This IS the PERFECT pan!
I have owned one large Le Creuset pot for years. I was never in love with my Le Creuset, as it was so hard to clean. I liked the way it would cook some things, but the mess left behind was depressing. I would use scrubbers and oven cleaner to get it clean, but mostly I stopped using it. So when I was looking for a wok that would stir-fry well and came across this, I almost didn’t buy it. But I do like the way cast iron browns and sears, so I decided to try it, figuring I could return it if I was too irritated when cleaning it. Good grief, I am impressed beyond words! First, let me say this is an awesome wok! It stir-fries and sears as well or better than any cast iron I’ve ever cooked with. But it goes way beyond use as a wok. In fact, I use it for literally everything now. It’s a great soup or stew pot, a fantastic pasta pot (I love making Cacio e Pepe in it!), and more. One thing about this pan that I hadn’t thought would make much of a difference to me was reports that the Staub lids fit very tightly, but I was wrong. The glass lid on this pan is awesome! It beats Le Creuset by a mile. When the lid is on, there is no steam coming out the sides. Instead, steam merely drips down back into the pot. So you don’t lose volume in your soups and stews. If you want to release steam and reduce the volume, simply sit the lid ajar. This morning I found out that it’s great for making a cheese omelet. Why would I use cast iron for making an omelet instead of my non-stick pan? Frankly, I have been finding this Staub cast iron ‘Perfect Pan’ so easy to clean that I wanted to throw something at it that I was sure would stick and make a mess and I wanted to see how difficult it was to clean with that sticky mess. Wow! Making a cheese omelet in this pan was amazing and as easy or better than in non-stick! First, it did not stick at all. I was able to flip the omelet several times (just showing that I could) without one tiny piece of it sticking or pulling apart. The egg and cheese did not stick at all, even when I deliberately let some melted cheese burn. There was, in fact, almost nothing to clean. I have attached a picture of the pan after I finished making the omelet, so you can see that a quick rinse was all that was needed to clean the pan. In fact, the most I’ve ever had to do to clean this pan was a light swish with a sponge and dishwasher soap. Clean-up has never been more than 15 seconds! I will never use my Le Creuset again and probably almost never use any other pan again. Edited 9/11/21: I am more in love with this pan than ever. I keep it sitting on my stove top so it's ready for everyday use. I have never had anything stick to it. It is the only pan I use, unless I simply have to have two pans going at once. A tip for keeping it non-stick and looking brand-spanking new is to take a very small amount of oil and a scrunched-up paper towel and rubbing it all over the inside after cleaning it. That takes 2-3 seconds. Edit 9/30: Well, it had to happen. I was simmering a meat stew, intending to let it simmer for only 30 minutes more to achieve tender beef. I fell asleep on the couch and woke up 4 hours later to a totally burnt black mess. It was the burnt smell that woke me up. I couldn't even chip out the burnt, rock-solid mess with a knife! I figured I had ruined my wonderful pan, but I was going to try to redeem it, if at all possible. I filled it with water, let it sit overnight. The next day, I put it on the stove to heat, hoping that would let me chip out some of the stew. After a few minutes, I tipped out the water into the sink and to my shock and delight, all the burnt mess went with it. A quick swirl with dishwasher soap and a Scrub Daddy (literally less than 30 seconds) and my perfect, perfect pan was like brand new! I adore this pan!!!! Read more
