As far as my experience goes, they are. I use mine in the oven all of the time with the lids on and no problems, but I rarely use a temperature higher than 350 since I tend to use the pots for slow braising.

seagrass

I think they say the knobs are save to 425....but they also make metal replacement knobs....so for the dutch oven I use for no knead bread, that;'s what I use.
But no problem at all at 375 for hours if that's whay you want to do....but why?
Linda c

From the horse's mouth...........

LeCreuset

Phenolic knobs and handles are oven safe to 375ðF / 190ðC. Cast Iron handles and stainless steel knobs can be used at any oven temperature and under the broiler.

Thanks seagrass and ann t. I never thought to go to the LC website.
Linda C, I don't understand your question...but why? The recipe says cover and put in 300* oven. Since I'm using my LC dutch oven, I thought I'd use that top. Should I use foil instead or is a pot roast not supposed to be covered?

Whistle

I'm guessing Linda's question was why you would need to have a higher than 350ðF temperature when slow roasting in a dutch oven.

Most dutch oven recipes have temperatures of 275ðF to 325ðF so you don't have to be concerned about the handle.

You should always cover a "Pot Roast".

Ann

Thanks Ann. The roast is in the oven at 300* and the house is smelling soooo good!

Ann....you read me well! LOL!
When this recipe for no knead bread became popular it raised a whole new use and problems for Le C. pots.

Just in case you want to use the Le Creuset in a hotter oven: wrap a piece of aluminum foil around the knob to protect it from the high heat.

I love my white Le Creuset cookware and have used it for 20 years in the oven and out. I can't say enough about this line.

Thanks everyone. The roast was really tasty, but very dry. Now I'm wondering if I overcooked it.
Newdawn, I got the red one for Christmas. So far, I've made soup and chili. I can see it taking the place of the crock pot. With my induction cook top I actually have more control.

Whistle

If you are at all concerned about oven temps and the LC black knob, you can buy a stainless steel knob made by Le Creuset. Amazon has it for about $10. I have also heard that you can buy a no-name stainless knob at Home Depot for a couple of dollars for the same purpose (just make sure it's the right size screw). The HD one won't be as pretty though as the LC stainless knob :)) I replaced the knobs on my two LC pots with the LC stainless knob, and don't have to worry about the oven temps now. I am aimin' to try the no-knead bread recipe which requires the LC DO to be heated to 500 degrees.

Here is a link that might be useful: Le Creuset 2-inch Stainless Knob