Help with Le Creuset

[Wolfette]

Hello everyone, I have the le creuset round doufeu 26cm or 5.5 I guess and I am wondering what should be the next step. Am new to cooking and I will get married soon so I am buying what I will be needing. Le creuset is VERY expensive in here, 300$ for a 30cm braiser for example and no outlets or sales!!! and shipping from USA costs a fortune so I really have to make a very good and versatile choice after the doufeu Which equals a dutch oven I guess. Thank you!!!

 

[Kayelle]

Welcome to DC Wolfette. It's always helpful to have an idea about where you live. I have a "no name" beautiful red 6 quart enameled cast iron dutch oven and I spent about 60 US dollars. It has served me well for many years. There are those who will tell you that Le Creuset brand is the only way to go, but I've never been convinced of that. Then again, I'm not one to believe that having a Gucci handbag is important either.

 

[Wolfette]

Hello Kayelle and thank you for the welcome!! Am in Beirut.. I love the shape and colors of le creuset, and it is made in France, add to it its good reputation so it is something I would love to have but I have to make a smart choice because it is very expensive in here. Thank you again!

 

[Kayelle]

Someone will be along shortly to personally talk to you about le creuset, but in the meantime there are many threads here about it. You can go to the search feature here and type in the words and come up with this. I did it for you this time.

Discuss Cooking - Cooking Forums - Search Results

 

[HistoricFoodie]

So far as enameled cast iron goes, Le Cruset has only one thing going for it: time in grade. We know it's been proven over time. The others haven't been around long enough for their durability to be tested. But, as you say, it's expensive.

Are you wedded to the idea of enameled, though? It has certain benefits, true, such as ease of cleaning. But, overall, raw cast iron is a better choice, particularly if you're going to searing or browning in it. And it's a lot less expensive.

 

[Steve Kroll]

I have several pieces of Le Creuset cookware and love them all. My favorite piece is still the first one I bought almost 30 years ago, which is the 7.25 quart French Oven. I believe the current model is L25012830. After all this time, it doesn't have a single nick in the finish, which says something about the quality. By comparison, I bought a Rachel Ray knockoff about three years ago that's already starting to look rough around the edges.

The other piece I really like is my LC Karahi, which I purchased in England. I'm not sure they make it anymore, though. If you make a lot of curries and stews, this is a nice piece of cookware.

You should be aware that Le Creuset enamel cookware does have some limitations. It's not designed for searing meat or deep frying. But for braising, either in the oven or on stovetop, it's top notch. It distributes heat evenly and cleans up beautifully.

 

[PolishedTopaz]

Le Creuset

I have been a LC fan for many years. My original pieces I got from my mother many many moons ago. The biggest benefit to owning them, is, if a piece is damaged the company will replace them. I am fortunate to live less than 15 minutes from an oulet that sells "defective" pieces for a major discount. Defective to them is if the enamel is slightly off {bubble here ripple there} nothing IMO that affects the beauty or craftsmanship of an item, they cut the price down by a THIRD. I am not sure if they ship overseas, but I provided the link anyhow. What's the worst they can say afterall?
You say you have a 5.5 qt. pan? This is good for ANY stewing, soup, braise, and even deep fry application that you may be doing. Oven or stovetop. Browning is also a non-issue easily done in any of their pans.
They sell tangines and even woks. The stoneware they have is exceptional as well.
You said in your OP that you will soon be married? Congrats. And best wishes to you and your soon to be betrothed. My advice on what to get next would be to look and see what they have, what kind of food you enjoy prepairing and how many you will be cooking for. Then ask pieces for wedding gifts. And then ask for them for birthdays, holidays, annivesaries and the like. Soon enough you will be stocked up on all the LC you need.

 

[Wolfette]

Are you wedded to the idea of enameled, though? It has certain benefits, true, such as ease of cleaning. But, overall, raw cast iron is a better choice, particularly if you're going to searing or browning in it. And it's a lot less expensive.

Unfortunately raw cast iron isn't a common cookware in here; the market is flooded with Tefal and stainless steel products, but raw cast iron is not found on the market. I lately saw dark cookware which seems to be raw cast iron by Le Creuset but i'll have to check.

 

[Wolfette]

Le Creuset

You said in your OP that you will soon be married? Congrats. And best wishes to you and your soon to be betrothed. My advice on what to get next would be to look and see what they have, what kind of food you enjoy prepairing and how many you will be cooking for. Then ask pieces for wedding gifts. And then ask for them for birthdays, holidays, annivesaries and the like. Soon enough you will be stocked up on all the LC you need.

thank you for your wishes. Actually i will be cooking for 2, maybe leave some leftover for the next day and have some friends from time to time but on everyday basis it will be for two.

I am thinking about either a 30cm braiser or a frying pan or skillet. I need the more versatile one so am leaning toward the braiser; what do you think?

Thank you all for your time!

 

[Wolfette]

You should be aware that Le Creuset enamel cookware does have some limitations. It's not designed for searing meat or deep frying. But for braising, either in the oven or on stovetop, it's top notch. It distributes heat evenly and cleans up beautifully.

yea that's why i first bought the Doufeu, for soups, braising ecc but i still need a pan for sauteeing, frying, and omelette so it's between a braiser, sauteuse and frying pan/skillet, the one which is more versatile especially that i cannot spend 7 hundred dollars to have all 3

 

[taxlady]

yea that's why i first bought the Doufeu, for soups, braising ecc but i still need a pan for sauteeing, frying, and omelette so it's between a braiser, sauteuse and frying pan/skillet, the one which is more versatile especially that i cannot spend 7 hundred dollars to have all 3

For omelettes and other egg dishes I highly recommend "naked" cast iron. It has to be seasoned, but once it is seasoned, it is fabulous for eggs. Naked cast iron isn't very expensive. If a quality company like Lodge doesn't ship to Beirut, you can probably find it on ebay.