Are cast iron Le Creuset casserole dishes worth the money?

Living_proof

I used to have what was rather politically incorrect called a Black Mama Le Creuset casserole. It was enormous and cooked many casseroles and stews in bulk, but was simply too heavy. In my forties I began to feel a pain between thumb and forefinger where the joint had stretched holding heavy pans, and I have given away the cast iron and would rather use very lightweight, non-stick cheap stuff or the slow cooker as there is nothing worse than pain in your joints.

Emmala

I have two purple LC casserole pots, one deep round one and the large shallow one.....I wouldn't be without them!!!

No good if you know you have weak wrists, and I wouldn't go for the saucepans, but the casserole dishes are really good.....I resisted the price till they brought out the purple (cassis) version, at which point I caved!!!!

lostinrates

I like mine for casseroles, but never stews, and i have some little ones for eggs en coquotte, and they are very useful here, we have lots of eggs and i use them without lids for baked fruits in individual portions and all manner of other things. BUT, the bigger thiongs i can hardly lift most days and so have been given to friends.

keeleyc11

Debenhams have these reduced atm. A starter set with casserole dish, two rectangular dshes and two ramikins works out to £97 with 10% code :-)

jackyann

Have only skimmed this thread, but I may have the oldest LCs so far: 40 years and going strong. Although these are as nothing compared to the 70 year old ones that a French friend has.
Having said that, it is horses for courses, and you may not want something that lasts 70 years!

hilstep2000

I'm with Becs, I had the saucepans, but because I have MS and my hands don't work properly anymore I got rid of them, but I love my casseroles!
I bought mine in France, where they are half the price they are here.

Ben84

Other companies do make cast iron enamelled cookware. So far I've found no difference between the le cruset and the one from Sainsburys, which also cost a lot less.

Anyway, the casserole dish I like a lot, but the saucepans I wouldn't buy again. The good thing about the casserole that sets it apart from the saucepans is that it can be used on the hob, put in the oven and used to serve food at the table (food stays very hot for a long time too), so lots of uses and less washing up. The saucepans obviously can't go in the oven and aren't really for serving food, I think they're just heavy and do nothing a lighter pan won't.

polr

I Love, Love, Love my set but agree they are a touch onthe heavy side. The cook really well though and I wouldn't go back. Also in terms fo the cost I'm sure they have like a 99yr warranty or something?

TarantulaLady

I bought a large Chasseur casserole several years ago and love using it. Yes, they are heavy which could cause problems for some people but they are fabulous for stew, sauces, casserole etc. Ours still looks like new and it so easy to clean.
Amazon often sell them at a discounted price. Ours was half price when we bought it.
I also bought a 24cm cast casserole in T's recently for £30. So far, so good.

angeltreats

Someone on Freecycle offered a set of Le Creuset saucepans yesterday. I asked nicely and have been stalking my email all day but it looks like I wasn't the lucky one I would love some cast iron saucepans. A couple of years ago I saw some in a charity shop for about £15 each, really wish I'd bought them as I'm kicking myself now.