LeCreuset

[sassy]

It is recommended by the manufacturer to lower your oven temp when using this cookware. How do you decide the correct temperature?

 

[GB]

Trail and error.

 

[Robo410]

If a recipe calls for a dutch oven and 350*, I wouldn't lower the temp at all. THe cast iron hold the heat but it doesn't magnify it. If you were stove top cooking, covered, you might well be able to lower the temp once the pan got to temp. (depending on what you were cooking.) But I have never had anything over cook in the Le Creuset I own.

 

[Gretchen]

I have never seen that recommendation. As has been said, once you have rreached the "good" temp for cooking you may be able to reduce the flame/heat because the pot holds heat so well. That is part of its beauty for use in braising--even heat.

 

[Katie H]

If a recipe calls for a dutch oven and 350*, I wouldn't lower the temp at all. THe cast iron hold the heat but it doesn't magnify it. If you were stove top cooking, covered, you might well be able to lower the temp once the pan got to temp. (depending on what you were cooking.) But I have never had anything over cook in the Le Creuset I own.

Ditto here. I, too, have never had anything become overcooked in Le Creuset. I much prefer to use my Le Creuset Dutch ovens in the oven because the lids fit so tightly, which keeps all the nice moisture inside.

As for stovetop cooking, once the mass of the piece gets heated up, I find I can cook at lower temperatures because of the excellent heat conduction of Le Creuset.

 

[Michael in FtW]

Are you talking about these instructions?

There is nothing that says to lower your oven temp ... of course it does have some limits to prevent the ceramic/enamel coating for cracking ... but if you're abusing those temps you've got problems anyway.

 

[Robt]

I too have cooked with LC for 30 yrs or so now and have read nor heard such a recommendation.

I agree with the recommendations for use that are stated by our friends above but; I have burnt things in the LC.

If you need to heat any cast iron piece, do so with slow gentle heat. Just as you fire a steak at high temps to caramelize the outside while hardly cooking the inside; the cast iron transmits heat slowly and with too much flame will get the part exposed to high heat way hot way fast and not spread evenly. As you can readily see, that will burn what ever was in the cold pan before the heat was applied.

I hate what I did to more than one of these LC dutch ovens--my bad.

I wonder if what advice you are getting applies to glass and somehow you are getting misinformation.