My kitchen remodel isn't done yet but I've been looking for new cookware for my induction. I decided I better start buying some so I just purchased a LeCruset dutch oven. I can always return it in the next month if I decide on something else so I'm interested in your question. I thought if a pan worked on induction, they just worked?????

There shouldn't be much difference between the house brand and the name brand. Unless the Kirkland one isn't really made out of solid iron, or has a lot of impurities, or something, it should work the way it's supposed to on induction. Slap a magnet on it. If it sticks it'll work. Low pull fridge magnets don't stick as well to the enamel as they do on fridges, but they stick. The inductors on your stove don't care about the enamel at all.

On my old underpowered Dacor gas cooktop, I used to start my Le Creuset before prepping a lot of stuff. I'd even start it with nothing in it, and then search out the oil, or broth. It took that long to heat up.

With my little, low power, portable induction unit, the Le Creuset heats up much faster. I had to unlearn some bad habits. :-)

It may be that cast iron is slower to heat up than your other pans, but, again, I don't think the brand would make a big difference.

And, yes, Datura, they do just work. There are some pans, like some made by Demeyere, that are specifically designed for induction, and supposedly act in special ways with it. For anything else, if the magnet sticks to the bottom, it'll work. Some will work better than others, depending on the way they're made (cladding, etc., can affect how the sides heat). But they'll work.

For those of you thinking about buying Le Creuset. I can't help you with induction- I have a gas cooktop. But I do have 3 Le Creuset enameled cast iron Dutch ovens that I purchased at their outlet. I also have 2 of Martha Stewart's that I bought at Macy's- significantly lower in price and in my opinion the same quality. Martha has fewer pieces but they frequently go on sale at Macy's for 40 to 50% off. the 7 qt is usually $139 but it's on sale now for $79.00

My mother gave us a set of Le Creuset pans years ago. When we moved in to our new home (with an induction cooktop) they were the only pans that worked. I've since bought some All-Clads to replace pans that didn't work with induction. I don't notice any difference between the All-Clads and the Le Creuset in terms of heat-up time.

Assuming that a pan works with induction, probably the thermal mass of the pan itself makes some difference so that a really heavy, thick cast iron might take longer than a thinner stainless steel - just because of the energy required to heat up the metal.

Is that Kirkland pan flat on the bottom or does it have a lip around it? That would make a big difference.

Le Creuset works very well on induction and it's one of my best. here's a link to help you with pots & pans for induction: www.theinductionsite.com/induction-cookware.shtml

I don't have Le Creuset, but I have a Martha Stewart and a Paula Deen cast iron DO. My experience has been that they take a bit longer to heat up than my other pans and I credit that to the weight and thickness of the pan. I usually put the pan on the hob to begin heating before adding oil.

Thanks everyone, sounds like maybe the LC pots would be as fast as non-enameled ones, but the other brands might be a bit slower. My Kirkland one does not have a lip and the bottom is flat.

I have tried it a couple of times now and will keep it -- its really only a bit slower on the initial heating of the oil, once it gets hot it works as well as others. It was $50 and looks and feels great, so i can deal with it being a bit slower!

Thanks all.