Guide to buy your Le Creuset cocotte

Le Creuset cast iron cocottes are ideal for slow cooking and preparing traditional recipes. We have often talked about this, but we have rarely discussed the different types of cocottes that exist. There are a wide variety of Le Creuset cast iron cocottes, and the question often arises as to which one is best for you or which cocotte is the most ideal for each recipe.

Cocottes are versatile utensils by definition, but it can be useful to know what each of the cocottes we have in the store is best suited for.

Common points between all Le Creuset cast iron cocottes

All Le Creuset cocottes have the same base: they are all made in France from vitrified cast iron. Cast iron provides excellent cooking of recipes and its vitrification helps to protect them and results in an excellent cooking surface, natural and very easy to clean. All of them can be used both on the stove (including induction) and in the oven.

It is also worth noting that the black cocottes and the cooking pots have a black enamel finish on the inside (the rest have a cream finish). We also find some cocottes that have a steel knob - suitable for use in the oven at any temperature - and others that have a phenolic (black) knob, which can be put in the oven up to 190º. This is specified on each of the product pages in our store.

So, speaking of Le Creuset cocottes, apart from the enamel and the knob, the only aspect that can change from one cocotte to another is its shape.

Types of cocotte: which cocotte is best for each type of recipe

Truth be told, all cocottes are really versatile, and you can make a huge variety of dishes in them. For example, you don't have to limit a stew to a marmite-style cocotte, or a roast to a traditional cocotte, or a cake to a low saucepan...

But at the same time we must say that although all Le Crueset cocottes are made of the same material, their shape influences the results of cooking, since the heat is distributed differently depending on whether they are wider or taller. It is not the same to have the rice for a risotto spread out over the base of a wide saucepan-type cocotte, as it is to have the rice spread out on a high surface if cooked in a normal cocotte.

Old-fashioned chicken fricassee in an oval cocotte and bread in a round cocotte

Round cocottes and oval cocottes

The round cocotte is the most common, I would even say that it is the basic one if you want a versatile and everyday cocotte. A piece in which you will do everything due to its shape and characteristics: its material makes roasts perfect, its height makes it perfect for cooking. You can also make stews, soups and creams in it; you can also cook fabadas or other grain recipes in it. Fish is also welcome, and a zarzuela will be great in it, and the heat you get with the iron allows you to bake perfect breads as well. . You can't go wrong with the round cocotte, because it is also available in a wide variety of sizes, so you can adapt it to your needs in terms of the number of servings you usually need*

Now, if you tend to prepare large quantities or if you often cook stewed chicken in a cocotte or prepare all kinds of roasts, as well as whole pieces of fish, I would advise you to buy an oval cocotte : it is exactly the same as the round one, but due to its shape you can better distribute the different pieces or cook larger pieces of meat or fish. Keep in mind the capacity: it is longer, but also narrower than a round one, so the capacity is maintained despite the increase in size (a 27cm oval cocotte will have a similar capacity to a 24cm round one).

Cocotte Doufeu

If you tend to cook long, juicy dishes, the Doufeu cocotte is the one for you: its lid has a special design so that, by placing ice on top of it, the steam that is released from the juices during cooking condenses and falls back in the form of drops on the meat or fish, sprinkling it, making it richer, tenderer and juicier. This cocotte is available in both round and oval sizes, you can see them all here .

Woodcocks in a Doufeu cocotte

Low cocotte and high cocotte

Sticking to round cocottes, the question often arises as to what the difference is between the short cocotte, the normal round cocotte and the tall one. You can see the difference in the photo, and it is that the short one is a few centimetres shorter, and the tall one is a few centimetres taller. The short one is one of my favourite cocottes and I almost always recommend it unless the cocotte is mainly going to be used for soups or creams. Because it is shorter, the cocotte heats up faster with the lid on; in turn, the heat that radiates from the lid to the interior helps the food to cook faster and helps us to brown the food. It is easy to use, takes up less space and is not small either: in how many preparations do you really use all the height that the normal cocotte offers you? As I was saying, if you make soups in other cocottes or other utensils, the short cocotte can be an excellent option.

Low cocotte, normal cocotte and high cocotte

The opposite is true for the tall one: if you tend to work with preparations that require a lot of height capacity, such as creams and soups, the tall cocotte will be great for you.

Low cocotte type saucepans and pots

Then there is the low saucepan-type cocotte. As you will see, I think you can be inspired by the recipes that were traditionally made in stoneware or terracotta casseroles to get the most out of them: stews, rabbit, rice soups, risottos... If you require a wide base, without the need for height, you will work very well with this cocotte, since you will be able to stir comfortably while the cooking is distributed wonderfully throughout the base, also thanks to the fact that the lid will be closer to the food.

Please note that you have the saucepan with black interior and with enamelled interior . Which one do you prefer? The one you like best. The enamelled one helps to a certain extent so that it sticks less, although the black enamelled one, thanks to its vitrification, is not going to stick either and it may not be as elegant but it requires even less care and is more rustic.

Finally, there is the marmite-style cocotte . Its curved shape allows for mixing, favouring the natural movement of liquids. It is also often used to make stir-fries, as its bottom requires less oil than other flat-bottomed cocottes. The marmite is an intermediate element between the normal cocotte and the saucepan-style one, which is also very versatile for everyday use - creams, risottos, stews...

Cod with onions in a saucepan-style cocotte and Monkfish a la marinera in a pot-style cocotte

New Le Creuset cocottes: the Balti Dish and the Cocotte Every

Recently, two new products from Le Creuset have appeared that cannot be missing from this cocotte guide: the first, the Balti Dish cocotte , which is somewhere between a cocotte and a deep frying pan, making it very versatile and can even be used as a wok. It has no lid, which makes it cheaper and lighter, and its height and shape will allow you to use it for roasts, stews, rice or for stir-frying and frying.

On the other hand, they have also launched the Every cocotte , a small cocotte, 18cm in diameter, designed for everyday use for frying or small quantities of soups and creams, stews... and especially rice, as it comes with a double lid specially designed to make rice in the authentic oriental style.

Cocotte Balti Dish and Cocotte Every Le Creuset

*NOTE: We always recommend that you keep the cocotte that fits the number of people in your home. If you buy a large size thinking only about special days and holidays, you will not use it very often, because it is heavy (the larger size weighs more), and you will have enough cocotte for the food you put in it to cook on a daily basis. Buy the size that you really need and make the most of it. On special days, you will use a second saucepan that you have at home to cook for more people... or the day will come when you will buy a larger one for those special occasions.

Some cocotte recipes to inspire you:

- Porrusalda with cod
- Lamb Korma (Indian stew)
- Fish soup
- Pork loin in brandy
- Woodcocks in cocotte
- Fish and seafood stew
- Monkfish stew with prawns, mussels and hazelnut aioli bread
- Red wine pork stew with bacon and onions
- Monkfish a la marinera
- Honey lamb with red cabbage jam
- Seafood rice soup
- Clam stew with broccoli
- Seafood soup with rice
- Old-fashioned chicken fricassée
- Spaghetti with meatballs in homemade tomato sauce
- Mussels in sauce
- Chicken thighs with vegetables
- Squabs with honey mustard and lemon
- Canarian cod with onions and wrinkled potatoes in a cocotte
- Winter cocotte: healthy and comfortable
- Stuffed chicken round stewed in a cocotte
- Roast chicken in a cocotte with vegetables
- Asturian fabada
- Beetroot cream
- Pork loin in cocotte
- Beef stew in beer
- Veal cheeks with boletus

And some sweet ideas...

- Chocolate cake with raspberry sauce
- Bread with old dough in cocotte
- Cocoa-flavored sponge cake made in a cocotte
- Fig jam
- Marbled cake in cocotte