Why I love my Le Creuset sauté pan
Jennifer Pattison Tuohy is a senior reviewer at The Verge covering the smart home, Internet of Things, and, as she puts it, “as many kitchen gadgets as I can get my hands on.” In her four years here, she’s tested everything from smart locks, lights, and doorbells to robot vacuums (some with arms), robot lawnmowers, and an actual home robot. But, she says, “the heart of my home is my kitchen, and I love a good smart kitchen gadget. I’ve tested a smart trash can, smart mixer, smart pizza oven, smart ice maker, and yes, even a smart fridge. But none of these could ever replace my favorite kitchen gadget — my Le Creuset sauté pan.”
When did you get your Le Creuset pan?
My Le Creuset pan was a wedding gift. I’m about to celebrate my 20th wedding anniversary, so it’s been around a while!
Its official name is Le Creuset Signature Enameled Cast Iron Deep Saute Pan, 4 1/4-Qt., and you can only get it at Williams Sonoma, which I discovered when I tried to buy one as a wedding gift for my brother-in-law. I did buy it for them, and I also got one for my sister-in-law as her wedding gift a few years later! Thankfully, I am now out of in-laws to buy them for. They’re not cheap.
What do you use it for?
I use it almost every time I cook a meal. It’s hands down the best, most versatile pan I’ve ever owned. Some of my favorite dishes to cook in it are frittatas, stews, and bolognese sauce (it can simmer in the oven with the lid on at 200 degrees for 8 hours).
I also use it for searing meats like chicken thighs and pork cops. It’s also great for fish, and I love to make Yorkshire puddings, Dutch baby pancakes, and even the occasional pizza in it.
What do you like about it?
I love that it’s big enough to cook a beef stew or a whole batch of soup, while also easy to just scramble eggs in. I also love that it has a handle and a lid and that everything can go in the oven — up to 500 degrees! And it all goes in the dishwasher — though I generally hand-wash it, as it takes up an entire rack.
Le Creuset cookware is known for its enameled cast-iron, which has amazing heat distribution, so it’s my go-to for any searing, browning, or sauteing. The best thing is how much surface area it has, which makes browning meats easy to do in one batch.
Plus, its super deep sides mean I can cook a one-pot meal in it without things flying out the sides when I’m stirring. It’s perfect for all-in-one dishes like pork stroganoff, risotto, my favorite Mexican beef-’n’-rice dish, and any combination of protein, sauté-able veggies, and a nice pan sauce, like this Creamy Tuscan Chicken dish I make regularly.
Is there anything you don’t like about it, or that you’d improve if you could?
Other than the price, the only downside is its weight. At 13 pounds, it weighs almost as much as a 6-month-old baby, so it’s almost always a two-hander. My grandmother was a professional cook, and she swore by Le Creuset pans. But as she got older, she complained that she couldn’t use them anymore, as they were too heavy.
I also have not been a model Le Creuset owner; the enamel inside is far from pristine, but I still use it all the time and don’t see any need to replace it.
As someone who reviews the latest tech gadgets — many of which, in the best-case scenario, have a 10-year lifespan — pulling out a 20-year-old pan each night to cook dinner gives me a nice feeling of permanence and tradition.