I was looking to buy a cast iron cookware for my kitchen according to a review that I read on internet " Le Creuset Cookware Reviews"
but I still love to know your opinion?
I am hooked on Staub for its superb self-basting braising and excellent interior easy-cleanup finish. Here is a comparison of the two brands. While Le Creuset colors are bright, Staub’s are rich and deep… Mine are in Aubergine.
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I do have one piece of Le Cruset, a 7 quart dutch oven. I love it! It does all the things I want from a dutch oven.
However, it was a gift. Le Creuset is very pricey. I think they do have factory outlet stores where you can get pieces for less money. I think that there have been very favorable comparisons with Staub. Staub is much more reasonably priced and you get the same performance. So a bigger bang for your buck.
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Thanks for your opinion. I really appreciate it.
Thanks for sharing a wonderful review.
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Staub is more reasonably priced?? I need to do some studying. It seemed to me that Staub was WAY pricier than Le Creuset. But I never actually compared them.
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I absolutely love our Le Crueset. We got it at a 40% off sale at Sur La Table because it had a little nick in the enamel and because it wasn’t in one of the trendy colors. But none of that matters–we use it at least once a week and I’m sure it’s going to last for years.
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I should also say that if you want a regular cast iron skillet, you can’t beat the products from Lodge. Made in the USA, and really good quality.
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I have several pieces of the Lodge enamel cast iron and like it better than my Le Crueset and Staub; and at 1/3 of the price.
Lodge Enamel
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Thanks.! Lecruset price is so high thats why I need a opinion. Now I will go for lodge or staub.
I find the Lodge to be very nice and heavy duty, with a more rounded, softer look, and I think the enamel is thicker than the others, and seems to stain much, much, less. Also the top has a bit tighter fit, so less moisture escapes during long braises.
Staub is in the same price range as the Le Creuset.
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What kind of stove do you have? I’ve got a glass-top stove, and my Le Creuset frying pan has a smooth bottom so it works fine on it, but the Lodge stuff is rougher and has more shape to it (ring around the outside edge, etc.) so it’s not a good match.
If I had a gas stove or traditional electric burner stove, I’d go for Lodge - much cheaper, and you can find it everywhere in case you decide you want a shape you don’t already have.
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I have pretty much everything cast iron but Staub, except my Lodge stuff is not enameled. I don’t want the Staub because its dark interior is not conducive to seeing development of fond.
Le Creuset is the best, but I never bought one for years because of price until I found one at an outlet store–got a discontinued pot for $150 or less that would have cost $220+ normally. A low-sided but broad dutch oven, really terrific.
At Walmart and other places, you can find much cheaper pots by Tramontina. They work just fine, but the enameling is not as durable. But, especially with care, a Tramontina pot will last you years.
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I like my Le Creuset Signature Iron Handle Skillet. Great skillet! Not too heavy, great quality! Suitable for all types of stoves, for use in the oven and on the outdoor grill.
Compactness, durability combined with affordable prices have made the product popular among consumers.
I don’t own these pans but they are beautifully designed. My friend did handle them in person and said the handles were very well balanced.
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I have a lot of cast iron… here are my thoughts… and my wife’s.
I am the cook my wife cleans.
Calphalon 10"
For years I have used mt calphalon 10" skillet… super seasoned and is extremely non stick because of proper care in both cooking and cleaning.
Convincing my wife not to use soap took a lot! But raw cast iron is strictly NO soap.
With her chain mail scrubber my wife easily cleans any meal out of this pan.
Finex 12"
I’m a guy of course this pan appeals to me. Just look at it!
It’s big fancy looking and has a lid. It cooks great so far and I know with time it will improve… I have burnt myself because of the shiny metal lid handle sreaming grab me… ha ha
My wife HATES IT! everything about it but mostly because it is very heavy… to heavy for her to pour out grease, to heavy to clean easily… which means I have to… I use this pan less than i ever thought i would.
Lodge enamel dutch Oven… We both love it. My wife says this is of everything in our kitchen… the easiest thing to clean.
I really like carbon steel… something else you might consider.
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May I ask what brands/models your carbon steel pan/wok are?
Smithy pan is hand Forged
And the wok is an exclusive at Williams-Sonoma Carbon Round bottom
Both are great.
Mind you the price on the smithey is up there, but I consider it functional Art.
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I have a few cast iron pieces but they rarely get used. I just use nonstick Anolon pans.
When I first moved away from my parents, I got a naked cast iron Dutch oven and skillet at a flea market, for a few dollars each. A bit of rust had to be scoured away, but the advantage to old cast iron is that it has been used enough that the interior is smooth. A little extra oil the first few times it’s used will restore the surface. Fifty years later, that Dutch oven is exclusively for pot roast and (tomato-less) goulash, because it is so imbued with clove, bay leaf, and onion that in itself, it is seasoning. I experimented with making the same goulash in an enameled Dutch oven, which yielded inferior flavor.
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