le creuset cookware

Hi everyone,

I know it’s been a while since anyone’s posted – sorry about that. Today, I thought I’d write about one of my favorite tools in the kitchen, which is my cobalt blue Le Creuset Dutch oven:

Now, shhhhh, don’t tell anyone, but I happened to pick up this awesome piece of cookware at a Le Creuset outlet. It is also a “second”, meaning that there was a teeny tiny scratch on the underside of the lid. But hey, I didn’t mind – that tiny scratch (plus a serendipitous sale) got me the 5.5 quart Dutch oven at about… 65% off. Woo hoo!

So, why the fascination? Well, Le Creuset pots and pans are made of Cast Iron – which is a wonderful material that holds heat very, very well. Before I heard of Le Creuset (which, actually, I only looked into after seeing these colorful Dutch ovens all over the Food Network shows, particularly with the old school chefs like Mario Batali and Emeril), I thought that cast iron cookware was limited to the black skillets that had to be seasoned by lovely southern grandmas and handed down generation to generation. I already had a HUGE respect and affinity for cast iron at that point – based on my husband’s love of biscuits and gravy (and other southern treats), we registered for a black cast iron skillet for our wedding. But when I saw the possibilities of the enameled Dutch oven, in sweet colors to boot, I couldn’t resist. AND, you can put these bad boys right in the oven – the knob on the lid is safe to 375 degrees, but the pot is good to go much higher.

We got the blue oven back in the fall, and it was well used throughout the winter – making several batches of the Chicken and Dumplings, “Can’t Spell” chili, braised lamb shanks, and several Filipino dishes (kare-kare, sinigang, and nilaga to mention a few). In fact, I should post some of those recipes here!

Anyway, if you’re in the market for a new stew pot of sorts, do seriously consider the Le Creuset line. While it’s a bit pricey (check out the outlet if at all possible), it’s totally worth it, if you love that slow-simmered, tender, filling, and full-of-comfort meal. MMMMMM…….