Is a Le Creuset Dutch oven worth it, or is it just an overpriced Lodge with better marketing?

Is a Le Creuset Dutch oven worth it, or is it just an overpriced Lodge with better marketing?

The enamel coating makes it better if you want to make tomato sauce or something acidic that would react and taste bad if you cooked it directly on cast iron. But you can get an enameled cast iron dutch oven for about $40 from other companies

the enameling tends to be better and the lid isn't stupid like lodge pots
though if you don't know what you're doing with enamel, you'd be better off getting a lodge/other cheap one

Le Creuset is just Staub for poorfags who don't know any better and want to buy something they erroneously perceive as "fancy"

Matches up great with your Bose speakers and Beats by Dr. Dre headphones and Bob Kramer knives

>But you can get an enameled cast iron dutch oven for about $40 from other companies
Including Lodge.

OP, le creuset predates nonstick pans. It's a legacy item. They were the cadillac of cast iron cookware, being coated with enamel, they offered a clean surface that could sear and yet be a il bit nonstick, and also offered good long lasting heat retention at a fraction of the cost of copper and heavy bottom pots. They were protected from rust at all but the rims, and for acidic things like boiling vinegary things like a sauerbraten, pickling liquid, acidic wine, or tomato based recipes. Rather than a whole set of these heavy and temperamental pans, the stock pot is really what lives on, going from cooktop to oven braising roasts and reducing famous stews like beef burgundy to utter perfection, or simmering a bean stew that doesn't need a constant stir to prevent sticking at the bottom.

Don't bother with a Lodge. Uncoated pots need oil to stay nice, and unless you use it often for frying, once each week, you will be doing more care and maintenance to prevent rust than just the easy storage of a le creuset. Also the colors of a le creuset (and similar brands) lead people to use it as serving ware on the dining room table. To care for enamel ware, use wooden spoons, not metal utensils, and take care not to be abrasive with scrubbing. You want to protect the ceramic layer from being matte rather than glossy, and you don't want scratches or nicks that expose the metal or allow sticking and staining. Really old pots usually do get the damage, but it should take 10 or more years to begin.

Pricewise, pay attention to Marshalls discount areas, and out of business sales at stores. You'll find them occasionally at reduced price. But, traditionally, they were never on sale, kind of a fixed price out in the market.

>the stock pot is really what lives on, going from cooktop to oven braising roasts and reducing famous stews like beef burgundy to utter perfection, or simmering a bean stew that doesn't need a constant stir to prevent sticking at the bottom.
Thing is it's not really very good at what you're describing, the heat distribution is absolutely terrible so you end up with hot and cold spots. When I'm making something like beef bourguignon, I do all the stovetop stuff in a copper saute pan, and then I deglaze and send to the enameled cast iron for the oven stuff.

The main reason to buy enameled oven is that it looks cool, and there is literally nothing wrong with doing it for that reason. Just don't confuse it for a high performance piece, because it isn't.

My dad just made a great brisket in one. My mom bought bon sale at Costco one year for 50 bucks. Safe to say the regular price is a significant mark up.

The stock pot is the one item in their whole lines that lives on, which is what I said makes them relevant. The fact that you're going to use a copper saute pan was exactly my point that gave them market share in the first place, expensive copper vs cast iron that was improved with enamel coating. I think you are fussy to think you need your extra step. Maybe you are just too poor to have a copper stock pot, so you do this pan switchout step. When I am searing a roast or meat chunks, I like higher sides to keep my cooktop clean from oil mist splatters.

If they made flanged lids for copper stock pots that weighed 10 pounds and had dimples, I'd be all over it