What cocotte to buy?

Many of you ask me every day: Claudia, which cocotte do you recommend?

So I thought it would be a good idea to make a post to clear up any doubts.

1. Introduction

The first thing is to understand why the greatest chefs use cocottes. They are not just kitchen utensils, they are THE kitchen utensils. A Le Creuset cocotte is for life, and that is the firm's public commitment to its customers: “Lifetime Guarantee”. An object that you can fill with memories and spread with experiences so that your children can repeat and continue the legacy.

2. What shape, size and height is best for me?

That's not the first question. The first question before buying a cocotte is what am I going to cook? Below I'll explain what type of recipes one is better for than the other.

Oval Cocotte – ideal for poultry, meat and fish

Round cocotte – “chup chup” effect stews

Mini cocottes – ideal for a pretty presentation, especially in baking, but also for any type of stew.

Cocotte Doufeu - Its special design makes it suitable for preparing meats and stews that require slow, long cooking. You can add ice on top of the lid so that it sprays steam onto your dishes. The result is incredible.

Low cocotte – ideal for cooking rice and stews.

3. Iron or ceramic? Le Creuset or Emily Henry? Clash of the titans

This is one of the most difficult questions for me, as I am totally delighted with both brands, but you still need to know the differences in order to make a decision. Although, honestly, I and many of you know that you have cocottes, casseroles or trays from both brands and you use the one that suits you best on each occasion. Maybe you have an Emily Henry oven tray and a Le Creuset cast iron casserole for stews. Well, there are so many possibilities! Let's continue and then you decide! ;)

Advantages of cast iron: excellent heat transmission and distribution, our Le Creuset cocotte recipes will always be spectacular. That is why the Le Creuset vitrified cast iron cocotte is the best-selling. It also has the advantage of being suitable for all types of cookers: gas, vitro, induction, oven or wood.

Advantages of ceramic: Emile Henry's cocottes and casseroles are made of vitrified stoneware and are the alternative to the cast iron of Le Creuset's cocottes. They also have very similar properties. Some differences: they are lighter due to the material they are made of. Stoneware is also a great conductor of heat and, like iron, distributes heat fantastically across the entire surface. If any reader has one at home, they will be able to confirm what I am saying: it is amazing!

The manufacturing process is very natural, their cocottes and casseroles are made of Burgundy clay fired at more than 2000ºC, which is why they are so resistant to knocks and changes in temperature. If you take good care of them, they will always be as good as new and will offer us excellent stews.

4: Emile Henry Advantage

In addition to their lightness, here is another advantage for Emile Henry: unlike iron ones, they can be put in the microwave to heat up our recipes. In addition, ceramic does not heat up in the microwave so the handles will never burn.

5: Le Creuset Advantage

And to be fair, here's a plus for Le Creuset: they can be used on induction cooktops, whereas Emile Henry's can't. Don't panic! If you love your Emile Henry cookware and don't want to give up an induction cooktop, you can use the disc supplied by the manufacturer.

7. Does color have an influence?

No, although the volcanic-coloured Le Creuset cocotte is the best-selling one, it is not because it is a benefit in the kitchen, but because it is a classic among classics. Julia Child herself used it, but she would have liked to have the whole range of colours that we have now. ;)

I hope you found this post useful and don't hesitate to ask me any other questions!