Equipment
Le Creuset is Having an Insane 50% Sale for New Year’s 2025
If you’ve ever held a Le Creuset dutch oven, then you know just how well built and sturdy they are. If you’ve been lucky enough to cook in one of them, then you know that they’re well worth their usual high-end price tags. Throw in a 50% sale and you’ve got yourself an absolutely, insane deal.
From what I can tell, their 50% off Winter Sale is only happening on their website - LeCreuset.com/Specials. Other sites selling their products don’t seem to be promoting this sale (as of when I’m writing this).
Why Le Creuset?
It’s hard to explain the quality of Le Creuset’s cookware to someone who hasn’t ever held one before. There are other enameled cast iron products out there, but they all fall short of the ones made by Le Creuset. I’ve personally been that person who’s opted to buy the cheaper alternatives only to have the enamel chip on me about a year in after normal usage. My Le Creusets though? They’ve been going strong for over 5 years now without any issues, discoloration, or degradation in quality. I’ve also never heard of one chipping from standard use, quite the opposite actually. Everyone I’ve spoken to that has one tends to rave about them.
Build Quality
Le Creuset is best known for their Enameled Cast Iron cookware. They have other options like stainless steel, ceramic and enameled steel, but their best is the enameled cast iron.
Cast iron itself is the best material to use for heat retention. The main issue with regular old cast iron that most people have is taking care of it so that it doesn’t rust. That’s where the enameled coating comes in. The non-porous nature of the enameled surface helps to protect the cast iron from taking in moisture while still being able to take advantage of the heat rentetion traits.
The design of their dutch ovens are well thought out. The perfect fit of their lids makes moisture retention incredibly efficient, making them ideal choices for long braising sessions. The design of the lid handle is also exceptionally good at distributing heat away from it - I’ve rarely had to grab a towl or glove before lifting the lid up.
Compared to alternatives I’ve used from Cuisinart, Lodge, Martha Stewart, and Pioneer Woman, the ones from Le Creuset outclass all of them.
Established in 1925
2025 marks Le Creuset’s 100th year in business. Being 100 years old is a HUGE deal. They were making their amazing products before world war 2, the post-ware economical booms, globalization, and the wide-spread use of penicilin! With 100 years under their belt while maintaining the title for best-in-class, I can only imagine how well-optimized their are at producing the highest quality versions of their products.
Expression Through Colors
Basically all of my cookware is black or steel colored aside from my Le Creusets. If it’s mainly going to be on my stove or oven, I don’t really care about it looking pretty. However, dutch ovens are also meant to be used as tableware given their heat retention. If I’m bringing something to the table, that’s when I’ll give a little bit more of a damn about the presentation (especially because my wife cares).
When it comes to color choices, Le Creuset is a pioneer here. No other brand has the same “wow” factor in colors than Le Creuset does. You can find similar colors from other brands, but the ones from Le Creuset just tend to pop more. Aside from their selection of more brightly colored pieces, they also have ones that have a slight gradient to them. A small detail like that goes a long way and makes it almost iconic to the Le Creuset brand itself.
If you tend to host a lot or will bring a dish to a family feast, using one of Le Creuset’s colorful options is sure to get you some compliments even if the food in it isn’t incredible (which is hard to do since most things you make in a dutch oven are going to be delicious regardless).
Choosing the Right Product
There are 3 main shapes to Le Creuset’s dutch oven options:
The main difference between the round and the round wide options is the height. The round is pretty standard, making it very versitile for soups, stews, braising, baking, etc. The round wide provides a bit more surface area, but a more shallow height. This slightly different design makes it a bit easier to use it for searing or reducing liquids.
Both the round and round wide are great options that’ll basically handle anything you need them to. The oval one…. I really don’t know why anyone would use an oval one outside of just wanting it to be a more unique presentation piece. I’d recommend skipping over the oval shaped ones.
In addition to the main shapes, Le Creuset also has two lines of dutch ovens: Traditional versus Signature Chef’s. The main difference between these two is the sides of the pot where the signature chef’s has more curved/sloping sides which can make it easier to handle dishes with more liquid since it has a lower risk of sloshing or splashing. The other thing is the size/capcity. The signature chef’s dutch ovens tend to be available at larger sizes, ideal for those that are cooking for larger groups.
My recommendation would be to get the Signature Chef’s Round Wide. The Traditional Round Wide is also a good choice, but the tapered base of the signature chef’s round wide gives it a bit more versitility in handling what you’re cooking. The round wide option with the more shallow depth will also allow you to use it for searing steaks, crisping up chicken thighs, flipping pancakes, or anything else that requires more food management in the pan.
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