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've got a Le Creuset casserole that's almost 40 years old and it's still in great nick. I'm amazed yours is knackered after such a short time.

Sadly, arthritic hands and Le Creuset aren't very compatible, so mine doesn't get a lot of use any more.

Definitely go to T K Maxx There’s also a genuine discount Le Creuset seconds website.

I have the sainsbury ones. Perfext.

My wrists are knackered these days so I can't use cast iron saucepans any more - I can barely lift them when they are empty! Plus I dropped a lid on my toe end-on and broke it (my toe, not the lid). I've replaced the saucepans with lighter versions, though I have kept the heavy casserole dishes.

Well you have to think about a few things here:

1. I use the casserole dishes, so good for roasting chickens, oven casseroles and things like Bolognese. I wouldn't bother with saucepans.

1. If you dishwash any cast iron dish, le Creuset or knock off it will be ruined: the base is not designed to sit in water. The same as if you leave a nail outside it will rust.

1. You can't solve this problem by buying anodised aluminium either unless there's a new sort I don't know about. I don't think you're meant to dishwash copper either.

If you want pans you can dishwash then you need stainless steel with a dishwasher friendly non stick if you want non stick and even then you will probably shorten their life by dishwashing.

My answer would be to do what I do: have stainless steel pans for day to day use: pasta, quick sauces etc, and then le Creuset/cast iron/pretend le Creuset for specific purposes - pot roasts, stews etc.

If you already do that and still aren't prepared to wash them up you need to either accept they'll get wrecked or find a non cast iron alternative that is dishwasher safe.

Cast iron cookware has its place depending on what you are cooking but it doesnt have to be branded. There are plenty of cast iron enamelled cookware items available for much less which are just as good.

I ditched mine for full refund as it simply was falling apart after 4 years. My pans are actually from Macy's (own brand) in USA and are fine 20 years on, steel and hard adonised

You can get a special Le Creuset branded cleaning product which rescues them. Unless you’ve actually scratched the enamel they should come up pretty good.

Keep an eye out for Lidl and Aldi cooking specials. I’ve had le creuset and aldi/Lidl. They cook exactly the same x

2. If you dishwash any cast iron dish, le Creuset or knock off it will be ruined: the base is not designed to sit in water. The same as if you leave a nail outside it will rust.

Mine are all enamels cast iron, 25 years of dishwashing and they’re none the worse for it.

10 years???

I have about 6 different sizes of casserole. 3 of them are 36 years old and honestly, apart from a slight colour inside, they are like new. The other 3 are 25 years old and like new.

I don't know how you would damage them to be honest. I often hand wash, sometimes dishwasher them, no problem.

I got two Le Creuset casserole dishes among my wedding presents a long time ago.

They are used a lot and are now quite stained inside but I'm not at all bothered by that.

If I ever feel the need to replace them I'm sure I'll go for anything cheaper cos they cost a fortune. Lots of people swear by the Sainsbury's knock-off.

Love the casseroles - I have a 4 person small one that my aunt got as a wedding present in 1973.

And a huge one I bought at the beginning of lockdown which has been used a LOT to bake sourdough/ cook dahl.

I had to make a warranty claim on it though as the enamel chipped in the first week. Got a direct replacement with minimal fuss.

Saucepans - too darned heavy - I love stainless steel to cook in .

Like pp I have a mixture of 23 year old wedding present Le Creuset and the Sainbury's extremely-similar-but-much-cheaper stuff. No real difference between them in my experience. I dishwash it all as life's just too short, and it's bearing up fine so far.

I love Pro-Cook's cast iron pans - am a convert from Le C. They are half the price, just as good, and also look beautiful.

Don't Le Creuset have a lifetime guarantee?

I use Le creuset triple ply stainless steel pans.

Cast iron just too heavy and a nuisance to store.

Jellycat

The base of mine aren't enameled? Maybe it's the age. Agreed if they are fully enameled it shouldn't do anything worse than dull the enamel though.

same here (has anyone gone back to them about the lifetime guarantee?)

House of Fraser do their own range called Linea which are great and a fraction of the price. I love them

@HalloweenGhostlyHare

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.

Also had our 5 pans for 30 years. Still going strong. Have had stuff burned into the the enamel- always manage to clean them somehow. Put mine in the dishwasher as well!

I have a LeC Marmitout over 20 years old & it is used every day.
Brilliant.

I also have a casserole from Sainsbury's and it's been great too!

I collected my LC over a few years, going back some 20yrs now.
They all get put through the dishwasher (even the one with a wooden handle ) Yes they are heavy, but good value for money in the long run.
I think they have a lifetime guarantee so if they are ruined, maybe contact LC.

I only have the one giant orange volcanic pot, bought with wedding gift vouchers and in sale, for around £250, but I really like it and it hasn't stained, except for some marks that seem quite normal to me. I don't think I could justify buying the saucepans, frying pans etc.

Actually I also got a massive matching volcanic LC lasagne dish for £12 in TK Maxx and a pale yellow LC butter dish in TX Maxx for £12, so maybe I'm quietly amassing my collection.