I’m looking for the kind that are cast iron and coated with porcelain or ceramic or whatever that stuff is. And I want a bright, happy, colorful one.
I know about Le Creuset, and the general consensus seems to be that they’re extremely high quality. Any others of note? I’m not looking for cheap; this is a gift, so I want something that will impress. If I can do that for less than what Le Creuset charges, well, that would be nice too.
Thanks!
On sale right now, baby! http://www.factorydirect2you.com/lecrfrov.html
I’ve had good luck with Emile Henry products. I’m thinking of getting their tagine next.
ETA: Oh darn, you said cast iron. Sorry.
I’ve heard from someone who knows that Le Creuset stains easily, but that oven cleaner and some elbow grease will clean it right up. Most people don’t know this, though, so (he says) you can often find Le Creuset pieces at Goodwill or similar outlets for a fraction of the retail cost, with the only thing wrong with them some staining the original owner didn’t know how to deal with and/or thought ruined the piece.
I don’t know this for a fact, but it makes sense, and the Le Creuset pieces I’ve seen at other people’s houses are often stained.
Amazon has Lodge enamel on cast iron cookware for less than the Le Creuset linked to above. (For example, the Le Creuset 5.5 quart “French oven” is $200, while Amazon has a six-quart one for $58.) Lodge is obviously well-known for its cast iron, but I don’t know about the quality of the enameled stuff.
Edited to add that the Amazon price might be for a discontinued item, as the rest of the Lodge enameled stuff seems to be a lot more.
Does Le Creuset really have any viable competition in the enameled cast iron world?
To get it cheap(ish)ly, go to Amazon - their regular price is same as the “sale” price on **Kalhoun’s ** link. Plus, they’ll ship it for free - a major bonus for anything made of cast iron! If you have the luxury of a little time to wait before buying, Amazon often has deals like "Buy $xxx of kitchenware, get a free xyz. Right now, the bonus item is a red stoneware LC pie dish with your $99 purchase of “select” Le Creuset items.
I saw a bunch of Lodge stuff, and I was wondering about that… it’s very pretty, at least.
I also saw it on Wal-Mart’s website, which… kind of turns me off it a bit. A coworker of mine also informed me that it is basically the poor man’s Le Creuset. And while I’m definitely not rich and would probably buy that kind of thing for myself, I don’t know if it would be appropriate for a gift.
I’m seeing some stuff by someone called Chasseur, and it looks really nice, but it costs about the same or more as Le Creuset. Knowing nothing about it, I’m inclined to go with the better-known brand for the same price, unless someone here has heard of it.
Le Chasseur are pretty well known over here, and regarded in about the same light as Creuset. Both have the same “lifetime guarantee” dealy going on.
I covet both brands, and will happily give many love long time to anyone who would buy me one. They are my dream casserole dish, but I can’t justify spending a couple hundred bucks on a pot.
I have a couple of Le Creusets, and I love them, I read a review that says that Target carries a brand that is pretty good, and something like 1/4 the price of the Le Creusets. Don’t know the name of it, but it’s enameled and looks very similar. The key is to make sure it is very heavy.
I think anything that’s light-colored enamel on the inside will stain…mine are, but I don’t worry about it…who cares what the inside looks like?
Chefmate, or something like that. Store brand for Target. Around $40 for a six-quart dutch oven, IIRC. Seemed decent, and I’ve seriously thought about buying one, but haven’t yet for some reason.
So, a Dutch Oven is when you fart under the sheets and then pull them over your bedmate’s head.
What’s a Casserole Dish?
-FrL
sorry
Given that you’re location says Austin, have you thought about a trip to the LeCreuset outlet store in San Marcos?
Mario Batali had a range of pans out that seemed pretty decent by reports.
I have the Target one after drooling over the LeCreuset for awhile. And you know what? I’m not exactly sure why the Le Creuset would be any better. It’s all enameled cast iron, how much difference can there really be? They both seem to be just as heavy and thick, I don’t notice any problems with hot spots or heat distribution with the Target casserole/dutch oven. In short, I’ve had it for almost a year now and it’s simply fantastic, one of my favorite kitchenwares.
I don’t remember there being any branding on the casserole, and I’ve had issues with Chefmate in the past, but this one’s a winner. I think it’d be hard to screw up enameled cast iron.
I thought the same thing when I read the title. I know plenty of people who’ve *received * dutch ovens, but I never knew anyone who actually needed one.
That’s exactly right…although I love my Le Creusets, I’m not convinced that there’s some magic to them. Cast iron is cast iron…as long as it’s heavy, it will do the job.
I think Chefmate WAS the brand I saw reviewed, and it was in Cook’s Illustrated magazine, which I think has the best cooking product reviews around.
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I just ordered the garlic press they recommended in the latest issue. We’ll see if it’s as amazingly good as they say it is.
:dubious: but hopeful
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