Customer Reviews

Le Creuset Enameled Cast-Iron 5-1/2-Quart Round French Oven, Red

5 star:		(44)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I cook mainly soups and stews (they can be reheated over a few days so I don't have to cook every night.) But my stainless pots tend to burn if I leave them to simmer. I love this pot because it heats evenly and slowly, and the enamel is non-stick or nearly so. I keep mine out on the stove all the time because I like the way it looks--the red is very cheerful in our white kitchen.

My first test run was a batch of minestrone. My recipe takes three days as I make a double beef boullion to start, then finish off with the strained stock and added vegetables. The results were great.

This is a heavy pot and the enamel can chip if you drop the top (not to mention ding your floor.) So be careful.

My mom still uses a Le Creuset dutch oven from the 1970s. Other than the enamel looking a little worn (scratched up), it works as good as new.

My husband and I received this pot as a gift (from out Amazon wish list, as a matter of fact) about 1 year ago. It's been great for cooking pot roasts, stews, and soups. I don't know what Le Creuset has done in terms of the enamel coating, but nothing seems to stick to it. It's very easy to clean.

The one bad thing that happened was that the handle broke off. But here's the amazing thing - I contacted Le Creuset's customer service and received a new handle within days!! I've never experienced such prompt and helpful customer service before.

I highly recommend this product as well as any of the other dutch ovens by Le Creuset.

I can't add to all the glowing praise but perhaps I can help you make a decision about size. The 5 1/2 qt size is small enough to make small batches of any food and big enough to make double batches of stews and sauces. I have baked bread, fried, deep fried, stewed, braised, and boiled in this pot. I have a bigger pot and a smaller one, but this one gets used almost every day. If you are wanting to upgrade to this product line, this size is the one to start with. By the way clean up is a breeze-- I have burnt food on, cooked tomato based sauces,burnt spillage on the outside and generally made a mess and my pot looks like new. If I had only one pot in my kitchen this would be it.

I love to cook. I've had my big brown Le Creuset pot for about 3 years now, which I got at their outlet, and it's my all-time favorite pot for cooking. It makes pot roasts, soups, stews, chili, tomato sauce--you name it. They have all been delicious. Slow cooking is ideal in this pot, and I find myself looking for recipes just so that I can make them in it! I loved this pot so much that I bought other pieces in red. I must say, you have to have strong muscles to lift these monsters, but it is so worth it. I also love this pot just to boil spaghetti in. I haven't tried the non-stick frying pans, since I have All-Clad for those, which are great too. I rearranged my whole kitchen to accomodate my Le Creuset pots so that they would be easily accessible for lifting. They are the crown jewels of my kitchen!

Twenty years ago when I was a teenage bride, I purchased this Le Creuset pot. At the time I couldn't cook, (I am now a graduate of Le Cordon Bleu), but fell in love with the look and colors of this wonderful product. My new husband didn't not fall in love with the price, he always says I can pick out the most expensive item in any line up! Well, twenty years later he agrees with me, and now he goes shopping for other Le Creuset items! This is the best pot I own. It looks as new as the day I bought it, and I wouldn't lend my Le Creuset out to a soul. It holds heat beautifully and makes sauces like a champ. I have purchased and thrown away many other brands of kitchenware over the years that couldn't hold a candle to my Le Creuset. I have read other reviews, and yes it is a heavy pot, but much like life you get used to the extra weight, and I almost don't notice the weight now ... of the pot I mean:) I will not buy anything else and plan on buying more Le Creuset in the future. FYI, the green pepper casserole dish is adorable, check it out!

This is IT--for soups, stews, and anything else that you need...it is the ideal size for one or two people--or even more depending on what you're cooking. A decent-sized chicken or pot roast fits perfectly. This pot WILL last forever--when my Mom remarried, my stepdad had one in orange in the house from the 60's and except for an age patina on the outside (gas stove) the INSIDE was still perfect, and it still makes the best food I've ever tasted. Your soup/stews will NOT burn or stick--during my first "test flight" with my pot, I accidentally got on the phone whilst making chicken soup (ooops)...While the skinside of the chicken was a bit browner where it had been against the enamel, it didn't stick, even though the stockpot was at rolling boil. BTW, this also makes killer baked beans and other one-dish wonders...case in point; Farberware's handles are only good up to 275 degrees F or so; these babies can and do go up to 450--this means that if you wanted to (let's say) make chicken n dumplings and then finish it in a high oven, you could. JUST STOP READING THIS REVIEW and GO BUY the pot already! :) My one criticism is that the yellow color for all Le Creuset stuff looks pretty online but looks pretty chokey in reality.

This pot is a wonderfully diverse pot. Some of the advantages of the even distrubution produced by this pot is that your food will cook evenly. This makes it an excellent choice for roasts, soups, and stews. Honestly, I have also used mine to sautee veggies in, as a service dish(since it can retain heat) and to make simple pasta sauces.

Some of the features that I like the best are that it does not stain, you can burn food in pot and it will come clean, EASILY. If it does not rinse out, simply take a little vinegar, and place it in there with some water and heat gently, and it will return to the creamy white interior that came from the factory.

I have several pieces of this cookware, but I find this size to be my most used. You can do most everything inside this pot. The only thing I have left to do is to deepfry. I have a feeling that will work out as well. If you are considering starting a collection I can't think of a more utilitarian pot to start with than this one. Le Creuset really does live up to the quality that you think that they have.

I LOVE THIS FRENCH OVEN! Ok, first you can use it on the stove top to sear the meat, deglaze the pan with red wine, place the meat in the bottom of the pan, cover with potatos, some carrots, some favorite herbs and a little extra red wine. Place it in the oven at 375 degrees and when the potatoes are tender, you will have a tender and tasty pot roast. This pot is the secret. I cannot tell you how good it is too cook with this pot! It really does take a good heavy "Dutch" oven like this with a heavy tight fitting lid to make a good pot roast and this is just the item. It is also great with sauces on the stove top and the ability to hold a steady heat is invaluable. The Pot is heavy, it is expensive. It is also beautiful (I love the red) and it is durable. Short of dropping it on stone, it is tough to harm. Cookware like this is an investment in the future, you will never replace it, but you will add on to your collection.

I think I read about all of the reviews before buying this dutch oven (Cherry Red). I put it in my shopping cart, then procrastinated - checked back, and the price had increased by about $30.

One valuable tip in the reviews was about the non-glazed inner rim of the lid. It could become rusty, so I try to clean the kettle as soon as possible and put the four little rubber tabs back on the outer rim to hold the lid up off of the kettle when not in use. It was also a nice idea to keep it on the stove where it adds a cheerful color to the kitchen.

I've had the dutch oven for about 4 months now, and I simply love it. It was a worthwhile investment. So far I've just been using it for making soups, soup stock, roasts and one-dish meals - but I'll be launching out with more experiments.

Thanks to a lot of the reviewers for their excellent tips and also warnings about what not to do. Here's to good health!!!!

I wasn't going to bother writing a review but then realized it was because of the 52 reviews on this site that I ended up purchasing the French oven. So I had to come back and add my own! The reviews were spot on. This is by far the greatest piece of kitchen cookware I've ever had the honor of owning! I've had it about 3 months now and I can honestly say it is worth every single penny I paid for it. It's incredibly energy efficient because once it heats up (which is really quick), I can turn the heat down to nearly the lowest setting on my stove. It braises beautifully and I love to make pot roast on the stove in it. In fact, I got rid of my big, bulky 6-qt slow cooker (crock pot). The French oven does the same job the slow cooker did except it uses less energy, takes up no counter space, cooks the food much, much better, and doesn't require an outlet. I haven't missed my slow cooker once and I used it all the time. The French oven isn't technically "non stick", but it sure behaves that way. I've yet to burn anything in it. And it cleans like a dream! I can honestly say, I don't see myself EVER giving this away. I plan on cooking in it for the next 40 years or so!