The Best Things to Buy at Le Creuset

Though this isn’t exactly a piece of cookware, Le Creuset’s Utensil Crock is an essential addition to your kitchen organization. The stoneware item comes in two different sizes and stylishly keeps utensils organized. This is a nice alternative to storing your most reached for utensils on your countertop, versus in a drawer. 

The Kitchn’s editorial shopping director Jada Wong loves that the Utensil Crock’s material is resistant to chips, scratches, and stains, so there’s no need to worry about metal utensils causing damage. The glazed finish, which comes in 10 colors, ranging from white to Caribbean blue, looks great on any countertop.

The most recognizable piece of cookware in Le Creuset’s collection is, of course, their classic round Dutch oven. It’s a favorite for professional chefs and home cooks alike, and can be used to cook a variety of foods, including soups and stews, bread, mashed potatoes, and roast chicken. It can also be used for fried chicken, but if you’re worried about splatters you can pick up their Deep Dutch Oven instead — it’s also great for reducing the chance of boil-overs when simmering soups and sauces.

The round Dutch oven is made of enameled cast iron (naturally), which boasts exceptional heat distribution and retention, and its shape is designed to lock in moisture and flavor. There are several sizes for various needs — my 5.5-quart Dutch oven is a beautiful piece of cookware that can make more than enough food for me and my husband (although I intentionally got a larger size to feed friends and family visiting). The Kitchn’s former Editor-in-Chief, Faith Durand, loves the smaller (and more affordable) 3.5-quart round Dutch oven for weeknight dishes. “You can lift it without breaking your back!” she writes. “It fits in a regular-sized cabinet! No, it can’t bathe a baby or feed an entire marching band, but other than that, it’s a workhorse for everyday weeknight cooking.”

Bake and serve lasagna, breakfast casseroles, brownies, cinnamon rolls, and so much more in the beautiful Heritage Rectangular Casserole. A Le Creuset bestseller, it has a stoneware lid that helps locks in moisture and heat while your food is baking, and also makes it convenient to transport food and store leftovers.|

The Heritage Rectangular Casserole is another one of the brand’s examples of beautiful cookware that can go from the oven straight to your kitchen table. The colorful glaze does double duty, adding an attractive flair to the dish while the nonstick interior offers easy cleanup. A reviewer notes that the Heritage Rectangular Casserole is the perfect size for medium casseroles. “I have roasted chicken in it, and it came out wonderful,” the reviewer writes. “I definitely recommend this product, and will be buying more.” 

The Bread Oven takes home-baked loaves to the next level. You can definitely make bread in a classic Dutch Oven (which I have!), but this bakeware is thoughtfully designed to make bakery-quality bread even easier and more delicious. It has a domed lid that traps and circulates steam which boosts flavor and the rise on the bread, while the low-profile base encourages even browning and a crispy crust.

Beyond bread, the Bread Oven can also be used to make sweet or savory baked goods, and the base can be used as a skillet or roaster. “I made a few loaves and they all turned out exceptional — moist and chewy inside and super crispy-crackly outside, with a tad more loft than usual,” writes Kitchn contributor Danielle Centoni in her review of the bread oven. If you haven’t gotten in on the bread baking pandemic trend yet, or if your passion for baking homemade sourdough loaves has gone slightly stale, the Bread Oven is a versatile piece to have.

For Thanksgiving turkey (and pan gravy), Sunday roasts, oven-roasted vegetables, and everything in between, look no further than Le Creuset’s bestselling Signature Roaster. “We use this for roasting, baking, and casseroles very often,” a reviewer writes. “It is a well-loved workhorse in our busy kitchen.”

Its low profile is ideal for roasting foods in the oven without taking too much space, and the wide loop handles on the sides give you a secure grip as you transport it from the oven or stove to your kitchen table. We see the versatile Signature Roaster as a cookware staple that can be passed down for generations and help preserve delicious traditions well beyond the holidays.

In addition to being absolutely adorable, Le Creuset’s Mini Round Cocottes are the ideal vessel for single servings of dessert (like molten chocolate cake and berry crumbles), side dishes (think: pot pie and mac and cheese), and even fancy finishing salt. One reviewer notes that the mini cocottes are “perfect for entertaining,” as they keep dips and sauces warm. “[They are] also great for individual soups and leftover portions.”

At this size —and price point — it’s also an inexpensive way to start your Le Creuset collection and get a feel of how the different colors work in your kitchen. These bestselling pots come in over a dozen colors, so you can mix and match them with the rest of your cookware collection.