I want one of these for Christmas, but I think I really want one because they’re so pretty. I have a heavy aluminum Dutch oven that I use for everything from soup to breadbaking, but it’s not nearly as pretty as a brightly-colored, cast iron, enamel type. (Of course, mine doesn’t weigh 35 pounds either, but still.)
However, every time I used any type of cookware like this (I have a few Creuset skillets, and they are in the garage for a reason), everything I cook STICKS like crazy. I have to soak/scrub/soak/scrub and they’re a huge pain to deal with.
So…any experience/advice? Maybe I’m just doing something wrong.
I have this one, and love it (these are often available at Marshalls or TJ Maxx for about half of Amazon’s price). I’ve not had any problems with food sticking, and I’m not sure why you have. Are you using enough oil? What sort of things are you cooking? Mine cleans up quite easily.
That’s exactly what I mean. I guess I’ve really only used the skillet styles, and didn’t experiment much…pretty much everything stuck, but I tend to only fry eggs and potatoes, and they’re a little sticky anyway.
I just hate to buy one and then end up using it to save compost scraps in. (Although it would be a very stylish compost pot!)
Does your skillet have that kind of matte black finish inside? I have a skillet like that, and I wouldn’t try to use it to fry eggs. It’s good for browning meat or frying stuff, though. The dutch ovens have the shiny enamel inside, which I find less sticky.
No, my skillets are the shiny white ones. I don’t have trouble with my regular (non-enamel) cast iron, as long as I don’t make eggs in them. Probably I just don’t have enough experience with the enamel type.
Are you cooking on gas or electric? Either way, you want to let the pot get pretty hot before you add food, and not mess with the food until it releases, which will help with sticking.
What I use mine most for is soups and stews and whatnot. When I’m sauteing vegetables in it for these dishes, it looks like it’s going to be a pain to clean (like this photo), but it deglazes nicely and isn’t a problem.
:enter Butthead:
Heh-heh. You said “dutch oven”. Heh-heh.
:exit Butthead: