Le Creuset pot with a brass knob on

[Frances]

I thought I read something about this before, but can I find it now??

My brother gave me a beautiful Le Creuset iron pot for Christmas, one of those with a plastic knob on the lid which is good up to ... oh about 190 C it said. What a silly idea for such an otherwise wonderful cooking pot!

So I dunno if this is a really obvious thing that everyone's already thought of, or if it'll end up not working out (ok so far ...)

But now it has a nice brass furniture knob on it. Should give me a few more degrees to cook with. Looks a lot better, too

[CanuckJim]

Frances,

Good call. I have several of these pots with the crummy knobs. Doh, I've been unscrewing the knobs when I use them in the WFO. Light bulb . Got a box full of antique knobs in the shop--well, somewhere in there. Thanks.

Jim

[Frances]

Cool!

I was wondering whether or not to post this, and then when I got really bored this afternoon... I'm glad I did now

Antique knobs... nice. Now where can I get some of those?

[chuckster]

I'm sure they're not as pretty as antique knobs, but I use EYE NUTS on my pot lids. That way I can pull the pot out of the oven and lift off the lid with my poker (with a bent end) to check on the cooking. Otherwise I have to head off to the garage to find the welding gloves - my wife has refused permission to use her hot mitts from the kitchen for the WFO

I got them from McMaster Carr Inc, P/N 3112T31, ~$4 USD, and put them on with a steel 1/4-20 bolt.

Chuck

[PizzaPolice]

Yeah, you can BUY a stainless steel replacement knob for $10! I have the big dutch oven and discovered very quickly that black phenolic knob melts. Try scrubbing off that goo.
My guess is the haughty French intended the heat limit to a 60 watt easy bake oven bulb.

[james]

Great thread. I never would have thought of replacing the knob (brilliant idea), and I gave up on Le Creuset and bought an enamelled cast iron pan from Ikea.

James

[gjbingham]

Question,
I'm feeling left out
What are you all cooking in this pot with a lousy handle? Stew/soups/casseroles?

Thanks!

[CanuckJim]

George,

I have two LeC pots, one six quart round, on twelve quart oval monster. It used to be that these expensive French pots were the only quality enamel over cast iron ones out there. Despite the crummy knobs, pots of this type can't be beat for braising, soups, stews, etc., especially if you want low, slow, even heat. These days, though, there are other makers just as good, minus the lousy knobs. The ones from Ikea are very good indeed, for much less money.

Jim

[james]

Enamelled cast iron gets my vote. These pans are great for casseroles. The biggest downside with LeC pots is their price. They are a big international brand, and they definitely get their pound of flesh.

James

[chuckster]

I used my old aluminum pot for a whole chicken last Saturday. Along doing some Naan bread for the first time - it came out great! Next time I try it I'm going to substitute a 1/4 to 1/3 of a cup of yogurt for the milk.