Le Creuset - Can you have too many colors

[Alexa586]

So I have fallen in love with Le Creuset and my collection started with a baker in Citrus. That was soon followed by a few gratin dishes. To my dismay the Citrus color was discontinued and I bought my very first oval French oven in Dijon to blend with my Citrus. I then received as a gift the round French over in Kiwi. I have now fallen in LOVE with the new Cassis and Lilac colors that are now on Sur La Table....

I am considering getting the Braiser so my question is…

Can you have too many colors? When does too many colors become tacky?

[Moyo]

I'm looking for a set in Citron yellow !! Retired already !!!!! what's up with that? Please help!

[Jay F]

There are a few pieces in Citron on eBay. http://shop.ebay.com/i.html?_nkw=le+creuset+citron&_sacat=0&LH_BIN=1&LH_LocatedIn=1&_sop=10&_dmd=1&_odkw=le+creuset+dijon&_osacat=0&_trksid=p3286.c0.m270.l1313

Also, I would call a LC Factory Store. http://lcstores.com/locations.asp. You don't have to live near one. You can shop over the phone and they'll ship to you. In Nov and Dec, shipping was free if you spent over $100. Also at that time, once you were in their computer, they gave you an extra 10% off, so it pays to buy a single item first, then a set.

[rich51]

it is ok to have many colors BUT they must be stored seperately or they will not work well . what we do to get it "just right" . (LOL) just enjoy it all

[Jay F]

For those of you who like red Le Creuset, I saw this large roaster on eBay for $69.99 w/free shipping.

It says this, though: "IT DOES HAVE A COUPLE OF TINY FLEA BITES ON EDGE FROM STORAGE." It also appears to have a scuff or a smudge on the bottom (see pictures). Anyway, I thought someone might be interested at such a good price. It sells on cooking.com for $189.95.

http://cgi.ebay.com/LE-CREUSET-CHERRY...

I have nothing to do with this seller or this auction. I'm just passing some info along.

[CookingwithMochi]

I love order and symmetry and I must say that my favorite color is red. That said, I started to get bored with all red pieces, so the result is a mixture of cherry, flame, kiwi, and cassis (probably my all time favorite, now!). Maybe I have problems? :)

If you take a close look, you'll see Mochi, the pug, in the background. She's my trusty sous chef :)

The pieces are:

7 qt round in cassis
3.5 qt braiser in cassis
4.5 qt in cherry
pate terrine in cherry
6.25 oval in cherry
6.25 qt wide round (risotto) in kiwi
Small heritage oval cocotte in flame (3 qt?)
2 qt pumpkin cast iron in flame (of course)

So I guess the question is still open. Am I nuts? :)

[decolady]

No, you cannot have too many colours. The Fiesta collectors have a description for this: exploded clown. And they embrace the philosophy. Many of them collect Le Creuset and Staub also.

[Jay F]

I don't like more than three colors of anything. My brain can't process it. Maybe I have an allergy to exploded clowns. I know I don't like clowns. Maybe its OCD.

[mikie]

It's probably a left brain vs right brain thing. I'm an engineer, I like semitry, I like order, I like sets of things, and I don't have the exploded clowns look in my kitchen. However, all different colors actually make up a set and in my ordered and semitrical opinion, would look better than 5 pieces of one color and one piece of another. If I had 6 pieces, they could be devided between two colors, three apiece, or even three colors, two apiece, or six different colors. Yes, I've been known to test the sanity of others with this obsession for order.

[Jay F]

I could live more easily with five and one than six assorted colors.

I have a friend who says her favorite color is red, but what she does in life is assemble a rainbow of colors. She lived in a great big house in which every single room was a different color, without a lick of attention paid to how the colors flow from room to room.

Now that she lives in a smaller place, it's the same concept, just with fewer colors. It makes me uncomfortable, jittery , like I need to be constantly looking over my shoulder.

Right now, nearly everything I own is blue or green, in different shades. Green, in which I include turquoise, has always been my favorite color. This is very soothing to me.

However, I'm tempted to buy one thing in red, in a complementary shade to something else, as yet undecided.

[CharlieKilo]

Every time I buy a new piece of LC I try to get a different color! Sure brightens up the kitchen!

[DAVESGIRL]

Nope I don't believe you can have too many colors as long as YOU like them all and use them in whatever order you desire.

[knet]

I seem to be in the minority on this but I have three LC -= 2 black onyx and 1 white and I LOVE the look of them in my kitchen. I wouldn't want to add any other colour to distract from that. I probably won't buy much more because owning too many in a small household simply means some are decor and not tools. I expect future purchases will be gifts and therefore a lot more colour - just not in my kitchen!!

[Beckyleach]

No. :-)

(owner of flame, dijon, turquoise, cobalt, pale yellow, white, "Sonoma blue" and a weird pale, greyish lilac/blue...looking for a good green, and red, at least)

[blondelle]

One color I won't be getting is the new Truffle. It's really awful! A really weird shaded taupe color with a mauve undertone. I think food would look awful in it. I liked the discontinued Jade color but in the stoneware better than the cast iron. It was a softer, prettier green. I wish they would tweak that green a bit and bring it back. They need a green between the Classic Green (Sonoma Green) and the Kiwi color.

[RichardM]

Yes, because if you have too many colors it means you have too much LC. It's perfect for braising but who wants to heft a 8 lb saucier? But, hey, it's your money. Enjoy.

[blondelle]

First of all THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS TOO MUCH LE CREUSET--PERIOD! Yes, you can more than you need, but Le Creuset isn't really about need -- it's about want :-). I purposely have all my pieces in different colors. Why settle on one gorgeous color when you can enjoy many. Just add any new color that tickles your fancy. Citrus, Dijon, Kiwi, Lilac and Cassis are GORGEOUS together. Add a dash of Flame, Red and Cobalt to balance it out. No such thing as too many colors. It never becomes tacky. The more colors the merrier!

Who said the Citrus was discontinued? Williams Sonoma has a full display of it. I have an oven in it too, along with Red, Azure, Kiwi, Caribbean, Flame, and Satin Black. They are all gorgeous and look amazing together. I want to add a piece of White or Dune to the mix next.

[grnidkjun]

all I have right now are red and blue.. due to that's all that's been available in my price range. I'd love to have one in the flame though.. I just love that color.
Maybe one day I'll replace my 4.5qt knockoff with one from the outlet.

[RichardM]

You sound like a LC product manager.

[blondelle]

Don't I wish! That would be a dream job for me! I could buy tons more with the great discount I would get or maybe even get free pieces. I have to try all the pieces I would manage, right...LOL!

"You sound like a LC product manager."

[breadchick]

I think the color at WS is citron - which may be a variation of citrus? I wonder if they have special colors made for them. I know they do have their own exclusive lines for different brands.

[hobbybaker]

To me buying a set of LC in one color is kind of boring :) In terms of "too much LC", my definition is " starting from 5, you are becoming a collector" and I admit that I am kind of a borderline:) I wish LC could offer a Customer Royalty Program like, when you collect 5, you will get 1 free:) About the saucier, no objection, it is just too heavy, 9.6 lb, compared to 6 lb of the All-Clad. I may need an extra silicon whisk for LC, which is not practical, either.

[Chemicalkinetics]

I have to agree with RichardM on this one.

[CindyJ]

One of the many things I love about LC is the variety of colors available. Are your pieces on permanent display? Do you consider them decorative rather than functional? Are they kitchen accessories or are they kitchen tools? I say, go crazy with colors!

[hobbybaker]

Agree. All my LC DO are in different colors. Love all the colors and feel all of them are different individuals:) Also it is easy to grab the right one for recipes. I want to see the new truffle color at my local bloomies, soon.

[foiegras]

What is this new Truffle color of which you speak? I tried doing a search, but wasn't successful in finding a picture ...

[E_M]

http://www1.bloomingdales.com/catalog...

[foiegras]

Thank you ... darker than I was expecting. The lid really looks like very dark melted chocolate ...

[blondelle]

The Truffle color doesn't look remotely like the Bloomies photo E_M linked to. It's much lighter, grayer and with a mauve cast. It's a taupe not a nice deep brown, It's a most unpleasant muddy color. It's not the nice rich espresso brown color as shown. A braise or stew would look awful in it. Not one of LC's better efforts color wise :-(.

[Wtg2Retire]

I had to laugh when I saw the "new Truffle color." That is because the first pieces of LeCreuset I purchased were from a French military base exchange in Germany is the very same color - and that was in the early 1970s. I guess "old" really does eventually turn into "new."

By the way, the lid on the Dutch oven I purchased all those many years ago is made of all cast iron, including the knob. I have never seen other LeCreuset lids made in once cast iron piece.

My most recent purchases are Cobalt blue. Thus, I have blue and brown pieces and love, love, love them!

P.S. Below, blondelle indicates that the new Truffle color is taupe with a mauve undertone. The piece in the link above looks brown. My monitor must be off.

[blondelle]

That picture shown on the Bloomies site isn't accurate at all. It's not your monitor. Truffle is not brown. It's a medium taupe shading to a deeper taupe with a pinkish cast.

[Wtg2Retire]

Thanks, bondelle. I didn't think my monitor was that much off, so I am pleased by your response.

[Alexa586]

They are kitchen tools that are away in the cabinets right now but I want to have them out for easier access, a pop of color int he kitchen and to remind myself to use them more often! :)

I have the Mini Fruit Casseroles but they are only for display.