Customer Reviews

Le Creuset Enameled Cast-Iron 7-3/4-Quart Oval Roaster, Flame

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

Le Creuset manufactures porcelain enameled cast iron cooking vessels as well as other quality products considered by many to be the world's finest. These particular cooking vessels are cast from molten iron poured in sand moulds which are used only once. For this reason, one pan may look like another, but each is unique in its own way.

Cast iron is a highly efficient material which absorbs and distributes heat. Due to this efficiency, it is recommended that cooking with cast iron is done on low to medium heat. Over heating may cause foods to stick to the pan, or worse burn and can cause the enamel to appear stained. Remove cast iron from the heat and it does not cool off quickly. This helps your food stay warm while serving. The opposite holds true as well, chill the pan and it will retain its chill for a surprisingly long time. Beware; iron tends to be heavy so these cooking vessels tend to be heavier than other pans made from alternate materials.

Cast iron is an effective material for cooking so why cover it with enamel? Iron tends to rust; iron oxide (rust) doesn't add any complimentary flavors to your food. If your cast iron cooking vessel was not enameled, you would have to season and maintain its cooking surface. Adding the porcelain enamel not only looks good, but has multiple benefits. The enamel, being a solid coating, is one of the most hygienic surfaces to cook on, does not stain, absorb odors, retain flavors, and is easy to clean. The enamel can be damaged, so limit contact to heat resistant plastic or wood utensils to eliminate the scratching and scoring the porcelain.

The benefits of cooking with Le Creuset cast iron are many, but lets get down to the oval roaster specifically. This pan holds 7 3/4 quarts or 7.3 liters of food, measures 11 3/4 x 15 3/4 inches or 29 1/2 x 39 1/2 cm diameter internally, 4 inch or 10 cm deep, and weighs 11 pounds 6 ounces. Be sure to lift the pan off of cooking surfaces to reduce damaging either the pan or the surface. Oval roasters tends to do best if at least 3/4 full. Any less and you may overwhelm your food with heat evenly dispersed in the pot.

Oval roasters are typically used for roasting turkeys or other large roasts. The oval shape lends itself to fitting a large bird. Don't limit use of this pan for just the holidays though. Since it will hold large amounts of food, this pan will probably work best when cooking for large gatherings like pot lucks and family BBQs too. Besides roasting, this pan could be used for frying foods like chicken or party finger foods. Other possible uses include dirty rice, baked beans, Swedish meatballs, or curing ice cream to name a few.

One feature that people tend to complain about is the cost. The cost does seem steep compared to other pans made from other materials. Heck, cast iron doesn't seem like it should be expensive when comparing to the old cast iron pans past generations have used for cornbread and camping. However the manufacturing process requires making a mould for each and every pan produced. They then go through the enameling process before shipping these heavy pans. If you take what goes into making and distributing these high quality cast iron products, the cost tends to make sense. Then consider that this pan will easily last a lifetime when taken care of. Le Creuset backs up this claim with a limited lifetime warranty.

PROS:

Efficient absorption and distribution of heat

Hygienic enamel cooking surface

Does not stain, absorb odors, or retain flavors

Cleans easily when not abused or misused

Can be transferred from stove top to the oven to the table

Easily lasts a lifetime

CONS:

Its heavy, as cast iron tends to be weighing in at about 11 pounds 6 ounces

Several hours after opening the box (and after throwing the box away) I discovered that there was a large chip in the enamel on the rim of the roaster. It would easily have qualified as a second quality item but had the white (first quality) Le Creuset sticker on the outside of the roaster. I know that it won't affect the performance of the roaster, but I wish it had not been damaged. Maybe that it why I bought it for such a good price.

beautiful roaster love it and its not as heavy as I would have imagined