Probably very boring - advice on size of casserole dish.

[TrillianAstra]

I'm getting a proper casserole dish, the sort you can put on the hob and in the oven.

But I don't know what size to get.

Is it possible to cook smaller amounts in a really big dish? If so I will get the biggest one I can afford, that way I can use it for everything.

Or do you have to have the "right" size dish for the amount you are cooking?

Ideally I want to be able to regularly cook 4 portions of stew/casserole etc but sometimes do a really big one.

Someone tell me - get a medium one cos it's the right size for everyday, or get a big one cos I really want a big one but then it'll be ridiculous for normal cooking?

i got a large on which i used to just make enough of things for two people. Id get the largest you can afford.

Yay! Thank you! That's the answer I wanted as well

Get a big one, then cook extra portions you can freeze for nights you don't fancy cooking - voila!

are we talking le creuset here trillianastra?

I have both the huge one and the middle sized one. (yes, lucky me ).
I reckon the middle sized one gets used a lot more often as it's big enough to roast a chicken in. The very big one tends to get used for big casseroles that i plan to eat for weeks. But it gets really heavy when it's full of casserole.
Hot and heavy = potential disasters.

if it is le creuset, i wonder if it would be cheaper to pay somebody to cook you casseroles for a year?

My kitchen is small so I don't have to actually walk anywhere with a heavy dish, just sort of pivot

I've picked a big one now, couldn't quite afford le Creuset but it's similarish. I'm nto paying for it, I won a prize from a website and got to pick what I wanted (had to be kitcheny stuff). here if you're really nosy.

I just wanted to know if it's possible to cook smaller amounts in a big one, and knickers told me it is so don't you go saying any different now.

ooh lovely.

Mmm, pot noodles are kind of yummy. It's good to slum it occassionally.

Very nice!

I went for the biggest casserole dish I could and it has been brilliant - even for small portions. I use it most days so I think you're making a good investment.

Enjoy.

Trillian, have you seen this thread?

Cool, thanks. I knew you could roast chicken in them, and was planning on starting a thread at some point asking 'how and why would I roast a chicken in a casserole dish?'

because you don't need to use foil.

just do your chicken as you usually do, then put the lid on instead of covering in foil.
take the lid of 30 minutes before the end so the skin goes crispy.
sorted.