My experience with Le Creuset cocottes

Many of you have doubts about the advantages of cooking in a cocotte . That's why today Raquel, author of Los Tragaldabas , tells us about her experience cooking with it, the advantages it brings us, gives us some tips to get the most out of it and ensure its maintenance, and inspires us with some recipes that we're sure you'll love. Welcome to the world of Le Cresuet cocottes !

Le Creuset cocottes have been with us in kitchens around the world since 1925. This means, in addition to a long history, a success in its enamelled iron utensils that are undoubtedly your perfect ally in the kitchen. For me, using Le Creuset cocottes is synonymous with quality, healthy cooking, perfect results and perfect presentation on the table. For almost a century, cocottes have been recognised for their great performance, durability and elegant design.

How to cook in a cast iron cocotte

Cast iron is an excellent, durable material that is highly recommended for cooking in. If you want to know more about the benefits of this, Miguel explained it perfectly in this post . Vitrified iron has the property of retaining heat in a uniform manner, which means that we do not have to cook at high heat but rather use a medium-low heat, which will allow the perfect cooking of our food while maintaining all its qualities. All of this implies that the energy savings are significant. I always, before cooking, place the cocotte on the turned off fire, turn on the hob to a medium-low temperature and when it heats up I start cooking in it. That is the correct way to do it and not put it on a strong fire, since exposing it suddenly to a high temperature can damage the enamel.

It is a type of cooking that is very much like our grandmothers, that chup chup that makes our preparations cook in a traditional way. Stews like this one with chickpeas and spinach , or rice dishes - like this delicious black rice with cuttlefish - are recipes that seem to me to have a perfect result and with that concentrated flavour that cannot be achieved in other types of containers. This is due to the way it distributes the heat and the vitrification of its interior, which does not add any additional flavour to the food.

Cast iron is safe to use on any heat source, including induction and the oven. Don't tell me it's not perfect! How many times after preparing our dish do we need to give it a final touch in the oven? Well, you can put the cocotte in it without any problem, making your dish perfect, you just have to keep in mind that the lid knob is oven-safe (in some models it is made of plastic and would not allow it).

In addition to cooking, you can remember that you can use the cocotte to keep your food in the refrigerator or freezer, if you want to prepare a dish in advance and have it ready for the appointed day. Even if you want to serve a cold dish on hot summer days, it is the best option to keep your preparation perfect and fresh by just keeping it in the refrigerator for a few hours. Did you know that you can make delicious marinades in the cocotte? The enamelled surface is impermeable, which makes it perfect for both preserving raw foods and acidic ingredients used for marinating. A recipe that turned out perfectly for me and I always repeat is this Quail Escabeche : the flavour is so powerful and delicious that my mother, since she tried it, would not change it for anything.

The variety that Le Creuset offers in its cocottes is very varied: sizes, shapes, colors... the aim is to adapt to different cooking styles and cover the needs when serving, because your table will certainly not look the same if the presentation is not adequate. With cocottes your table will be perfect and its presentation will be unbeatable, in addition to the convenience of having used the same container from beginning to end. High, low , round , oval , saucepan-type cocottes ... and the Doufeu , don't you know it? They are cocottes with the particularity of being able to put cold water or ice in their lid and thus cook while our food is perfectly hydrated, ideal for preparing meats and stews with a long cooking time.

Le Creuset is so confident in its products that it offers a lifetime guarantee! Although the initial investment may seem high, I assure you that every euro paid is worth it because you will surely spend more in the long run if you do not make a good choice of your kitchen utensils.

Maintenance and cleaning

Maintenance is very important and for this reason I leave you some tips to follow:

• Use silicone or wood products to remove the product. Remember that the surface can be scratched by metal objects or if you hit it.

• Allow to cool before washing with soap and water.

• If there are any food residues left behind, do not clean it directly with the scouring pad: cover it with water and wait for it to soften, then wash it with a sponge and soap.

• Dry thoroughly before storing.

• Do not drag over the ceramic hob, lift it.

• Choose the right heat setting for your cocotte to prevent the walls from overheating or the handles from becoming damaged.

• Never place on the base of the oven.

• Let it heat up gradually, so that cooking will be more even.

• To preserve the interior glaze, it is advisable not to heat the cocotte when empty. Always put oil, butter or any other liquid completely covering the bottom of the cocotte.

Some recipes

I'm leaving you with some recipe suggestions to whet your appetite - I'm sure you'll love them!

Meatballs in teriyaki sauce

Bread in cocotte

Carrot cream

Winter cocotte

Seafood soup

Old-fashioned chicken fricassee

New Evolution model from Le Creuset

Le Creuset has just launched a new model of cocottes, called Evoltion. This new 2015 model is very similar to the traditional cocotte model but has some improvements. You can discover them in this post .