. I use it most days and have had it for 10 years. It's just as good as LC.

Ive got the Sainsburys ones and they are ok though have gone a little rusty on the top

We have a Le Cruset frying pan and I'm not impressed

I've got this on the way ... I don't think I've ever seen so many shining reviews.

Hopefully it lives up to what they're saying!

Nirvana.

Always for things in the oven. never for boiling stuff.

We have le creuset that is over 30 years old. My most recent le creuset I bought just after we were married so 20 years.

I love mine but I usually pick bits up in TK Maxx.

I have a big heavy casserole from Dunelm (own brand) and it's fantastic. Goes through the dishwasher as well.

They are absolutely nirvana though.

I have a mixture of types and price ranges. I find you can tell the difference between LC and Aldi. My favourite is the LC satin black range, though. Slightly less weighty (important for a cauldron-sized pot) and cooks beautifully.

I picked my first Le Creuset casseroles up from outside someone's house 20 years ago after they'd left them out on a wall with a "Free" sign, and they were clearly at 'the end if their life' then, stained, chipped and cracked enamel. Has not impaired performance one iota.

I have since added both new and old mismatched pieces (matching is a bit meh imo), and wouldn't be without them.

Oh no, i treated myself to le creuset mugs - they did seem to chip. The oven dishes have not chipped.

[chipped the kicthen tiles though when i dropped one]