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Will my cast iron pots work on a ceramic glasstop electric stove?

serunding — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 17:43:32 -0800

Will our cast iron cookware (Le Creuset) work on an electric range with a ceramic glass cooktop? Our apartment does not allow for gas stoves and we need to change our old stove which has electric coils. But we have heard different opinions on whether we will be able used our Le Creuset pots on the new ceramic glass cooktop which I understand uses radiant heat (not induction). This is despite the Le Creuset website stating that its products will work on glass cooktop.

The Kenmore stove which we are considering is described as having an "Easy-to-clean ceramic glass cooktop with one 12 inch Double, one 9 inch Turbo Boil™ Element and two 6 in. radiant elements". Any personal experience would be very much appreciated.

Staub cookware question

tula — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 18:28:23 -0800

Are these pinholes in the enamel surface of my new Staub cookware normal or flaws? So I just bought my first piece of expensive enameled cast iron cookware (Staub Pumpkin, from Ebay) and being inexperienced with the stuff I don't know if I should consider these pinholes problematic or not. I'm not asking for your opinion on the aesthetics of the holes; I'm asking if, with use in high temperatures and washed in water, pinholes of this size (and they seem pretty deep, too) will cause the enamel to chip or crack. Can moisture reach the iron and cause problems? I've purchased a few things on Ebay and never had quality problems before, and I'm not a terribly fussy person, but this wasn't cheap, so I'm less inclined to just let it go.

Making the most of a Le Creuset Dutch oven.

tulseluper — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 14:47:52 -0800

Help me make the most of my new Le Creuset Dutch oven. After years of longing, I just bought a 7 1/4-quart Le Creuset Dutch oven (cherry red) and I'm excited to cook with it. I plan on breaking it in with a nice mole soon, but I'm looking for other dishes that will help me make the most of my new toy. Any favorite recipes or ideas you'd like to share? I'd especially love suggestions of dishes that I wouldn't be able to make in another type of pot.

Help me use my cast iron pan properly

postergeist — Tue, 15 May 2007 18:57:05 -0800

I just purchased a Le Creuset cast iron grilling pan and after cooking a few times I realize I dont know what the hell i'm doing. Here's what I did with it. First day I got it I washed it a little bit to get the factory seal off it. I then followed some instructions on seasoning in which I coated the entire pan with crisco (which I never use for cooking), put it in a hot oven upside down for about an hour to an hour and a half. When it came out of the oven it looked exactly like the instructions said it should.. really black and nice and shiny. So I figured I had a descent coating on it. Since then I have used the pan a couple of times, the first time I used it, food stuck to it pretty bad. I resisted using a brillo pad on it and just flaked the bits off and used a paper towel to try and soak up the excess crap and bits. I then reseasoned it using the same method. The next time I used it, same thing happened except that the sticking got really bad and I had no choice but to scrape it off with brillo.. it was not coming off at all. I reseasoned it again this afternoon before I planned to cook with it tonight. The nice black color and shiny finish is no more.. instead i'm starting to see gray spots and signs of drippy non-uniform coloration. Tonight I cooked chicken that was marinated in a vinagrette. The entire pan is now caked with burned reminants of the chicken and oils and I have no idea how i'm supposed to clean this thing now without going at it with something seriously abrasive. The caked on stuff is stuck on there really good.

What am I doing wrong? Help me understand how to use this pan properly and also how should I clean it now?

Which dutch oven should I buy?

obiwanwasabi — Thu, 15 Jun 2006 17:38:50 -0800

Le Creuset or Le Chasseur? Is one a cheap imitation of the other? Or are they much of a muchness? Are either even worth the money in the first place, or would I get the same result from a cast iron dutch oven from a camping supply store?

Burnt expensive pot. Sad.

stefnet — Sun, 29 Jan 2006 08:56:08 -0800

Is my (month-old, Christmas gift from my mom) Le Creuset dutch oven still usable? Because we have a tiny kitchen, I leave my two large pots on the stovetop. My husband, while putting a kettle on, accidentally turned on the wrong burner and, by the time he realized that the tea water wasn't heating up, the more expensive of the two pots was melted onto the burner.

After letting it cool, I was able to get it off, but the enamel is melted down to the cast iron on the bottom and inside, the enamel is bumpy, slightly cracked and has some burn marks. I've tried searching around and all of the info I can find either says "don't do that to begin with!" or involves people with more money than I replacing their burned-out pots many times over.

Is this pot still safe to use, if not as aesthetically pleasing?