Anyone know where I can get some that arent £50, £60 or £70 or have I just got to stop being tight and 'spend a little live a lot??' ;)

Have a look on Amazon - look at Debenhams - especially when they have their Blue Cross or 25% off days - or what about a Shopping Village outlet?  You'll find last year's designs there at half price!

Le cruset is good ...but if, like me, you do not have arms of steel, you may find it too heavy - had to give mine away when I started dropping the b*** things when they were full:rolleyes:

Margot

We bought ours in France where they're cheaper. But I agree with Margot. I fell for the Le Creuset hype and I won't be buying any more. They're far too heavy.

I found my le Creuset large frying pan totally impratical because of the weight making it far too difficult for me to tip the contents out without using both hands and no longer use it.  I don't think the non stick surface they use is very good quality either and have found the smaller saute pans, which I do use, have not lasted very well.  I do, however, really like the caserole pans for the versitility between hob and oven.  For just hob work I now use good quality stainless steel and I love my Meyer Professional Choice frying pan, the non stick surface is proving very tough and long lasting.
I would never pay full price for them, they are always on offer somewhere :)  There are several price comparison web sites that will do the searching for you but I think the Amazon prices are pretty good usually.

I agree 100% about the frying pan, and the supposedly non-stick surface. It's rubbish.

I have a mental picture of some elderly mustachioed family doyen of the firm being told by one of the whippersnapper marketing bods that they really had to introduce some non stick to the range and hurumphing "well, let the Phillistines have this stuff then" in a French accent of course :D

We have a frying pan too and it is TOO heavy for tipping contents out :) I haven't had a problem with it sticking tho' - but you musn't have the heat too high and it takes ages to warm up :) We do have a large ?? (brain dead this morning) - thing for making jam in :) It's excellent - not for making jam in, but for making large quantities of mulled wine for parties :D :D :D Had it 26 years - not a mark on it :D

Daisy

You are probably right about having the heat too high which is OK for my large frying pan, which hasn't been used much anyway so still in reasonable condition but the small saute pans I use for pancakes so have to be reasonably high and clearly the coating they use cannot hack it.  It probably is my own fault but my Meyer pan can cope with my foibles :)  I know you are not supposed to scratch them either but again the Meyer has been much more forgiving of my heavyhandedness.  So, at the end of the day, it's just not good enough for the rough and tumble of my kitchen :D

I don't think that Le Creuset pans should be usedx at high heats :) My late aunt was a devil for always cooking at high heat and she went through saucepans at a high rate (including Le Creuset - which were black by the time that she threw them away :D )

I have six stainless steel saucepans which we have had getting on for 30 years, which are in perfect order other than the lid knobs and handles being a bit crazed due to being put in the dishwasher :) I have the Le Creuset frying pan, a Meyer Circulon Professional frying pan (at least 12 years old) and the black iron omlette pan. All are in excellent condition because I choose the right one for the job :D :D :D Not a brag, but I learnt the lesson from my mother (NOT my aunt) who was very canny at getting the best out of her kitchen utensils :D :D

Daisy

The Meyer Non Stick coating is obviously the right one for round here :)

We use our Meyer the most :) Unfortunately we only bought the one pan at the time from an outlet type place and when we went back a bit later they had gone :( The only down side is that the Meyer is nearly as heavy as the Le Creuset :D :D

Daisy

Car Boot Sale??? :D  Where else? ;)

Margot!!!! You gave it away!!!

Im desperate for a big cooking pot that I can use in the oven or on the hob and I think with le creuset you can do just this.

(I should be strong enough cos my horse keeps my arms nicely muscly!!;))

I cant believe you gave it away!!!

Well I did give ALL of them (I had 3 casseroles, 1 omlette pan & 3 saucepans) to my daughter - so maybe we should say I bequeathed them to her :D   They've travelled to Singapore, to Tokyo, to Hong Kong and are now being cooked with in Connecticutt - where they are very much admired ;)

Margot

The omelette pan - yes, wonderfully non-stick (until it starts flaking off) but if you want to make more than one omelette the handle gets very hot and burns the palm of your hand.

Obviously designed by a single man. :rolleyes:

Obviously designed by a single man

:D

Try the 'Tesco Direct' catalogue (also online) I saw they were doing Le Crueset on a TV advert only yesterday , might be worth seeing what prices they are selling it at??

Best thing for omlettes/pancakes is a traditional black iron pan :) Once seasoned, they only need brushing off under hot water (never use washing up liquid) :) Had ours for twenty years - it's great :)

Daisy

Yes that is what I aim to buy before next February :)

I bought mine from Lakeland many years ago, but I don't think that they do them now :(

Daisy

I'll have a look in Lakeland, things come and go and come back again there I find but there is a also a very good kitchen shop in Cockermouth I'm sure I will get one there :)

They're great pans - they do need to be oiled before use but then you can have them as high as you like and they don't stick at all, just slide the omlette/pancake out and on to the next one :)

Daisy

I love mine - they're very good with the Rayburn, but yes, they are heavy.

There were two or three lots on Freecycle fairly recently (gone by now) - presumably from people who had been in to physio with dodgy wrists!!!

Jo

I,ve got stellaware stainless steel and hey are brill
If you do happen to burn anything a short soak in soapy water just lifts of the disaster , they also do omlette pans and a large casserole ll the pans are oven to hob and dishwasher safe.