Le Creuset Cast Iron Skillets?
Do you love yours? I have two of the Skillets, with the black enamel surface. I've had them for about 2 years and only used the 12" twice (for a gratin, and now I have a gratin dish) and the 10" once for searing tuna (and it took lots of elbow grease to clean after). I'm considering letting them go on eBay, since, so far, they haven't lived up to my expectations (compared to my other LC) and are taking up valuable cupboard real estate. Am I missing something obvious?
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I have just off loaded my 12" on craigslist as I was so disappointed with the stovetop performance. And for what I got for it I can buy a new de Buyer country fry pan, which if my other carbon steel pan is anything to go by will do a far superior job.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?... -
In my opinion, enamel coated cast iron skillets combine all the defects of enamel (cleaning problems and potential for chips) with the poor conductivity of cast iron. Their purpose is decorative.rather than culinary. Sell them and buy a nice cast iron pan for stove +/- oven and/or a stainless clad high conductivity pan for use with acidic foods. Or buy the useful pans and hang the enameled ones up for decor.
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re: Jay F
Hi Jay. Two things, first, you inspired me to make a bacon and asparagus fritatta in my 10" skillet last night and it was pretty good, although a tad overcooked(my fault!-how long do bake yours for?) 2nd, chips...it's surprising to me how many lightly used pieces on eBay have chips in them! How are they being handled that they get that messed up? I did catch myself banging the spoon on the rim of the pan the other day, and thought "oh, that's the answer for the chips on the rims!"
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re: Callalily
Jay F
Nov 16, 2011 07:43 AM
Hi, Lily - It doesn't take very long, really. I usually turn the oven on to 350, and it's around 10-15 minutes, depending on how full the pan is, and the egg-to-other stuff ratio. Also, don't put it in until the oven is ready.
Since you're using a 10", maybe check it in 7 minutes. It should be just a little loose in the center. You know, it continues to cook after you take it out.
As for the chips, I don't honestly know how things get that chipped. I've seen what you're talking about on eBay, too. I've banged *wooden* spoons on the edge and have never put a chip on an edge.
I think maybe people stack things together, then aren't careful when they're pulling a piece out from the middle of the stack they've created. And putting them back could create that kind of thing. My grandmother used to say about my brother that he was really "rough on his things." And yeah, his things would break. I was always "good with my things," so I've never had a chip problem, except on one, and it was someone else who put it there. I think if my brother had any Le Creuset, it would be kind of chipped.
I cooked so much in my first set of LC they replaced much of it, but I never put a chip in a single piece.
I'm glad to hear you're making frittatas.
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re: Jay F
Thanks Jay, that's the problem, I didn't pull it while it was still a bit soft the middle. in always worry too much about undercooking and go the opposite direction! Well, I do understand about some people being "rough on things" I raised 2 boys...trying to think right now if anything has been broken around here since the younger (23yr) one moved out? The one time I let him drive my car (which I purchased new and have taken very good care of) he wrecked it $6K of damage! As far as kitchen stuff...well, try finding any of it after he unloads the dishwasher! He would be considered a stacker :-) good thing I have acquired most of the good stuff post-kid!
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re: Callalily
Jay F
Nov 16, 2011 09:35 AM
I had this woman living next door to me once who was rough on *my* things. I left a fancy, porcelain-handled cake server at her house on Thanksgiving one year, and she returned it to me with the handle glued back together. She wasn't trying to scam me -- she told me what she'd done -- but still...
Definitely in the "rough" category.
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Jay F
Nov 14, 2011 03:48 PM
I have 12" skillets by Le Creuset and All Clad. I use the All Clad all the time. I read Marian Burros' review of the 12" LC, so I bought one. She must have a stove with huge burners, as I, who only have normal sized burners, found that nothing really gets warm except for the center, as Kaleo has observed many times.
So, I use mine to make what I call a frittata. (I only cook the onions and peppers on the stovetop. The eggs and cheese and herbs go in and I put it in the oven immediately.)
When I make French toast or pan fry some fish or chicken, I use the All Clad. I don't have an issue with sticking, and evenness of cooking, while not perfect, is a lot better than with the LC. I don't eat steak, so searing it isn't an issue.
I'm thinking of getting smaller, hob-matching skillets (thanks, Kaleo).
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Hi, Callalily:
No, you're really not missing anything obvious. Cast iron is such a terrible conductor of heat that any CI skillet bigger than your hob is going to disappoint on the cooktop. There are Frenchmnen wetting themselves laughing over Le Creuset's 15-incher.
IME, with the same size/hob proviso, you *can* sear at high temps with these skillets ( I have a smaller "grille pan" I get smoking hot), and their short handles do make them useful as roasters.
I say let 'em go on eBay, and use the take to get one plain CI 8-incher and a good saute pan.
Aloha,
Kaleo -
I don't have the fry pans or the skillets. I do have 2 of the brasiers which get regular use in my kitchen for everything from rice pilaf to carnitas to curries. I used to use them for gratins before I got actual gratin dishes. But they have the regular white enameling inside. I have no experience with the black interior enamel.
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re: rasputina
I love the 3 1/2 qt braiser! I think the regular enamel makes the difference or maybe its just a learning curve? I'm leaning toward letting the fry pans go. I have All Clad Stainless fry pans that get tons of use (the heavy WS d5 ones) and a couple of Scanpan nonstick for when that's necessary. Need somebody to convince me otherwise...haha!
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re: Callalily
You should have at least one pan you can use at moderately high temperature on the stovetop, no? So I wouldn't give up the skillets unless you have something else or unless you replace them with something else that will serve that function. Which your stainless pans will do.
When I want very high heat for searing, however, I use plain cast iron, because LC recommends not using the enameled pans on high heat. I imagine you could very well use your stainless in those circumstances?
I myself adore the newer matte black enamel interior surface of the LC pans. I find it much easier to clean than the old white enamel or the newer beige. If you find the Stainless fry pans clean up easily enough for you in general, I don't see that the LC skillets give you anything you don't already have.
I do have one LC fry pan with the black interior and it gets more use than the plain cast iron skillet, mostly for browning ground meat, because I do find it easier to clean. And I have the space to maintain both. But I lived with just the plain cast iron for years and years -- though I did also have a nonstick pan for eggs.
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re: kaleokahu
Aloha-
I'm not sure I know how to distinguish "clean" from "make it look new" in the context of enameled cast iron, though I might make the distinction in the copper context. What's the difference here, from your point of view? Or are you just pulling my leg and I'm not getting it?
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re: pericolosa
Hi, pericolosa:
Not pulling your leg exactly, rather trying to be a bit diplomatic.
There are those here (not saying you, because we don't know each other well) who are clean-o-philes, whose idea of clean ECI is no discloration whatsoever, and whose idea of clean SS is the factory polish.
IMO, the black matte of which we speak is a way to help the clean-o-philes to learn to relax a bit--on that surface, they can't see the discoloration, and they can't even see cabonization until it starts to develop its own *topography*.
It took me a long time in winemaking to learn the difference between clean and sterile. There is a comparable time/trouble/cost/neurosis dimension in cleaning cookware. Bully for Le Cresuset in helping folks relax a bit.
Aloha,
Kaleo
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