Customer Reviews

Le Creuset Enameled Cast-Iron 9-Quart Round French Oven, Flame

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Three years ago, I ordered one of these beauties because I noticed that each and every host on the Food Network, from Martha to Mario was using this pot. I didn't know Le Creuset from Adam, and I thought the height of culinary sophistication was my eight quart Calphalon anodized aluminum Dutch oven. I even went so far in thinking that the TV guys were using this pot because it was white on the inside, so it was easy for the camera to see what was going on.

Boy, was I wrong. Ever since I got this pup, I have used it for every soup, every braise, every stew, and every pot roast I have made since. At about the same time I got an oval shaped pot and a similar sized pot shaped primarily for making soups. All three are about the same size and weight. I never use the other two except when I have something which is a lot longer than it is wide.

The heat management is flawless, it is easy to clean, and it is tolerant of too much heat.

As other reviewers have noted, it is a bit heavy, so if you commonly have problems with heavy cookware, consider a smaller one or my retired aluminum pot.

Very highly recommended for both gas and electricity.

My husband and I recently tried a Coq au Vin recipe from the newspaper (as aspiring "foodies", we've been watching cooking shows on PBS and this sounded like an adventure), and I realized we didn't have a Dutch oven, anything that could go from stovetop to oven. My oval roaster does a great job on roasts, but seemed too thin to fry bacon on the stovetop as the recipe called for. After doing research on the web, looking at cookware on the cooking shows and in stores, Le Creuset seemed to be the best quality, as well as the nicest looking, especially the red. For now the 9 qt is a good size for us, big enough to cook alot at a time to make plenty of leftovers, yet not too big to handle (getting it in and out of the kitchen cabinet, washing in the sink, etc. The lid is especially heavy!). The cost was more than I originally wanted to spend, but this seemed like a good investment for cooking anything stovetop, oven, or both. We initiated the pot by making beef stew, which turned out to be quite good, and plenty for the two of us for quite a few meals. Even though there was no stovetop-to-oven capability required, the Le Creuset was still fun to use, and looked pretty sitting on the stove. Cleanup was very easy, no sticking or residue to scrub off as on my roasting pan. We're very happy with our French Dutch oven and look forward to using it for future cooking adventures!

I ordered two pieces of Le Creuset items from Amazon. I have wanted to cook with their product for years, but this was the first time I was able to squeeze it into my budget.

Imagine my dismay when both items had scratches in the inner enamel (not on the outsides of the pieces). I know I got a deal from Amazon, but I started to wonder if Amazon was selling second quality. The "Le Creuset" labels on the pots were white, which indicates "first" quality. If they had been seconds the label would have been orange.

With a sinking feeling in my gut, I proceeded to return both items. If it had been just one piece, I would have thought it was a fluke. But with two the incident just didn't sit right with me. I wasn't about to risk another return. I decided to try my chances with Flemington's liberty village Le Creuset where, even if I was purchasing second quality, I would have more control over the flaws I would have to deal with.

As it turns out, the price of the seconds were exactly the same as those at which Amazon sells theirs. However, as the outlet was having an amazing sale, I was able to purchase three for the price of two and get free shipping. Chris the salesperson I dealt with personally looked over the pieces and chose items with flaws that I could live with. I couldn't be more pleased.

So if you ultimately decide to purchase your Le Creuset from Amazon, be very sure that you inspect your items very carefully. If the scratches or flaws are on the outside, this is something you can live with. You're getting the items at the price of seconds and they'll get scratched over time anyway. But if there are scratches or protrusions on the inside of the pieces, I would seriously consider returning the items. You don't want the integrity of the pots to be compromised.

Beware it's heavy but you'll keep it for your life and will pass it one to your kids ... Well that's what everybody says so let's hope that we'll take care of it and that it will happen.
We got it as a wedding gifts a couple of months ago and already used it many many times for anything from soup to beef stew to ratatouille.

I hate to look back on the days when I didn't own this 9 quart Le Creuset. It's opened up a whole new world in cooking. The first time we used it, we prepared a recipe for chicken cacciatore from Cooks Illustrated (America's Test Kitchen on PBS). It made me feel as though I was ripped off by every restaurant that I had ordered that dish from. We now seek out recipes that call for a french oven. The 9 quart is the perfect size to cook for 6 persons, or even two if you want left overs to bring to work the next day. Now we've become Le Creuset slobs and have the wide 5 quart (it's the shallow of the two 5 quart rounds) that we use for risotto. They say that it was designed for risotto. We also have a 2 quart that we rarely use because of the fact that we want left overs, but it works great for rice, and I mean GREAT. Now we're hemmin and hawin over the 10 1/4 inch cast skillet in carribean blue. We've read so many incredible things about it. Let it be known for anyone that's worried about the heat limitations for the lid knob when used in the oven. Le Creuset just introduced a stainless steel lid knob that can be used for any heat. They put no limitations on the temperature that it can withsatnd, therefore making it better than any other cast iron enamelized french oven. It comes with the screw, and it looks very nice.

This is my favorite pot. I use it several times a week. Making soups and stews is almost mindless with the predictability of this pot. The heavy lid ensures flavors do not evaporate. This is THE pot for braising a roast, with a little red wine (of course)...or any slow cooking method. If you have never invested in high-end cookware you will be thrilled with this purchase. You will immediately notice an improvement in the quality of food you prepare. It is worth the money!

My only regret is that I didn't invest in this sooner. I cook for my family almost daily and this one piece has become the most used pot in my kitchen. The 9 quart size is perfect for a family of six, and allows me to double recipes for leftovers.

This is without a doubt a five star Cooking pot. My wife and I purchased our pot after comparing it with other smaller sized and priced enameled castware available. We found this pot had thinner side walls that reduced the wt. of this larger 9QT. French oven. The lid is heavy and fits well for a better seal. The over all fit and finish are what you would expect on a pot in this price catagory. The price is high but we believe worth the extra cost in performance, size to weight ratio, quality casting and enamel coating(we have cobalt blue). To smaller and older cooks the overall weight was a consideration for us as well. We are pleased that this size was manageable and not too heavy when lifting the filled pot without the lid.

We have the 13qt and the 5qt and this is the perfect in between size for smaller soups and stews.

Bought this as a gift - but I use this cookware and it is fantastic. Food cooks quickly and evenly. I highly recommend Le Creuset products even though they are a bit on the heavy side - nothing cooks better than cast iron!