Which Le Cruset cookware is best?
For almost 100 years, luxury French kitchenware company Le Creuset has provided aspiring cooks and experienced chefs alike with impressive cookware that’s both functional and visually stunning.
Their professional products boast a personal touch, handmade to perfection with most finished with a unique color. They are perhaps best known for their iconic Cast Iron Enameled Dutch Oven, but offer plenty more for any culinary needs. These pieces of cookware come at a high price, so it’s important to know exactly what you need and what you’re getting for the investment.
What to know before you buy a Le Creuset cookware
Products
The best known cookware product by Le Creuset is the Dutch oven. It comes in various sizes, from one quart up to 13, and allows for baking, braising, roasting and acts as a vessel for preparing soups, stews, and boiling water.
Le Creuset also offers a range of skillets and fry pans in different sizes, with large ones featuring a secondary handle for better control when cooking or transferring contents. They sell large stock pots for pastas and soups as well as saucepans, which may suffice as a stockpot substitute in smaller households.
More specialized items include braisers, roasting pans, grills and griddles.
Materials
Many products use durable and easy-to-clean, enameled cast iron. While they offer impressive heat retention and feature a rustic look, they are also quite heavy. Stoneware options are lighter and offer scratch-resistance and dishwasher-safe construction.
Many pots and pans use toughened nonstick PRO. These only come in black, but they cater to any utensil material and are safe to use in both the oven and the dishwasher. Le Creuset offers select options in stainless steel, a cheaper and lighter alternative to their cast iron products and a modern look in the kitchen. Only a handful of products, like tea kettles and stockpots, are made from lightweight and durable enamel on steel.
What to look for in a quality Le Creuset cookware
Colors
Le Creuset products are known for their beautiful range of colors. They typically offer around 20 colors at any given moment. Some options may retire over time, while others, like their signature Flame, are enduring. They may also feature specific colors to a certain region around the world or some that are simply seasonal.
The color names are notably distinct. Choices include fig, cosmos, soleil, palm and cerise. You may mix and match colors or buy as a complete set.
Cookware set
Le Creuset offers comprehensive cookware sets to provide everything you need at once or smaller sets with a handful of valuable items that offer versatility. Simpler sets may feature a few items like skillets and pots, while larger options comprise 10 or more specific pieces for complete coverage. Typically the price of buying a set will be lower than buying each piece individually.
Specialty items
Le Creuset offers some specialty cookware items for those dedicated and experimental cooks. Among these options are a crepe pan, a rice pot and a wok in which the return on investment may be determined by how much you enjoy the specific meals these items can create.
Bakeware
Le Creuset also features a line of bakeware items and sets to complement your cookware for those who enjoy making bread, muffins, pies and exciting pastries.
How much you can expect to spend on Le Creuset cookware
Smaller single items, like pots and pans, can cost up to $150. Popular Dutch ovens can run several hundred dollars while cookware sets may hit $1,000 depending on size.
Le Creuset cookware FAQ
How do I maintain my Le Creuset cookware?
A. Each Le Creuset cookware product contains specific details on best cleaning and maintenance practices based on the material that you should closely follow. This includes what utensils you can use and any potential temperature limits. While some may be dishwasher safe, it’s recommended to wash them by hand to increase longevity.
Why are Le Creuset items so expensive?
A. Products are handcrafted from high-quality materials and rigorously tested and inspected before selling. With proper care and maintenance, you can use these items for a lifetime. What’s more, they offer a wide range of eye-catching colors that don’t’ fade or peel, offering a personal touch to the kitchen.
What’s the best Le Creuset cookware to buy?
Top Le Creuset cookware
Le Creuset Cast Iron Enameled Dutch Oven
What you need to know: Le Creuset’s signature product, this versatile piece of cookware offers longevity and easy usage in the kitchen.
What you’ll love: You can use it in the oven or on the stovetop to make a variety of items, including bread, soup and stew. It features nonstick coating and is available in various colors.
What you should consider: It is both hefty and pricey.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon and Bed Bath & Beyond
Top Le Creuset cookware for the money
Le Creuset Enameled Cast Iron Skillet
What you need to know: This durable skillet heats quickly and evenly, allowing you to make a range of culinary delights easily.
What you’ll love: It is easy to clean, is dishwasher friendly, has a nonstick coating, features a secondary handle for better control and has flared rims to allow for clean pouring.
What you should consider: The handle gets quite hot.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon and Bed Bath & Beyond
Worth checking out
Le Creuset Cast Iron Signature Saucepan
What you need to know: This high-quality, colorful saucepan serves kitchens of all sizes and interests with its versatile features.
What you’ll love: It heats evenly and avoids burning contents, is ideal for sauces and stock or soups, stews and pasta for a small household and comes in various color options.
What you should consider: It may drip when pouring.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon and Bed Bath & Beyond
Want to shop the best products at the best prices? Check out Daily Deals from BestReviews.
Sign up here to receive the BestReviews weekly newsletter for useful advice on new products and noteworthy deals.
Anthony Marcusa writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.
Copyright 2022 BestReviews, a Nexstar company. All rights reserved.