February 24, 2009
Le Creuset French Oven — I Want You (She’s So Heavy)
Old Faithful
Modern times have brought us some pretty nifty advances in cookware – multiple plies of metals, nonstick surfaces, heatproof silicone – but oftentimes, the best old-guard supplies come out superior to the newfangled gizmos. Such is the case with the heavy, enamel-coated, cast-iron Le Creuset French Oven (so they call it, as a French company, rather than the traditional Dutch Oven). I have an old red girl (5 ½ quart-sized) that I use so often she rarely leaves the stovetop. She braises my meats, bakes my beans, boils my potatoes, and browns my giblets, and never raises a fuss. Sometimes it seems like she does the work for me.
As anyone who’s had one of those old cowboy skillets knows, cast iron is a superb cooking surface. It retains heat well, cooks evenly, and offers a perfect heavy bottom for browning and braising. However, they require some maintenance as they rust easily, so you have to keep seasoning them regularly, their surfaces can react oddly with some foods, and they can retain flavors of previous dinners.
Le Creuset French Ovens are covered with a nonreactive enamel coating, so they’ll never rust on you and they can stand up to a good scrubbing. The phenolic (read: plastic-looking) handle on the lid withstands heat up to 375°F (190°C), and the whole kit and caboodle is dishwasher-safe. They’re still made in the factory in Northern France where they were first cast in 1925, and come in a rainbow of vibrant hues.
The cons? Yes, she is so heavy. Especially when filled to the brim with steaming, bubbling stew, which will take your mind off the heft. She’s also an investment, but I have gotten mine back in spades. No whirligig plug-in blending-toaster-juicer-convection appliance will ever get as much use as this pot. Honest, versatile, faithful – what more can we ask of a partner?
The What-For:
Where to buy?
- Williams-Sonoma
- Amazon
- Your favorite local kitchen supply shop (This is mine)
How much?
- Off the shelf at retail, you’re looking at around $220-230
Hints:
- You might be able to score a reduced-price item if you find one in a discontinued color, or at a discount or outlet store that sells seconds. This will, of course, take some diligence and patience, but could pay off in the end!
Then what?
Make some of these delicious things: