Eileenc, I think I need that white one! Last year, when I bought my LC black braiser, I couldn't decide if I wanted the black or white, but went with the black. I need to look to see if they have a size I don't have. I will still probably grab the ol' blue one though:/

IS some of the cast iron made in China though? I know for brands like Lodge it is, but not LC and Staub - ? LC (not sure about Staub, since I'm not familiar with all its product line yet) produces its stoneware and other non-cast iron lines in Asian countries, but it's my understanding that all of the cast iron (at least for LC) is still made in the France foundry.

I would prefer to buy the France-made products. I'll buy the stoneware pieces that come from China, because there's really not much of a choice, but if I can choose a product that's still made in France, that's what I'd prefer to do.

Googling around suggests all LC cast iron is still made in France. I must admit to questioning whether or not the Star Wars lines and all the new fanciful designs are made in France or Asia.

LOL - The Star Wars line holds zero appeal for me. What an odd thing to associate cookware with!

Ollie’s, that’s funny, I have 7 pieces, I think. Blue, red and yellow, the one I sent back was yellow, I just needed a change from color, wanted the dune(?) that wasn’t available so I chose the white one. I‘m happy I made that choice.

Last year around Christmas, Williams Sonoma had an incredible deal on Staub Dutch ovens. I was going to buy several for gifts until I started reading the reviews. There were lots of comments about the Staub enamel coating failing. Of course, I cannot now find the particular DO with the negative reviews. Perhaps, W-S has discontinued that particular model. Nevertheless, I’m hesitant to buy Staub because of that.

Ida, WS carries tons of Star Wars and Harry Potter merchandise. I can't quite figure out who buys that.

Zal, did you see the Death Star toaster that leaves a design of a starfighter on the toast?

Did you see the $850 D&G toaster? I thought it was cute, but not $850 worth of cute!

Sooooo super cute!

But that price?!? Nooooooooooooooooooooooo.

I guess I'm preaching to the choir, but am just somewhat surprised by how LC is available almost everywhere! I've seen some decent-looking deals on privately-owned but new, or very gently used, pieces on Mercari. (And of course, eBay, Etsy, Shopgoodwill as well.)

Can you use the LC enameled cast iron on a flat top glass stove? We got a flat top glass stove for the beach condo and I'm not sure if I can use my mother's small DO on it or not. TIA!

Yes, I asked about that for a future reno which will have an induction. I was worried about scratching it, but the person at the Miele showroom showed me it would be okay and slid one all over the glass surface.

Funky, also some of the LC ones are made in Thailand as well. I think (pretty sure) all the cast iron pieces are made in France.

Zalco, two people who buy Star War merchandise are related to me, my stepson and his wife, 28 & 29. They were married on May 4th, neither my husband nor I realized the significance of the date until the music played during the recessional which was music from the movie, I don’t know the name. For those that are as oblivious as we were, “may the force be with you”. DH is praying that he doesn’t become a grandfather anytime soon.

Cyn, I have an induction cooktop, my LC pieces work fine. I would NOT slide one “all over the surface “ as the sales person did. If there are grains of salt on the surface, that could possibly scratch it and since it’s not an inexpensive appliance, I wouldn’t chance it.

New Lodge 6-qt Dutch oven being chatted up by the tea kettle. This guy is heavy. The blue is lovely and the price was good.

Very nice, Bunny!

I have the Lodge 7.5 qt, which I can hardly lift when it is full...or even half full. I also have a 4.5 LC that I got at TJ Maxx and a 2 qt LC saucepan that DD bought and didn’t like, but I love. Several years ago, I bought a Lodge 7.5 qt for DSS from Target and they shipped it to his house for free.

Re the enamel inside looking dingy

Probably not allowed, but since scouring powder only gets me that far, I bleach them. Works like a charm.

My two eBay-purchased LC pieces arrived yesterday. The sugar bowl (which I'd planned to add to my little coffee station on the counter) came with a broken lid, so I'm now seeking a return and refund. The glass-lidded braiser is gorgeous, but does have a small scratch in the outer enamel on one side. It may have arrived that way, or it may have happened when the heavy thing slipped from my grasp in the sink. It does appear to be IN the finish though; it isn't rough at all, which leads me to think that the item I purchased may have been a "second." I don't mind though, as the price was right and it's still a beautiful piece. Heck, it'll start showing signs of wear as soon as we use it anyway.

Staub's the Perfect Pan, which is on the Sur la table link above, is that the actual name for that type of pan? I'm ashamed to say this but I have the same pan in a nice stainless steel with a glass lid that I've never used because there are no long handles. I never knew what to do with it.

I have a bunch of LC au gratin forms. Learned the hard way not to put a frozen cobbler directly into the preheated oven. The form neatly cracked along the middle into two pieces.

Weird thing was that LC insisted I actually mail them the broken pieces to send me a replacement form --- which I did.

This is off topic, but the cobbler is IKEA rhubarb streusel cobbler. Absolutely delicious.

Oakley, that's what they call it. I have a hard anodized Calphalon piece called an Everyday pan. I use it as a wok substitute for the most part. There's no need for long handles on every pan.

https://www.amazon.com/Calphalon-D1382PB-Commercial-Hard-Anodized-Everyday/dp/B00006FX83

1970s vintage on Etsy. Not pristine, but aren't they pretty! They even come with an original LC wooden rack. Not for me, but they'd be lovely in a big farmhouse kitchen. I believe the seller is located in the Netherlands.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/735488112/stunning-and-rare-complete-5-piece-pan?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=le+creuset&ref=sr_gallery-1-4&organic_search_click=1&cns=1

NSM, cast iron split in two? Or were they made of something else?

@Bunny LC makes a line of stoneware baking dishes. I was going to buy some from W-S that were on sale. Then I read the reviews. Many complaints about them breaking in half.

bbstx, thanks for the clarification.

bbstx, I have 2 pieces of LC stoneware. Never had a problem. (Knocking on wood.)

I wonder how many purchases this post is responsible for! I realized I have lots of LC but no Staub so I ordered this cutie for the holidays (WS). It came the other day but I just got around to opening it this morning.

I like that a lot, Mimou! How big is it?

Chipotle, DD has one or two pieces of the LC stoneware that were given to her as wedding gifts. Six years later, it is performing well. I just get easily spooked by bad reviews.

My aunt got LC enameled cast iron when she married 50 years ago. Several years ago, she was downsizing and I asked for her LC cookware if she were giving it away. She responded, “oh I gave that stuff to Goodwill 30 years ago. It was too heavy!” [sigh]

Well, in your aunt's defense, it is heavy stuff! Someone must have gotten a heckuva deal on it, though.

Ida, it is 31/4 quarts. I have lots of big Dutch ovens so this is a nice size for me.

That looks like a great size, Mimou. I'd like to have one in that size and one that's around 5-1/4. Some day ...

Mimou, that cocotte is too cute!

My Staub just arrived and is still wearing its ribbon. It's 4 qt. and the most beautiful cobalt. I didn't really need this *and* the 6 qt. Lodge, but the latter was a good deal and I ended up purging stuff I hadn't used in decades. I'm done.

Back to say I LOVE my new Perfect pan from Staub! Christened it last night -- first caramelizing shallots, then sauteing Brussels sprouts. It cleaned up beautifully! Plan to use it to make Pad Thai this weekend.

I christened my Lodge with a loaf of no-rise bread this morning. What I loved was that it didn't smell at high heat as my old black cast-iron DO did. It was the real reason I started looking for an alternative. It did create a thicker bottom crust that I'm not crazy about. I don't know why that happened.

The Staub Perfect Pan does look a LOT like my new LC. I'm almost ashamed to admit we haven't even used the LC pan yet, although we've had opportunities to do so. I think DH is afraid of it, and well, I'm just enjoying how pretty it looks sitting out on the burner, all pristine-like. I know, I know ... this too shall pass!

Bunny, I'll bet your bread is delicious! That sounds really good to me right about now.

Ida, the bread is delicious and hard to believe how easy it is. I do think it's best eaten that first day or the next.

My Lodge just made a huge pot of black bean/pumpkin soup. The simmer was so much easier to control and more uniform.

So glad you are all pleased with your Staub pans! I really enjoy mine!

Bunny, that is my favourite colour.

Our local kitchen store has a Staub deal for the holidays: 5.5qt cocotte and 10.25" frypan for $300 CDN.

I'm seriously considering this, but my only reservation is the black interior. I think I'd prefer a white interior. Is this an issue for any of the Staub users? Can you see your food okay? I'm picturing a bit of black hole where you can't tell if onions, etc. are caramelizing.

My other thought is that due to having 2 health/environmental nuts in the house, we seem to now be vegetarian/pescatarian and mostly lactose free (health issue for DD2). Am I even going to use this thing if I'm not cooking meat? I do have a recipe for water bread sitting in the middle of my kitchen waiting to be used that needs to be cooked in a dutch oven.

I'm seriously considering this, but my only reservation is the black interior. I think I'd prefer a white interior. Is this an issue for any of the Staub users? Can you see your food okay? I'm picturing a bit of black hole where you can't tell if onions, etc. are caramelizing.

First thing I cooked in mine was caramelized shallots. I have a few hard anodized Calphalon pans that also have a dark interior. Doesn't present a problem.

Last night I made Pad Thai and tonight I'm making an Italian sausage & rosemary tomato sauce. Really loving this pan!

Daisychain, I have LC and Lodge, both with white interiors. I think there would be some distinct advantages to the black interior. For instance, my white interiors are stained. They are absolutely clean, but they turn dark (ecru-ish) with use. You would not have that issue with the black interior of the Staub.

There is only one instance I am aware of where a silver or white interior is preferred and that is when you are browning butter. You need to be able to see that moment when your butter turns the right color and remove it from the heat.

Daisy, although I haven't used my Staub yet, I have no problem with black interiors. Think classic cast iron.

omgosh!!!! I'm still in the middle of trying to buy two (both sauce pots) for my partner. UNFortunately, the Le Crueset website doesn't take Paypal :( . They pretty much demand a credit (or debit card) which i do not have. Well, we have several, but she pays the bills and gets the online notices of each use! So i can't use a CC .... I went to the closest brick'n-mortar shop and after i selected the two i wanted to buy (ttl about 600$~!) clerk said they can't take a check (even though i have a drivers license and a couple of credit cards). Soooooo......i went to my Paypal account and ordered a Debit card. It FINALLY arrived and i activated it. Went back to Le Crueset website and tried to pay for the two i have in my cart. Welllll....turns out the card number didn't work. So i went back to paypal and discovered that how that thing works if you have to transfer money from your bank into the paypal balance (it doesn't draw out as you use the card like a regular Paypal purchase works!) ..... So i moved more than enough and and am now waiting waiting waiting the 2-3 (Working) days for the funds to be there. THEN!!! hopefully, the two items i have in my cart will still be available and will ship in time to get here before Christmas. LONG LONG LONG story (sorry) but frustrating. Why anyone won't take Paypal is beyond me. Stupid credit cards.... why are they so important?

I have a new white pumpkin Staub cocotte and used it for a corn casserole on Thanksgiving. It's very cute! I've made roasted veggies in it and now this, cleans up so easily. I also have a 7.25 LC dutch oven which I love. I cook with carbon steel, cast iron and stainless steel only. Each pot/pan serves a good purpose. Quality cookware is such a joy to cook with...sure, some of them have been a bit pricey, but most of them are lifers.

There are SO many places that sell le crueset and take online purchases with paypal-- macys, Williams-Sonoma, and Cutlery and More. I like Cutlery and More in general for both knives and cookware. I have bought quite a bit from them over the years.

bbstx: I was reading along with this thread. I have a LOT of Le Creuset (bought when it was the rage among my co-workers, and I didn't know how to boil water!). Some of the Dutch oven interiors were stained. I followed directions from a link and used a weak water and bleach solution and brought the solution to boil for a couple of minutes- the interiors now look NEW! Reading further on this method, some people do this every year. I don't know that I would, but I'm glad I did it this one time.

Thanks Funkyart! i went online to WS and Cutlery and More and Macy's. They do not carry the two items i have in my cart at Le Creuset's site. So....by Monday the $ will have gotten moved and i'll be able to buy using my new debit card. Seems that even the brick and mortar stores don't have everything the online manufacturer does. But, i DO appreciate the lead!!! thanks :)

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