Le Creuset oven dish. Is it worth it?

[AfterTheRainComesSun]

The ceramic one I mean. Big size is £58, very pricey for what it is but I love the timeless design and feels high quality. Am I being blinded by the brand or is it worth purchasing? Pic attached.

No, I don't think their ceramics are worth it. I had one and broke it. I absolutely love my le creuset enamelled cast iron dutch oven but I don't think the ceramics are in the same league.

I had all the saucepans. They were too heavy to lift (easily) when loaded and they stained like mad. Sold them.

I have two smaller more manageable pp baking dishes which I use for particular recipes but I would never ever buy Le Creuset again.

Over priced and over rated.

@Oldthyme oh really? What do you mean they stained?

My mother got one of those as a wedding gift way back in the early 70s. Still as good as new. Still in regular use.

@AfterTheRainComesSun thank you. The ceramich dish or the cast iron one?

They have outlet stores but you aLeo often see them in TK Maxx/Homesense if you have one near you. Not usually the classic colours though.

I don't think the ceramic ones are but the cast iron ones are worth the money.

I've got a cast iron oven to table dish that looks like that one which I use probably five times a week.

You should be able to pick that up in TkMaxx for under £25 maximum

As per pp I don't think the ceramics are worth the price tag.

The cast iron, however. I think it they are worth it. I have a few, and I only ever buy when reduced. Which is fairly often when colour ranges are discontinued. Obviously you can't be too tied to one colour range for this to work for you.

The two I use the most are the Dutch oven and the Balti dish. Most days either one of them is in use.

My Dutch oven is light coloured inside and I've not had a staining problem.

I have the ceramic ones, a wedding gift from ten years ago. Seem to do the job, haven't broken, but then I've never dropped them! Not sure if I'd drop £58 on a big one, I'm sure a non branded ceramic one would do a similar job.

No, you can get an unbranded one which will do just the same job for a lot less. I’ve got a smaller one like your image in the blue, I’ve also got a cream one from The Range. Both bake, dishwash and microwave the same.

I don’t rate their cast iron either, I’ve had two large pots with lids, they cost a fortune but the cream inner stains and eventually chips but my Ikea one with black cast iron lining (not ceramic lined) has been amazing for well over ten years. It was cheap as chips, shame about the ugly green colour.

Pro Cook does good cheaper rip offs. Ima big fan.

No I had several le creuset including their cast iron pans, casserole dishes etc didn't think they were all that. I too like TK max and Saineburys stuff. I like Pyrex dishes, very easy to clean in dishwasher.

Yeah Procook is a decent brand. Bought a lot from them still going good years later and I only ever use dishwasher but you.must choose carefully on their website and don't ignore.their care and usage specifications

I’ve got the Le Crueset from TKmaxx, they’re great. The pans I have are Aldi/Sainsbury’s knock offs and I love them. They wash up lovely, really easy to clean. Not sure if I’d pay the ‘real’ price for them, but I love a bargain/yellow sticker 😳

Thanks all. I think I will have a look at the John Lewis range and save some £££

I really like my dishes made by Le Creuset but they weren't as expensive as that

I love all my Le Creuset and disagree with the person above about the pans. They are complete workhorses and still look like new after years of daily use

Another recommendation for TK Maxx for the ceramic ones, or I have had a dupe of the cast iron ones from Aldi that's excellent though they don't always have them in and rarely if ever have orange. I think Sainsbury's sell the orange ones.

They are lovely but I think especially for ceramic you can get away with a similar non branded one (or branded from TK Maxx).

I have 4 sizes of this dish and the square one (my DH is addicted to buying Creuset). I don’t really use them as find them too heavy.

I dont know how people lift these bloody things. Look lovely but I cant hold or carry them

I HATE our pan set. It’s so heavy and I wouldn’t buy any of the brand again.

I was given a vintage orange Le Cruset large casserole, the big bastard one, when my DM could no longer lift it from the oven. It was already 20 to 30 years old and I have had it for 20. It's a bit stained inside, but otherwise still going strong. Love mine. £350 to buy now, but over 50 years, that's a bargain!

We’ve got a Le Creuset cast iron casserole which is great, and a cast iron roasting pan which is also great. We’ve got a collection of the ceramic stuff too but we mainly use those for serving food up in at dinner parties, to pretend we’re posh 😂.

I have that dish and several smaller and I really rate them. I have some from T K Maxx too and they aren’t as solid - which is an advantage for some people I guess as the chunkier ones are heavier. I have used that large dish most days for 4 years and you can’t tell at all, compared to some cheaper dishes I have that have crazed discoloured. When this one dies I will buy another.

I have John Lewis dupes of both the ceramic dishes and cast iron casserole
dishes - got them as wedding gifts 15 years ago and still look great in use daily / weekly.