Buying cast iron pans in France

[RhubarbCrumbled]

Is it cheaper to buy them in France still and where's the best place to buy? I'd love a set of le creuset but they're quite pricey. Is it worth my while buying a non le creuset set in France?

unless it's the name you're after, you can get good cast iron sets in Aldi at low price.

the technology to make cast iron is hundreds of years old so one factory is as good as another.

However you will need very strong hands and wrists to lift a big, full, iron pot.

No idea whether it's cheaper to buy in France, but would disagree with pp. the cat ironing may be the same, but I don't think the enamelling is. We had a mid range cast iron pan for a while, but the enamel damaged within a couple if years if heavy use. We then bought a set of le Creuset and several years on, the enamel is still perfect. Guess you get what you pay for.

Dreadful old-fashioned things! Steel pans with engineered bases are so much better - ICM or Lagostina.

My (30% off) Sainsburys cast iron casseroles are faring just as well as my Le Creuset - all around 8 years old.

I love my le creuset casserole dish, but I would never use the pans- you cannot believe how heavy they are, even more so when filled with boiling water and vegetables!

Try Home Sense, they had lots in my local branch...

My le cruset pot is still going strong 25 years later. It is the fetching colour of bottle green. So cool when I got it.

I got a v cheap linea pot, enamel cracked within 6 months. Then about a year later it chipped.

I'd go for the le cruset, especially since I've had mine for so long. In fact, I should make them my fall back for wedding presents! Why have I not thought of this before!