Enamel Cookware

Great size. You will be surprised how useful it can be! This like my other Le Creusets is a tad heavy. Its easy to clean- I am just not very strong! HA
Score: 5 / 5

Le Creuset manufactures porcelain enameled cast iron cooking vessels as well as other products. Le Creuset casts these cooking vessels from molten iron poured in sand moulds that are used only once. For this reason, one pot may look like another, but each is unique in its own way.

Cast iron is a highly efficient material which absorbs and distributes heat efficiently. It is recommended that cooking with cast iron is done on low to medium heat. There are exceptions like boiling water where cooking on high heat is appropriate and okay. Remove cast iron from the heat and it does not cool off quickly. This helps your food stay warm while serving. Beware; iron tends to be heavy so these cooking vessels tend to be heavy as well.

Cast iron is an effective material for cooking so why cover it with enamel? Iron tends to rust; iron oxide (rust) doesn’t add any complimentary flavors to your food. If your cast iron cooking vessel was not enameled, you would have to season and maintain your cooking vessel. Adding the porcelain enamel not only looks good, but has multiple benefits. The enamel, being a solid coating, is one of the most hygienic surfaces to cook on, does not stain, absorb odors, retain flavors, and is easy to clean. The enamel can be damaged, so limit cooking tools to plastic or wood.

The benefits of cooking with Le Creuset cast iron are many, but lets get down to the buffet casserole specifically. 5 quarts can be a lot of space when it comes to casseroles, so consider your recipes when determining the size you need. The buffet casserole tend to do best if at least 3/4 full. Any less and you may overwhelm your food with heat evenly dispersed in the pot.

With a large flat bottom that curves up this pan resembles a curved sided saute pan the only thing missing would be a long handle. The tight fitting lid is mostly flat with curved sides. This lid seals in heat, moisture, and flavors and can be used to hold your meat while you are making a sauce from the drippings. Its shape and design makes this an extremely versatile pan.

I tend to use this pot for simple braising more than anything else. It easily holds a cut up large roasting chicken and other ingredients very well. But once you get past the basic functionality that lends itself to recipes such as paella, coq au vin, and basic casseroles, you can really open up the possibilities.

Keep in mind this is a 5 quart pan, feeding two out if it is ridiculous unless you want plenty of leftovers. With that in mind, how about roasting a chicken in it with potatoes and vegetables all in the same pan soaking up those juices? Pineapple upside down cake or bread pudding for when you need to please many guests, making spaghetti sauce which you can later braise your meatballs in, poaching fish, or sauteing pork chops. The possibilities almost seem endless.

One feature that people tend to complain about is the cost. The cost does seem steep compared to other pans made from other materials. Heck, cast iron doesn’t seem like it should be expensive when comparing to that old cast iron pan past generations have used for cornbread and camping. However the manufacturing process requires making a mould for each and every pan produced. They then go through the enameling process before shipping these heavy pans. If you take what goes into making and distributing these high quality cast iron products, the cost tends to make sense. Then consider that this pan will easily last a lifetime when taken care of.

Here is one of my favorite recipes I use this pan for:

JAMBALAYA

1/4 cup cooking oil

1/2 lb. boneless cooked chicken, cubed

1/2 lb. smoked sausage, sliced

1 large chopped onion

1 large chopped bell pepper

1 bunch chopped green onions

1 cup chopped celery

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 16 oz can tomatoes, drained (reserve liquid)

1 tsp. thyme

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

1 tsp. salt

1 1/2 cup converted rice

1 1/2 cups chicken stock or water

1 1/2 tbsp. Worcestershire

2 lbs. peeled and deveined raw shrimp

1) In your Buffet Casserole, saute diced chicken if not pre cooked, remove and hold in the lid until later. Use oil as needed.

2) Saute sausage until lightly browned. Remove from pan and hold in the lid.

3) Sautee onions bell pepper, green onions, celery and garlic in meat drippings until tender. Add tomatoes, thyme, pepper and salt. Cook 5 minutes.

4) Stir in rice.

5) Mix together liquid from tomatoes, stock and Worcestershire sauce to equal 2 1/2 cups. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer.

6) Add raw shrimp, chicken and sausage and cook uncovered, stirring occasionally for about 30 minutes until rice and shrimp are done.

PROS:

Extremely versatile

Efficient absorption and distribution of heat

Hygienic enamel cooking surface

Does not stain, absorb odors, or retain flavors

Easy to clean when not abused or misused

Can be transferred from stove top to the oven to the table

Can easily last a lifetime

CONS:

Its heavy, as cast iron tends to be weighing in at about 15.5 pounds.
Score: 5 / 5

Definitely the most used piece of cookware in my home. I use this pot every day – literally. I would give it 10 stars if I could. I’d buy it again in a heartbeat if I lost mine. I may even buy another one soon. I have made 2-3 meals a day in this for months – plain ol’ scrambled eggs, spanish rice, dry-roasted lamb shanks, braised meats, paella, risottos, chicken and dumplings, and a plethora of stews and casseroles in this pot, and I don’t know why, but food has never tasted so good. There are only two of us and 5 qt is perfect: we cook and eat one meal and freeze leftovers for work lunches.

I still use my Lodge seasoned cast-iron for some things, but it’s really nice to be able to just leave the leftovers in the pot and put it in the fridge to reheat for the next day.

The pot IS HEAVY and I sometimes have to ask for a hand to hold it up and scrape all the goodies out of it. Also can’t use metal utensils or the finish will get those metallic streaks on it like my old Fiesta ware has on it from years of silverware – it won’t damage the surface, per se, but it will make it unattractive. I also use a “Tuffy” to clean it – the orange and yellow plastic mesh scrubby – that and some Bon Ami and it cleans up like new and the finish is still looking great. Le Creuset sells a cleanser but it seemed expensive and Bon Ami works really well.
Score: 5 / 5