# Le Creuset-is it worth the price tag? Need answer fast-ish. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 14, 2014, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/le-creuset-is-it-worth-the-price-tag-need-answer-fast-ish/688441 "2014-05-14T15:18:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2014, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/le-creuset-is-it-worth-the-price-tag-need-answer-fast-ish/688441/21 "2014-05-14T18:08:01Z")
They last forever (and are guaranteed to do so) and work exceptionally well. I don’t cook well enough, or often enough, or enjoy it enough to be worth the price of new for me, but I don’t think that the price is outrageous. My mother manages to find all of hers at thrift stores, where it’s definitely worth the price. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2014, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/le-creuset-is-it-worth-the-price-tag-need-answer-fast-ish/688441/22 "2014-05-14T18:13:06Z")
> [@amarinth](#): > > They last forever (and are guaranteed to do so) and work exceptionally well. Their lifetime guarantee is worth taking into account. One of my friends recently broke her Le Creuset pan (somehow dropped it and the handle snapped off) and she got a replacement with minimal fuss. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2014, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/le-creuset-is-it-worth-the-price-tag-need-answer-fast-ish/688441/23 "2014-05-14T18:23:10Z")
> [@Miss\_Woodhouse](#): > > I would say it’s possibly worth it for the dutch oven, but for the rest of your cookware, it’s not. An enameled cast iron dutch oven is a wonderful thing. An enameled cast iron sauce pan is heavy, cumbersome, and too slow to heat up. > > Keep the pot you have, but don’t bother replacing the rest of your cookware with more LC. If you want matching sauce pans and frying pans, choose a good quality ss brand and build as you go. I agree with this. Assuming that the saucepans have cast iron handles, that’s going to make it inconvenient to handle them on the stovetop. I like being able to grab the plastic handles of my stainless steel or aluminum saucepans and move them about the stove. Or to be able easily pick them up single-handedly. And who cares if a Le Creuset pot lasts a lifetime? Any good stainless-steel pot will probably last just as long, and even if it has to be replaced eventually, who cares? ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2014, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/le-creuset-is-it-worth-the-price-tag-need-answer-fast-ish/688441/24 "2014-05-14T18:25:04Z")
Cooking 101 for Dummies question: Can enameled cast iron go in the dishwasher? ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2014, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/le-creuset-is-it-worth-the-price-tag-need-answer-fast-ish/688441/25 "2014-05-14T18:27:49Z")
> [@KneadToKnow](#): > > Cooking 101 for Dummies question: Can enameled cast iron go in the dishwasher? You’re not supposed to. I don’t know what happens if you do. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2014, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/le-creuset-is-it-worth-the-price-tag-need-answer-fast-ish/688441/26 "2014-05-14T18:31:31Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > You’re not supposed to. I don’t know what happens if you do. Dang. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2014, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/le-creuset-is-it-worth-the-price-tag-need-answer-fast-ish/688441/27 "2014-05-14T18:32:34Z")
FYI, the link in the OP says the thing is dishwasher safe. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2014, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/le-creuset-is-it-worth-the-price-tag-need-answer-fast-ish/688441/28 "2014-05-14T18:33:01Z")
> [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > That was going to be a caveat to my original post. There is a lot more enameled cookware on the market now, much of which is a lot less expensive than LC. I bought a Martha Stewart version for a relative at Christmas, and I’m eager to see how it holds up for him. Tests by [Cooks.com](http://Cooks.com) and others have shown that there is surprising variation in how cast cookware, both enameled and not, performs. It’s not a linear cost-to-performance ratio at all, and some rather big-name, big-tag brands have failed abysmally. It really does seem to be a product where there’d be little variation, but there must be some very subtle aspects to pot thickness (and varying thicknesses), finish etc. I’d recommend looking at a few good reviews before buying anything, anywhere. You can get into LC quality and performance at much lower price tiers if you follow qualified recommendations. You can also blow too much money on designer name-ware that cooks like crap. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2014, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/le-creuset-is-it-worth-the-price-tag-need-answer-fast-ish/688441/29 "2014-05-14T18:38:55Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > FYI, the link in the OP says the thing is dishwasher safe. Huh. That’s different than the usual instruction I’ve seen on enameled cast iron. I guess the LeCreusets do say they’re dishwasher safe. That said, I don’t have a dishwasher, so it’s not something that’s been problematic. ETA: Looking through some other manufacturers, they do say they’re dishwasher safe, but recommend hand-washing. Some places simply say never put cast iron or enameled cast iron in the dishwasher. ---
**Author:** ![Lukeinva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lukeinva/32/17872_2.png) [@Lukeinva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lukeinva)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2014, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/le-creuset-is-it-worth-the-price-tag-need-answer-fast-ish/688441/30 "2014-05-14T18:45:32Z")
Yes, you need a brand new expensive pot to go with your brand new kitchen. Much more so than the other way around. ps- I have one that was a gift and it has worked great for 10+ years and it is still in great condition and I bet it will last another 10. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2014, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/le-creuset-is-it-worth-the-price-tag-need-answer-fast-ish/688441/31 "2014-05-14T18:47:12Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I have two Staubs that are pretty much as expensive (if not more) as Le Creuset. I would never had bought them, but I got them as a gift. I absolutely love them. That said, I’m still a cheap bastard and my $30 enameled cast iron Dutch oven from Target is ten years old now and going just as strong. I don’t notice any difference enough to choose one pot over another. I just use whichever pot is not being used at the moment. Actually, I should correct this. Looking through some old emails, it was a Tramontina 6.5 qt enameled cast iron dutch oven I bought at Walmart on sale for $25. (Apparently, it was a Cooks Illustrated “Best Buy” at the time, although they appear to have redesigned it in 2013.) ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2014, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/le-creuset-is-it-worth-the-price-tag-need-answer-fast-ish/688441/32 "2014-05-14T18:48:53Z")
> [@Lukeinva](#): > > ps- I have one that was a gift and it has worked great for 10+ years and it is still in great condition and I bet it will last another 10. It should last much longer than that. I would hope at least your lifetime, if not your childrens’ and their grandchildrens’. If my cheapie $25 Tramontina is going strong after 10 years, with no signs of fading, the LeCreuset should no doubt go on much longer. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2014, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/le-creuset-is-it-worth-the-price-tag-need-answer-fast-ish/688441/33 "2014-05-14T18:57:34Z")
> [@KneadToKnow](#): > > Cooking 101 for Dummies question: Can enameled cast iron go in the dishwasher? I’ve been putting our LC pots in the dishwasher for 28 years now (Except wooden-handled pots, of course). They look much the same as they ever did. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2014, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/le-creuset-is-it-worth-the-price-tag-need-answer-fast-ish/688441/34 "2014-05-14T18:58:47Z")
That’s encouraging. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2014, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/le-creuset-is-it-worth-the-price-tag-need-answer-fast-ish/688441/35 "2014-05-14T19:08:21Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > Tests by [Cooks.com](http://Cooks.com) and others have shown that there is surprising variation in how cast cookware, both enameled and not, performs. It’s not a linear cost-to-performance ratio at all, and some rather big-name, big-tag brands have failed abysmally. > > It really does seem to be a product where there’d be little variation, but there must be some very subtle aspects to pot thickness (and varying thicknesses), finish etc. > > I’d recommend looking at a few good reviews before buying anything, anywhere. You can get into LC quality and performance at much lower price tiers if you follow qualified recommendations. You can also blow too much money on designer name-ware that cooks like crap. That doesn’t surprise me. I bought this dutch oven for my brother, because it was much cheaper and he is just learning how to cook. He really wanted something like Le Creuset without spending the money. I’ll report back if I get a chance to cook with it. My guess is that it won’t hold up if he starts using it 4 times a week. Regarding the other discussion, I put my LC pieces in the dishwasher all the time. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2014, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/le-creuset-is-it-worth-the-price-tag-need-answer-fast-ish/688441/36 "2014-05-14T19:10:47Z")
I have an IKEA knockoffware Dutch oven and for $35 it does a hell of a job. Also I noticed the Crueset handles are often dinky plastic and poorly attached. Enamelware is great but with Crueset you’re just paying for the name. Barring hitting it with a sledge hammer, my IKEA pan is nigh indestructible. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2014, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/le-creuset-is-it-worth-the-price-tag-need-answer-fast-ish/688441/37 "2014-05-14T19:16:27Z")
You mean the handles on the top of the lid? They are neither dinky, nor poorly attached. They’re good up to 350 degrees or so, but they can be replaced with metal if you want to get them hotter. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2014, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/le-creuset-is-it-worth-the-price-tag-need-answer-fast-ish/688441/38 "2014-05-14T19:31:00Z")
> [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > You mean the handles on the top of the lid? They are neither dinky, nor poorly attached. They’re good up to 350 degrees or so, but they can be replaced with metal if you want to get them hotter. Yeah, you will want to replace that. One of the things I prefer about the Staubs vs the LeCreusets is that they come with a metal handle on the lid. Also, I prefer the matte black enameled finish. Plus they got the [cool indentations that act as condensation points on the inside of the lid](http://somethingnewfordinner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Staub-2.jpg). My Tramontina came with the plastic handles, so I just took some spare hardware parts from my workroom and jury-rigged a metal handle. I take that pot up to 450-475F when I do the no-knead bread recipe (which is why I originally bought it.) ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2014, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/le-creuset-is-it-worth-the-price-tag-need-answer-fast-ish/688441/39 "2014-05-14T19:46:50Z")
I like my composite (plastic) handle. It means I can take the lid off with bare hands when I’m cooking on the stove. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2014, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/le-creuset-is-it-worth-the-price-tag-need-answer-fast-ish/688441/40 "2014-05-14T19:52:06Z")
> [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > I like my composite (plastic) handle. It means I can take the lid off with bare hands when I’m cooking on the stove. Ah, that’s a good point for keeping it. I always wondered why Le Creuset used a handle only good to 350F. I’m so used to grabbing a towel when I touch almost anything on my stove, as the bulk of what I cook with is cast iron of some sort, or otherwise heat conductive, so I don’t even notice. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/le-creuset-is-it-worth-the-price-tag-need-answer-fast-ish/688441.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/le-creuset-is-it-worth-the-price-tag-need-answer-fast-ish/688441.md?page=3)