Re-surface an enamelled cast iron pot or just buy a new one?

[Nemo]

G'day KKF,

Around 20 years ago, I bought an enamelled cast iron French oven from a well known and expensive brand. It lasted around 10 years before the enamel in the base of the cooking surface chipped, without an obvious incident causing the chip. When I enquired about the lifetime warranty, I was told that this kind of damage was due to overheating and was not covered by the warranty. I was offered a "discount" on a replacement but the discounted price was more than what a new one was often retaling for at the time.

I ended up buying a much cheaper (a tenth the price) home brand version of the same thing which has proven at least as durable but now (over a decade later) has a chip in (of all places) the inside of the lid.

I'm trying to decide whether to:
1) Buy another cheapie. I don't know whether this is a legit concern but I wonder whether cheaper versions are made in countries where material safety laws are lax enough that non food-safe glazes might be used.
2) Buy a different exxie brand.
3) Re-enamel the original pan (which has been gathering dust in the cupboard for over a decade). No idea if this is cost effective or if the quality of the glaze is as good (or maybe better). Has anyone done it?

Mine gets mostly used for pot- roasts and curries as these days I do most of my braises in a pressure cooker. I'd consider bare cast iron but I often declare the pan with vinegar which would affect the seasoning.

Thanks for your thoughts

 

[Jovidah]

I tried two different cheapies and both chipped in just a handful of years. Went with a Staub for the next one.
Staub vs Le Creuset is a discussion that can go on for ages and I don't think you can really go wrong with either. I got a really good deal during amazon prime days so that solved the dilemma for me. At first I worried it'd be harder to see what was going on inside the pan with the black inner coating, but it's not a problem (it's not pitch black).

 

[McMan]

(4) Buy a nice used one eBay. It'll cost about the same as a new cheapie.
There are some brands that aren't as collectible--but just as good, if not better than LC--so with a little hunting you can get a deal. Descoware (Dutch Belgian) and Copco (Danish) are very good. I'd take a 'vintage' Copco all day over a new LC.

 

[Jovidah]

Never heard of Descoware or seen a pan of, and I'm reasonably up to date on what's on the market in the last 15 years or so, so either it isn't really Dutch, or it's an old brand that's long gone.
The one Dutch brand I was actually considering (but I doubt it's available abroad) is BK. They have some cheapish (carbon steel) enamelled stuff that always impressed me with how durable the enamel was. I abused the hell out of that crap and it never budged or chipped... They lasted way better than all the cheap made in China cast iron stuff. Only places it showed any marks were on the handles from dropping them on a stone floor from 1,5 meters, but at that point anything would shatter.
I would still be using them if it wasn't for the thin carbon steel being less than ideal from a thermal perspective, but these days they also have thicker cast iron options.

 

[Michi]

I'm a fan of the Le Creuset ones because of their quality. I like the white interior, which makes much easier to see what's going on in terms of browning. And they are pretty

I'd hang out for a sale and get a Le Creuset. Besides making your curries and the like, you can also bake bread in one

 

[Nemo]

I'm a fan of the Le Creuset ones because of their quality. I like the white interior, which makes much easier to see what's going on in terms of browning. And they are pretty

I'd hang out for a sale and get a Le Creuset. Besides making your curries and the like, you can also bake bread in one

My cheapie has a white glaze on the cooking surface as well.

I don't really bake bread.

 

[Jovidah]

For bread I'd just get a seperate uncoated one. The one I used for it didn't exactly get any prettier from it (was a cheapo, but wouldn't want to risk a more expensive one on it).

 

[McMan]

Never heard of Descoware or seen a pan of, and I'm reasonably up to date on what's on the market in the last 15 years or so, so either it isn't really Dutch, or it's an old brand that's long gone.
The one Dutch brand I was actually considering (but I doubt it's available abroad) is BK. They have some cheapish (carbon steel) enamelled stuff that always impressed me with how durable the enamel was. I abused the hell out of that crap and it never budged or chipped... They lasted way better than all the cheap made in China cast iron stuff. Only places it showed any marks were on the handles from dropping them on a stone floor from 1,5 meters, but at that point anything would shatter.
I would still be using them if it wasn't for the thin carbon steel being less than ideal from a thermal perspective, but these days they also have thicker cast iron options.

Correction: Ooops--Looks like Descoware was Belgian. (I'll fix that in the post above.)
They've been out of business since the 70s. Definitely 'vintage' stuff. I like the design.
According to this site, they were Julia Child's preferred enameled pans and also the originator of the 'flame' pattern. Looks like LC out-marketed them in the 70s and won. Anyhow, not hard to find cheap ones on ebay in good shape (though I'm not sure what's up with ebay in Oz, so this may differ...)
https://descoware.com/history

 

[Jovidah]

Aaah that definitly qualifies as 'before my time'. That's older than I am!

 

[Michi]

Aaah that definitly qualifies as 'before my time'. That's older than I am!

Spring chicken!

 

[Justinv]

Buy a bourgeat copper casserole pan. Stainless lined. It won’t ever chip and will outlive your kids.

 

[sansho]

3) Re-enamel the original pan (which has been gathering dust in the cupboard for over a decade). No idea if this is cost effective or if the quality of the glaze is as good (or maybe better). Has anyone done it?

i've never heard of this before. is this really an option? where?

 

[Nemo]

There is a place in Melbourne that does it:

http://www.melbourneenamelling.com.au/ptoducts_cookwear.html
but I'm sure there would be a similar service near you.

I haven't enqured about how expensive it is yet.

 

[Nemo]

Buy a bourgeat copper casserole pan. Stainless lined. It won’t ever chip and will outlive your kids.

I was toying with the idea of doing something like this. Are they suitable for pot roasts as well as braises?

 

[@ftermath]

TLDR to see if the original brand was mentioned in follow on posts. If it’s Le Creuset, I would try again. I have heard folks claim to have purchased off of eBay and Craigslist and then returned under their lifetime warrantee with no questions asked. Whether this is true or not, I cannot say but it’s definitely worth another try. I will never be without a Le Creuset Dutch oven and FWIW, you can scout out Home Goods/TJ Maxx/Marshall’s for these pots. They have them often enough. My first Dutch oven was a 5.5qt Home Goods special that lasted me 7-8 years before I recently purchased the 7.25qt that I really wanted and gifted the old version, which is still going strong, to a family member.

 

[daveb]

I was toying with the idea of doing something like this. Are they suitable for pot roasts as well as braises?

It may be another case of you folks talking funny but in the states a pot roast is cooked by braising.

Above is a good point, I would ask again about warranty if LeC. I've found Staub (and even Lodge enamel) to function quite well but have had LeC forever.

 

[Bensbites]

1) I would try and see if either yours have lifetime warranty

2) I have a lodge and would get it again. I have also heard lodge was easier to get warranty help than more expensive brands.

 

[Lars]

(4) Buy a nice used one eBay. It'll cost about the same as a new cheapie.
There are some brands that aren't as collectible--but just as good, if not better than LC--so with a little hunting you can get a deal. Descoware (Dutch Belgian) and Copco (Danish) are very good. I'd take a 'vintage' Copco all day over a new LC.

I agree, my Copco pieces are much nicer than the stuff I have from Staub and Le Creuset.

 

[Nemo]

It may be another case of you folks talking funny but in the states a pot roast is cooked by braising.

Above is a good point, I would ask again about warranty if LeC. I've found Staub (and even Lodge enamel) to function quite well but have had LeC forever.

I guess it's kinda cooked like a braise but without liquid.

I'm friendly with the local shop that sells them. I might see if they will make another representation for me.

 

[rickbern]

I was toying with the idea of doing something like this. Are they suitable for pot roasts as well as braises?

That’s what I use. I got a six quart stainless lined one here on bst, it’s a great pot. I have oval le creusets that I prefer for pot roast solely because of the shape.

I bet the oval pot holds 60% of the liquid as the round copper one for the same size roast. Actually, the oval is a little longer

 

[Justinv]

I have the same 6qt copper pot as rickbern and it works great for everything I put in there. If I need larger I go to an 8qt all-clad MC2. I have several creuset pots but rarely use them. Like rickbern, I have a big oval creuset that is sometimes useful for its size and shape.

 

[Chips]

I've never been able to find any re-enamelling services here in the USA. And most repair searches online point toward using food safe epoxy to cover the defect, I'm assuming only to help mitigate it from getting worse.

 

[Twotimehojo]

Are you near or will be near an outlet store for LC or Williams Sonoma? I have gotten Staub and LC for 40% off. They are usually 30% off and sometimes 50% off. And they look new to me and I inspect them before purchasing. Usually there are 3 or 4 in inventory to choose from.

 

[Nemo]

Are you near or will be near an outlet store for LC or Williams Sonoma? I have gotten Staub and LC for 40% off. They are usually 30% off and sometimes 50% off. And they look new to me and I inspect them before purchasing. Usually there are 3 or 4 in inventory to choose from.

Unfortunately rolling lock downs and state border closures are going to make that impossible until vaccination rates improve substantially.

On the upside, I did recently discover that there are some WS stores in Melbourne and Sydney. If Sydney ever opens again. Or if I'm ever allowed to travel to Melbourne again.

 

[rickbern]

Unfortunately rolling lock downs and state border closures are going to make that impossible until vaccination rates improve substantially.

On the upside, I did recently discover that there are some WS stores in Melbourne and Sydney. If Sydney ever opens again. Or if I'm ever allowed to travel to Melbourne again.

Nemo, @Justinv and I are on the same page I think. You can braise in lots of pans. Non reactive is clearly superior, there’s obviously long cook times with lots of acids. Also a heavy enough base to even out the heat is crucial, that points to a certain level of quality.

Once those criteria are met, the shape and capacity of the pan is waaay more important than the material. If I hadn’t have gotten such a great deal on the copper pot I would have bought a fissler with a heavy disk base and never looked back. It would have had the same 6qt capacity.

if the oval le creuset had six quarts capacity, I would have been fine with that, wouldn’t have been looking to buy. Before I got the copper pot, I used the oval or it’s larger oval cousin, they were okay, I was looking mostly for an in between size. The material, at least to me, was the least important part of the equation.

the oval pan has about 3.75 quart capacity, this lower capacity is exactly what I’d want for a pot roast. Lower capacity of the pot yields more concentrated flavor in the liquid

 

[stringer]

Nemo, @Justinv and I are on the same page I think. You can braise in lots of pans. Non reactive is clearly superior, long cook times with lots of acids. Also a heavy enough base to even out the heat.

Once that criteria is met, the shape and capacity of the pan is waaay more important than the material. If I hadn’t have gotten such a great deal on the copper pot I would have bought a fissler with a heavy disk base and never looked back. It would have had the same 6qt capacity.

if the oval le creuset had six quarts capacity, I would have been fine with that. Before I got the copper pot, I used the oval or it’s larger oval cousin, they were okay, I was looking mostly for an in between size. The material, at least to me, wasthe least important part of the equation.

I agree that for braising size and shape matter more than material. I have a 7.2 Liter Le Creuset Doufeu. I got mine as a showcase model discount, half off, many years ago. It has a weird lid that is meant to be filled with ice to encouraged convection currents in the pot while stuff is roasting or something. I have never tried that, but I like having an extra large size enameled cast iron for doing braises. Made some chicken chili last night. For me the 5 and 6 liter ones feel too small. I am usually only cooking for two but I like to make big batches and freeze some.

 

[rickbern]

Family photo. I have a couple of larger capacity solutions too. If I’m braising two lamb shanks that 20 cm fissler is a great pot. The large Le Creuset is about 7 quarts. If I need to go larger, I have 30 & 34cm sitram rondeaus that also work great.