Lots of people must like LeCrueset. They are sold at fine kitchen supply stores all over. And they are expensive. I myself have only heard good things about them.
However, here’s what happens when I use one: A very thin layer of food particles stick to the bottom, turning the white enamel bottom light brown. As cooking progresses, this turns darker and darker until it’s a black burnt layer at the bottom of my pot.
“Ah”, you say. “That’s just something you need to deglaze. Pour some liquid in and turn it into a sauce”. See, that’s what I thought. However, this layer cannot be deglazed! It just sits there regardless of what you throw in the pot. In fact, it’s pretty much impossible to get rid of, and makes cleaning the pot a real bitch. The only plus side is that when it burns, it doesn’t tend to effect the taste of my dish, since it is so inert.
So what’s the deal here? Are LeCrueset pots only good for soups? Or are they, in fact, simply crappy? I know for a fact if I did the same thing in an ordinary cast iron pot it would behave great, and cost 1/10 as much.
I like mine, though I only have a couple and I only use them for specific dishes. One thought I had was: are you using enough oil/fat? Since the pots are enameled, they are not non-stick, unlike a (properly seasoned) cast iron pan or a teflon-coated one, so I have to adjust the amount of oil I use accordingly.
I use my pots just for dishes where I’m planning to use a lot of oil/fat already, and I go with cast iron or teflon when I’m making a low-fat recipe.
I like my Le Creuset because they heat nice and evenly and hold heat well. However, I wouldn’t ever buy a whole set and use it exclusively. I need different styles of pots and pans for different purposes.
The amount of oil/fat may not be the source of your problem, though. Different people’s cooking styles are suited to different styles of pots & pans, so they may just not be the cookware for you.
I was given a whole set of lighly used Le Creuset, and thought they were okay. But I did have to use a lot of fat. I think they might be best suited to traditional French cooking, with all the fats and sauces.
I’ve gotten rid of them (except for a skillet that I use for cornbread).
I have a non-Le Creuset white enamel pot the suffers the same problem, it looks like coffee burned onto the bottom of the pot. It may be white enamel, not jst Le Creuset. My $.02.
Yes, I probably am not using enough oil, however I think I would have to use a lot to get rid of this problem. Plus, if I used similar amounts oil on any other non-non-stick surface, it might form a layer of stuff on the bottom as well, but it would be possible to deglaze it away.
I’m sure it is simply the fault of the enamel. THe pots themselves heat evenly and have a great tight-fitting lid.
i love my Le Crueset… as people mentioned it’s not to be used for everything.
One thing to keep in mins, as cast iron (which is the core of the pot) is an excellent conductor, for a lot of general cooking, lower your temperature a little.
When i do things like brown some mat and start getting stuck particles, when i add in my veggies they usually have enough liquid and fiber that they r3elease the stuck on yummy brown bits…
Additionally deglazing always works ot for me on mine.
So in a nutshell, lower your temperature, or keep the fopod movine more often. Pots/pans like this take a lot more attention than say, a teflon coated pan.
You need to use more fat AND lower your temperature.
If you are used to using non-stck cookware this will take a little time to get used to but will pay off in the end.
I have had similar experiences with the Sitram uncoated stainless steel cookware I currently use. As I said, it was a bit of an adjustment for me but in the end I’m happy with the results because I now know how to use the same set of cookware for making stews and sauces by using a lower temp, and also to sear meats by using higher tems and waiting for the Maillard (sp?) reaction to take place before attempting to flip/move the food.