Pans for Popeye (Le Creuset Cookware Range)

Member Name: pjs21

Product:	Le Creuset Cookware Range
Date:	17/10/01 (1007 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Look Nice

Disadvantages: Far too heavy, Impractical

As a man who loves to be in the kitchen slaving over a hot cooker, for years I had looked at and admired the beautiful cast iron pots and pans of Le Creuset.

The enamalled Orange casserole pots, the hanging racks of saucpans and lids, how much did I want to own a set of these?

I'd have sold my soul.

Okay, maybe not my soul, but you get the idea about how much I wanted these pans.

Le Creuset is made in the North of France in a factory at Fresnoy-le-Grand. Since 1925 they have been producing their pans in sand moulds. The moulds are destroyed after casting and the pots are sanded and smoothed by hand. Only after close inspection our the perfect ones enamalled. They are given two coats and are then fired at 800 degrees Celcius. That's quite hot I believe!

Cast iron is one of the best things to cook with as the heat is distributed very evenly, it is also incredibly durable and long lasting.

It is also extremely heavy.

This is the one thing that has put me off ever owning a set of Le Creuset. They simply are not practical in a kitchen.

Have you ever picked one up in a store? If you haven't, then do. They are on the weighty side. Now imagine thet pot in your hand full of food.

I made a cassarole once in one of their large pots. It took two of us to lift it to the oven. The shelf in the oven bowed and looked like it might give at any moment. It didn't and the stew was delicious, but how impractical.

Even the frying pans weigh a ton. Or there abouts anyway.

Now, I'm not scared of spending on a saucepan, and Le Creuset aren't the most expensive around, but they're not cheap.

A 29cm Casserole Pot (Cocotte) will set you back around £85-£90 for a fair sized one. Their largest is 12.3 litre and will cost you around £130. A 28cm oven dish/gratin dish around £30-£35. Saucepans come in varieties, I like the wooden handled ones, th
ese range in size from 7 litre to 2.7 litres and in price from £30 to about £55 respectively. Frying pans range in size from 22cm - 28cm and in price from £40 to £52. Milk pans around £35.

You can buy sets of pans with lids.

My favourite is the wooden rack which comes with five pans - 14cm, 16cm, 18cm, 20cm, 22cm - and costs around £150.00. You can also get 4 piece chrome and 5 piece chrome racks for around the same price.

These are the cheapest prices I've seen, they're online at www.smallislandtrader.com. I was looking at a set of 5 on another site and they were charging £199 in the sale. What a bargain!

Alternatively, you can do what my friends did and go to France. They picked their wooden rack set up for £75.

Alternatively you can look around for something that is practical. I buy all mine from the professional cookware company. They are light, stylish and practical. Prices range from £40 upwards for a stainless steel pan. More expensive than Le Creuset but atleast I don't need to be Popeye to use them.

If I wanted to spend £150 on something to look good in the kitchen it wouldn't be Le Creuset - you can spend the money on something much better.

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