Staub vs. Le Creuset

[Jason Musgrave]

Looking for a 6ish-qt Dutch Oven. My mother, who's a professional cook, has Le Creuset but tells me that Staub is nicer. Any opinions...

[slowtwitch]

Are you a good enough cook to discern?

Le creuset lasts forever... and I seriously doubt it would keep anyone from reaching their full gastronomic potential. They're both probably more than adequate.

Besides the bird goes *inside* the pot.

[Too Tall]

I think this is hilarious. It's an S vs C debate ;) I've got L.C. from my family's kitchen still going strong what's not to love? I've seen the Staub wares and they look great too. I think it comes down to what appeals to you. Great gift btw cast iron is the best.

[NateR]

I own both. I don't think one could possibly tell the difference between one or the other in a finished dish, but in my opinion the staub is certainly more beautiful. If one was going to serve the chicken in the dish where it was roasted, I would choose the staub.

[arik]

Don't pay full price for this stuff, pots and pans are simple tools and they'll get marked after their first couple of uses, so check out a factory store first if there is one around you. All of the stuff I bought was indistinguishable from 100% perfect and I saved like 60% over williams sonoma. Most effete elitist bike forum ever btw.

http://www.outletbound.com/cgi-bin/s...e=Le%20Creuset

[maunahaole]

This could easily deteriorate into another debate on which steel tubing is better. I have never heard of Staub, unless you mean Montreal Expos legend, Le Grand Orange, Rusty Staub. I have a Creuset that my mom scored at a garage sale. It is a nice chunk of iron.

[Polyglot]

How about another option?

http://www.roemertopf.de/english/

[WFSTEKL]

How could you possibly contemplate not taking your mother's advise, eh?

[Jason Musgrave]

I think this is hilarious. It's an S vs C debate ;)

Yikes--Sorry I asked!!

No I'm not good enough to discern the differences, but I'm into lifetime pieces and enjoy cooking with my other cast iron piece. Truthfully I'd never heard of Staub before & wanted a second opinion.

The important question--Which is C and which is S... ; )

[Shinomaster]

try the martha stewart line at K mart

[Greg Costello]

I've got the big one that makes cassoulet for 30 - not kidding did it for my office holiday party last week. It's a manly pot. It weighs a ton, comes in a wooden crate and took two people to get from the store to the car. Store it on a lower shelf and you get to do dead lifts just to get it to the stove. Weight training and cooking.

In the oven or on the top it rocks. It makes any other big pot pale in comparison. I've got a bunch of Creusets as well, but really no comparison. I feel the same way about my Staub that Charleton Heston felt about his guns.

Spendy, but put it on the holiday wish list, you won't be sorry.

Greg

[Watoni]

Staub rocks for most applications, especially for roasting. The lids really do prevent condensation from making its way into the dish and deliver a wonderful result. I took a small saucepan and made an omlett souffle in it just for kicks and it released and could be lifted a few inches without a problem ... cool For a gratin dish, fry pan, etc. I would take Le Creuset just on cost grounds.

What you will have to pry from my cold dead hands is the Bourgeat copper I got from my wife that she got for a steal ... oh and the old Calphalon that weighed a ton and was broiler ready ... that fry pan kicks ass

[Too Tall]

Watoni can cook, I'd take his advice fer sher. Dewd, my go to sauce pot is large Bourgeat copper that I hauled back from the Professional chef's supply store in Paris...that and a pure copper sugar pot I use for jam. Kicks arse.

Haha The "C" is campy and the "S" is Shimano.

Ok Greg now you have me wondering about that pot. We throw large parties and I totally dig cooking for the masses. Is this what you have? 12 qt.

[mschol17]

If price is an issue, they usually have Le Creuset dutch ovens at Marshall's for $100 or so.

[Jason Musgrave]

Haha The "C" is campy and the "S" is Shimano.

I got that--I was asking this:

Staub=Campagnolo
Le Creuset=Shimano

Or do I have it backwards...

[jimi]

America's Test Kitchen had a piece on Dutch Ovens not too long ago. I remember them speaking highly of the Batali stuff at Sur La Table, especially given it's price, http://www.surlatable.com/product/br...en%2C+4+qt..do.

jimi

[zank]

We love our Le Creuset items, but we have the benefit of a factory outlet store close by that gets all of the factory seconds and blems for ridiculous deals. Oh the horror of a little bit of chipped enamel! Hell, I beat our cookware like it's my cross bike.

[Too Tall]

Batali is mi amigo. That looks great.

hahaah OK Musgrave there is no way I'm going to commit to that, I dodged and weaved already. They both are high end, which one looks better photograhed against a garage door?

[zank]

Le Creuset can take a lickin'

[gt6267a]

We love our Le Creuset items, but we have the benefit of a factory outlet store close by that gets all of the factory seconds and blems for ridiculous deals. Oh the horror of a little bit of chipped enamel! Hell, I beat our cookware like it's my cross bike.

a while back i wanted one of the smaller LC dutch ovens for making single meals, gravies etc. etc. the gf and i happened by an outlet and i picked something up for what seemed like a nice deal. we get back and there is the non-blem at williams and sonoma on clearance for less. i plotzed.

this is something i am finding is true pretty much all over. outlets seem to not be wonderful deals. a big time sale, 50-70% off, at bloomies or macy's or williams sonoma or whatev gets me a better deal than an outlet. further, i have noticed that places like polo outlets are serving up not just blems but different threads sewn to different tolerances ... lately, instead of hitting an outlet, i just go to the big boys on sale day.