A customer recently poked his head into the dishroom at our Lincoln Square location. He wanted to know whether or not Le Creuset cookware was difficult to clean and whether it was worth the investment. After a quick demonstration, it was clear how simple it is to care for Le Creuset!
Le Creuset pots and braisers might seem like a daunting investment to the home cook, but there are many reasons that these cast iron pans belong in anyone’s kitchen, whether you cook twice a week or consider yourself an amateur chef. Here are just a few:
- They will last forever (okay, maybe not 1,000 years, but still). We stock our kitchens with Le Creuset dutch ovens, braising pans, woks and frying pans, and they take a pretty heavy beating. Some of these pans are used twice or three times per day, and while they look well loved, there isn’t a single one that’s damaged. They are a true workhorse in our kitchens: they’re used often and they get really dirty. Think burned on sauces, thick fond from searing pork chops, leftovers from a family-sized frittata.
- They’re really easy to take care of. Le Creuset pans are made of cast iron, coated with several layers of enamel. This enamel surface is really slick and smooth, meaning that it’s easy to clean off burnt or caked on food particles. Here’s how I do it:
1. Give it a little soak. Be careful to make sure that your hot pan doesn’t go into freezing cold water, as this can cause damage to the enamel. Other than that, you’re good to go. Let it soak for a while in some soapy dishwater: the time will depend on how dirty your pan is.
2. Scrape off any food with a scouring pad. I like to do this step first, rather than taking a sponge to it, because it really knocks off most of the really difficult mess. Again, the enamel coating is smooth, so the stuck-on bits will come off pretty easily. With metal scouring pads, always be very careful not to put too much pressure on the surface you’re trying to clean, or you’ll scratch it.
3. Go over the pan with a soapy sponge. Since you’ve already removed most of the food mess, this step is mostly about cutting any grease left on the pan, and removing anything that’s left after the scouring. Make sure to soap down the outside of the pan too, checking to make sure that you’ve got every last bit of food.
4. Dry it. At The Chopping Block, we air dry our dishes, but at home, Le Creuset recommends taking a clean, dry rag to the pan before you put it away for storage. That’s it!
- They look awesome. Le Creuset pans look really great. Like I said above, it takes a long time and a lot of abuse (think used three times a day for years) before you start to see a buildup of wear and tear. My favorite thing about these pans though, honestly, is the variety of colors to choose from. Bright blue, an orange and red gradient, soft pink: there’s a ton of colors, and they all look great. They’re a great place to start when choosing a color scheme and style for your kitchenware, because they really stand out.
Now that you know just how easy these pans are to clean, and how long they’re going to last, hopefully you feel a little less intimidated by Le Creuset cookware. Come in and check out our selection this month while it's all 20% off, or take a cooking class and try it out yourself to see how it works for you.
