I've been devoted to my Le Creuset for a decade - here's why it's worth every penny

I’ve owned my Le Creuset Round Casserole Dish for decades, and at this point I’ve used it for everything: crumbles, casseroles, stews, roasts, and all the cosy, improvised dishes that happen when you trust a piece of cookware completely. Meal after meal, season after season, it has quietly proved that it’s worth every single penny.

A Le Creuset Round Casserole Dish has charm baked into its very enamel. It’s all about heritage, heart, and homeliness, which is why they’ve long been championed as the best cast iron casserole dishes of all time.

You only have to cook with their French enamel once to understand that Le Creuset is very much worth the price tag, but living with one gives you a whole new level of appreciation. That’s why, when I started writing a review for this, I decided to throw out my normal formula. Of course, I baked all the usual suspects for my tests, but I also wanted to explore some of the more unusual dishes that you can make in a cast iron dish, inspired by Le Creuset’s website, what I currently use my Le Creuset Petite Round Cocotte for, and the cosy season, of course.

Le Creuset Round Casserole Dish review

Who would the Le Creuset Round Casserole Dish suit?

A Le Creuset Round Casserole Dish is the classic piece for any kitchen. If you know someone who bakes or cooks regularly, they'll be in the market for a Le Creuset. In fact, plenty of people who don't cook often will also opt for Le Creuset because it ticks the box of heritage, prestige, and appearances too. It's not a coincidence that these are often in the background in luxury photoshoots, films, and pictures online.

With over 20 different colours and sizes that range from 250ml to over 8L, there's a Le Creuset for every kind of cooking opportunity. The beauty of a heritage brand like this is that they have parlayed their collection into mugs, too roasting dishes too, offering the opportunity to have Le Creuset for every occasion.

Naturally, as this is French made with sought-after materials, the Le Creuset Round Casserole Dish is expensive. In fact, it's one of the most pricy options out there. You will only need to buy this once though - it has a lifetime guarantee.

Unboxing the Le Creuset Round Casserole Dish

Le Creuset sends their Round Casserole Dish in a robust box. Inside, the lid is protected from scratching by carboard and some careful plastic pegs, Hold onto these for when you want to store your casserole dish. I actually keep mine in its box still, because I don't want to damage it.

There's stickers on the side and base of the casserole dish, which you'll need to remove. These soak off effortlessly in water, but if you put them on a hob or in the oven they can burn or smell. I'm sure you wouldn't do this, but I have a busy brain and actually did. I was wondering what the 'chemical' smell coming off my casserole was and it turned out to be the sticker. Silly me.

What is the Le Creuset Round Casserole Dish like to use?

For those of you who are here to just find out whether Le Creuset is worth it and what kind of casserole you can whip up in one of these, here’s the short answer: a fantastic one.

The heat transfer across the base of the Le Creuset is stellar. In fact, it’s so good, I use mine to stew apples in the morning rather than using my normal pans.

Then, because it’s already hot, I make pancakes. Coincidentally, this is a really easy way to show off the heat transfer across the base of the whole casserole dish, so here’s an example for you.

You can see the colouring is spectacularly even and my pancake has the right amount of height, crisp, and colour across the middle. Topped with some stewed apple, yogurt, and a sprinkling of cinnamon, it tastes like owning a Le Creuset feels. Warm and cosy.

Test 1: frying onions

Fried onions are the base of every meal, so I make sure to test these in all cast iron casserole dishes that we review. I tested a 4.2L casserole, which comfortably fits two chopped onions and a tablespoon of olive oil. Within five minutes, my onion was golden brown at the tips, translucent in the middle, and wonderfully soft. This serves to only reinforce just how incredibly even this is with its heat transfer, but it's also impressively quick for a thick, cast iron dish.

Test 2: risotto

One of the best dishes to make from my fried onion tests is a risotto. With a couple of cloves of garlic, some lemon thyme, olive oil, and white wine, I was on my way to a gorgeous pea and lemon risotto.

Gradually, I added more stock to 750g of rice. Ladle by ladle, the Le Creuset efficiently boiled off the moisture, making a saucy, soft risotto that could feed ten people in total.

It’s pretty common for risotto rice to stick to the bottom of the pan on low and slow cooks like this, but the Le Creuset Round Casserole Dish has a lovely, light enamel and moisture-locking lid to stop any burning from ruining your feast.

Test 3: casserole

The casserole test is simple: get onions and garlic softened with spices. I like to cook my tomatoes, from fresh on this lower, softer heat, because they break down into a chopped tomato like sauce. I could hear them bursting and bubbling away, so once I was happy that everything was sufficiently soft, I added stock, tomato paste, and my casserole vegetables, and beans which I roughly chopped.

Then, I stuck the lid on, had the heat on low for an hour and a half whilst I got on with my day. When I came back to it, I lifted the lid and condensation was running off it like a tap. Le Creuset's well-designed dome makes the perfect lid for trapping in heat and moisture, sending it to the edges, which is where a lot of casseroles burn. The tender vegetables and sweet, thick stew was perfect for one meal. Then, the next time that I used this base, I made dumplings and used the Le Creuset to cook my casserole in the oven as a hearty stew.

Test 4: bread

I will forever associate making bread in a cast iron casserole dish with lockdown, but in a cosy, staying at home kind of way (if it’s possible). I know people have been using the steam-trapping hack for decades to make beautiful bread, but it’s new to me, so humour me, please.

Making bread in a Le Creuset Round Casserole Dish requires you to pre-heat it in the oven first. After ten minutes in the oven at full temperature, you can bring the Le Creuset out and bake the bread with the lid on for 3/4 of the time that you'd need. Mine gets 20 minutes with the lid on and then ten minutes with it off.,

The incredible heat retention on offer with Le Creuset's cast iron creates a perfect storm of intense heat with a moisture-locking lid that keeps the bread light and soft. Then, taking the lid off for the end will give you the lovely colour.

If you’ve made a loaf, it’ll have a soft crust with a beautiful rise. If it’s cinnamon buns, they’ll be fluffy and light. Whatever you go for, I promise you won’t ever cook your bread a different way.

Test 5: stir fry

You might be surprised to learn that a Le Creuset Round Casserole Dish makes a fantastic stir fry. It makes sense when you think about how brilliant cast iron skillets can be for searing meats and a Le Creuset is no different.

I fry my tofu first, with it sizzling, crisping up, and turning golden. Then add in the vegetables for a few minutes, followed my noodles and sauce. It’s incredibly easy and really delicious.

Test 6: soup

It might sound like overkill to make soup in a casserole dish, but it’s an indulgence that’s more than worth it. I use an oven to slow roast my vegetables in the Le Creuset Round Casserole Dish, so they’re soft and sweet, then add in stock and use a hand blender to whizz it all together. The soup is normally piping hot anyway, but you can give it a blast on the hob if you want to. The oven-to-hob method works beautifully for making each vegetable tender, sweet, and intense in flavour.

Whilst my favourite is my tomato soup, the butternut squash comes in a close second. I chose to include this one as a testament to the slow cooking that the Le Creuset Round Casserole Dish can do. Chunks of butternut squash can be hard to cook until they're really soft and beautiful. However, the Le Creuset does this wonderfully. I roasted them with onion and garlic for 40 minutes.

Once the butternut squash cubes were tender enough to pop a knife through, I added ginger, coconut, and chilli and whizzed everything together. It's one of my signature soup recipes and I don't mind sharing that it's a hit.

Test 7: roasted vegetables

I’d normally use a roasting tin for my vegetables, but if you have guests coming over, it’s nice to do a slow roast in a Le Creuset Round Casserole because you can take it straight to the table. My go to is mushroom, chestnut, butternut squash and gnocchi (don’t gnocc-chi it till you try it).

It's a really easy recipe, because you throw everything into the Le Creuset, toss them with olive oil and pop it in the oven for half an hour. That's it - and this is the result. Impressive stuff, if I say so myself.

Cleaning the Le Creuset Round Casserole Dish

Even if the Le Creuset website tells you that you can put your casserole dish into the dishwasher, don't. These are made to last for a lifetime, so you should minimise the wear and tear on yours so that it stays looking lovely for as long as possible.

I have burned dumplings and gnocci to the base of mine before, but all you need to do is leave it to soak and your burnt food will fall of and wash away. It might need to be an overnight job, but be patient.

If you want some specialist advice on careful cleaning, we have a whole page dedicated to how to clean a cast iron skillet without damaging it.

How does the Le Creuset Round Casserole Dish compare?

The most common competitor to the Le Creuset Round Casserole Dish is the Staub La Cocotte. I tested one of the most popular sizes, which is a 24 cm diameter (4.2l capacity). If you want to compare numbers, here's how it looks:

Staub's La Cocotte has narrower handles, which makes it a little harder to lift in and out of the oven when you're baking and roasting. The other key difference is the black enamel, which is more forgiving than Le Creuset's light cream. However, lots of people say that Staub's dark enamel makes it harder to judge when food is cooked or not.

Ultimately, if you're looking at Staub purely to save some money, I'd stick with Le Creuset. You have more colour and size options and it cooks just as well. If you want a lid that locks in moisture, the Staub has the edge.

On the flip side, if you're looking to save some money, I can't recommend the Salter Chester Cast Iron Casserole Dishes enough. The heat transfer across the base of each is exceptional and they look almost identical to Le Creuset's Casserole Dishes, just for a fraction of the price. Yes, your colour choices are more limited, but you can test the waters of cast iron casserole cooking without worrying about splurging on something you won't use.

Should you buy the Le Creuset Round Casserole Dish?

Le Creuset has worked hard on its reputation as a culinary icon for home and professional bakers alike. I have been a long-standing advocate for the Le Creuset Round Cast Iron Casserole Dish, so much so that my partner and I have one each that we are fiercely protective of.

If you know you'll get a lot of use out of yours and you really want something special, a Le Creuset is worth the splurge. However, for a less committed cook, it's a lot of money to spend when there are cheaper alternatives out their. I'm firmly in camp Le Creuset, but that doesn't mean that you have to be.