There’s a lot you can learn about Le Creuset cookware
from reading reviews or looking at the specifications of their dutch ovens
. But with all cookware, you really learn what it’s made of when you put it to the test. Recently, I did that when I made beef bourguignon for 12 people at an event in a Le Creuset dutch oven
.
The Experiment
First, let’s explain the dish and how I cooked it. The recipe was one for beef bourguignon from the BBC Good Food Guide. It took about 4 hours to make and served 6, meaning I just doubled the recipe ingredients. Problem was, I only had one Le Creuset dutch oven
so the second batch had to be in a regular stockpot.
This unintentionally set me up for an experiment. Now I could compare how each piece of cookware
would perform in making the same dish, and see if there were any differences in taste. I was very curious to hear how everybody would react to the differences between each stew.
So what did I ultimately learn?
Credits: Le Creuset Australia
1. Browning in a Dutch Oven
Any good beef bourguignon starts with browning the beef in batches. The key elements here are getting the pot to the right temperature and keeping it there. The cast iron provides superb heat conductivity and control, ensuring all the beef browns and not just the pieces in the center, and the consistency of that even heat means nothing burns. How did these pots perform?
It wasn’t even close. The Le Creuset’s thick cast iron stayed hot even when a large handful of cold beef chunks hit the surface. There was a dip in temperature but it recovered quickly and got the first batch of browning done in just a few minutes. The regular pot, on the other hand, took longer to get back to a high enough temperature to brown instead of just cook the beef.
With the Le Creuset, the heat was distributed well enough that I didn’t have to watch the beef as closely, and even the pieces far away from the center browned. With the regular pot, I had to watch that beef like a hawk. Even then, a few pieces got a bit overcooked.
2. Cooking Speed
Anyone can just look at the litre capacities of any pot, but the Le Creuset allowed me to cook faster because of one crucial difference: surface area. The other pot may have had a similar capacity, but it was tall and thin.
The result was that I couldn’t brown as much food at once and the entire cooking process was slowed down while waiting for that pot to finish its quantity of beef. In the end, the Le Creuset was able to make more within a shorter time.
Using our huge Le Creuset 12.4L Cerise French Oven is perfect for our large family gatherings! We like to call it the “Big Mama”
3. Which Type of Cookware Burns Food Less Often
I already discussed how the Le Creuset managed to avoid burning any of the beef I was trying to brown, but the same can be said for those long hours of simmering. One of the biggest dangers with any thicker stew will always be that you’ll end up burning the food at the bottom of the pot and not realize it. The final results can be badly burned flavours.
With the Le Creuset
, I just popped it in the oven. This would allow for all-round heating of the stew. I could be confident nothing would burn because I was in control of the oven temperature. With the other pot, plastic non-oven proof handles meant I had to stick to the stovetop. The result? Despite my best attempts, I got some burning at the bottom. Very frustrating.
4. The Final Test: Flavour Profile
So what happened with the final products? Let’s just say I didn’t have to wait long for the jury to deliberate. The Le Creuset dutch oven
produced a deep and rich flavour profile, in part resulting from the fond (the browned bits left at the bottom of a pan after browning meat) which really brought the dish to the next level. Some burning in the regular pot meant that the fond there wasn’t really usable. This also produced an off flavour which pervaded the dish.
In the end, it was a reminder that it’s easy to forget how good you have it. I’ve been using a Le Creuset dutch oven
for years now and this just reminded me why I invested in this piece of cookware
in the first place. Interested in trying one for yourself? Take a look at the range of Le Creuset cookware and see how they can change the way you cook.
