When I got married, over 30 years ago! I was given two Le Creuset casserole dishes in vivid volcanic orange. Well it's been a rough ride at times but the marriage and the dishes are still intact apart from losing a lid along the way. The casseroles not mine!

Le Creuset are in my opinion," la creme de la creme" of cookware .The firm was founded in 1925 in Fresney le Grande, in France of course, and are now sold all over the world and are justly famous for being efficent , long lasting and flipping heavy!

The Secret is in the mix!

The casseroles are made from cast iron with a secret recipe of a mix of metals which produces a casserole which disperses the heat evenly and keeps hot for a long length of time. Each pan or casserole is unique as the sand mould used to produce it is broken after the molten metal has been poured into it from the cauldron called in French "Le Creuset" It is then "fettled", yes that's right "fettled", we use this word a lot in Lancashire and it means to be sorted out or fixed so your casserole is fettled by having any rough edges or burrs smoothed off. Can you imagine the conversation? "Bonjour Jaques, ave you fettled les casseroles ?,non, well urry up !" After that they get two coats of enamel fired at 840 degreesC which gives the inside the almost never stick property and the they are off to be sold round the world at rather large prices, but now you why.


My casseroles

I have the 18cm and the 22cm and they are still in daily use, I use them for stews and casseroles, rice and soups, in the oven, under the grill on the hob, on gas on electric rings and ceramic and they never disappointed me. They are good looking enough to go straight to the table and,although available in other colours, for me the rich, volcanic orange is the only colour choice, it just shouts home cooking and comfort The handles, which are integral, are comfortable and easy to use, (use oven gloves), important while moving a large hot casserole. The lids are tight fitting which means that cooking liquid is not lost and the contents burnt. Le Creuset advise a top temp of 190C in the oven for casseroles with the black phenolic lid knob and suggest low to mid temps for optimum cooking. Check the lid knob occasionally as the screw which holds it can work loose thus creating a large clang as the lid falls to the floor.

The larger casserole holds 3.3 liters and weighs 3.8kg it can easily feed 6-8 hungry people and the smaller 18cm holds 1.8 litres and weighs 2.5kg and feeds 2-4 people depending on how hungry you are!The weight can be a problem for some people so this is a factor to keep in mind.

The enamelled inside surface makes them easy to clean, I tend to just soak mine for ten mins and then hand wash but you can put them in the dishwasher if you wish.

They have had a hard life and have lived for 15 years with us on our own boat and as I have often cooked on various boats for a living, they have, where possible, come to work with me. One lid got badly rusted from being stored incorrectly in a salty bilge, but that was entirely my fault and the manufacturers are so sure of their product that they come with a lifetime guarantee.

So if you are looking for a pan or casserole that can go from hob to oven, from grill to table. Can go in the freezer and the dish washer , save up for Le Creuset, they are worth it. My niece is getting married next year and some Le Creuset pans and casseroles will be her wedding present from me and the Captain, that is how much I recommend them!

Available widely and lots more interesting info on Le Creuset .co.uk

Thanks for readind my review also posted on Ciao under splishsplash.