If you have a serious cook in your household, or even if you are just looking for a housewarming, engagement or wedding gift that is certain to please, you simply cannot go wrong with a Le Creuset pan.
I first came across French enameled cast-iron cookware in the 1970s whilst attending a French cooking and language course in a farmhouse in rural Burgundy. I was fascinated at the way food cooked evenly and how the pans were capable of cooking slowly and browning food at extremely high heat. Add to this that the pans could go on a stove top, in the oven, in a dishwasher and also looked good on the table, and I was hooked.
See lots more beautiful Le Creuset cast-iron cookware
I bought several items on that trip and shipped them home. I have been using them ever since. It is now more than thirty years later and I still own and use all but one of my cherished Le Creuset.
When I first started buying Le Creuset, the range was much as it is now, but there was only one color – a very traditional orange-red. These days, the brand comes in a wide range of contemporary colors to suit any modern kitchen.
Listen to the owner of the company explaining how the product is made:
One of my favorite pans is the Doufeu (pronounced Doo-fur), meaning literally, soft fire. It is an amazing pan with an indented lid, so you can put it on the stove top to cook slowly and fill the indentation with ice so that the steam inside condenses and cdtips back onto the dish. No more boiling dry!
Le Creuset Enameled Cast-Iron 7-1/4-Quart Oval Doufeu Oven, Cherry
See lots more beautiful Le Creuset cast-iron cookware
There are a couple of things to be aware of with any enameled cast iron cookware. The enamel is very tough but it is best to use a wooden, plastic or silicone implement for stirring, rather than a metal one which can scratch the interior.
Also, the pans are really heavy. They are made of enameled cast iron, after all! That is, of course, what makes them so effective for cooking. Just be aware that you might need to use two hands and possibly arrange some support if, for example, you are holding a pan at an angle for draining.
Here is some inspiration for what to cook in your beautiful Le Creuset pan.
Please take a few minutes to look at some more items in the Le Creuset range of products.
This type of cookware seemed to go out of fashion in the 80′s/90′s as it wasn’t useful in a microwave. I think this attitude has changed over the intervening years as people dislike the way a microwave cooks. As you say, using a Le Creuset casserole dish is great for making the meat extra tend and fall off the bone. Although it might take longer to cook, it is well worth the wait (oh and you might have to have a glass of wine or two to fill in the time).
These are magnificent pots, cooking with them are excellent.
Julien I must say I enjoy the wait for food unless of course I am too hungry to wait. But when I use Le Creuset I savor the wait as if I am in a 5star restaurant
Excellent pots and are well worth as they last an entire lifetime or more