A poor man's Le Creuset...

Has anyone had any great success in finding one? I mentioned in a YC thread that I was looking for a large hob to oven casserole dish, but realised it would be worth asking here, too. Do any of you have a recommendation? I'm in the UK, if that helps.
Thanks

Have you tried estate/yard sales? I often find better quality furniture and kitchenware in areas where there are a lot of old people and for a fraction of the price. Things were made much better a half century ago.

The boot sale season has come to a close here, with winter on its way. But yes, looking out for second hand ones is well worth considering.

I've got two Le Creuset dishes, one big and a small one. But, that was a present.
Normally I use those simple Spanish clay dishes (tapas) that are around 1 € a piece. they come in different sizes, invariably brown.
They look like those in the middle..
When is your next trip to Spain? They're are available in every supermercado. Possibly also in the UK, if you look around.

Have you looked at Corningware? Not as heavy-weight as Le Creuset but reasonably priced. I found this site that says it ships to UK

http://www.worldkitchen.co.uk/CategoryProduct.aspx?CatId=29&nc=1

Do you have anything equivalent to our hardware stores in England? I ask because I'm a good baker and I find that my local hardware store has things like pie tins, cake pans, etc. that are as good as the "name brand" ones without the high prices. I haven't seen cast-iron cookeware there, but maybe I just haven't noticed.

Part of the problem, as I see it, is that although you used to be able to buy perfectly serviceable cast-iron pots at reasonable prices, "name" chefs with TV cooking shows now attach their names to cookware, and it's never cheap.

Good luck in your search; I'm tempted to say that a good cast-iron pot is worth its weight in gold, but that would bankrupt a nation's economy nowadays.

They sell 'em quite cheap on Amazon.

Can you order from here in the UK?

Lodge Cast Iron

Do their prices qualify as "poor man's?"

I don't know - but Tesco Extra (UK) are doing a superb (very heavy) cast iron skillet right now - and it's ony £22.
Very good quality and nice looking - too.
5 year free warranty comes with it - as well.

Shipping costs wil probably rule out anything transatlantic, given the weight.

It occurs to me that I don't have anything that goes from hob/stovetop to oven. I brown things in a big castiron frying pan and then transfer to a pottery casserole. Or the slow cooker. Or, more likely, just finish cooking on top of the stove.

I have exactly what leela is asking about. It's made by Cuisinart. I bought it at TJ Maxx (a discount store) and it was the same price as the one by Le Creuset. In real life neither would be cheap, but Le Creuset would be more expensive.

Since the price was the same, I chose mine based features. My Cuisinart one had more of a range. I can't remember which feature was missing from Le Creuset, but mine goes in the oven, on the burners, in the dishwasher and under the broiler. I think the broiler was the difference between the two.

Here it is

Comb TKMAX and with any luck you'll find one like the 7 litre I got for a fiver cos it had a chip on the lid.

Thanks all...I plan a trip to TK Maxx tomorrow.

This isn't a good idea if you want it to go from hob to oven to table - but from hob to oven, consider a stock pot the handles and lid knob of which are OK to heat to 200C.

I bought a massive stock pot from John Lewis (£70 about 20 years ago; call it £100 today or, perhaps, less than £70). Not cheap - but I also have two Le Creuset casseroles which hold about 1/8th of the amount, and cost not far off the same.

I bought it to make massive amounts of soup, curries, etc on the hob to freeze-down. An unexpected added bonus, especially for curries, casseroles, is that it will go from hob to oven. (It's so big that it will not go in the oven with the lid on unless you invert it; which I do.)

P.S. I say 1/8th but it might even be 1/16th.

Although my chipped lid best buy takes pride of place amongst the pans, I mostly use my 'real' poor mans cooking pots made from clay which I use stove top or oven to table, I bought them while traveling in Asia about 10 yrs ago at around 20 pence a pot. I've seen some African clay ware in either Liberty's or Selfridges but at a far higher price.

about 10 yrs ago at around 20 pence a pot

You should import them, even now, and sell them on eBay, Donkey.

They do a very good job but they're not aesthetically appealing, a bit like the 70's chicken brick.

I got one like this from Ikea (in orange) a few years ago and it's quite good, though not quite Le Creuset durability I'd say:
http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/40131725/

So, leela, was your shopping trip successful?

Unfortunately I didn't get out after all, NA. But hopefully I'll get to shop for it by the weekend.

That IKEA one looks pretty nice for the money.

The House of Fraser own brand ones look ok, but they don't feel as durable as Le Creuset.

As I suggested in the original thread, the seconds in the factory outlets have imperceptible flaws and usually have 40-50% off the rrp. I don't think I've ever actually paid full price for any of their products. I have a decent sized collection at this stage, as does my mother. Some of her stuff is thirty-five years old.

I don't know if I said this in the original thread or just thought about doing so, but Le Creuset's customer care is excellent. About eighteen months ago I dropped my grillit on my tiled kitchen floor which caused it to shatter. I was entirely at fault, yet they replaced it for me free of charge. I doubt that House of Fraser would do so; John Lewis might. I'd pay the extra for that kind of service.

You could always ask for it as a Christmas present from one of your daughters. I like getting kitchenware as gifts, but my mam would hit me over the head with a frying pan if I bought her one.

They do a very good job but they're not aesthetically appealing, a bit like the 70's chicken brick.

Fair point, Donkey.

I like getting kitchenware as gifts, but my mam would hit me over the head with a frying pan if I bought her one.

I got both of my Le Creusets as gifts and was most appreciative.
I tried a Martha Stewart 'equivalent' at a friend's house recently and hated it, it really didn't seem to heat or cook evenly.

The only thing I would add is that pans/casserole dishes like this are very very heavy. That seems obvious, but as someone with bad wrists I actually turned down a La Creuset frying pan when it was offered to me.

The only thing I would add is that pans/casserole dishes like this are very very heavy.

I gave a very large Le Creuset dutch oven to my sister-in-law many years ago after I had back surgery. I could life it straight up from a surface, but the weight and angle were too much for my back if I held it out in front of me, as I would if putting it in the sink to soak (or to put water in it when boiling something). It took me a couple of years to recover, at which time I bought a newer one that was a little smaller.

I have two Le Crueset roasters, one very large that will hold a 20+ lb. turkey, the other a bit smaller, more for roast beef or a chicken and a Le Crueset soup pot.

They are very, very heavy.

I love them and bought all three at a store closing, so only paid $140 CDN for all three. That was about 1/3 of the retail.

They are best for conducting heat but the weight can prove to be a problem.

They are best for conducting heat but the weight can prove to be a problem.

Where one person sees a problem, another sees opportunity. A woman invites a man over for dinner. He arrives, and immediately comments on the wonderful aroma coming from the kitchen; she put a roast in to cook about an hour earlier. They sit down to drinks in a candle-lit room.

At the appropriate time, the woman leans close to her guest with her eyes half closed and whispers "Do you know the real reason that I invited you for dinner tonight?" His heart skips a beat, and she says "The darn roasting pan is so heavy I need help getting it out of the oven."