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Ceramic casserole vs Le Creuset

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Ceramic casserole vs Le Creuset

Postby spangle » Sun Feb 21, 2021 10:29 pm

Hi all

I'm having a declutter, including kitchen items.

I have a ceramic casserole dish and also a Le Creuset cast iron casserole dish, both with their lids, roughly the same size.

I'm thinking I probably don't need both so may give the ceramic one to a charity shop (once they reopen). I don't use either that often but figure that the Le Creuset is more versatile as it can be used on the hob as well as in the oven.

Can anyone think of a reason I also need to keep the ceramic one? Are there things that work better in those than in cast iron? (I have various other ceramic and glass baking dishes for pasta bakes and the like.)

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Re: Ceramic casserole vs Le Creuset

Postby Stokey Sue » Sun Feb 21, 2021 10:37 pm

The ceramic one will do one thing the Le Creuset one won’t - it will probably, depending on glaze, be usable in a microwave
L If the Le Creuset is not too heavy for you, that’s all I can think of.

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Re: Ceramic casserole vs Le Creuset

Postby spangle » Mon Feb 22, 2021 12:23 am

That's true. I usually microwave food in individual portions though, and at the moment I'm okay lifting heavy dishes, so I think the cast iron one should do me.

My lockdown-addled brain has convinced me that as soon as I give away the ceramic one I'll remember some amazing meal that can only be made in a ceramic casserole. Anyway, if that happens I'll just buy it back from the charity shop.

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Re: Ceramic casserole vs Le Creuset

Postby jeral » Mon Feb 22, 2021 12:45 am

The ceramic one could make a good tulip or hyacinth bulb or herb bowl.

A good test question is: If you didn't have either, which one would you buy?

Ceramic ones are often more attractive and Le Creuset do seem to get heavier...

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Re: Ceramic casserole vs Le Creuset

Postby karadekoolaid » Mon Feb 22, 2021 4:34 am

le Creuset are probably the best manufacturers of pans/casserole dishes/etc. in the world. The price tag alone says volumes.
BUT: why would you want to give away a perfectly good casserole dish?

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Re: Ceramic casserole vs Le Creuset

Postby cherrytree » Mon Feb 22, 2021 1:13 pm

I still have and use the Le Creuset I had as wedding presents 50 years ago.

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Re: Ceramic casserole vs Le Creuset

Postby Pepper Pig » Mon Feb 22, 2021 1:42 pm

I’ve passed most of my Le Creuset on, bar one enormous casserole. They are just too heavy for my wrists these days. To be fair I’ve had extremely good wear out of them.

Do they work on induction hobs?

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Re: Ceramic casserole vs Le Creuset

Postby Busybee » Mon Feb 22, 2021 2:14 pm

Pepper Pig wrote:I’ve passed most of my Le Creuset on, bar one enormous casserole. They are just too heavy for my wrists these days. To be fair I’ve had extremely good wear out of them.

Do they work on induction hobs?



Yes! I’m still using mine, but the big casserole dish is very heavy when full.

BB

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Re: Ceramic casserole vs Le Creuset

Postby Pepper Pig » Mon Feb 22, 2021 3:43 pm

I’d only be using it if the whole family were here BB so someone else would be the designated lifter!

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Re: Ceramic casserole vs Le Creuset

Postby jeral » Mon Feb 22, 2021 3:58 pm

Either would also be useful for bread baking as per a Dutch oven. The ceramic one would be good for dough mixing/proving too.

Another thing is that if you can't decide, it probably means you don't want to lose either. Of course, if you do give one away, it won't be five minutes before you wish you'd kept it, a use suddenly springing to mind, as always happens, tsk.

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Re: Ceramic casserole vs Le Creuset

Postby spangle » Tue Feb 23, 2021 12:07 am

jeral wrote:The ceramic one could make a good tulip or hyacinth bulb or herb bowl.

A good test question is: If you didn't have either, which one would you buy?

Ceramic ones are often more attractive and Le Creuset do seem to get heavier...


I've been thinking along similar lines re things to put plants in and have made quite a stack of nice old dishes for plants. Old pudding basins look quite cute with houseplant pots in.

If I didn't have either (and they were both the same price in a charity shop) I think I'd buy the Le Creuset.

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Re: Ceramic casserole vs Le Creuset

Postby spangle » Tue Feb 23, 2021 12:24 am

karadekoolaid wrote:le Creuset are probably the best manufacturers of pans/casserole dishes/etc. in the world. The price tag alone says volumes.
BUT: why would you want to give away a perfectly good casserole dish?


Ha, that question is the reason I have so many things in the first place! It's very hard to part with perfectly good kitchen things.

I'm clearing my late mum's house and also have lots of my own stuff, so am kind of combining the treasures from both lots to keep, and being as ruthless as I can (which is not very ruthless) with the rest. The ceramic casserole dish is mine but I haven't used it for a few years and there's so many other dishes that I think I can part with it. We both had far more kitchen items than necessary, she was a bit of a hoarder and never parted with things so I think a lot of her items would have been her mother's. Lots of vintage Pyrex that I'm keeping.

I've actually got two Le Creusets. One's mine that I got for £6 in a charity shop and the other was my mum's. I'm going to keep hers and re-donate mine so someone else can have a bargain.

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Re: Ceramic casserole vs Le Creuset

Postby spangle » Tue Feb 23, 2021 12:47 am

jeral wrote:Either would also be useful for bread baking as per a Dutch oven. The ceramic one would be good for dough mixing/proving too.

Another thing is that if you can't decide, it probably means you don't want to lose either. Of course, if you do give one away, it won't be five minutes before you wish you'd kept it, a use suddenly springing to mind, as always happens, tsk.


That's something I really want to try, making bread in a casserole dish. I've only come across the idea quite recently. I've got a nice big stone mixing bowl that was my mum's for the dough.

Yes my worry is suddenly realising the ceramic casserole is essential for something I've forgotten about as soon as I've dropped it off to its new home! But I think I'll be able to improvise if that does happen. Old me would definitely have kept it, but old me kept everything, as did my mum :) I've had to get more streamlined in recent years from living in small places.

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Re: Ceramic casserole vs Le Creuset

Postby Pepper Pig » Tue Feb 23, 2021 10:30 am

I was looking in "the cupboard I never use" yesterday, trying to locate something of my son's. It is appalling what is in there but it's sort of high up and hidden so I don't yet have to face it. Meanwhile electric vac pack bag sealer anyone? :oops:

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Re: Ceramic casserole vs Le Creuset

Postby Stokey Sue » Tue Feb 23, 2021 11:55 am

spangle wrote:I'm clearing my late mum's house and also have lots of my own stuff, so am kind of combining the treasures from both lots to keep, and being as ruthless as I can (which is not very ruthless) with the rest. The ceramic casserole dish is mine but I haven't used it for a few years and there's so many other dishes that I think I can part with it. We both had far more kitchen items than necessary, she was a bit of a hoarder and never parted with things so I think a lot of her items would have been her mother's. Lots of vintage Pyrex that I'm keeping.

My bf and I did a Pyrex merge - her family broke the bases, mine the lids, we each ended up with a nest of complete ones

I may have 5 of some things - mine, my mother’s, my OH’s, his mother’s and his father’s, I’ve certainly got 3 boning knives

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Re: Ceramic casserole vs Le Creuset

Postby Earthmaiden » Tue Feb 23, 2021 12:34 pm

I think it's so hard when you inherit much-loved kitchen/dining treasures. I have a whole cupboardful which could be culled more but won't be. I doubt I would miss many of the items if someone else did the cull for me so it is worth the initial wrench for cupboard space later!

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Re: Ceramic casserole vs Le Creuset

Postby Pampy » Tue Feb 23, 2021 1:59 pm

Pepper Pig wrote:Meanwhile electric vac pack bag sealer anyone? :oops:

I've got 2 of them! I do use them a lot though - I find they're ideal for packing food for the freezer. They're getting expensive to run now though. I used to be able to buy the refill rolls at around £1 each but the ones I used to buy are no longer made and others that I've seen on t'internet are a lot more expensive.

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Re: Ceramic casserole vs Le Creuset

Postby spangle » Tue Feb 23, 2021 3:20 pm

Pepper Pig wrote:I was looking in "the cupboard I never use" yesterday, trying to locate something of my son's. It is appalling what is in there but it's sort of high up and hidden so I don't yet have to face it. Meanwhile electric vac pack bag sealer anyone? :oops:


It's been interesting going through all my mum's cupboards and finding those items that are either a) for one very specific niche use, or b) of no fathomable use, some of which I've put in the charity shop bags hoping someone will pick it up and go 'ah, I've always wanted one of these'.

Also things with price labels including ha'pennies (and even the odd pre-decimal one), and a roll of Co-op foil with their current 'retro' logo but from first time round.

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Re: Ceramic casserole vs Le Creuset

Postby jeral » Tue Feb 23, 2021 3:41 pm

Just thought, is one of the two dishes nicer (more attractive) for oven-to-table use, i.e. to serve yourselves or to keep seconds hot? Or as a fruit bowl?

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Re: Ceramic casserole vs Le Creuset

Postby miss mouse » Tue Feb 23, 2021 7:24 pm

spangle wrote:My lockdown-addled brain has convinced me that as soon as I give away the ceramic one I'll remember some amazing meal that can only be made in a ceramic casserole. Anyway, if that happens I'll just buy it back from the charity shop.



Mmm well that will be a slow moving charriddy shop. I bought two totally fab Eva Trio saucepans for £4.50 some eons ago. I love those pans. Good stuff goes fast.

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