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Le Creuset Buffet Casserole | 
| Brand: Le Creuset
Category: Kitchen
List Price: $255.00
Buy: $159.99 - $204.00 (On sale from $240.00)
You Save: $51.00 (20%)
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Rating:  9 reviews
MPN: L2532-3030
ASIN: B0009U7WN4
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Beautiful buffet casserole works double duty in the oven and on the table. Made for entertaining, this low, wide casserole is designed to showcase food to maximum advantage on a dinner table or buffet. This quintessential kitchen-to-tableware piece cooks foods while sealing in delicious flavors and moisture. Ideal for marinating, poaching, baking and browning foods to tender perfection. The mainstay of French chefs for nearly a century, Le Creuset cookware features bold and bright colors in a variety of shapes and sizes to suit any culinary need. Each cookware piece is skillfully finished by hand. 3 1/2-qt. capacity. 12 lbs. 14 1/2"L (including handles) x 5"H.
Product Features
• Molded of cast iron with an expertly enameled glossy porcelain coating
• All-in-one French oven beautifully goes from freezer or fridge straight to cooking device to table, then back to freezer or fridge for storage of leftovers
• Versatile for stovetop, oven and broiler
• Highest quality porcelain enamel coating is impermeable to odors and stains
• Foods will not react with the enameled finish
• Easy-clean enamel surfaces are scratch-resistant
• Superior conduction of heat promotes faster cooking times
• Even distribution and retention of heat ensures cookware stays hot longer
• Heavy, tight-fitting lid seals in moisture and flavors - food self-bastes
• Sure-grip phenolic knob is ovenproof to 400 F; do place knob under broiler
• Dish without lid is safe for oven or broiler up to 400 F
• Suited for stovetops including electric, gas, ceramic, induction and halogen top
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| Customer Reviews: Read 4 more reviews...
 My Favorite Pan August 10, 2008
THIS IS BY FAR MY FAVORITE KITCHEN PAN.
~It is used for so many meals, from cooking eggs, sauces, roasting pan for meats, cooking down greens, heating tortillas, etc. We use it almost daily, as it seems to be the perfect size for most of our meals.
~I have used it for just over one year and it still look awesome. It cleans super easy.
~It is a bit heavy, so if you have a far amount of weakness in your hands or arms, you may not appreciate it as much.
~Heats excellently on my induction stove top.
~Guests have said they really love the kiwi color.
 Le Creuset casserole October 29, 2007
1 out of 5 found this review helpful
Love my Le Creuset cookware I have ten cast iorn pieces. Was a little disappointed with this one though. First it was shown with the usual black handle on the lid but came in silver so it doesn't match the others. Secondly it does not have an enamaled interior. Could have saved a lot of money and bought the same from Lodge.
Perfect size! The one pan that does it all! February 12, 2007
10 out of 10 found this review helpful
I just received my Le Creuset Casserole a few weeks ago and LOVE it! I was a little 'on the fence' about the size before I bought it, but I've found that it's the perfect size. I've used it as intended (making a casserole), but I've also been able to use it in place of my skillet. The pan is nice and wide, and I've been able to brown 6 chicken breasts in it. The lid is nice and heavy, with a tight fit. I cooked and simmered a meat dish in it tonight and it made everything very tender and moist. This is a very adaptable piece of cookware. I think I will end up cooking most of my meals in this pan.
As most Le Creuset pieces, clean up has been a breeze. I just let it cool, soak in in a little water, and it wipes clean. Very easy!
As I said before, I am very happy I went with the 3.5 qt. size instead of the larger 5 qt. I usually cook about 4-6 servings at a time and have found that this works great for us. I would only suggest the 5 qt size if you are cooking for 8+ on a regular basis.
 Hard to Clean January 9, 2007
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
Le Creuset cast-iron products really conduct the heat and are great products to have in the kitchen. One drawback, they can be difficult to clean. If you sear meat or fry, burnt remnants cannot be removed. Overnight soaking will help but you cannot use soft scrub or hard scrubbers on the enamel. The product still functions well, it just does not look as nice as an expensive piece of cooking gear should be! Would buy it again.
A great starter piece or addition to your Le Creuset collection June 28, 2006
5 out of 6 found this review helpful
Le Creuset manufactures porcelain enameled cast iron cooking vessels as well as other products. Le Creuset casts these cooking vessels from molten iron poured in sand moulds that are used only once. For this reason, one pot may look like another, but each is unique in its own way.
Cast iron is a highly efficient material which absorbs and distributes heat efficiently. It is recommended that cooking with cast iron is done on low to medium heat. However, there are exceptions like boiling water where cooking on high heat is appropriate and okay. Remove cast iron from the heat and it does not cool off quickly. This heat retention helps your food stay warm while serving. Beware; iron tends to be heavy so are these cooking vessels.
Cast iron is an effective material for cooking so why cover it with enamel? Iron tends to rust; iron oxide (rust) doesn't add any complimentary flavors to your food. If your cast iron cooking vessel was not enameled, you would have to season and maintain your cooking vessel. Adding the porcelain enamel not only looks good, but has multiple benefits. The enamel, being a solid coating, is one of the most hygienic surfaces to cook on, does not stain, absorb odors, retain flavors, and is easy to clean. The enamel can be damaged, so limit cooking tools to plastic or wood.
The benefits of cooking with Le Creuset cast iron are many, but lets get down to the buffet casserole specifically. The buffet casseroles are one of the most versatile pieces in the Le Creuset lineup. Use this pan as a saute pan, a roasting pan, for poaching, or as a shallow braiser. The 3.5 quart capacity can is plenty of space when it comes to casseroles, so consider your recipes when determining the size you need. The buffet casserole tends to do best if at least three quarters full. Any less and you may overwhelm your food with the evenly dispersed heat in the pot.
With a large flat bottom that curves up this pan resembles a curved sided saute pan the only thing missing would be a long handle. The tight fitting lid is mostly flat with curved sides. This lid seals in heat, moisture, and flavors and can be used to hold your meat while you are making a sauce from the drippings. Its shape and design makes this an extremely versatile pan.
I tend to use this pot for basic dishes like smothered pork chops more than anything else. But once you get past the basic functionality that lends itself to recipes such as paella, frittatas, deep dish pizza, and casseroles, you can really open up the possibilities. Keep in mind this is a 3.5 quart pan, feeding two out if it is ridiculous unless you want leftovers. It is probably the perfect size for a family of four in most cases. Try baking pineapple upside down cake or bread pudding for when you need to please many guests, poaching fish, or Mac and Cheese. The possibilities almost seem endless.
One feature that people tend to complain about is the cost. The cost does seem steep compared to other pans made from other materials. Heck, cast iron doesn't seem like it should be expensive when comparing to that old cast iron pan past generations have used for cornbread and camping. However the manufacturing process requires making a mould for each and every pan produced. They then go through the enameling process before shipping these heavy pans. If you take what goes into making and distributing these high quality cast iron products, the cost tends to make sense. Then consider that this pan will easily last a lifetime when taken care of.
PROS:
Extremely versatile
Efficient absorption and distribution of heat
Hygienic enamel cooking surface
Does not stain, absorb odors, or retain flavors
Easy to clean when not abused or misused
Can be transferred from stove top to the oven to the table
Can easily last a lifetime
CONS:
Its heavy, as cast iron tends to be weighing in at about 12.25 pounds.
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