apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time


Are There Lighter Alternatives to Cast Iron Cookware?
Good Questions

2009-09-04-Creuset.jpgQ: We're putting together a registry for our wedding, and while I would love to register for an enamel Dutch oven (like Le Creuset — I can smell the delicious stews and braised meats already!) I'm not sure I can handle a pan that heavy. In addition to being a petite gal, I have tendonitis in my wrist. I can manage okay with our 12-inch cast iron skillet, but it's still not ideal.

Do you have any suggestions for light-weight alternatives to cast iron skillets and pots?

Sent by Mariko

 
 

Editor: Mariko, congratulations on your wedding! But we feel your pain; big, heavy pots are hard for us too. It's hard, though, because the very heaviness of a pot is an essential quality in how well it cooks. You want the weight; the worst thing in the kitchen, after a dull knife, is a thin-bottomed pot. Having said that, there are alternatives. One is simply to get a smaller Dutch oven. We have the 2 3/4 quart Le Creuset pictured above, and it's really reasonable in weight. It also is large enough for most of the small household meals we make.

What about other, lighter alternatives, though? Readers? What are your thoughts?

• Find it: Le Creuset 2-3/4 Quart Round French Oven, $109.95 at Amazon

Related: What's the Deal with Dutch Ovens?

(Image: Amazon)

Tags

Good Questions, Cookware & Tools, Le Creuset, Dutch oven, cast iron

Related Links

Share

Comments (12)

You could try Calphalon, and their anodized aluminum. Not sure about the "advanced release polymer"...? (anyone know what that is?)

http://www.calphalon.com/calphalon/consumer/products/productGroup.jhtml?catId=CLCat250001

Have say, enameled cast iron is in a class by itself -- non-stick, conductive, oven or stove top... Stainless sticks, and non-stick is not healthy...

posted by mschatelaine on September 4th 2009 at 10:50am
view mschatelaine's profile

Cook's Illustrated voted All Clad's 8-qt. stainless stockpot as the best lighter choice for an alternative to a dutch oven. it weights 6 pounds.

I really do love my Le Creuset though and while I struggle with lifting it sometimes, I wouldn't give it up. You could always do what I do and make the hubby lift it into the fridge when it's full :)

posted by coookies on September 4th 2009 at 10:54am
view coookies's profile

I would say that the way you handle a skillet is different than the way you handle a Dutch oven. Often you have to lift a skillet and turn it sideways to empty the contents, and I feel your pain on this--I'm small with weak wrists, too! And forget about holding it with one hand and scraping with the other--I have to have my partner hold the pan while I empty the contents. But with a Dutch oven, once it's on the stove top and filled with food, it stays there! If I need to put it in the oven, I use both hands and put my knees into it, and I manage just fine.

Really, if you can handle a 12-inch cast iron skillet, I think a Dutch oven will be okay. Because of the awkward nature of a skillet, I can't even pick up my 12-inch when it's full of food, but I can always maneuver my Dutch oven.

posted by sjbreeze on September 4th 2009 at 10:59am
view sjbreeze's profile

I can't recommend cast aluminum enough! It is SO much lighter than cast iron. I don't have any enameled (don't know if it exists) but I have a Berndes cast aluminum Dutch oven that I adore.
http://www.berndes.com/us/products/index.php?layout=material&m=10
http://www.berndes-cookware.com/products/FamilyGroup.html?categoryId=143
I have one with a terra cotta lid, and that's an extra bonus - I soak the lid in water before I put whatever I'm making in the oven, and nothing ever gets dried out. We've used this for pot roasts (brown on stove then cook in oven), no-knead bread, etc., and everything has come out great.

posted by kat98 on September 4th 2009 at 11:11am
view kat98's profile

Go old school and get Guardian Service. There are great online sources as well as the occasional yard sale or antique store find. Very thick aluminum. Haven't touched cast iron since I got mine. They were designed to do everything stove-top too, so you don't even have to heat the oven to make a delicious stew.

posted by moonbeamer on September 4th 2009 at 11:13am
view moonbeamer's profile

I feel your pain -- I had a bad bout of carpal tunnel and tennis elbow a couple of years back and have tried to take things a little easier ever since.

The Dutch oven is definitely a good choice because of the two handles. I might even advise going to a store and lifting several different sizes to know what your "max weight" is, keeping in mind that it's heavier when there's food inside.

If you want large skillets or pots, try to find ones with a helper handle so you can use both hands to lift them.

posted by Michelle of Montreal on September 4th 2009 at 11:15am
view Michelle of Montreal's profile

Aluminum for sure. Many years ago, when it was thought that aluminum was bad for you, I got rid of a big dutch oven that I now wish I had kept.

One of the nice things about aluminum is that it seasons with time - maybe not as well as cast iron - but with time it does really resist sticking. And it conducts heat really well.

Another option is Look Cookware. It is aluminum covered with a really good non-stick coating, and I just love the stuff.

posted by Bobolink on September 4th 2009 at 12:05pm
view Bobolink's profile

First off, nothing beats cast-iron. So whatever you get is going to be a lesser alternative. There are a number of companies that use copper core construction that should be an acceptable alternative.

posted by 7yler on September 4th 2009 at 1:19pm
view 7yler's profile

What about Emile Henry? They've got a line of products that can be used on the stovetop and in the oven, and it only weighs 1/3 of the cast iron because it's made of clay.

posted by jarobinson1 on September 4th 2009 at 1:39pm
view jarobinson1's profile

I was going to say almost word-for-word what sjbreeze said! I have bad wrist problems as well,a d really struggle to tip contents out of my 12" and 14" pans when I've sauteed, etc. But I don't have trouble with my 5 quart Le Creuset because I am only ever listing it straight in and out of the oven or onto the stove top with two hands.

posted by katef on September 4th 2009 at 5:30pm
view katef's profile

I adore both my Chantal cookware (enamel on steel) and my Dansk dutch ovens (cast iron under enamel) I go through clutz cycles where I drop things...and I know my ceramic stovetop would die a sorry death if I tried cast iron! Not to mention my toes. :/

posted by Lizliterarius on September 5th 2009 at 3:15am
view Lizliterarius's profile

kat98, moonbeamer, and bobolink are right, cast aluminum could be your answer.

I love my Le Creuset dutch oven but I also have one of those vintage Magnalite cast aluminum roasters that seem to have a massive cult following (check on ebay, amazon, i think Martha Stewart has raved about them too).

I'm pretty sure Magnalite still makes those roasters and has a dutch oven too. They're all much lighter than enameled cast iron but are also sturdier and substantially thicker than enameled steel. It heats very evenly on the stovetop or in the oven just like Le Creuset, but is a cinch to pick up.

Although frankly I don't have problems lifting my Le Creuset when it's full and I'm 5' 4". Perhaps you have a generous friend with a Le Creuset dutch oven that you can test run to see whether or not your worries about managing the thing are unfounded?

posted by Slow Lorus on September 6th 2009 at 1:06pm
view Slow Lorus's profile