Le Creuset Enameled Cast Iron Review

This is another post that I found in my drafts folder that I started in May 2020. Enjoy!

Over the years I have acquired a few Le Creuset pieces and I wanted to write a little bit about each of them, mostly due to boredom during this coronavirus stay-at-home order! Le Creuset is very pricey, but I received one as a wedding gift and purchased most of the others either on sale and with a 15% military discount and/or using gift cards. I only paid a total of $104 out of my own pocket for the first five pieces listed below!

Edit in January 2024: A few months ago I purchased the 1.75-quart Saucepan in Deep Teal from Williams-Sonoma. It was on clearance plus an additional sale because they were discontinuing the color. I also had a gift card so after the 40% discount and using the gift card, I only paid $2.63 for it! This saucepan is small so I usually use it to heat food up (single serving of soup, small amount of sauce, canned vegetables, etc.). Online pictures don't do this color justice - it is so pretty in person!

1.75-qt. Saucepan in Deep Teal

The next smallest Le Creuset that I have is the 2.25-quart Saucepan in Caribbean. I love this saucepan and use it any time I make rice or mac and cheese or if I'm cooking a smaller amount of sauce. I never considered purchasing a Le Creuset saucepan until last summer when I was having issues with my Calphalon cookware. My 2.5-qt. stainless steel saucepan got the most use and I wanted another saucepan the same size so I could use them simultaneously, but I was not going to order more Calphalon. One day I was looking online at other brands of saucepans and found this one on sale for a great deal. Most websites were sold out of the Caribbean color in this size, so I ended up ordering it from Amazon. I would not normally order Le Creuset from Amazon because I always read that they sell "seconds" or ones with slight blemishes for the same price as other websites sell "firsts". I didn't want to miss out on the low price though, and I was able to convert credit card points to an Amazon gift card so I paid even less for it, only $77. I'm glad I ordered it because I use this saucepan all of the time! This saucepan is also made in smaller (1.75-qt.) and larger (3.25-qt.) sizes, but I find this size to be perfect for me. It is great for 2-3 people.

2.25-qt. Saucepan in Caribbean

I have a 3.5-quart Round Wide Dutch Oven in Matte Navy, which I can no longer find on Williams-Sonoma's website, but it is very similar to the 3.5-quart Essential Oven or 3.5-quart Sauteuse that they now sell (other than the bottom being different). This is the one that I use most since I cook for me and my husband and two toddlers who don't eat much. It's also what I use when I make Dutch Oven Bread. It's wider and more shallow than the regular 3.5-quart Dutch Oven and I love that about it (and it's less expensive too!). This was a wedding gift off our registry, and it has always been one of my favorite gifts that we received! It's the perfect gift for a new couple starting their life together. This is great for 2-4 people.

3.5-qt. Round Wide Dutch Oven in Matte Navy

I have a 3.5-quart Braiser in Caribbean as well. I purchased this from Williams-Sonoma using a 15% military discount and paid for it mostly using gift cards acquired from credit card points - I ended up only paying $27 for this braiser! This is another very versatile pan that is perfect for meat dishes and anything that does not need to cook in much liquid. I've used it a lot for pork loin and vegetables, tacos, fajitas, etc. If you are more of a meat and potatoes kind of person and do not cook sauce, soups and stews, this shallow braiser is the pan for you! The braiser comes in smaller (1.5-qt. and 2.25-qt.) and larger (5-qt.) sizes as well. The size I have is great for 3-4 people.

3.5-qt. Braiser in Caribbean

I also have a 6.75-quart Oval Dutch Oven in Caribbean. This is another item I paid for completely with gift cards acquired from credit card points, after receiving the 15% military discount. I have only used this one a handful of times so far. I debated between buying this or the 5.5-quart Round Dutch Oven, which I think would be the perfect size and shape for most people. I love the Caribbean color and wanted an oval dutch oven for cooking larger cuts of meat that would fit better in this than in the round ones. I've yet to do that but I have used it for soups and stews, mostly just to get some use out of it. If I HAD to choose one, this is the one dutch oven I own that I could do without just because it does not get used much due to the oval shape and the types of food I cook. I still sometimes wonder if I should have just gotten the 5.5-quart Round Dutch Oven instead, or not gotten either. The oval dutch ovens come in a variety of sizes - see the chart towards the end of this post for more info. This is a great size for cooking for 6-7 people.

6.75-qt. Oval Dutch Oven in Caribbean

Edit in June 2021: I found the 5.5-quart Round Dutch Oven in Caribbean color on sale for a great price (considering how expensive they are full-price now) from the Navy Exchange (military tax-free website), and ordered it. I later sold the above oval dutch oven since it was rarely used, and since I usually cook on the stovetop and the oval shape does not fit on the burners as well as the round shape. I can't wait to make chili, soups, stews, and sauce in this new round dutch oven this fall and winter. This 5.5-qt. round dutch oven is the perfect size for cooking for 5-6 people, and will likely be what I end up using the most for my family of 4.

5.5-quart Round Dutch Oven in Caribbean

Edit in January 2024: A few months ago, I purchased the 6.75-qt. Round Wide Dutch Oven in Lapis. This is hands down the most versatile shape and size! It can double as a braiser and a dutch oven, eliminating the need to own both. I don't know how I missed this piece the first few years it was sold. I found this last year when it was being phased out and had a hard time finding it in the color I wanted (Deep Teal), and ended up settling on getting it in Lapis (which is a color exclusive to Williams-Sonoma) and luckily I purchased it when it was still being offered at their sale price. I just saw that Le Creuset is now selling this size again in many colors, but at full price, which is a lot more than I paid for mine. Even at full price, if you only own one piece of Le Creuset, this is the one I would recommend! It can hold so much and the large surface area makes it perfect for browning large amounts of meat. It is perfect for soup, sauce, chili, roasts, one pan pasta dishes, etc.

6.75-quart Wide Round Dutch Oven in Lapis

6.75-quart Wide Round Dutch Oven

The biggest size I have is the 7.25-quart Round Dutch Oven in Matte Navy. This was on our wedding registry but we did not receive it, so we used gift cards that were given to us for our wedding to purchase it, along with the 15% military discount. This is perfect for making big pots of soup, sauce, chili, etc. I don't use it much yet, but I imagine that as my two young boys grow bigger and eat more and more over the years, I will be glad I have it! This is great for big families, those who like to cook for a crowd, and smaller families who like to have or freeze leftovers (that's us!). The round dutch ovens also come in a variety of sizes - see the chart towards the end of this post for more info. This size is great for 7-8 people.

Update January 2024: Since I could not find the 6.75-qt. Wide Round Dutch Oven in Deep Teal and that color was being discontinued (and went on clearance prices), I ended up purchasing the 7.25-qt. Round Dutch Oven in Deep Teal and selling the Matte Navy one. Since I bought it on such a good clearance price and my Matte Navy one was kept in such good condition that I could easily sell it, I didn't lose any money and I ended up with a color that is much more my style now. Deep Teal is really gorgeous in person and I can't believe they discontinued such a pretty color!

7.25-qt. Round Dutch Oven in Matte Navy

7.25-qt. Round Dutch Oven in Deep Teal

One thing I love about Le Creuset is the color options. There are several colors available and many stores carry colors that are exclusive to them, for example the Matte Navy that I have is only available at Williams-Sonoma but the Caribbean can be found at several stores. Unfortunately, I heard that the Caribbean color is being discontinued which is disappointing because it's so beautiful and definitely my favorite of all the colors they make. Some people prefer to have everything in the same color or everything in all different colors. I love the colors I have and they compliment each other nicely. I chose the two Matte Navy dutch ovens when we were registering for our wedding because our wedding colors were navy and grey. I was living in a townhouse at the time and my husband was about to deploy for the majority of our first year of marriage, so we did not know what colors would be in our future kitchen. I figured navy was a safe bet. After he returned home, we went to Aruba to celebrate our first anniversary, and while we were there I decided that if I bought any more Le Creuset pieces, they would be the Caribbean color to remind me of how beautiful the water in Aruba was. We have now been living in our house for 3.5 years, and the colors in our living room (which adjoins to our dining room) go perfectly with all of our Le Creuset pieces, which I have displayed on shelves in our dining room. I later added the Deep Teal and Lapis pieces which are very pretty jewel tones and work well with the other colors. I love the deeper color in them - more beautiful colors that reminds me of the ocean! No matter what your favorite color is, I'm sure you will be able to find a Le Creuset color that you love!

Another thing to note is that all of my pieces are "Signature", not "Classic". The classic pieces cost less but they have smaller handles on them. These are big, heavy pieces of cast iron and the big handles are much more helpful when carrying them (full of food!) around or moving them from the stove to the oven, to the table or sink, etc.

Le Creuset Colors available at Williams-Sonoma
(more colors are available from Le Creuset and other stores)

Another great thing about Le Creuset is that there are several sizes to choose from - below is a great guide to help you figure out which size Dutch Oven would be best for you. I will never get anything bigger than my 7.25-quart as it is pretty big and heavy. I like having different types of Dutch Ovens in various styles (wide, round, etc.) and different sizes because I use each one for different dishes that I make.

If you are considering purchasing Le Creuset, I hope this review has been helpful! I love every piece we have. They look beautiful, cook well, and clean up easily - just let it cool down (never put cold water on a hot pan!) and then soak in hot water and soap for a bit and then clean with a sponge (I use the yellow Dobie pads and a Scrub Daddy). Cast iron retains heat very well so never cook on anything higher than medium heat. It is also recommended to only use wooden or nylon utensils, no metal, which could scratch the enamel. For stubborn stains, Le Creuset makes a cast iron cleaner, but I do not have it and have never tried it. I have, however, used Bar Keepers Friend to successfully remove grey marks left on the enamel by metal utensils. It works wonders on our All-Clad stainless steel pots and pans as well! I have read that it can dull the finish on the enamel, so I use it sparingly.

This concludes my review, but below are some photos that I took last year of my five Le Creuset pieces. If you're interested in reading about my two Le Creuset skillets, that review can be found here.

3.5-qt. Braiser

2.25-qt. Saucepan

3.5-qt. Round Wide Dutch Oven

3.5-qt. Braiser

6.75-qt. Oval Dutch Oven

7.25-qt. Round Dutch Oven

Dutch Oven Bread

I recently posted a recipe for a 4-hour Dutch Oven Bread and wanted to also post the original recipe I made which takes 18-24 hours to rise. A few years ago I helped my cousin Andrew prepare food for a baptism party and he made paninis using this bread. He got the recipe from a friend, Katie Newkumet, and sent it to me. I've made it multiple times and really like it. It's very simple to make and perfect if you like to plan ahead.

With a blizzard in the forecast at the end of last week, I made this dough on Thursday night and baked it on Friday afternoon just as the snow began to fall. I had some bread with my dinner that night, made French toast with it in the morning, had it again with multiple lunches and dinners, and used it to make croutons to put in French onion soup! This bread can be used for so many things.

I baked this in my Lodge cast iron 3-quart dutch oven, but it can be baked in any pot with an oven-proof lid.

Edit December 2021: my cousin Vincent said this bread comes out best using King Arthur All-Purpose Flour, not Bread Flour!

Dutch Oven Bread

4 cups King Arthur Bread Flour (yes, this specific flour is the key!)

2 cups warm water

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon active dry yeast

Mix everything together in a bowl and let in rise in a warm place for 18-24 hours.

Preheat the oven to 400°F; place your empty dutch oven into the oven for 30 minutes.

Take the dough out of the bowl and roll it in some flour so it doesn't stick to your hands. No kneading required - just form a ball shape.

Take the dutch oven out after 30 minutes and drop the dough into it.

Place it back in the oven with the lid on for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, take the lid off and leave bread in for another 15 minutes.

Remove bread from dutch oven and let it cool before slicing.

Mix everything together in bowl

Let rise for 18-24 hours

Take dough out

Roll in ball shape

Drop dough ball in dutch oven

Bake for 30 minutes with lid on

Bake for 15 more minutes with lid off

Cool and slice

Photos by JoJo

Le Creuset Dutch Oven Review

I will start off my kitchen product reviews with one of my favorite kitchen items, a Le Creuset Dutch Oven. I recently read somewhere that if you own any Le Creuset, you should add it to your will. I laughed at first, and then realized that is probably true - these pieces are rather expensive, but with proper care, they will surely outlast you and should be passed down to others.

Last year, I wanted a dutch oven but could not justify paying for a Le Creuset, so after reading a ton of reviews online, I settled on a 6-Quart Lodge Enameled Cast-Iron Dutch Oven that I purchased on Amazon for $65. I used it a few times to make soup and sauce and everything came out tasting good. But, I still really wanted a Le Creuset...eventually. The Lodge worked just fine, but to me, the difference in quality between the two was evident. So when I got engaged one of the first items I added to our registry was the 7 1/4-quart Le Creuset Signature Cast-Iron Round Dutch Oven in Matte Navy. I debated for a while whether to register for the 5 1/2-quart or the 7 1/4-quart, and decided to go with the bigger size for $50 more so we would not have to upgrade in the future. We did not end up receiving this as a wedding gift, but we were able to purchase it by using some gift cards and our 10% registry completion discount, so this $350 dutch oven ended up costing us nothing!

7 1/4-quart Le Creuset Signature Cast-Iron Round Dutch Oven in Matte Navy

Before our wedding, I realized this dutch oven would be pretty big and aside from making soup and sauce, it would not get too much use while it was just my husband and I, so I read more reviews and decided to also register for the 3 1/2-quart Le Creuset Signature Round Wide Dutch Oven in Matte Navy. At $180, this is significantly less expensive than most Le Creuset dutch ovens, but it is also a very useful size for a couple (or a single person). I also thought that having a more shallow dutch oven with a wider base would come in handy at times. Just to compare, the regular round 3 1/2-quart version that is not wide is $260. I am so glad I registered for this wide one. We received it for our wedding and my husband was able to cook in it once before leaving for his deployment. Since then, I've used it for anything I can possibly make in it. And when it's not in use, it stays on our stove top. This is also a perfect fit for my dutch oven bread recipe!

3 1/2-quart Le Creuset Signature Round Wide Dutch Oven in Matte Navy

While Le Creuset is widely known for their bold colors with glossy finish, I absolutely love the navy color and matte finish on these, which are sold exclusively at Williams-Sonoma. I have never liked bright, bold colors for my kitchen, so the more subtle navy color suits me much better, and is masculine enough for my hubby, who also loves to cook! Navy happens to be one of my favorite colors and one of our wedding colors - perfect! I also prefer the matte finish to the glossy look. Chances are no matter what your favorite color is, Le Creuset carries it. A lot of people like to mix and match colors that compliment each other well. I hope Le Creuset comes out with more items in matte navy, and more matte colors to choose from (right now Williams-Sonoma also offers yellow and white in matte, and Le Creuset's website has a few other matte colors).

Below are some important tips to remember in order to keep your Le Creuset in mint condition (and not void the warranty):

• Only use medium or low heat, unless boiling water.
• The enamel surface is not ideal for dry cooking.
• Silicone or wooden utensils are recommended over metal.
• Hand mixers, immersion blenders and knives should not be used on the enamel.
• Cool hot pan before washing, and do not put a hot pan in cold water.
• Do not use scourers, metallic pads or abrasive cleaners.
• More use and care instructions can be found here.

So, what happened to that Lodge dutch oven I bought last year? I knew I would never use it again, so I returned it!

7 1/4-quart round

3 1/2-quart wide round

I made bread and soup at the same time in our 3 1/2-quart wide & 7 1/4-quart dutch ovens

I am one of those people who posts pics of food I make on Instagram. Here are a few photos I've posted over the last couple of months: marinara sauce (barely fit in the small dutch oven); farfalle pasta with baby bella mushrooms, baby spinach and Marsala wine (in small dutch oven); 4-hour dutch oven bread (in small dutch oven); and hearty Italian sausage soup (in large dutch oven).

Photos by JoJo

4-Hour Dutch Oven Bread

Last year I bought my then-boyfriend a Lodge cast iron 3-quart dutch oven as part of his Christmas gift (which was themed around camping items), and made dutch oven bread for the first time shortly after. He loved the bread, and ended up using it to make French toast, which was delicious. The no-knead bread recipe was very simple to make, but the dough had to sit for 18-24 hours. One day I was searching recipes online and came across a similar recipe that only has to sit for 4 hours, which means you can bake it the same day. This recipe does say to knead it, although I wonder if that is really necessary since the other recipe does not say to do that (it just says to roll it with flour on your hands into a ball shape). I was curious if the bread would taste any different, but I could not tell a difference. I've made this bread several times since, and we always enjoy it.

Tonight I made it in a Le Creuset 3.5-quart wide dutch oven that my now-husband and I received as a wedding gift. I wasn't sure how well the bread would fit in this dutch oven because it is a bit more shallow than the Lodge, but it was a perfect fit. You can certainly use a larger one if that is all you have, and if you don't have a dutch oven, you can bake this in any pot with a lid that is oven-proof. Just make sure to pre-heat the oven with the dutch oven or pot in it. And if you are making more than one bread, put the empty dutch oven back in the oven in between breads. Homemade bread is delicious, and this recipe is proof that it doesn't have to be difficult or time-consuming!

Edit December 2021: my cousin Vincent said this bread comes out best using King Arthur All-Purpose Flour, not Bread Flour!

4-Hour Dutch Oven Bread

1½ cups warm water

2¾ teaspoons active dry yeast 

Pinch of sugar

1 teaspoon salt

3 cups King Arthur bread flour

Pour the warm water into a large bowl. Add yeast and a pinch of sugar and let sit for 5 minutes.

Add salt and flour and stir until a shaggy ball of dough is formed.

Cover and let rise in a warm place for 4 hours.

Turn dough out onto a floured surface. With floured hands, knead the dough 5-10 times. Return dough to the bowl and let rise for another 30 minutes.

While dough is rising, place your dutch oven (uncovered) in the oven and preheat to 400°F.

After 30 minutes, use floured hands to reshape dough into a ball and carefully drop into the dutch oven.

Cover and bake for 30 minutes.

Uncover and bake 10-15 minutes longer.

Remove loaf from dutch oven and let cool before slicing.

Shaggy ball of dough

Dough after 4 hours

Turn dough on to flour surface

Knead dough 5-10 times

Preheat oven with dutch oven in it

Put dough ball in to warm dutch oven

Take lid off after 30 minutes in oven

Bake for another 10-15 minutes with lid off

Fresh out of the oven

Let bread cool before slicing

Photos by JoJo