Remember when No-Knead Bread first got really big, and people were swiping metal knobs off Le Creuset pots in the stores to replace the plastic knobs on their cheaper Dutch ovens? Well, they should have seen this smart hack from Jenn of A Merry Mishap; it would have saved them from petty larceny.
She didn't like the plastic knob on her new Martha Stewart Dutch oven. (There are reasons for this other than just aesthetics; those knobs are only safe up to a certain temperature, which is lower than the temperature required for No-Knead Bread.) But she found this wooden knob at the craft store, and presto! It fit perfectly on her pot. A little wood oil and it was good to go.
• Read more about Jenn's Dutch oven update: before & after at A Merry Mishap
We think this is pretty brilliant, although we think that the wood might scorch in the oven, eventually. As long as the wood isn't treated with toxic finishes it could be an inexpensive, easy way to make a pot a little prettier and a little better, too.
Did you replace the knob on your Dutch oven? I did on mine; it always smelled odd in the oven (it was plastic). I replaced it with a metal Le Creuset knob I found at Sur La Table, but I think this wooden knob would have been a cheaper alternative!
Related: Knob Heads: No Knead Bread Update
(Images: Jenn Hagler of A Merry Mishap)
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don't want to be a buzz killington but... wouldn't the wood knob just burn...?
I have the red Martha Stewart dutch oven too! and I replaced it with the Le Creuset metal knob (for the same reason... the plastic one isn't oven-safe).
You could also just use a metal drawer-pull knob from a hardware store.
Cringe, the second that thing goes in the oven... not so awesome.
Seems like the wood would eventually crack in the oven. My poor antique rocker cracked near the blazing fire wood burning stove.
fyi, the Le Creuset knobs are not supposed to be oven safe to the 450/475 degrees you need for no-knead bread. If it works for you you're lucky, but I'm pretty sure people were swiping them to replace the ones that got fried when they made the bread in their Le Creusets. In his book Jim Lahey makes a couple of suggestions, for instance remove the knob and plug the hole with the screw. This is what I do, and it works fine. If you can manage not to lose the screw that is.
you can buy one off amazon that is Le Cruset too
http://www.amazon.com/Creuset-L9403-45-Stainless-Steel-2-Inch-Replacement/dp/B0014JRN0Q/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1297106761&sr=8-1
I've always just covered my Le Creuset's plastic knob in foil (I read that tip somewhere online), and it's been fine for no-knead bread temperatures... So far, anyway...
Or, buy the Calphalon one that is cheaper than Le Creuset, works beautifully, and has a built in cast iron handle...no temp worries there! http://www.amazon.com/Calphalon-Enamel-Quart-Dutch-Cabernet/dp/B000QFNY16
I've made no-knead bread in my Le Creuset with no trouble. Have they really melted? Color me surprised. I inherited some Le Creuset recently and had one with a broken knob. I assumed the thieves had a broken knob, not a melted one.
The handle on the Martha Stewart dutch ovens is supposed to be oven safe to 450 degrees as well, I haven't come across any no kneed bread recipes that call for higher temps then that.
Has anybody here actually had problems with the handle in the oven at those temps before or did you just didn't know the handle was oven safe?
Jim Lahey, who came up with the no-knead recipe that was such a craze after the Times covered it, writes in his book that Le Creuset, the company, considers the handles "ovenproof only to 375 degrees Fahrenheit." He suggests plugging the hole with the screw or tin foil. In his book he specifies 475 degrees, but says 450 is okay too. Obviously oven temps vary anyway. If your Creuset handle didn't melt, then that's great! I never risked it, but maybe I could have.
@Brooklynnina - I covered mine in foil when making no knead bread too. It certainly didn't melt, but it did crack apart when I accidentally dropped it on my laminate bench... I assume the high heat caused it to do that.
And fwiw, having to use the screw as a handle while waiting for my replacement stainless steel knob was a pain, I wouldn't recommend it.
I switched mine for a metal handle from a casserole dish I had, if I didn't have that I would just go to the hardware store and buy a metal doorknob. Cheap and easy and safe.
I would be really worried about the wood knobs scorching as well. I love the suggestion about the metal ones from the hardware store. You can find some super cute ones these days that would really dress up your pot. I might even not be so jealous of the rooster handle on the staub pots!
I've used my Martha Stewart pot for no-knead bread dozens of times over several years. It's the exact same one in the picture. I've never had a problem with the knob.
My nice Creuset was taking a beating, and I sometimes make lots of loaves at a time, so a while back I went on Ebay and got two cheap used dutch ovens for under $20 each. One is a Creuset. And the other is Descaware, which is actually perfect as it's got a handle molded out of cast iron. That's the one I use the most, though they work equally well. Doesn't seem to matter that the enamel's not in perfect shape.
the handle from our tea kettle broke after much usage and my husband simply replaced it with a metal drawer pull from a hardware store. works well. looks like others have done the same for their cast iron pots. seems odd, though, that a company would make a cast iron pot and add a plastic handle. kinda counterintuitive, no?
The phenolic knobs that come with Le Creuset ovens won't melt at temperatures above 375 F, but they will eventually become brittle and crack. Not good.
I'm with the wood skeptics on this one: wood + oven + high temp--just seems like a bad idea. If it doesn't scorch, I imagine the wood would also become brittle and crack. I'd hate to have it crack apart as I was lifting an extremely hot lid. A metal knob would be a better choice.
I sprang for the stainless steel Le Creuset knob, which I use for high temps. I do like the way the phenolic knob stays cool when used on the stovetop, so I just swap them as needed.
I purchased a Martha Stewart DO like the one pictured (well, it's green), and am in no hurry to swap the phenolic knob. I like that it stays cool enough to touch when cooking on the stove. In addition, I really like the size and shape of the knob: makes for easy gripping and lets me rest the lid upside down on the knob, eliminating contact between lid/counter-top when intermittently removing the lid during cooking.
the stainless le creuset knobs are only like $10 at sur la table.
or make life easy and just get a cast iron dutch oven. completely oven and stove safe.
$30, compared to $275 for Le Creuset and $75 for Martha. I LOVE my cast iron. Natrually non stick - no Alzheimers. :)
pam h
howtorunyourlife.blogspot.com
If I were to hit up the hardware store to find a cheap replacement -- are ALL metals safe in the oven, or should I steer clear of anything in particular?
If you do replace it with a cabinet knob, I highly recommend an open "birdcage" design like this. (If that link doesn't work, just google "birdcage cabinet knob")
It's an old blacksmithing trick - the heat takes longer to transfer through the long thin wires than it would through a solid chunk of metal. Obviously this won't do anything in the oven, but for stove-top cooking, it will stay cooler than a solid metal knob.
Also, get steel, not bronze. Bronze transfers heat much more quickly than steel, and steel will stay cooler far longer.
So if you remove the knob & replace it with tinfoil or the screw, how do you safely remove the lid when the time comes & it's blazing hot?