I have a $40 Tramontina enameled dutch oven from Wal*Mart, and I love it every bit as much as I would if it were a Le Creuset. The fancy one may perform better in extremes, but that's not how I cook. It does everything I need it to. :)

I have a $15 3-qt dutch oven that I got on clearance at Meijer (which is like Krogers/Hyvee, etc). I couldn't tell you the brand if I wanted to. It's enameled cast iron and it's perfect for when I need to make a small batch of something and don't want to break out the crock pot. It's great!

My Lodge enameled dutch oven does a marvelous job. I love the pretty blue of yours!

I have an orange one of these, bought from Aldi for about £25, and a slightly smaller no-brand one in a kind of cappuccino colour (which I really like) for about £20. Both of them are about three years old now and have taken quite a lot of use and abuse and are still going strong, a few signs of wear but nothing major. I'm really quite attached to them as they've produced some memorable meals, and would hate to have to replace them, even for a Le Creuset!

I have two dutch ovens now, and the price of both of them is still less than half of a Le Creuset or Staub. Kitchen-aid and Cuisinart. They both work beautifully and I will continue to use them until they are unusable!

I have to say, no. I have a LeCreuset and love it. I have Allclad and love it. And what doesn't seem to hold up are the cheaper pots and pans. When I was out of work for a while, I bought cheaper because I could afford it, but always regretted it. I wound up buying something twice. Save up and get the good stuff. I have old Reverewear stainless steel copper bottom pots that are awesome. Not stylish, but they work great.

Is a $300 Allcad stock pot ridiculous? Most certainly. But I know I will have it for a lifetime.

I have a Mario batali small Dutch oven in red...and I love it. I'm sure it does the job just as well as one three times the price. I don't have any plans to replace it with one that is supposedly better. And I also love the colour of yours...such a pretty blue!

I work in a kitchenware store, and I'm really glad you wrote this.
I understand EdmundD's point that it's wasteful (and annoying) to have to buy things twice, but if you're in a position where you want and would frequently use a dutch oven, but even saving for one is out of the question, get what you can afford. If, five years down the line, your financial position changes you can splurge on the top of the line, but if you hadn't purchase the cheaper one you'd have lived for five years with no dutch oven at all.
Another point I'd like to make is that you have to treat your cookware with care and respect. Even a le creuset or staub dutch oven won't last you a lifetime if you don't treat it well. If you're not familiar with cooking in and caring for enameled cast iron, I'd actually recommend that you learn how it works with a less expensive piece and upgrading once you've decided you are comfortable doing so.

^ I agree. A lot depends on how you treat your cookware.. As with everything else.. Maintenance counts.. Wash up. Dont use abrasive cooking methods or cleaners. Dont heat too high.. Some instructions are meant to be followed. I have a lot of non-branded stuff from more than 10 years ago, which are still holding up. I dont have one of these because I cant justify usage, but the blue sure is lovely and filled with good food memories.. Most important!!

I would love to trade in my chipped up TJ Maxx Dutch Oven for a LeCreuset but with something so expensive that would (hopefully) last a lifetime, I'd be terrified of selecting the "wrong" color.

"Hold up" is a relative term. I'm a home cook. I actually USE my tools. My kitchen isn't a display area or design statement.

I like good tools. Who doesn't? But my tools aren't the be-all and end-all of my life. If I buy the "budget" item that's my lookout. What if it "only" lasts 10 years instead of 20? I took that "risk" and I'll replace it!

Efficiency and convenience are also important to me. I put almost everything into the dishwasher, even my good knives. I arrange them so they don't bounce around. I sharpen them when needed. They're now about 30 years old and going strong.

Tools are for using. We each have different priorities. And the shibboleths of our grandmothers -- or yesterday's "top chef" sometimes don't amount to a hill of beans.

I have a Lodge dutch oven from Target that I purchased for about $55 on sale. I blame AT for my wanting to purchase it -- I kept seeing great-sounding recipes on the site and decided it was time to try cooking in one. For us, investing in a $$$ model that we may or may not use often didn't seem like a good idea. Should the time come, we may "upgrade", but for now the varigated royal blue color and the durability of the Lodge is working for us.

I love my Le Creuset (I'm slowly collecting pieces), but would kill to have one in that pretty aqua color...swoon!

I have a Le Crueset dutch oven that I've used regularly for about 15 years and it is showing it, so money doesn't necessarily buy durability! I've always been careful with the enamel, using only wooden utensils and hand washing, but it still is showing significant enamel wear. It will probably last 10 more years, but I'm betting the MS version will too. I love my LC, but I probably won't be able to afford to replace it with another, well, ever.

I had one of these too. Did you know they were recalled?
http://www.cpsc.gov/en/Recalls/2011/Macys-Recalls-Martha-Stewart-Collection-Enamel-Cast-Iron-Casseroles-Due-to-Laceration-and-Burn-Hazard/
I was so sad--I had a pretty cobalt blue one. Macy's will refund your money though!

There are thousands of people with money to burn that own Le Crueset cookware, and Le Cornue ranges, etc. that have NO CLUE how to cook. It's all just for show. Just because you own the best doesn't mean you're the best cook.

ftr...I love your pretty turquoise Martha Stewart and I'm sure you've created many memorable meals with it. :)

I have a little pot that holds maybe 5 cups of liquid? It's from Costco, I think, and it works just as well as the little All-clad fry pan I have.

And, hahaha, I have a 2 qt Le Creuset dutch oven that I found at Salvation Army for.... $9! They obviously didn't know what they had, or I would also be singing the praises of a less expensive dutch oven.

But other than that, all my kitchen tools are Salvation Army finds, and they work great.

I have my grandmother's cast iron dutch oven and I know that at some point I will purchase a le Crueset, I don't think I can ever part with Grandmom's old pot!

I have a cast iron dutch oven that's about 110 years old. I couldn't live without it.

So, I have splurged a few times on various wooden spoons... $20 wooden spoons from Williams-Sonoma. $30 olive wood spoons from Williams-Sonoma too. Even a beautiful olive wood spoon from E. Dehillerin in Paris. Which spoons do I find myself always grabbing for? The cheap 3 pack I purchased at the local grocery store in college for my first apartment for 99¢. Maybe they remind me of cooking with my mom, or maybe I just like how simple and light weight they are...

By the way, what is this no knead bread you speak of.........? ;)

"Sometimes people can't afford the best, so they buy the best they can afford. And there's nothing wrong with that."
I really loved that line! So much of what's online (or even in Cooks Illustrated some times) is all about shaming people who don't have the very best. (e.g. "Your towels are from Target? You Philistine!" "Oh you have a dollar store spatula? You're worse than Hitler!") So your statement was quite refreshing. :-)

My wife and I each have a dutch oven. Hers is a nice blue ovular Le Crueset. Mine is a bright red round Tramontina from Wally World. Do I notice a difference between the two? Not in the slightest! They both are excellent pots and have different uses and I'm glad we have both.

Better to have an ok one then not. My uncoated cast-iron Lodge Dutch over & $ 60 Chicago Cutlery chef's knife were saved-up-for major purchases 25 years ago when I was earning $3.35 an hour, but they've served me well ever since. I'd love to have a Le Cruset one, but if I had that kind of money to splurge with I'd buy a Kitchenaid stand mixer. Oh well. If you can afford--enjoy.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/08/dining/081mrex.html?_r=0 There's also a no-knead pizza dough recipe. I have a batch working now that will be tonight's dinner.

My kids bought me a Le Creuet DO. The comment was "You're worth it Dad. Besides when you are gone, we get some great stuff."

I've got a store-brand enameled cast iron dutch oven that I picked up at the grocery store for maybe $20. It has been an amazing tool for me -- I never could have afforded the fancy brand alternative. But, honestly, now that I have used this one so much, it would help me justify buying a fancy brand if this one ever gives out and I can afford it. I love this candid approach that acknowledges we aren't all made of money.

I had a 99 cent Ikea garlic press that lasted five years. It was the best garlic press I have ever owned. It broke and I replaced it with a walmart 99 cent press and put a fancy $15 press on the registry. As expected, the walmart one didn't even cut it, and the $15 one was the worst gadget ever. Replaced it with a $10 kitchenaid that broke. Ikea no longer carries one, otherwise I would have that in my drawer.

Honestly I don't have anything top-of-the-line in my kitchen. I just can't afford it. My prized possession is actually my Cuisinart dutch oven that has recently taken a beating. But I am proud of all that I own and I do churn out meals and treats daily that my family is quite happy to eat. Maybe someday I will get that Kitcheaid stand mixer or an Allclad pot set, till then I am making what I have work.

Thanks!

I have an aluminum stockpot that I picked up for like $10 at a neighborhood bodega. It is a workhouse in my kitchen and I feel no shame in keeping it. I also have drinking glasses from Ikea, cheap bamboo chopsticks that I replace once a year, and a pyrex pie dish that I picked up at a yard sale. What I have spent money on though is one really nice chefs knife. It looks out of place next to my cheap ones but the cheap ones have their place also.

Thank you for this post! I have one of those, too. I've had it for years and it's still in perfect condition. I got it for about $40 on sale when I was on a really tight budget but didn't want to buy junk. That and my $20 Lodge skillet are the most-used items in my kitchen besides my favorite knife (which, I will admit, is a fancy Shun chef's knife that my husband bought me for Christmas five or so years ago). I still cannot justify the cost of Le Creuset, even though we're in a better financial position now. If the MS one ever fails on me, I'll consider it... but I don't see that happening for years to come.

Oh my gosh, I had this exact same Martha Stewart pot, in the exact same color, and I got it for the exact same reason. But I have to say, I suffered with it for a while before I finally sold it on craigslist along with a box of other kitchen junk when I got married. I HATED it! Too heavy for its size, cleaned horribly....ugh. In fact, I sold it long before the wedding, that's how eager I was to get it out of my house. I have a Staub now and loooooove it; the difference in quality is marked.

To answer your question, though, yes. I have a POS rice cooker that works just fine, and a few $10 crock pots that I'm quite happy with. Other than those, I really do rely on quality kitchenware. For someone who cooks as much as I do, I lived for tooooo long without it.

I have a couple of moderately nice things, but I find that with the exception of my knives (Wusthof, and a present) I always fall back on the hand-me-downs from my grandfather, some of which are good and some of which... well... aren't. I also love my hardware store cast-iron, but I don't know if that's considered cheap.

I have to say, I haven't been able to bring myself to buy less-than-the-best for a dutch oven. I probably should just find one I like and take the plunge, given that I love borrowing my roommate's but tend to feel guilty about it. And as a few people above have said, better to spend less money on one and have it, then replace it in 5-10 years when funds are available.

I used to have this same pot- unfortunately after about 2 years of use, the enamel on the inside started to flake off. About that same time I found out that Macy's had recalled the whole MS enamel cookware line for this very reason. I took it back to Macy's for a store credit.

I recently bought another MS enamel dutch oven from their new line. I am very happy with this one!

I don't have this pot, but I am unhappy with everything "Martha Stewart"I have ever purchased, from rubber spatulas to "green" non-stick frying pans. Thanks for the heads up about this dutch oven.

In certain situations expensive is so much more expensive that it is better to buy cheap multiple times than to buy the expensive item. You can buy 5 cheaper pots vs. one fancy pot. There is a good chance that you would buy a couple in your lifetime, saving $180. I have had good luck with Macy's brand pots and pans, as well as Revere. I have also bought fancy frying pans and have been disappointed. At this point I have enough Macy's pots and pans as well as a couple of cast iron that I no longer look in the kitchen section. None of it is fancy, a lot of it has lasted over ten years and will probably last atleast ten more years.

So glad you wrote this! I have a "real" le creuset that I bought 20 years ago at a discount cookware store -- likely paid $150 then. Since then, I've bought a stunning persimmon coloured Batali dutch oven at Homesense (like Marshalls) -- for $60. I see absolutely NO difference in quality between the 2 pots -- and I would NEVER pay full price for a Staub or Le Creuset if I ever needed another (unlikely). Definitely buy what you can afford, and treat it well. The snob effect of the Le Creuset is not worth the extra money. Plus -- buy the colour you love and don't worry about the brand name.

After using my brother's Wusthof (as in the knife makers) garlic press once, I put it on my wedding list. I suspect it was kind of pricey but I love it. It's sturdy, has two inserts with different hole sizes and leaves the least residue I have ever seen in a press after use. I have had it for 13 years now and it's still going strong. No silly gadgets to clean it but as the insert comes out, it's pretty easy to peel away the tiny bit of remaining garlic.

I have a 5.5 qt Le Creuset that I love (wedding registry) but I would like a smaller enameled dutch oven as well. I can't justify the cost of another Le Creuset - does anyone know of any smaller ones (3-4 qt) that are $50 or less?

I have a cast iron dutch oven from Ikea that I bought as a student some 15 years ago. I think it was around 40 dollars. Still works like a charm, the only thing I've done from time to time is to give it a thorough clean and then re-oil it. I do have a cast iron dutch oven from Staub which is use quite a bit.

The no knead bread that someone asked about is Jim Lahey''s recipe. Just google no knead bread.

Answering the original question of what else is not top line: twenty years ago I was given a cheap Moulinex food processor by my boyfriend. I periodically research lovely expensive food processors and then realize that I can't justify the expense to replace something that although ugly does pretty much everything I need or want a food processor to do.

Can somebody explain to me why the le Creuset is so much better? What is difference in fabrication that makes it more durable? Because sometimes more expensive things aren't actually better, you just pay more for the famous name. Not saying that it is that way with le Creuset, I just would like to know what makes it so good and in general, what makes a dutch oven good or bad quality.
I also have the feeling, that people often take buying something cheap as a license to treat it like crap, so of course it won't last long, while the expensive thing gets treated very carefully (and sometimes hardly used) so the expensive thing will of course last longer.

MDOROTHY'S statement is precisely the way I feel, too. Tools are purchased for use, not looks. I have good cookware and utensils, but not top-of-the-line or most expensive. I too, own Martha Stewart enamel dutch ovens (and LOVE them).

The major point is: can you turn out a tasty meal or lovely dessert with what you have? Then be proud of your abilities and skills...not the tools.

One of my all-time cooking tools is my not-beautiful, stainless steel enormous wok that I purchased for about $5 at Goodwill ... I continue to frequent thrift stores wherever I go looking for awesome cooking tools ... The only thing that I tend to "invest" in are knives, which I can frequently find at discount stores like TJ Maxx, etc. or at Macy's during super sales. I have been able to build a kitchen full of tools and appliances that is the envy of many of my friends through patience and many visits to yard sales, thrift and discount stores.

If you're in NYC - check Zabar's on a regular basis.

I got my 5qt oval Le Creuset there for under $200 when they were having a blowout sale on all their Le Creuset a while back. I think I paid something like $175 for it (it was more then a few years ago) and although I haven't needed to get another, I have seen ads in the NY Times Dining section every once in a while announcing a Le Creuset sale.

I know it's a lot more then $30, if you really are ready to spring for a Le Creuset - which I love! - might as well get it cheaper.

I have the tramontina one from walmart (yuck, walmart) and America's Test Kitchen actually rated it a best buy $40, compared to $350?? for the Le Creuset one. I was so proud!!

beautiful pot that no doubt has a storied history of yummy meals.
a timely post for me as i hope to try the no knead bread--but my lovely lodge pot does not have a metal knob--their website says it is oven safe to 400 degrees.
a 18 euro (i recently moved to belgium from the US---brought my pot! --am learning metric, but still don't know ho to make the euro symbol!) LeC stainless steel knob is beyond my comfort zone. for those that have plastic knobs---do they melt? should i forego my frugal- new-englandy-ness and purchase that darned shiny knob?

here's on lahey link: http://www.thefreshloaf.com/keyword/jim-lahey

There was a time when buyers were expected to know quality and purchase accordingly. Brand names were not so important. I have any number of items in my kitchen that have no pedigree and work perfectly. It does not hurt my pride to own or use them. I do find that careful use and maintenance are good habits to cultivate. It is amazing to face passing these things on in my estate. A good feeling.

I bought a pot set when I got my first college apartment. It was one of those department store sets for about $50 with a couple frying pans, a dutch oven, and a couple small pots. Most of it hit the dust a long time ago, but the medium pot and dutch oven have hung on and I still love them. They have venting lids, which is amazingly useful. I've since bought a bunch of Calphalon, but for plain old boiling I love my old college stuff. I also have a couple spatulas and things I got at the dollar store back then that just plain rock.

No there's nothing wrong with that...I just haven't had a good experience with the Martha Stewart Macy's line. The dutch ovens in my store all had bits of enamel flaking off, and the sheets and towels I bought have threads coming off on them and my dish set is all warped after three years of use. For now I will stick with my dad's ancient cast iron (non-enameled) pot and hope for Le Creuset for my wedding!

I have a Le Creuset, a Cuisinart and my favorite, a Dru Holland from the forties. The le creuset is wonderful but the cuisinart works like a dog and is perfect going on three years. The dru holland was an ebay buy and looks to have never been used. If you want a lifetime piece try ebay for Cousances and Descoware (precursors to Le Creuset) and Dru Holland. If they are in good shape they are practically indestructable and I love the idea of giving them a new home.

Nothing wrong with buying within your means! I still can't afford a regular price Le Creuset, I've always gotten my pieces from Home Goods/Marshalls for around $100. I know they're slightly imperfect and they don't always have the prettiest colors, but I don't mind - they still cook beautifully.

Are you kidding me? This thing is Very cool.

My first dutch oven was an orange Mario Batali and I still use it all the time. I also own several Le Creuset pieces now, but ONLY because I'm lucky enough to live near one of their outlet stores, and I take advantage of the big post-holiday sales. Honestly, my MB does a great job and after several years' use I like it just as much as the lovely LC stuff.

Buying what you can afford is sensible and laudable, something to be proud of! I bought a Caphalon set almost 22 years ago (I remember I was pregnant with my youngest son) and still have all the pieces. I did ask for a Le Creuset dutch oven in the new mediterranean blue for my birthday last year and my sister and brother went in together and bought it for me. THAT is what makes it special, along with the color, which I have throughout my kitchen. I use the Caphalon dutch oven more often, but adore the Le Creuset for extended braising.

ha! i bought the same pot years ago. within the first use it was chipping around the edges and handles. when i used it to make bread, when i turned the bread out, it grabbed a chunk of the inside enamel and ripped it away. it is no wonder that these pots for a while were discontinued. YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR with cookware. i have since changed everything out for 1) staub for braising etc. 2) a plain cast iron for bread. works volumes better! https://tartine-bread.blogspot.com

I actually waited many, many years to buy my Le Creusets. And, in Brazil, where I'm from and live, they are very, very expensive. I don't regret them. But my love... my biggest love is my Kitchenaid Stand Mixer. I've tried to use cheaper ones, but no... I love my stand mixer. Now I bought the Kitchen Aid food processor, and it is the best one I've ever had. But seriously, I had to wait for years and years until I could buy one. :)

@dporchella: I make the no-knead bread with the regular plastic knob. It hasn't melted yet. But I do fear it will and ruin my pot so I keep meaning to pick up the metal knob, I just keep forgetting.

Last year, my next door neighbor - unbeknownst to her - heavily influenced me into buying stainless steel pots and pans. I was subway tiling my wall and she was drinking bourbon, lamenting her on-again/off-again engagement. "I can't live without my stainless steel pots and pans," she said. I'm pretty sure it had something to do with the even-ness of temperature or something like that, but her strong endorsement pushed me over the edge to purchase something I wanted because, I'll admit it, they are shiny. I don't cook hardcore enough to ever own a dutch oven, but I do actually cook - mostly wilting spinach in a pan, dry lentils, egg white omelete, etc. Still, I hate them, mostly for their stickiness and refusal to submit to any type of non-stick spray or regular oil. I find myself pulling out my old T-Fal pots/pans more often. They're well worn, certainly, but they don't disappoint me. On that note, the $19.99 pressure-cooker I recently bought at my local Winn Dixie is my new jam.

The plastic knobs can melt, yes -- but if you really want to be frugal, you can just remove the knob when making no-knead bread.

Alternately, just go to your local hardware store and get a metal cabinet knob.

You are SO right.
All my Le Creuset (and some other comparable Belgian pots) came from the dump on Nantucket and didn't cost me a dime. (I have some relatives who live out there so I visit the Take it or leave it at the Dump when I go). Slight nicks or blemishes that don't bother me must have bothered their rich owners enough to get rid of them--or maybe it wasn't the color of the year!

Most of my other pots & pans came from the Goodwill or my mother.

we have a martha stewart large saucepan I got at Kmart at least 10 years ago that my husband uses to make spaghetti at least a few times a week. It really is great quality.

I don't hae a le creuset or a kitchenaid or anything very expensive and somehow have managed.

My mom has an entire set of Le Creuset she got as a wedding gift 32 years ago. They are all holding up well. Even their wooden handles! We only managed to destroy one by putting eggs to boil and leaving it for several hours. No body was happy about that.
I recently started building my own collection. I've been buying up pieces whenever I see them at Marshalls because they are half the regular price. However, I believe the ones they have are seconds because they don't have the gradient paint and sometimes have blemishes. I recommend inspecting it thoroughly, definitely make sure the lids fit right and sits level on the pot.
I also have a small Martha Stewart dutch oven. My complaint with it is that the enamel has chipped quite a bit on the lid and inside the bottom of the pan is getting a weird pattern. Not sure if the enamel is crack or what else it could be. Might have to replace it. Last thing I want is enamel in my food!

i have this one too in yellow, its also chipped around the rim and stained inside, but it works just fine still as far as i can tell. $300 for a pot will probably never be in my budget (id rather buy a plane ticket to somewhere for that!)

I have a $30 one from HEB, which works just fine.

Be careful on that, though, Macy's tried to offer us 2/3 of the price we paid (the lowest sale price they had had them for, I'm guessing).

Since I had the receipt and the box to prove that, no, I had paid more than that for the item, they did refund the full price. Not before the lady tried to say "well, I mean, you got to use it for a couple of years, why should you get full price back?" Uh, because it has been recalled and now I have to buy a NEW one and I expect to pay full price to do so?

I too have a Mario Batali Dutch oven that my mom got me 5 years ago. It is a workhorse and I love it. My husband and I use it for soups and stews all the time. There are no chips or dings on it as I try to take care of it the best I can. I won't buy another Dutch oven until this one breaks past the point of redemption.

For years I used a hand mixer- refusing to buy a stand mixer until I could afford my Kitchen Aid. It's the simple white version. It has the original mixing bowl sans handle. It was the first adult-like purchase I made as a home owner. 10 years later I still use it at least 3 days a week. Answering the standard question: If you could only save one thing from your burning home, what would it be? My answer was once, my Kitchen Aid Mixer. Silly me. Save the vintage garbage bowls from G's house. That mixer can take the heat!

" I have Lecreuset, I have All clad blah blah blah".
But can you COOK??? Your pot aint foolin anybody but maybe yourself. Maybe.

We had one of these dutch ovens - and when we tried to make no-knead-bread with this, all the paint on the dutch oven started peeling off and flying everywhere (making popping noises at the same time). It made a huge mess in the oven and a terrible smell too. It was also way too heavy. Definitely return it to Macy's - there's a reason they were recalled.

I think why a lot of people have strived for Le Creuset is that it is a brand many know, and for a while was probably one of the few names around for enameled cast iron cookware, now, enameled cast iron cookware are legion, and at varying price points and a lot of them simply don't hold up well, even with care.

That said, there is NO substitute for GOOD quality cookware that performs WELL, that'll make cooking that much more pleasant. But you don't need the best, unless it's the only thing that'll do, such as a GOOD stand mixer for those who need one - and the KitchenAid is just about the best out there in terms of performance and long term durability for the money.

I will not go to less than bi, or tri ply bottom pans ever again, have had pots that weren't, even if they simply made the bottom thicker in the same aluminum, they warped (I had a T-Fal 4Qt pot that did just that) and the non stick coating inside wore off. Now I have some Chinese made pots that are tri-pli, all stainless steel, endored by Wolfgan Puck and they perform fantastically, and they came from either Marshall's, or TJ Maxx, or was it Ross? I forget now and have held up well over the past several years.

As to Dutch ovens, I have one Le Creuset dutch that is about 50 YO, in Elise Yellow, along with the matching 1.5Qt pot with lid and 2 skillets, all matched as a set. Got that at an estate sale some 20 years ago for $25. I also have Mom's brown 5Qt Dutch that is also a Le Creuset and love it, and I have a 3Qt Cuisinart in a teal blue that I got for Christmas a couple of years ago and love it too.

But like everything else, if you take care of things, they'll last. That means don't overheat your pans, get them going, and put the oil in while heating up, don't heat dry, and never more than medium, medium high for enameled cookware etc. and they'll last.

That said, sometimes you just have to go with a well known, regarded brand because of how it lasts, and performs and such that it makes SUCH a difference in how you go about your cooking chores.

BTW, love that robin's egg blue color, I want to find a turquoise vintage Le Creuset pot myself.

Thanks for pointing out that you don't have to be able to swing top of the line goods to still put out some great food! I will be eternally grateful for the thrift store finds and hand-me-downs from people who have made their upgrades. (If you want to bequeath me that gorgeous robin's egg blue dutch oven when you upgrade, I'll happily take it, recall and all! ) :)
Saving the money on tools and appliances has allowed me to buy a little bit nicer ingredients, which I appreciate even more!

For the average cook, I'd say there's less difference between the super top quality brands (like Le Creuset) and the mid-tier brands (like Martha) than there is between the mid-tier and then low-tier brands (like that sautee ban I bought at the grocery store when I was first living on my own). Not being able to affroad a set of Le Creuset isn't going to kill your cooking, but investing in some good mid-tier brands will be a huge help.

I have an Amana stainless steel range that I got for free when the family who bought a friend's house was going to have the appliance store cart it off when replaced it with a Wolf range. It's not a fancy brand name stove, but it looks great, works great, and it classes up my circa 1970-1929 combo kitchen.

I'm such a thrift store shopper. All my "best" cook-wear came to me chipped and stained. Know what? My friends still rave about my cooking, fish for dinner invites, and never ever complain about what my pots and pans look like.

hand mixer. stand mixers are nice for something, but most the time a hand mixer will do the job with much less fuss. I also like the Tramontina pan option.

thank you.

If at all avoidable, I never pay full price/top dollar for anything.
If I can find it on craiglist, local thrift store, side of the road. The money saved can go towards a trip or something much more worth while....new pair of shoes? ;)
Patience is what it takes, though.
I consider myself a good cook and I love the comment from tuxedo that it is about maintenance.
I have friends who keep top of the line cookware and their equipment looks like trash! Why waste money if you are not going to keep it up.
My creuset Roasting Pan set I bought at Sally Ann's for $25 looks new!
I have been using a vintage old pressure cookers...until my mom gave me her old langoustina.
My $30 pasta maker. That baby is a work horse. Got it about 15yrs ago. I dont taste the $30 I spent on the machine. I taste the truffle oil I drizzle on the nettle pasta!
The $5 meat grinder? 6years on that baby is grinding meat from duck to pork.
All my cast iron pans-Value Village...most of them Lodge
Even down to my literature, my Larausse Gastronomique $25.
I dont like wasting. Even if I just paid $5 for something. I worked for that money I want to get out as much as possible for it.
I will spend $400 on one item. But if I dont need it now. I make do. My parents did, my grandparents did and so forth. What is this intense need to have NOW. You will be w/out a dutch oven? There is so many ways to skin a cat, isn't there?
I would love to see a cooking show where they take TOP of the line stuff and affordable and give it to a proficient home cook. See what happens.Probably not much.

thanks---i did walk around with the knob in my bag for a while but could not find a solid metal knob ;) i will try taking off the knob and stuffing the hole with foil. thank you!

I work in a mall right across from a Williams Sonoma, and on the level of eye candy, it's tortue. About all i can afford there are small items ( Weck jars) and their knife sharpening service- first time is free. That being said, most of my kitchen equipment has been handed down from friends ( a 15 year old Braun food processor, an All Clad pan), or purchased from the Salvation Army (a marble pastry stone for $5!), Marshalls, Target or Macy's, often the same items available from WS for less money, including a Wusthoff chef's knife. While i would love a Le Creuset dutch oven & a braiser, but for now my cast iron Lodge peices serve me quite well.

For my money, the Lodge all cast-iron dutch oven is the best deal in town! Plus, its looks only improve with age and there is no enamel to chip. A real classic and a once per lifetime purchase!

You would be surprised, how often you can find Le Creuset on sale, either online or at William Sonoma. I bought my 3 pieces (3.5 qt round, 4.5 qt round, 6.5 quart oval dutch oven) for what it would have cost for one full price at WS just because they were no longer carrying that color. Plus I have heard stories that sometimes you can find it at Good Will or Salvation Army. I have not had the pleasure of finding any in my area, but I have still heard stories about it and am always on the look out.

My favorite kitchen tools - a big Lodge enameled cast iron skillet, a little Lodge uncoated cast iron skillet, my 5 quart and 11 quart IKEA all-stainless steel stockpots (with stainless lids and handles! Everything can go in the oven!), my $0.99 sauce whisk from IKEA, a $6 bread knife from France my mom got me (works way better than my expensive Chicago Cutlery version), two of my expensive Chicago Cutlery knives from the knife block - the 6" paring knife and the wickedly curved fruit knife, and the two half sheet and two quarter sheet pans (half sheets were a gift from an old employer, quarter sheets I found. Literally, found.

I don't think I could ever justify spending the hundreds of dollars on a LeCreuset or Staub, although I do want a couple of dutch ovens eventually. $400 buys a lot of food!

You certainly don't need fancy equipment to cook. Although sometimes quality can help (especially with knives!). But other times the garage sale version (like my 1990s immersion blender my grandma got me) works just fine.

I've found most of my beloved quality kitchen tools for usually half or more off what they would normally cost. All you have to do is be patient and seek them out. My Le Creuset I found at Marshall's for $100. I found an entire set of Emile Henry ceramic bakeware at Tuesday Morning for a steal ($20 for a pie plate that would normally be 40) all because it was a discontinued color. My All-Clad skillets came from Macy's when I found a sale that had a set of two french skillets for $59.99. And my favorite find came from KitchenAid. For as long as I could remember I coveted a large pro style lift mixer but couldn't afford the more than $400 price tag. For around $200 I found a refurbished one on Ebay that I bought directly from KitchenAid's own ebay outlet about 9 years ago. It arrived in beautiful condition and has worked flawlessly since. Williams Sonoma is a great place to window shop but you'll NEVER find a good price from them. The All Clad I purchased on sale from Macy's was more than twice as much at WS for the exact same pieces.

Got my orange Lagostina Tuscan Collection round 4qt 70% off at Canadian Tire, it's got a metal knob, self-basting lid, and is fine at 500F...that's all I really need it to do, in order to make no-knead bread. I only got it a month ago but no problems yet. There's no way anyone would have bought us Le Creuset if we'd put it on the registry, not that Sears here carries it (and only started carrying the Kitchen Aid ones after we got married, I think). My mother would probably buy one for me for Christmas but she isn't a fan of them ("too heavy"), If I find I use the Lagostina a lot but it doesn't hold up, I'll consider LC, but I don't see them in many stores around here, let alone for a deal.

Meanwhile the cheapo Betty Crocker pot set my mother bought me at Wal-Mart when I went away to school is still fine. I have a few nicer frying pans, but I mean...I still live in a shitty little apartment with very limited kitchen storage. I'll hold off getting "nice things" until I get a house. In the meantime I make delicious food with what I have - a Chef Michael Smith knife set from Sears, miscellaneous cutting boards which include - gasp! - plastic, cheap pots and pans, consumerd with no-name cutlery set from Canadian Tire off of plain white Corel dishes.

When I say my mother thinks "they" are "too heavy", I mean all cast-iron cookware. So I grew up in a house that didn't have any. Thankfully I worked at a pioneer village for six summers so it's not a completely alien concept.

I don't think there's anything wrong with working with what you can afford. I do happen to have a few pieces of Le Creuset. I have some Pampered Chef Stoneware, and I just bought my first (and not last) piece of All Clad. But I went YEARS with worn out hand-me-downs.

I learned to cook on those hand-me-downs, though. And I'm under no delusions that higher quality cookware makes ME a better cook. But it makes the cooking experience a LOT more fun for me. And because it makes me ENJOY cooking, I cook more. I've gotten my money's worth many times over because it makes me avoid the McDonald's drive-thru.

So to each their own, I say.

i have a dinnerware set that i bought at Target or Kmart in my college days (20 years ago) Still works fine, and I must say, probably the best $20 dollar investment I've ever made. I will not skimp on the knives, pots, and dutch ovens- only top of the line, and I've never regretted these purchases.

i have this exact martha stewart dutch oven that i actually scored from a flea market for $8 a couple years back and it has been an absolute star of my kitchen. i have no le creuset to compare it to, but i actually like that i don't have all the iconic flashy suburban brands all around me in the kitchen. and this particular dutch oven has been awesome for me, i'm so glad i found it!

Usually I am all about durability and not having to buy something twice, so I never buy nonstick... but I have a cheap $20 nonstick square skillet that I love. You just can't make the same impromptu quesadilla at midnight without one. :-)

I have an oval-shaped dutch oven from Cost Plus World Market that I got on sale for $69 and felt like I'd struck gold. I use that bad boy for 95% of my cooking with no shame that it's not Le Creuset.

My husband didn't see the point of a dutch oven, but he agreed to buy the cheap Ikea one. NOW he sees the point - and the dutch oven is still going strong after one year of use and abuse. Maybe if this one dies, we'll upgrade to something better but for now, if works.

I bought an absolutely fabulous stainless steel pot at Aldi for $20 a few years back. Nope. The handles aren't riveted to the pot but like the writer's MS knockoff it has served me well. Got some German made knives there that are my favorites! I'm happy.

OMG! My favorite cast iron frying pan is over 40 years old, bought at a thrift stor for two bucks. Can I tell you? Caste iron is the best!

Dallas has a Le Creuset, outlet but I found mine at Marshalls for $100. I also got my calphalon cookware from there. I love my pyrex glass storage dishes and kichen aid sudoku knife. I want a kitchen aid stand mixer next.

*santoku

I love my cheapo enameled pot. $15 at Aldi on the sale rack, pretty color, total workhorse.

Thanks for this. It kinda hurts my feelings how aspirational things can get on ye olde internets, and I deeply love my "wabi sabi" / Recycled / Rescued lifestyle. I'm not trying to be shabby chic yall, I AM SHABBY.

Going to add now that I remembered, I once found a Burton propane burner, in the case, complete (sans propane though) in like new condition for something like $12 about 6 years or so ago at the Goodwill, now talk about a steal!

Those for for something like $70 new these days.

I've so wanted one, and find I do use mine from time to time as a spare burner.

They are fantastic.

Cheap cookware that has worked wonderfully well:

Lodge Pizza stone/cookie sheet/roasting pan - it's about $30 on amazon and is essentially a big round slab of cast iron with raised edges. It has replaced all my roasting pans/cookies sheets/pizza stone needs - the cast iron browns everything evenly. Truly awesome.

Old Cast Iron Skillet - around 60+ years old from a flea market. I use it instead of non-stick, pan meals, etc. I'm thinking it was probably $20ish - more expensive than you would think, but an older brand that actually made a "lighter" cast iron.

Cuisinart Immersion Blender/Food Processor/Whisker - amazing $39 that will puree your soups, chop your veggies, blend your pestos, and whip your salad dressings. Works amazingly well and definitely cheaper than Beville, etc.

Cheap cookware that has not:

Hand-held mixers - burned through 3 of these in my early twenties. All cheaper models, probably $15-25 from Wal-Mart. None of them could keep up with my cookies and all smoked out and died. Replaced with a Kitchen Aid stand mixer, basically feel like super woman every time I turn it on.

Cheap grocery store skillets - non-stick or aluminum, these have warped/scratched/died. Currently using cast iron, going to go with Cuisinart triply next. (Mid-tier over budget or lux in this category).

Cheap Knives - even those that were supposed to be better brands found at T.J. Maxx, they always turned dull/unresponsive/one time the handle even broke off. (Cutting up a chicken).

Best expensive purchases:

- Sous set of Wusthof knives. $149 at WS, which means about $30/piece in the set. Amazing. Going to get a bread knife eventually, but no need yet.

- Le Creuset Dutch Oven. I wanted one NOT made in China. I appreciate the quality of the brand and I have LOVED cooking in it.

- Kitchenaid Stand Mixer - see problems above I had with hand helds.

@fulinlin

I was wondering exactly the same thing.

Its a dutch oven, heavy metal shaped into a pot and then enameled with some sort of ceramic enamel. If it costs $20 or $400 the end result is pretty much the same when it comes to the product, one may be made by hand one may be made by machine, one may use recycled metals one may use virgin metals. I can't justify paying $300 for a cooking pot.

Just goggle no knead bread. Flour, yeast, salt and water. Let rise overnight, put in dutch oven and bake!

After replacing too many inexpensive skillets ($10 to $20 range) I finally bought a set of Calphalon non stick (8", 10", and 12") when I found them at TJMaxx. I also bought a stainless Calphalon 8qt stock pot when I found it on sale at TJMaxx. They are worth every penny.

My grandmom's 3 stainless and brass bottom pot set is what I use all the time for small stewing and boiling jobs. She had them for over a decade and I have been using them for close to 2 decades, too. Talk about durability. I also got granny's deep stainless mixing bowls (set of 3). They have lasted over decades of use.

Cast iron I'd palnned to find them at thrift shops but no luck so I bought a basic set (skillet as cover for a 3qt oven) from Amazon for under $30. The size is perfect to boil steaks. I love the fact that they don't need to be washed. ;-)

I cook but it is very basic and quick cooking therefore I don't buy cookware often but to use what I have. I find that quality last longer but like countless above me stated, they are for using not posing.

Bowls and plates, on the other hand, are my kitchen weakness. I can't resist interesting pieces even though I am single and hardly ever use them to eat (usually don't eat dinner and lunch is in tupperware).

I have a medium sized Le Creuset that I received as a gift and I have a large Kirkland brand Dutch oven that I purchased at Costco for $50 (closer to $75 now). Both are great quality and I really can't discern any difference between the two.

Love, love, love this post. I have made so many excellent meals in my Ikea and Lodge Dutch ovens. I would love a couple of high-quality pans, but even without them I manage to get the job done well. If I had money to spend right now, I'd buy myself a good set of knives.

I laugh when people go on and on about only investing in the best. That's like saying you should only buy Louboutins because Steve Maddens aren't as well made. That may be true, but it's totally unrealistic for many -- most? -- people.

I have a wealthy friend who has a top-of-the-line kitchen and never, ever cooks. She also has $600 shoes but never wears them because her Toms are more comfy.

One reason to purchase Le Creuset is their lifetime warranty. From their website:

"Le Creuset cookware is warranted to you by Le Creuset of America, Inc. to be free from defects in material and workmanship at the time of its purchase. For this Lifetime Limited Warranty to apply, you must follow the care and use instructions provided with the utensil. This warranty covers normal household use only."

If your LeC piece is damaged, they will replace it. For as long as you own it. I myself cannot afford to buy it new, but if you can, this would be a good reason to do so.

When I decided I wanted a LeCreuset Dutch oven and knew I would never pay $200 plus for it, I went yard sale. It took me a solid year but I finally found my prize at 8 am one Saturday morning. chocolate brown, 40 years old, stained with use on the inside.i asked the seller how much and she said " ten bucks". I said SOLD!! The she backed away and said she couldn't sell it. I had to tell her how long I'd been searching for it and had to tell her everything I would cook in it and promised to love it. she finally agreed to sell it and I have kept my promise; I use it and love it all the time. I've passed the love down, I sent my daughter to college with my mother's Le Creuset braiser and not only is she a confirmed Dutch oven-ER, she's passed the love on to all of her friends and roommates.

hoosgracie, I have the same H.E.B. $30 pot and it braises, makes soup, gumbo, etc., very well. Yep $30 and with proper care is holding up just fine.

I've found that it's possible to have really good stuff for not that much money - it requires some R&D and in some cases learning some new techniques. For me the most important things are knives and skillets. I love reading about beautiful and expensive cutlery but I've discovered that plastic-handled pro kitchen stuff like Victorinox Fibrox is perfect for a home kitchen, and the 8" chef's knife, a favorite at America's Test Kitchen, is around $25.00 with a lifetime warrantee. It's light, sharp (and resharpens well,) and the handle is comfortable and slip-resistant.

Lodge cast iron is great for cooking as long as you learn how to deal with seasoning it. A 12" skillet can be had for around $20.00 and it's not a compromise but a great kitchen tool. I LOVE cooking in cast iron! and I use my skillet almost every day. Lodge also makes Dutch ovens, in both iron and enamel finishes at very reasonable prices: around $55.00 for a 7-quart iron-surfaced model. I'm not sure how their enamel stacks up against Le Creuset, but I'm sure the naked iron pots would work well and last forever.

I buy the best kitchen things I can afford and none of it is top of the line, but my cooking hasn't suffered from not having a KitchenAid stand mixer, a Le Creuset dutch oven, or Wusthof knives. I have a really decent set of Wolfgang Puck pots and pans, a no-name wok, Ikea wooden spoons and cast iron pans from an Army surplus. It is all sturdy, hardworking stuff that isn't for show- it's for cooking. One day when I'm in a different tax bracket maybe I'll upgrade, but I'm in no hurry.

I have had several dutch ovens bought at yard sales and got plenty of use from them. Then I decided to have them refinished and they enameled the inside black. I never could cook in them because I couldn't see where the stains were when I washed them, so I got rid of them. So I saved up and bought a Le Creuset and never regretted it. It is so much lighter so that it is much easier to lift when full, because the iron is cast as thin as they can make it. All the other ones I previously had were thick and heavy, and the rims would more easily rust. Although, I did have a French made «Doufeu» dutch oven and that was tough to beat, because of the shape of it. It did wonders with any braised meat, thanks to the shape of its cover. Got that too in a yard sale and never saw this brand on the North American market.

I received a set of LeCreuset--Dutch oven, 2 saucepans, and skillet--as a wedding present 35 years ago.
As a result of long training by my mother and grandmother, I am very careful with kitchen equipment in terms of heating, scouring, utensils used with pots, etc.
Mostly the LeCreuset didn't hold up that well--the major problems being discoloration, chipping, and rusting. The skillet was the only exception, and I still have it. The other pieces are long gone.
I have Revere and Lodge pieces inherited from my mother and grandmother--some date from the 1940s--that are still in use and in excellent shape. I like cooking with them.
Sometimes there's way too much hype and snobbery involved with cooking equipment. Pots that are flimsy can be dangerous and frustrating to cook with, but otherwise I think whatever works for the cook, both in terms of cooking satisfaction and budget, is what the cook should use.

I love my Le Creuset dutch oven. I wanted one for a long time but could not bring myself to spend the money for a new one. I found one in good condition on eBay and I could not be happier.

My enameled cast iron pot from World Market seems like it's holding up just fine.

I bought an 8-quart enameled cast iron Dutch oven about seven years ago at Marshall's. I paid $60, which I thought was a steal as I can't even find any chips or scratches. It's become the work-horse of my kitchen. I had cooked in a relative's LeCreuset model before and this one seems equal to it in every way.

Perhaps it's a discontinued item, though, because I can't find this product any more anywhere — even on Chantal's website. The Dutch oven they are selling now has something called "copper fusion" and a glass lid. Too bad because I would recommend the kind I have to anyone.

I bought a set of Costco's Kirkland brand version of the All-Clad copper core cookwear about 8 years ago. Those things are still keeping up with me just like they are brand new. They were such a bargain vs buying the name brand!

The one indispensable, can't live without, I'd save a dollar a week until I could buy one if I didn't have one item I would endorse is the KitchenAid stand mixer. No doubt.

Agree with the poster who mentioned recognising quality, irrespective of brand. There seems to be so much emphasis on this site about having the best cookware, utensils, gadgets and kitchens, and the implication is always that a big price tag or the 'right' brand equals better. Such concerns are less of an issue in other parts of the world (in Europe, certainly). There is not such a strong impulse to optimise every aspect of one's life. Home cooks are less anxious about having and being seen to have the right equipment, and talk of cooking usually centres on the quality and provenance of ingredients and technique.

I totally agree with the article and will raise it an eBay and Craigstlist. I am building my own dream kitchen (also don't have a wedding registry on the horizon or a billion dollars) and am doing it by buying the best...... used. When I started putting my kitchen together I swore that I was not going to forgo the best items just because I'm not getting married anytime soon. So, I started looking for ways to get Le Creuset, tri-ply stainless pans, a KitchenAid mixer, a Vitamix.... all for less. eBay and Craigslist are the way to go! I got my KitchenAid for $100 used off a guy in my neighborhood (works perfectly) plus a 5.5 quart le creuset dutch oven and 9" frying pan for an additional $150. Still not a small investment, but when you consider what I got for $250 it's pretty amazing. Amazon sells used versions of cook books that are in great shape and can be snagged for as low as $0.99 - sometimes with free shipping! There are ways not to cut corners and do it on the cheap, but I think purchasing a dupe like the MS collection pot is also a great way to build a nice kitchen.

I have a very large Revereware stock pot from my mother - its close to 50 years old and still fantastic. It's probably imbued with memories of all the wonderful things that came out of it when I was growing up. Or maybe it's me. On the flip-side, my mom gave me a huge Le Creuset dutch oven as a wedding present. It's also fantastic and hopefully my daughter will use it with the same memories as I do with the Revereware.

I have a Cuisinart enamel Dutch - which I got for a song at TJMaxx about 5 years ago - that I use on a weekly-plus basis. But my truly favorite, uncool items are my cheap, battered metal nesting measuring cups and spoons that I've had for over 20 years. I purchased them when I was young, poor and just learning to cook. I have been tempted to replace them many times over the years, but there's something about them - I just can't let them go.

When you're in the market for a new one, I've seen a lot of Le Creuset seconds at TJ Maxx/Marshall's/Home Goods for over 50% off the list price of a first quality piece, just be sure to find whatever make them seconds before you buy! I bought one without knowing that second quality meant that there was a tiny flaw in the enamel; uneven coloring, off-coloring, or a drip in the enamel don't effect the usability or life of the pot, a bare spot is not worth taking home.

My $20 enameled dutch oven from Target is just fine. I think it's Oster brand? I'm not sure. In fact, I prefer it to the more expensive ovens I've seen because the handle is also enameled cast iron, instead of plastic.

I liked this blog piece enough to sign up. Thanks for reminding us that it isn't what you pay for something that makes it useful or an item you can love. We live in a throw-away society - paying more for something does not guarantee it will last any longer than an inexpensive item - and now, so many items are manufactured with built-in obsolescence. But like you, I have been known to covet a LC Dutch Oven - partly because owning one would reflect back to me that I am the kind of (serious) cook I think I am, and therefore deserve (and can justify) a high end item. But my bank account disagrees. So... I work with a Kitchen Aid (gasp) Dutch Oven given to me as a mother's day gift by my husband and son... and I have had it and worked it hard for 7 years or so without a single complaint, no chips or cracks or dings. I also found another French made one (Cousances), smaller but lovely, which is probably about 20 or 30 years old. I bought it in a second-hand store, paid about 5 bucks. Works GREAT. I think it is important to keep in mind that even the best pots, sharpest most expensive knives won't make a damn bit of difference if you don't have a feel for food, and a love of cooking more than a love of the stuff you buy to cook it in.

I learned from my mother that cooking in cast iron also contributes to our iron intake! Battle anaemia with cooking tools!

I also found my huge 3qt Le Creuset dutch oven at a thrift store...Goodwill for $12! I didn't own one before and I'm glad I waited until I was able to find the one I wanted. I understand folks have budgets, I certainly do, but I am a firm believer in "buy it once - buy it right."

TJ Maxx, Marshalls, Homegoods, Craigslist, and eBay are great sources for quality cookware like Le Creuset at a discount...skip a few sushi dinners and Starbucks to invest in what you really want.

Life is too short to settle...

MY experience with enameled cast iron is that it will "craze" inside even with proper care. My enameled Lodge Dutch Oven did this; I had Lodge replace it with plain cast iron, which they made very reasonable to do. My girlfriend's same Lodge Dutch Oven...guess who gave it to her!? Same phenomenon. I was in a friend's house and looked with lust at her Le Cruset...till I spied..."crazing" inside...I think I'd try enamel outside and iron inside now...or maybe stainless steel. I am put off with nondurable enamel interior finishes I have seen.

@Dana Velden: well, the article link says that the Martha Stewart pot comes with a "limited lifetime warranty" as well, so I don't think le Creuset having one is really an argument for paying more for a le Creuset.

You and I have very similar pot and pan loves. I have four Lodge skillets of various sizes (two households combined) and 1 large Lodge enameled stockpot, outfitted with a Le Creuset metal lid knob so the whole thing can go in the oven safely. After reading Mark Bittman's column about how to outfit a kitchen for under $200 (several years ago), I decided to try IKEA's knives, and they've worked fine, as have my IKEA whisks. IKEA doesn't win my approval on everything--the manual can opener wasn't great, their all-stainless stockpots are too lightweight for my induction-heated range top (hence, the Lodge and my old Chantal pans). But I don't consider good, cheap kitchen tools to be "uncool."

I scoured the intenet, flea markets, and garage sales for le creuset cookware. I have 6 key pieces - large dutch oven, small dutch oven, large and medium size frying pans, small sauce pan, medium sauce pan. The most I spent was $60 on the large dutch oven. Patience and persistance!

There seems to be a few philosophies going on here - those that believe their "non" LC dutch ovens are just fine, those that believe they'll make do with something less expensive til they can afford a LC, and those that figure they'll do without and save until they can afford LC. You know what? The right thing is what works for you (and some people will NEVER be able to spend that kind of money on LC unless they find it at a garage sale or something). BTW, I don't have a LC - probably belong to the first group. But I AM happy that I waited to buy a KitchenAid stand mixer - love it! So it's whatever works for you.

I was lucky enough to inherit some heavily used La Creuset from a family member. I had some family that lived in SC when visiting I drove to the La Creuset offices in the middle of nowhere SC. I showed them the wear on the whole set and explained that I had been told they replaced damaged pieces. These pieces were 20 plus years old. They took my address and the used set and asked me what colors I liked and three weeks later I had all new pieces delivered to my front door. If you have chipped or damaged La Creuset they WILL give you a free replacement, I would say thats money well spent. Not money I spent but that initial investment is now being used by a second generation.

When I moved in with my grandparents to help care for them at the end of my grandmother's life, I started cooking with her wonderful Descoware. I use the orange enamel Dutch oven at least a few times a week, as she did for upwards of 50 years. I completely understand not having enough money to purchase the cookware of your dreams, but there's really something to be said for materials this good. I've added a few pieces (for surprisingly little money -- less than I'd spend on a new, cheap version) by judiciously shopping on eBay. Every time I cook, I feel close to my grandmother.

I have three enamelled pots. I limit my kitchen to ten pans, so I use them a lot and I was (luckily) given them all when we set up home so they are all in their teens now. One is a Le Creuset (my mum happened to be passing the factory and they are pretty cheap there), one a Chasseur, and one is unbranded from a French market. And they're all the same! They are all sturdy and cook very well - evenly enough to use for cakes and bread. There are no chips or rust, even though I bash them about like anything. And I put them all in the dishwasher because I can't be bothered to wash them up by hand. And it's fine. They're all fine. Maybe by 2020 I'll see a difference, but for now they're much of a muchness.

I put everything in the dishwasher. Wooden chopping boards, big posh knife, everything. The only thing I don't put in is my Welsh griddle and that's because I've never cleaned it at all. This is normal in my RL but apparently amazingly careless here.

(I don't dry clean things either! I just wash it on cold and hang it up! Painted silk, cashmere, everything! A rebel without a jumper, that's me.)

Le Creuset and Staub are both made in France instead of China- that matters to some people for many reasons, from labor practices in China to recent revelations of ingredients like lead showing up where it shouldn't be.

Staub and Le Creuset pieces are manufactured individually- each is unique -one pot per mold cast, so there is no wearing down of the molds leading to unevenness in the pieces cast. Each piece is evenly weighted- there are no thick or thin spots, which means your food cooks evenly, without hot or cold spots to contend with. Which also contributes to the pot's integrity and soundness over the long term.

The ceramic glaze is applied in four layers with LC and Staub, as opposed to the one or two layers that cheaper pots get, and they cover the pots entirely; with the cheaper pots it's not unusual that the top rim where it meets the cover is bare iron, prone to rusting. The application of the glaze isn't always the best or most consistent on cheaper pieces, and there aren't people checking it consistently through each step of the making. The quality of the glaze has been worked on over the course of almost a century, by craftsmen living in a country that values good food and the tools they use to prepare it. Those same craftsmen are still engaged in actively seeking to improve the design- the shape and handling of the pot and how it cooks.

I appreciate that not everyone can afford "the best", whatever that may be, but that doesn't mean that LC and Staub don't earn their cost or that there's no difference between one of their pots and a $40 pot from Target. Reverse snobbishness is just as silly as people rushing to pay top dollar when they barely cook.

I bought the Chefmate dutch oven from Target, made in China, $49.00 that got the rave review from Cooks Illustrated back in 2007, excited to finally see what the fuss was about with these enameled cast iron pots. I had to go to five different stores to find one pot that didn't have some kind of damage to it, where the cover matched the pot (!), and didn't have some flaw in the glaze. But I found one (and had my husband out looking for a second one which he eventually found), and read carefully how to care for them, how to cook with them, and they were great. For about a year. After a year the glaze on both pots chipped and disintegrated off the inside bottom very badly, to the point where we weren't comfortable using them- who knows what would leech into the food from the broken glaze? We had been so very careful with these pots; no metal utensils, no dry heating, never going higher than a burner's medium setting, etc, and they still died on us.

So we were out $100 after only a year. Replacing them with equally cheap pots would be another $100, putting us at a $200 investment with no guarantee we'd have any different results. "Cheap" certainly wasn't working out to be very "cheap" after all.

We didn't have $$$ sitting around to run out and pick up a pot of either LC or Staub, so we waited and saved up, and when we came across a great kitchenware sale on Amazon, combined with gift certificates, we bought a 6-1/2 quart Staub and have been completely happy with it. It looks the same as the day we bought it and it cooks perfectly. To us the difference is like night to day.

We looked at the IKEA enameled cast iron when that came out, and the Sur La Table store brand when that came out, and it all looked exactly like the Chefmate pots did- the same pebbled glaze surface, the unevenness of the application of the glaze -all made in China and we are not even tempted to try them.

We also have a SS set of four small to medium saucepans we bought for $9.99 at IKEA seven years ago, and they're still working like champs. I have no desire to replace them with All-Clad just because I have to have "the best".

I have three Victorinox knives, and they keep a sharp edge and are amazing value at $25-29 each, but the handles are awkward for my smaller hands, and between that and their balance, I have to do a lot more work than if I had the Wusthof Ikon versions of them that I love. However the difference between the performance of the Wursthof knives to that of those gorgeous hand-forged Japanese work of art knives will always be too slight to justify the huge price jump there for my purposes. A professional chef would feel differently I'm sure. I would never say those knives aren't worth their cost, but I would say that they're not worth the money to *me*, which is a different matter entirely.

Great tools won't make you a great chef, but it's a lot easier to cook well and get consistent results when you have good tools that perform exactly as they're suppose to.

@Lim: I'm the same, everything goes into the dishwasher, including wooden boards, knives, dutch ovens and stove grates. I cook a lot, and many other people use our kitchen too, so there's no point being precious with kitchen equipment as it's just there to help us get a job done, not worth the anxiety. That's why I don't pay attention to brand names.

Re: silk and cashmere. I find these wash fine in the machine on a cool setting. Make sure you wash like with like, though. I've ruined silk pieces by putting them in with heavier woolens (seams got pulled on the silk).

/me nods to pearmelon. Right! I have a lot of different people coming and going in our house too, so I've never really tried to enforce special rules about washing up. I'm just glad when they do anything, frankly. Although, saying that, we do have infection control at all thresholds, heh. So maybe it's just that I use up all my...whatever...painstakingliness...enforcing all that (although I have to do all that b/c my husband is profoundly disabled, it's not my personality or anything). But yeah, from the delicates hamper - I just bung it all in on handwash cold. I don't think I've ever ruined anything. Lucky, I spose.

I was just thinking, hardly any of us offered our non-enamel related kitchen utensils. We all got obsessed with the pots.

I'd go for the plastic coffee dripper, I reckon. I bought one online for about a fiver after I broke my third Chemex and you know what? It's just as good. The coffee tastes exactly the same. Obviously it's no good for espresso! But hardly anyone I know drinks straight espresso at home. We all drink plain brewed or cafe-au-lait, and for that, those plastic Melitta drippers are really good.

Or, I have a rotary whisk that costs about £2 and I use it way way more than my food processor. Basically I do all my prep with a sharp knife, that IKEA grater with the tupperware bottom, my hand cranked whisk and a rubber spatula. I should probably get rid of my food processor. It's a really good one but the only thing I ever use it for is crumbling butter and flour together.

@JoanteThird: thanks for the information, though its ironically that you go on about how le Creuset and Staub is made in France and therefore so good when you doubt the Ikea quality and write it is made in China when actually, the Senior Line from Ikea is made in France. Actually there has been many speculations that the Ikea line was actually produced by either Staub or LeCreuset because of the "Made in France".

I bought a Cuisinart Dutch Oven for $50 at TJ MAXX and love it. If I buy All Clad it's only when it's on clearance. You can buy good stuff, just wait for the right price to come along. Before that I used a Corning Visions Dutch Oven--still use it. I've had that for 30 years and still use it for my microwave chili. Looks like the day I bought it. Whether you pay $1 or $1000 as long as you take care of it and don't loan it to people who don't appreciate it as much as you do, anything will last a lifetime. If you do get a chance to upgrade to something, save the old one and use that as your "loaner."

My very low-cost steamer is made by punching holes in an aluminum pie pan and turning it upside down in a pot. Has always worked well!

PS: Le Creuset has a color called "Caribbean Blue" which is very similar to the Martha Stewart color. I bought a tea kettle from Chef Magazine in that color - love the pop it gives my kitchen. Also, Dr. Mercola sells enameled cookware which is designed to be safe and lighter.

"I can't justify the cost of another Le Creuset - does anyone know of any smaller ones (3-4 qt) that are $50 or less?"

Tip: shop the thrift stores & yard sales. The key is to have patience & keep shopping. Last summer while visiting dd, we made the yard sale rounds. She called me over to examine the quality of the very piece you are asking about. It was brand new, still in the box it was shipped in. I carefully lifted it from the unmarked box, noted the heft & workmanship and pronounced it a good buy. THEN I noticed the brand (hey, i'm not a brand-name shopper, nor is dd, it's the quality that's important).

Long story short: dd left that day $10 lighter with a Le Creuset. Nope that's not a typo. I said ten dollars.

I'm still using my g-ma's cast iron dutch oven along with half a dozen various sized cast iron skillets. Don't know the brand & don't care. As someone mentioned above, they are *at least* 110 yrs old. And likely my own g-kids will enjoy them one day. Point being, branding doesn't always equate to quality and it's quality that matters.

That said, the two 'uncool' tools I reach for most often, other than my unbranded cast iron, are a wooden spoon (actually it's square - not sure of the proper term for it) and a wood handled carving fork which was my dad's constant companion. Both have 'seen better days' aesthically, but are still going strong. Oh, the memories!

"I also have the feeling, that people often take buying something cheap as a license to treat it like crap, so of course it won't last long, while the expensive thing gets treated very carefully (and sometimes hardly used) so the expensive thing will of course last longer."

Excellent point.

I have an enameled Lodge in Carribean or island blue because I could get one small enough for a household of two, but still make intentnal leftovers on occasion.
The metal knob helped.
I did look at Ikea, but that weeks' shipment had a lot of inconsistencies in the enamel.

I have a few crafter made wooden spoons for which i bartered or traded. I do use them, but I use the $5 bamboo set just as much and maybe more. I oil them all without distinction.

My cutting board? All hardwood, handmade and $25 on Etsy. It was a sale because the wood had a weird knot that didn't look quite right to the crafter. I use that side as a serving tray. I think it is interesting, but I do worry it could come out under vigorous chopping.

My chopsticks are wood, and I've had them a while. I use them as kitchen tools as well as eating implements. I think I paid $1 or so per pair. Nit as cheap as grocery store packs, but I was a sucker for color, and these were budget friendly.
Now, if I was so color particular in enamel ware?

My really uncool tools are canning jars.
Officially, I have them for dry storage ( small household, hippie cookbooks equals lots of small amounts of different things) but I've taken to using them for leftovers in fridge and freezer (with plenty of head space). I've even broken them out as drinking glasses at a pot luck. Most were from trash pick day, but my local grocery offers them for $1 each, so I have a few different sizes, typcally ill get two and pick up two more later.
I bought new lids for the trash pick quarts.

I also love Pyrex small bowls with lids for leftover storage and table use. I forget if they are one or two cup, but they are great for cereal, soup and the like with a lot of room left. I suspect that means two cup.
I have four. I'd keep eight in use... But the canning jars were half the price, averaging what I did spend for new small jars and the new lids.

I have a turquoise blue vintage (1960?) aluminum dutch oven I bought at a garage sale a few years ago by Club for $10. The garage sale was by a local lady who wrote cookbooks, did a TV cooking show and taught cooking. It was nicely broken in when I got it and I love cooking with it.

I have 4 Staub dutch ovens/casseroles, a grill pan and saute pan, along with the chicken roaster. I did not need all of these, obviously (what home cook for a family of two does?), but I love them and use most quite often. While still indulgent, all were bought at deep discount through online retailers and/or outlets so I spent less than $600. I compared the pieces to LC, Lodge, Tamontina, and other misc. pieces before deciding on Staub. I adore the look, but the key thing was that the quality was better than all but LC. I preferred the colors and black interior to LC.

I am not brand obsessed. I use Lodge cast iron and my stainless is Tramontina, not AllClad. We use Henckels knives that are 15 - 25 years old (my first chef's knife bought in my twenties is still my favorite); not precious, by any means, but they sharpen well and work fine. My wok is a cheap one from the Wok Shop, but well-seasoned.

My favorite unsexy item? My Ninja. No need for a Vitamix here! I do lust after a KitchenAid. But do not have one because 1) I have a tiny kitchen and 2) I use my hand mixer 2-3 times a year whether I need to or not.

I have the Dutch oven and the frying pan from HEB. I love both.

Wow, this topic has certainly hit a nerve for a lot of us. My only Splurge/ top tier kitchen tool is my Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer, which I got discounted because I went for the navy instead of the white, black, red or aluminum, bought from Amazon 8 years ago, I love my stand mixer. I use to make bread weekly/bi-weekly depending on need and use. I also went with the Macy's Sale and bought the same Martha Stewart Dutch Oven in Navy, which I just took off the stove. I think I'll actually buy the next size down too, the only reason I don't use it more frequently is that I often find it too big for an evening meal. But I love the way it holds the heat and the result of my stews. I've had it for 4 years and looks new, no dings or cracks. Unless I'm gifted a Le Creuset, I don't believe I'll buy one.

Definitely not a brand-name cook here, I buy cheap because that's what I can afford. My frying pans are all from iKea. And I love them. They have a nice weight and have lasted for several years and still going strong. I've also got a HUGE pasta pot that I found in a speckled blue pattern, very cowboy-esque, at a yard sale and again I love it. Super cheap but I've used it since college. Price isn't everything.

As for my favorite pot to use...I'm using a cast iron dutch-oven that I couldn't tell you the brand name of if you paid me. That said, it was my great-grandmothers and I will put the chili I made last night up against ANY recipe to come out of one of those expensive brands. 100+ years of seasoning cannot be bought no matter how big your budget is.

I have lusted after the LeCruesets, which will never be in my budget in this lifetime. About 10-15 years ago, I purchased a Dansk knock-off for a reasonable price (?30-40$). It chipped easily around the rim and the bottom is too thin for me to consider it a “dutch oven”, although it is still a nice quality pot for other things.

About a year ago, I was in WallyWorld when I spied a $50 knockoff!! I circled it a few times, not believing what I was seeing!! After lots of research, it was a review on Cook's Kitchen which reported if you can't afford the French version, this is an excellent choice. I ran to WallyWorld and purchased one, feeling like a million bucks!!! I have owned it for about 9 months, and altho it is my go to pot, I'm starting to develop some gripes. My complaints: the screw for the knob on the lid is loose. Also, the bottom of the pot is discolored and I can't seem to get the stains out. I am going to try a basic toothpaste which has served me well in the past on my Dansk enamel pot.

I'm still skeptical that no one can make a pot as good as the French version for under $300. A very large chunk of that pricetag has to go to the “branding”.

I have cast aluminum Guardian Ware, circa 1920 through 1945, My small roaster is a complete delight. I understand that enameled cookware has many fine attributes, but my heavy cast aluminum gets the job done, and every time I use it I think of my Grandmother and my Mother.

Wagner Ware Magnalite... Vintage, inexpensive and great!

@BetseyMc

There are 2 garlic presses on the Ikea website -- is either of them similar to your old one?

@Lim: What a fantastic expression!
My 'painstakingliness' goes towards sourcing ingredients. If you have great produce, you can't go wrong, even if your equipment is 'uncool'.

@sailmaine07 Le Creuset makes both plastic and stainless steel replacement knobs which you can find on Amazon. Maybe one of those would fit your lid, to replace the knob w/ the stripped-out screw?

That pot is beautiful. Living within your means is way classier than being a kitchenware snob anyhow!

I completely agree. It would be lovely to have these top-of-the-line items but the plates are routinely licked clean at my house even though I have none of the fancy items.

I have a Lodge Dutch Oven and absolutely love it. It probably helps that I've never had or used a Le Creuset so I have absolutely no idea what I'm missing. (And I plan to keep it that way as long as possible). I will say I plan to upgrade to AllClad as soon as humanly possible. We bought cheap non-stick skillets and pots and the coating started to chip away after only a year. Now, I use some stainless steel pots I found for cheap at an auction, but I'm longing for the day when I can trade them in for some shiny AllClads.

Ha! I love this! I have the Cuisinart dutch oven- bought at TJ Maxx. She has lovingly been christened "Big Blue", and I've made many a soup/stew/chili/onepotmeal in it....I've never been disappointed. (Especially since I realized I could get the interior SPOTLESS with Barkeeper's Friend!)

I have a 3 qt Lodge one which the knob has cracked on - I have no idea why; and a 6 qt Kirkland (Costco store brand) one. Both were much less expensive than Le Creuset, and I think they perform just fine. Unless I stumble upon a decently sized piece of Le Creuset for less than $60, I'll stick with the less expensive brands - I won't get as upset if the enamel chips.

@fulinlin: The enameled pieces at IKEA we looked at were definitely made in China- IKEA marks all their products with their country of origin, so it's not me assuming. I don't know the Senior Line specifically, but I will make a point of looking for it next time we're there.

I wasn't questioning the IKEA pieces just because they were at IKEA- some IKEA stuff is great -other stuff has been a waste of money. My opinion of the Made In China pieces is based on my direct experience with them (again, not assumptions).

I have a real deal Le Creuset dutch oven (8 years old) as well as a larger-capacity MS one like the one pictured above (4 years old). I am careful with both (within reason) and have used the Le Creuset much more often, and I find the glaze is flying off my MS one in chips now.

I'd disagree with the Cooks' Illustrated comments. There is much I don't like about that site/magazine, but they ALWAYS look for a "best buy" version in their recommendations.

Y'all know you can buy Le Creuset dutch ovens at TJ Maxx for dead cheap, right?

This is such a great post! There are so many kitchen items that I would love, but at this point in my life I can't justify the expense. If the less expensive version works for you then I would argue that it's better than nothing! And for some gadgets I think it's better to start with a less expensive version until you know if you will actually use it. I'm also glad to hear that the Martha Stewart dutch oven has held up well. I've been wanting a Dutch Oven, but really can't justify Le Creuset prices at this point!

Having said that, I did finally splurge on a Kitchen Aid (6 Quart!) last summer, but only because it was on such a huge sale that it made it less than the Artisan model. At that point I had spent years just getting by with my VERY cheap mixer, and knew how much I would actually use it.

i agree. i bought some kitchen things from ikea - the cheap ones because i could not afford much at the time - and regretted it. the next time i bought a slightly better but still cheep pan regretted again. in the end, it might STILL be cheaper to buy an ikea pan every few months but when i cook with something better i got after, the food behaves better...

very good point - i cook more when i have beter food or bether kitchenware available.