Le Creuset Cast Iron Skillet Review

I wrote this post in May 2020 and just found it in my drafts! Now that we have had these two skillets for over a year, I can give a better review. At the end you will find what I think of them after using them.

I recently ordered some new skillets that I've been pretty excited about. The first one is the only Le Creuset cast iron piece I've purchased without using gift cards. Luckily I found it on sale from the tax-free military Exchange website, which made it cost less than anywhere else it's sold. I chose the 11.75" Signature Skillet in Caribbean color. I've read a lot of negative reviews about food sticking in these particular skillets but I've also read a lot of positive reviews. I have been debating whether or not to get this skillet for a few years, and finally decided to go for it. Since Le Creuset was having a 20% off everything sale for the first time ever from everywhere that sells their products, shipping took longer than usual, but after 2.5 weeks I finally received it. About an hour after it arrived at my front door, I made a skillet chocolate chip cookie in it - it was delicious!

I actually was going to purchase the 12" Deep Skillet that is exclusive to Williams-Sonoma in Caribbean, but before I placed the order they sold out of the one I had in my cart. When I called customer service to see when it would be back in stock, they told me it won't be coming back in stock in that color. I was disappointed and settled for the regular skillet mentioned above, but I still really wanted the deep skillet. After a few back and forth emails with Williams-Sonoma's customer service, I decided to also purchase the 13" Deep Skillet in the color Lapis, which is a pretty blue color exclusive to Williams-Sonoma. These two skillets are similar but the Deep Skillet is a bit bigger and obviously, deeper. I didn't really want to add another Le Creuset color to my collection, but these two colors compliment each other nicely, in addition to the other Caribbean and Matte Navy pieces we have. Luckily, this Deep Skillet was on sale and customer service also applied a 15% off military discount for me (which is usually only available on in-store purchases but they graciously applied it because all stores are closed due to the coronavirus). I used a gift card towards the purchase which helped the cost come down a bit as well. This skillet is a bit of a beast and I'm sure it will be a workhorse in our kitchen for years to come.

It might seem a bit overkill to have purchased both of these (and perhaps it was!), but we only have 8" and 10" skillets in our All-Clad Stainless Steel cookware. We have a 12" Lodge Cast Iron Skillet that my husband uses all the time, but I don't like cooking in raw cast iron. I prefer using enameled cast iron since it doesn't react with acidic foods, won't rust and is easier to clean - and you can use soap! Since I wanted to put away our Lodge skillet, I thought these would be the perfect replacements and compromise between what my husband and I both like. I'm sure the 13" deep skillet will be the one my husband primarily uses and the 12" regular skillet will be the one I primarily use. These skillets also come in a few smaller sizes but I chose to go with the biggest size in each of these two skillets for our family because I know we will use one of them almost every day - for eggs, sausage, bacon, grilled cheese and grilled sandwiches, dinners and even baking biscuits and more skillet cookies! One of these will remain on our stovetop and I'm sure we will even use them both simultaneously.

Edit in January 2024: A few months ago I went to Williams-Sonoma and saw their 10" Deep Skillet in the store. It was on sale but they only had it in a few colors, none of which I liked. This skillet was so easy to handle compared to our large ones. After much thought, I decided to sell our 13" Deep Skillet (which was hardly ever used and in great condition, so I had no problem selling it) and purchase the 10" Deep Skillet in Deep Teal. I purchased this from a website that ships from Germany, but after researching I confirmed that it was a legit site, and the price was lower than Williams-Sonoma. My skillet arrived in perfect condition. I really love the smaller size and deep sides on this skillet and of course - the color!

10.25" Deep Skillet in Deep Teal

11.75" Deep Skillet in Caribbean

13" Deep Skillet in Lapis

It's here - all the way from Germany! 10.25" Deep Skillet in Deep Teal

It's here! 11.75" Skillet in Caribbean

It's here! 13" Deep Skillet in Lapis

It is now the end of June 2021 and we have had these skillets for over a year. As suspected, the Caribbean color skillet stays on our stovetop and we use it at least once a day, if not two or three times! I can't believe there were negative reviews for this skillet - the most common one being that it is difficult to clean. Well, that is simply not true! We have used this skillet so much and I've never had any issues cleaning it. I always let it soak in hot water and dish soap after we cook with it, then later use a plastic pan scraper to get any remaining food off of it, and then a yellow Dobie sponge with more soap to wash it. It has a nice patina to it now and you can tell it has been used a lot, but it is still in excellent shape and I suspect it will last us for a very long time. I love this skillet and it is by far the most used pan in our kitchen. It has taken the place of many of our other pans, which I rarely use now. I even use it to bake skillet cookies and biscuits. This would make an excellent wedding or housewarming gift for anyone who loves to cook!

The larger Lapis colored skillet gets used less often, but it has definitely come in handy at times. I use it for sausage and peppers, to brown meat for chili or stew beef before putting them in the slow cooker, for chicken in wine, for steak, etc. It is pretty heavy and more difficult to wash because of how big it is, but it's also helpful to have such a big pan! I suspect we will use this one more in a few years as our toddler boys grow into big boys who eat a lot!

I highly recommend either of these skillets, but especially the 11.75" one. It's so versatile that we could go away for a week with no other pots or pans and use this to cook every meal in. I love it, and I'm so glad I finally decided to get it!