Really? Define sensible money.
I have never paid more than £100 for anything Le Creuset and I only ever buy that from JL... usually as Christmas presents.
For any "household" brands, you need to factor in marketing, and both the distributor and retailer taking a cut. Ikea own brand will always be better value, plus they have economies of scale that other companies can only dream of.
If Ikea sold Le Creuset notably cheaper, I'd go there.
As is, a £30 cast iron casserole from Ikea will need replacing within a year as the enamel is prone to cracking and chipping even from light bumps and dings... People are still using Le Creuset stuff that is 50 years old. It's a real investment.
I get lectured by chefs on my choice of kitchen kit so regularly it's enough to turn me Sweeny Todd!!
Glad you mentioned JL as I am considering getting some bits from JL and some from Ikea. I'll probably compare the saute pan ranges in both - have you used any from JL?
JL are my preferred retailer for fancy gifts like this.
I am really glad someone has actually mentioned
this pan (I hope you mean this one?!). Every time I find it in a shop I am drawn to it. I love the weight, handle and the feel of the finish, I think it just oozes quality. The best part is, I want to hate it because it's Jamie Oliver (so it must be good)! i think I might pick this up (26cm) together with a 20cm IKEA pan recommended earlier in thread; would be interesting to compare the two.
Ours is the same range, but wider and shallower.
Very good, particularly when the Circulon's raised ridges aren't suitable and you need a flat surface... I just wish to hell she'd bought a smaller one so I can use the rest of the cooker at the same time!!
Jamie does do some good stuff, but out of principle I won't line his pockets in furnishing my own kitchen! I also find his cook shows more likeable than Gordon Ramsay's, yet find Ramsay's recipes seem to work better for me than Oliver's... weird, huh!
However, I just can't see this in the cast iron cookware
With the exception of stews (for which we have a massive Signature casserole that weighs a ton, but still gets almost daily use), I don't actually use much of the cast iron stuff myself very often. That's more the Mrs's domain and her obssession with life in a country cottage. I really like their stoneware though and it's always in the perfect sizes for stuff - Even their little 'petit casserole' 3-set gets far more use than you'd ever expect!
I gave in to a "deal" at the weekend when I popped into the LC shop in town and picked up a cast iron griddle pan they were phasing out that was £70. The results so far have been spectacular; best steak I've ever cooked at home and cleanup was a doddle
Yeah, we have an old one that was passed down to us, too - Bloody fantastic, those things!!!
Biggest issue with buying Le Creuset for us is getting it in plain black to match the older stuff we already have.