( 19 reviews )
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Posted: 06-15-2009
This skillet seems to work great. I've only used it a few times so far, but each time has been a breeze. The surface has been very easy to clean off. One reviewer was saddened by the lack of a lid for this product. While it is true that this skillet does not come with a lid, you can find Le Crueset lids for sale, even on Amazon. Just search for "le creuset glass lid" or click here: Le Creuset 11-3/4-Inch Tempered Glass lid.
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Posted: 04-23-2009
I am a lover of the culinary arts, although it isn't my profession. After much reading and experimentation, I decided to follow the advice of many cooks for blue collar folks like me who are short on funds: invest in a good pan and a good knife. Everything else is secondary. Given the high reputation of Le Creuset, I thought I need look no further than their equipment. On the positive side, this is both a beautiful and durable pan. For aesthetics, I love the vibrant red enamel and rustic, simple appearance. Cast iron is also attractive to me for its long history in cooking. Anthony Bourdain humorously recommended a heavy-gauge pan, "we're talking serious head injury if used as a weapon," to paraphrase him, and this pan fits the bill. It will easily endure the constant use it receives in my kitchen and abuse in travel. The short, stubby handle means you had better have an oven mitt handy for grabbing it at anything over the lowest of temperatures, but I can overlook this part of the design with ease. My main criticism is of the pan's utility. Other reviewers have talked of the nightmarish way in which things stick to this pan no matter how much oil is used. I don't know that the stickiness is any worse than the Calphalon I used to own, so I won't heartily endorse that criticism. I am extremely annoyed, however, with its heat distribution quality. This is one of the highly touted aspects of Le Creuset cookware and the first attribute on the product description list. The stove in my rented apartment is terrible, and the main reason I spent 135 dollars (quite a bit of money for me) on a pan was to guarantee heat retention and distribution for even, consistent cooking. The pan is a shocking failure in that regard, proven in the way it handles something simple and easy like bacon, in which there is no stirring or additional ingredients. My bacon cooked to a scorched crisp in the center of the pan, while the edges barely cooked at all. I was infuriated to find that while the center of the center strips was very nearly done, I could press my fingers down on the outer edges of the pan bottom and not register any pain. Apparently, inflicting 'serious head injury' is about the only way in which I can expect to get my money's worth from this thing.
