If you’re a passionate home cook, chances are you either already have a Le Creuset Dutch Oven or you’ve been dreaming about owning one. But even with great sales, the price can be a bit steep.
Many ask themselves whether there are cheaper alternatives. Can, for example, a nice stainless steel pot from Scanpan do most of what a nice dutch oven does at a fraction of the price? Well, the answer comes down to the difference between enamelled cast iron and stainless steel.
The Advantages of Le Creuset Enamelled Cast Iron
If we’re going to understand whether or not other stainless steel pots can replace Le Creuset, we need to know what their famous enamelled cast iron can do. The major advantage of all cast iron cookware is in the way it handles heat.
In short, cast iron (including Le Creuset enamelled cast iron) heats up very efficiently and retains that heat extremely well. You can find a fantastic scientific breakdown of those differences here. That means it’s performance is unbeatable when it comes to browning and sautéing before finishing a dish in the oven- perfect for stews which can burn on the bottom (cooking them in the oven ensures more even heat from all sides).
When you want to serve that stew, enamelled cast iron’s heat retention properties mean that it stays warm for longer than it would in another type of pot. The coloured pots are also visually appealing making them ideal for placing on the table for a family style feel.
The Difference Between Enamelled and Regular Cast Iron Cookware
Enamelling offers its own advantages and disadvantages. On the plus side, it makes cookware like Le Creuset Dutch Ovens fairly non-stick. Not as much as something from the Scanpan Classic line, but still better than stainless steel. That allows you to use less oil and cook a wider variety of dishes while still being able to achieve excellent browning.
The biggest disadvantage of enamelled cast iron cookware is that unlike raw cast iron, it has a heat ceiling. Throw it in an oven or put it on a burner above 260°C and you can permanently damage the surface. In spite of this, it’s easy to say that a Le Creuset dutch oven is one of the toughest pieces of cookware out there. But are there less expensive alternatives?
Can Stainless Steel Cookware Compete?
It goes without saying that stainless steel cookware can’t do everything enamelled cast iron cookware can. But for someone on more of a budget, can it do in a pinch? Let’s start by comparing the advantages.
Both cast iron and stainless steel are excellent when it comes to browning. Depending on the quality of the stainless steel cookware and whether or not it has a layer of aluminium in it to temper and more evenly distribute the heat, you can get more hot spots in stainless steel. However, with the right equipment and the right techniques, both types can perform very well in this regard.
Stainless steel also holds onto heat better than a cheaper pot or pan made from aluminium, but not as well as cast iron. So there’s an advantage to cast iron there. The biggest advantage here is the ability to really handle high heat. Stainless steel cookware is made to handle anything you throw at it, so you can worry less about damaging your cookware.
Lastly, there’s no denying that stainless steel just isn’t non-stick. So that’s a real advantage to the enamelled cast iron. So what does this all add up to?
Our Conclusion
Overall, if you simply don’t have the budget for a beautiful Le Creuset Dutch Oven yet, a high quality piece of stainless steel cookware can get you most of the performance elements you’d want from quality enamelled cast iron. You’ll just want to make sure you’ve got a good non-stick pot or pan to handle any cooking which requires that kind of surface (like eggs).
In the long run, if you’re in the market for a kitchen workhorse that will last for years, it’s still worth investing in a Le Creuset Dutch Oven. Ultimately, the durability and performance you’ll get from one just isn’t something you can easily replace.
We recommend you also consider other Dutch Ovens brands which are also made in France including Staub and Chasseur. Staub has a black enamel interior and a high gloss enamel exterior. Chasseur, is most similar in appearance to Le Creuset, however has one less layer of enamel coating making it that bit more affordable for some.
