Which casserole to buy?

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

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

1. Introduction

The first thing is to understand why the greatest chefs use casseroles. They are not simple kitchen utensils; they are THE kitchen utensils. A Le Creuset casserole is for life, and that is the brand's public commitment to its customers: "Lifetime guarantee". An object you can fill with memories and coat with experiences so that your children can repeat and continue the legacy.

2. What shape, size and height suit me best?

That's not the first question. The first question before buying a casserole is: what am I going to cook? Below I explain which types of recipes each one is best for.

Oval Cocotte – ideal for poultry, meats and fish

Round cocotte – stews with a “chup chup” effect

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

Doufeu Cocotte - sy special design makes them suitable for preparing meats and those stews that require slow and prolonged cooking. You can add ice on top of the lid so it sprinkles your dishes with steam. The result is incredible.

Low cocotte – ideal for cooking rice and braises.

3. Cast iron or ceramic? Le Creuset or Emile Henry? Clash of titans

This is one of the questions that is hardest for me since I am totally delighted with both brands, but in any case you need to know their differences to make a decision. Although honestly I and many of you know that you have cocottes, casseroles or baking dishes from both brands and use whichever suits you best on each occasion. Maybe you have an Emily Henry baking dish and a Le Creuset cast iron pot for stews. Well, there are so many possibilities! Let's continue and then you decide! ;)

Advantages of cast iron: excellent heat conduction and distribution, our recipes for Le Creuset casserole will always turn out spectacular. That is why the enameled cast-iron Le Creuset casserole is the best-selling. In addition, it has the advantage of being suitable for all types of cooktops: gas, ceramic, induction, oven, or wood-fired.

Advantages of ceramic: Emile Henry cocottes and casseroles are made of vitrified stoneware and are the alternative to Le Creuset cast iron Dutch ovens. They also have very similar properties. Some differences: they are lighter due to the material they are made from. Stoneware is also a great conductor of heat and, like iron, it distributes heat wonderfully across the entire surface. If anyone has one at home, they can confirm what I'm saying - it's amazing!

The manufacturing process is very natural, their cocottes and casseroles are made from Burgundy clay fired at over 2000ºC, which is why they are so resistant to knocks and temperature changes. If you take good care of them, they will always be like the first day and they will offer us excellent stews.

4: Advantage Emile Henry

Besides its lightness, here is another advantage for Emile Henry: unlike cast iron ones, they can be put in the microwave to heat our recipes. Also the ceramic does not get hot in the microwave so the handles will never burn.

5: Advantage Le Creuset

And to be fair now an advantage for Le Creuset: they can be used on induction cooktops and Emile Henry cannot. Don’t panic! If you adore your Emile Henry utensils and don’t want to give up an induction stove you can use the disc supplied by the manufacturer.

7. Does color matter?

No, although the volcanic-colored Le Creuset casserole is the best seller, it's not because of a benefit in the kitchen but because it is a classic among classics. Julia Child herself used it, but she would have loved to have the full range of colors we have now. ;)

I hope this post has been helpful and don’t hesitate to ask me any other questions!