Kitchen Reviews

I got my first Le Creuset cookware in 1978. It was my college graduation week, & I was relaxing on the lawn reading the Sunday Boston Globe. I saw an ad for a Le Creuet starter set (French oven + 2 covered saucepans + skillet) for $..., so I decided to go for it since I was about to be out of the dorm living on my own. That purchase turned out to be one of my best investments ever, as I still use all the pieces today. I now have 3 French ovens, 5 covered saucepans, 3 skillets, 1 oval au gratin, 1 multi 2-in-1 pan with nonstick omelette cover, & 1 cheese fondue set, all in flame. These cast iron utensils are virtually indestructible, except for a few minor dings in the outer enamel. They cook very evenly, given the cast iron, making me a possibly better than average cook (they're one of my unfair advantages). My only problem with the cookware is the heavy weight, but that comes with the territory with cast iron utensils. I guess I'll have to get someone else to lift the pots when I'm old & decrepit. I know they'll outlive me!

The 4-1/2 qt French oven is the workhorse of my kitchen, so much so that I have two. I boil pasta in it & make big soups, gumbos, stews, casseroles, & you name it in it. I use it on top of the stove & in the oven. And then it goes to the table for serving, given its attractiveness.

Don't be put off by the high price of Le Creuset pots & pans. In the long run, they're a bargain because of their long life. I intend to pass mine down to my sons. Bon appetit!

I admit it: I get a little carried away sometimes, but I truly love this pot! The 4 1/2 quart size is amazingly versatile. I use this size every day, so I actually own two of them. It's great for browning meat, making chili, stews, roasts, you name it. It's not quite big enough for a whole chicken, but then Le Creuset makes the large oval "French Ovens" for that. I always christen each new Le Creuset purchase with an authentic French recipe (hey, I told you I get carried away!)--this size is great for Boeuf Bourguignon. These pots cook foods perfectly every time, and are very energy-efficient in the process. Add in the 101-year Le Creuset warranty, and the seemingly high prices are fully justified. Clean-up is a snap as well, thanks to the super-hard and smooth porcelain enamel coating. It cleans almost as easily as Teflon, but is extremely durable (which Teflon isn't). And, on top of all that, the colors are breathtaking! I store all my Le Creuset on open shelves in the kitchen--they are too beautiful to be hidden in a cupboard.

If you only buy one Le Creuset piece, start with this one. Use it a few times, and I'm sure you'll want more! Happy cooking!

I've read the other reviews and agree that this is a most useful tool to have in my kitchen. It washes up beautifully and the cream colored inside is easier to check for spots than the dark non stick ovens. I like the fact that the oven holds its heat for a good long time after the food is cooked enabling me to use the attractive utensil to serve from at the table and to leave for guests to take seconds from without reheating. I've had no trouble with cracking or chipping, but then I take care not to abuse it. My son is getting one for Christmas from me, what else can I say?

This is the piece I was dying to try and I'm not one bit sorry I got it. Being cast, it cooked a great paprikas evenly although it extends beyond the burner quite a bit. There was no real 'hotspot', which there won't be if you follow use instructions for heat. I love the way it goes into the oven right from the stovetop. I'd read some questions in a forum about a sticking problem and the recommendation was to heat the piece thoroughly before putting in the food, then to keep the flame lower and let the natural characteristics of the pot do the work. It worked like a charm! Easy cleaning, even with a long cook time. No burned garlic and onions in the saute, either. This is a wonderful piece.

We use this one at work. It's a wonderfull, verstatile piece for medium size jobs such as braising, stewing, sweating, roasting, etc. This piece does it all!
Le Creuset quality craftsmanship is the standard in cast iron cookware.
I want one at home...in granite...please?

We be givin' dis biggie 5 mojo*z!!!

The good side:
This is the absolute perfect pot for soups, stews, and braising. They are very heavy and do a marvelous job of distributing heat. They look nice. You can put them in the oven. They last forever. All true.

BUT

The enamel will scorch. You *really* have to be sure that you don't let the heat get over medium or you're going to get discoloration. Creuset recommends soaking a discolored pot in a solution of water with a little bleach, and this does work well--up to a point. But not being able to use a pot at a heat over medium means that you have to be thoughtful in how and when you use it. You're not going to make pasta in this pot, or sear a pot roast before braising it. (btw, the top shouldn't go in the oven at high temperatures either.)

So my bottom line is that this is a great pot if you're a pretty darn serious cook and don't mind spending a good bit of money for a tool that is perfect for some jobs, but isn't all that flexible.

Good news for all the folks trying to get this set and finding the unavailability or shipping charges too much to worry about. Your local Bed, Bath, and Beyond carries this item. Of course, you pay their prices ($29.99 per set), but it's well worth it and goes perfect with our rustic Mexican decor.

I've been trying to get this set for over a year! When I order it, it comes back "unavailable". I'd really like to have this dinnerware!

I bought 3 sets of these beautiful dishes and I love them! The colors are beautiful and bold, for an inexpensive set of dishes they are very heavy and durable. The colors are intense and if I didn't know better I would think that this was an expensive set of dinnerware. A sweet deal and even sweeter because I qualified for the free shipping promo!!

OK, a few more:

This knife is one of the easiest to use, cheapest, decent bread knives I have ever used. It is about as good as my MUCH more expensive WMF set. I am quite impressed.

This knife is the perfect blend of ergonomics and functionality. For hearth baked bread with a frim crust it is the only product available to cut with any success. I only have one complaint and it is the length of the blade. For large boule type loaves if is difficult to cut all the way through. A 10 inch blade would be helpful in this case.

Cuts right through my whole grain breads no problem. You can't beat the price.

My experience is limited to the Omega 1000 and 4000. Both are very good machines, but one of them has some distinct advantages.

As the other reviewers have noted, this machine is very solidly built & should easily outlast the 15 year warranty. However, I think the model 1000 will probably last even longer.

Why? Because the 4000 is so much more pleasant to use that you will use it more, because the operating principle is a little different.

Both machines have a chute that you feed fruits & vegatables into. At the bottom of the chute is a stainless steel disc/blade that grinds up the food into a pulp.

On the 1000 model, the pulp is thrown out by centrifugal force into a drum that is just like a washing machine drum - it is perforated stainless that traps the pulp on the inside and allows the juice to strain out. Just like on a washing machine spin cycle, it is possible to get the contents out of balance so that the whole machine shakes & makes a real racket! This is very easy to do on the 1000 if you load apples or other foods with skins, because the skin will often stay intact so it has to go on one spot on the drum, throwing it out of balance like a pair of jeans. There are some "tricks" that help in this case, such as saving some carrots for this emergency. Many times feeding a carrot will stop the shaking.

Another consequence of the "spin-cycle" approach is that after you have feed a few pieces of fruit, the pulp in the drum can clog, trapping all the juice inside. This happens especially when you try to juice bananas, pineapple or strawberries.

The model 4000 works differently because the spinning drum is cone-shaped, which forces the pulp to ride up the sides of the drum for a brief period & then it flies out into a pulp ejector chute. This means the 4000 never gets the shakes like the 1000, and also the drum stays much cleaner, which allows you to keep juicing much longer. For example, this morning I juiced apples, carrots, celery and grapes in that order on both the 4000 and 1000. Although in both cases I got exactly 12.5 ounces of juice, the juice from the 1000 had no grape color and less grape flavor.

The other advantage of the 4000 is that it when you turn it off, it stops in just a few seconds. On the 1000, it continues to spin for much longer because of the heavy food in the drum, dribbling all the while and sometimes walking across your countertop!

So I give 5 stars to the 4000, and only 4 stars to the 1000. The 1000 does have an optional citrus juicing attachment that is rather nice. If you can't stand pulp, the 1000 also accepts some very inexpensive coffe-filter-like filters that virtually eliminate pulp from the apple-carrot-celery etc. types of juices. You really can't use it with tomatoes, strawberries, etc., because it will clog instantly.

Cleanup is pretty easy on both, once you get the hang of it. The only tricky part is getting the pulp out of the strainer. I use a stainless scrubby pad gently on both sides, which seems to work well on both models.

The 4000 gets the nod because it doesn't have any vices.

The Omega 4000 is a very well built, professional grade machine and the manufacturer supplies a 15 year warrantee!!! I believe its well worth the exta $100 or so you might pay to go from a consumer machine to professional grade. The machine is easy to use, produces fantastic results, its easy to clean and its built to last. This is certainly a product that will not dissappoint.

This juicer may be a little pricey,but its a good one.It is built to last! Juicers of this design have been known to last for 20 years! It has a powerful GE induction motor and a thick stainless-steel disc blade.Made in USA!

As a mom of two active boys I need my Duromatic pressure cooker almost every day. Especially after swimming they are starving and want real food fast! A standard dish is my 7 mintues risotto.I just throw in whatever I can find in the fridge or follow the great recipe provided in the cookbook "Quick Cuisine" that comes with the cooker. For all of you out there who are afraid of pressure cookers I have this to say: This unit is a high tech and safe as your computer! It's so easy to use even my husband can do it. Some of my favorit dishes: Beef stew, BBQ pot roast, beets, corn on the cob (no boiling 10 gallons of water) potatos for mashed or salad, whole chicken in 20 minutes! Well you just have to try it out. This cooker is the best--my kids will tell you so.

I've gone through 4 or 5 pressure cookers in the last 10 years, and I think I've finally found one I like. I work full time (40-60 hours a week), and I like to cook, so the time saved by pressure cooking is important to me. I use the pressure cooker mostly for meat, potatoes, beans and lentils. Typically, meat cooks in about 1/3 the time it would take in a regular pot. Pressure cooked meat is very tender and flavorful, but you need some experience in matching the cooking time to the type of meat. You have to be careful not to overcook.

The construction and finish of this cooker are excellent. It is made of stainless steel, with a thick aluminum plate at the bottom to spread the heat. This is a useful feature. Typically, pressure cooking requires high heat initially to quickly build up steam pressure before you turn the heat down. That is when food can burn and stick to the bottom of the cooker. This cooker spreads heat very well. So long as you use the prescribed amount of water or other cooking liquid, this cooker will not burn food at the bottom.

There is a two-level steam pressure indicator on the lid. The cooker comes with two booklets containing recipes, and a very comprehensive list of recommended cooking times for all sorts of meats, poultry, vegetables, beans, etc. If you follow directions, the cooker does not whistle or otherwise make any objectionable sounds. I can barely hear it from 10 feet away. Of course, if you forget to turn down the heat after the cooker is up to full cooking pressure, it will release a loud burst of steam. This is a safety feature.

The cooker has a shield on top of the lid to direct any escaping steam downwards, so there is no danger of burning your hands.

Kuhn-Rikon recommends using nylon spatulas to maintain the mirror-like finish, but you'll find them sadly inadequate when, for example, browning meat. I use a heavy gauge steel Calphalon spatula and steel tongs. After several months, I can see minor scratch marks inside the cooker, but the outside is still bright and shiny! Anyway, cookware should be designed to take this kind of handling -- it is meant to be useful rather than decorative. Stainless steel is the best material to withstand normal levels of use and abuse, and this cooker handles it well.

Keep in mind that a pressure cooker can't be filled to the top when cooking. It should never be more than half or two-thirds full, so the 5 liter capacity translates to about 2.5-3.0 liters of usable capacity. If you cook large quantities, you might want to get a bigger model.

This is a relatively expensive cooker, but it is well worth the money.

Remember Grandmom's pressure cooker with the rattling pressure control weight and all the associated hassle of using the thing? Well, all that's history. This cooker is a gem -- about as good as it gets in pressure valve technology, beautifully constructed, easy to use, and best of all, it turns out great meals in minutes.

We use ours to cook all kinds of stews, soups, casseroles -- you name it-- and they turn out just as good as the versions cooked for hours. Moroccan lamb stew, chicken cacciatore, braised lamb shanks, and many more recipes have all been delicious. And they all cook in 30 minutes or less -- yes, that's right -- half an hour. The prep time usually takes a preliminary half hour, so a great meal in 60 minutes with no fuss.

Simply put: I can see this piece lasting a century, in as great shape as when it was new. This was my first Le Creuset piece (the large frying pan being second), and I bought it while it was on sale. I thought it would be too small to be truly useful but affordable enough for an introduction to Le Creuset. This french oven is indestructible. The enameled finish isn't going anywhere, no matter how hard you scrub. Plus the sheer weight of these pieces causes the heat to evenly distribute and hold in heat. And while I was correct in forecasting that I'd rather have a larger french oven, I've at least found that it's the perfect size and medium for cooking white rice. I'd say performance rates a a 5 star, but I have to remove one star for the size and also for the color white. I picked white because I was looking for a subtlety that the other colors didn't offer, but I found that the brown stains that form on the bottom of the pan on occasion are that much more noticable. So you're either going to forget about removing them, or end up buffing away with the Ajax more often than if you chose any other color.

This pot is just wonderful!
My husband claims everytime I use Le Creuset the meals just come out perfect so, as you can imagine I'm using them everyday now. I am a "Happy Homemaker" and I take the job of creating tasty meals to heart even though I am only cooking for two (my husband and myself). If you love anyone get this pot for them, if you enjoy cooking get this pot for yourself! I also have the 5 1/2 French oven and the 2 3/4 oven as well and all of them are used daily... they can take on fried chicken or a delicate wine sauce and still look perfect when the job is done not to mention serving up the meal... Just beautiful sitting on the table! And clean up? FORGET ABOUT IT! Cleans like a dream come true, you won't believe until you do it yourself. Makes me want to cook right now... maybe I will.
For your sake don't waste time and money on the "cheap stuff" pay a decent price now and have it for life.

This is a fantastic pot. Heats very evenly and holds high temperatures for long periods of time. A breeze to wipe clean and looks fantastic from stove to table . you must towel dry when you wash. But the most fantastic piece of cooking equipment I have ever owned! Super important that you never drop or bump it too hard or the enamel will crack and it will be ruined. Baby it!!!
I recommend it even for the beginning cooks. You good foods will come out master pieces!

Beautiful and durable, and a really great value. Easy to replace and grow the collection, and perfect for a wedding registry.

And they still look like new. Now that I have a dishwasher and I want more I know where to get them.

Awesome! I bought this set about 5 years ago & it's held up very well, still looks brand new. It goes with practically any type of table you could ever set, casual to formal. It's a classic design that won't ever go out of style, at least in my book. I highly recommend it.

I love this pattern. I did notice that the new silverware I just recently purchased from here felt lighter in the hand than my old stuff that I had gotten approx. 20 years ago, but it's not super noticeable. The pattern is exactly the same and very pretty. I love it. Even being 20 years old you would never guess it. We must've thrown some of the spoons out since I was missing 4 of them and decided to just get a whole new set for 4 people. Amazon shipped it right away and in perfect condition. I highly recommend the pattern as it really looks nice and like I said, is fancy enough for company but just right for everyday too!

I have had this Rose pattern for the last 14 years. I was searching for new flatwear when I came across tha exact pattern that I already have. I couldn't believe I can add to mine. (Somehow after 14 years and two children later some pieces are missing) I use this everyday and put it in the dishwasher. It is still very nice. I just ordered two more sets and am sure that I will enjoy them another 14 years. Thank you so much!

We purchased this flatware for my Mother for Christmas and she LOVED it! When she said she wanted flatware with a rose pattern, my first thought was AMAZON and I was very pleased!

Glennette Yelverton
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