I've been dreaming about getting a Le Creuset dutch oven forever, and a sale on cookware at Williams Sonoma on the same day that I was out doing my Christmas shopping was irresistible. The thing is, I ended up buying a Staub dutch oven instead of Le Creuset. I just fell in love with this grey one. And none of the three colours they carry of the Le Creuset felt right for me, plus the Staub was $50 cheaper. So, Staub it is. As soon as I brought it home, I christened it with a big batch of roasted butternut squash soup. I love this little sticker it had inside saying "This product was inspected by Cristophe Remi for your satisfaction." Merci Cristophe! I love your name and I am very satisfied. I can't wait to try using it for
this bread. Do any of you have any dutch oven recipes to recommend?
This is a great choice - Le Creuset quality has gone down a lot in recent years (I think they changed manufacturing to China?). Staub are amazing. Enjoy!!
ReplyDeleteJEALOUSY!
ReplyDeleteHaha, before I even read your post I had it in my head that I was going to tell you about that bread. I've been keeping an eye out for some vintage cookware so I can make just that!
ReplyDeleteWe LOVE our Staub. We had been looking for a le creuset forever, but had been disappointed in the colour selection too.
ReplyDeleteThen, on honeymoon in France we looked for a dutch oven everywhere, and strangely, couldn't find any Le Creusets. Instead, all the shops had beautiful Staubs. We ended up buying a gorgeous red one from the same store Julia Child, and all the best chefs in Paris shopped in. It cracked my luggage on the way home, but it was worth it.
In turns out the Creusets are not as good as they once were. They are no longer made in France like the Staubs are, they are much lighter than they once were (and you want heavier in a dutch oven) and the handles are now made of plastic which melts if turn your oven up all the way (which you do when making the no-kneed bread).
Definitely try the bread by the way! It's amazing.
So you definitely made the right choice with the Staub.
I seem to recall mine came with a great little recipe book, but in case yours didn't, they do have some great recipes online:
http://www.staubusa.com/com_recipes/search.asp
Thanks for your comments! I did some more research after I bought it, and it does seem like Staub is beyond reproach. The plastic handles on the LC's were an issue for me for sure, especially since I planned to use it for bread. It seems so silly for an expensive high-quality product like Le Creuset cookware to have a plastic handle.
ReplyDeleteI started a batch of no-knead bread last night, so we'll see how it goes with baking it tonight! Exciting!
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