Why I chose Staub over Le Creuset
At 50, I finally got the courage to learn how to cook, and the initial experience has been both daunting and rewarding. A Tennesse hillbilly, I grew up around some of the best Southern comfort food, this side of Paris (France). As a NYC and Florida interior designer, I spent most of my working life drooling with lust and envy at my clients' $75K - $300K kitchens. Enabling my mid-life crisis, I tossed the Revere cookware and dashed my newly-renovated kitchen here in Orlando, FL with some panache.
From the start, I knew I wanted my new hobby to have cookware that performed well on a Monogram 36" induction cooktop, while not dealing with heavy seasoning and maintenance of the new cast-iron cookware. Admittedly (and perhaps foolishly), I felt more assured with higher-end cookware compensating for my lack of experience, which I thankfully found to be the case. At this point in my life, I was also willing to pay considerably more for "the best of the best" cast-iron enameled cookware. Had I been on a tight budget, or plan to use the cast-iron outdoors (beach, camping, etc.), I would have gone with Lodge (both enameled and non-enameled), often favorably compared with Le Creuset, Staub and other brands from amateurs to professional chefs, alike.
In looking for the best high-quality cast-iron enamel cookware around, I did extensive online research (including Chow Hound) on "Staub vs. Le Creuset". I also consulted with experienced cooks of various degrees, who worked at places like Williams-Sonoma, Bloomingdale’s and Sur La Table, as well as friends and neighbors.
Interestingly, most of the online recommendations leaned towards Le Creuset (and Lodge), seemingly due to their higher familiarity in the U.S.A., and high satisfaction (and Lodge's lower price-point) by consumers, bloggers, professional chefs, and test kitchens. However, most sales associates and friends/neighbors recommended Staub over Le Creuset, because of Staub's self-basting spikes under the lid (in most of their products), lustrous finish quality ("majolique" coloring and glazing process), standard higher-temperature knobs, and slightly less price-point than Le Creuset. Much of Le Creuset's products come standard with a Phenolic knob (oven safe up to 375 degrees), where Staub's nickel and brass knobs are oven safe up to 500 degrees... big difference when moving a French oven (cocotte) from stove to oven. For an additional cost, Le Creuset does offer stainless steel knobs (also oven safe to 500 degrees), but you're paying extra, compared to Staub's standard knobs.
While the price difference between the two is nominal, I've now collected over 30 Staub pieces, thereby saving considerable dough (around $1K), in buying mostly Staub's cookware. This includes retail, clearance, and special incentives. Here in Orlando, there's a superb Le Creuset factory outlet store. There, Le Creuset sells for around the same price as Staub's retail pricing. Unfortunately, there's no Staub factory outlet stores around Orlando, but you can buy clearance and slightly imperfect items on Staub-USA.com's website. I've also bought several Le Creuset pieces, like their double-burner grill, double-burner griddle, and ceramic cookware, mostly because of aesthetic preferences, and am very pleased with their performance and quality.
Both Staub and Le Creuset claim that their interior coatings are non-stick. I've found this to be true with both manufacturers for oven use, and less-so on the stove (even at lower temperatures). In following Food52.com's recommendations, I lightly season the interiors with vegetable oil, which seems to work. And, I hand-wash most of the pieces, in-spite of Staub's "dishwasher safe" claims, as the dishwasher can dull the glossy finish and tarnish Staub's nickel and brass knobs, over time. Because Le Creuset has a duller finish to begin with, I worry less about putting them in the dishwasher. SIDE NOTE: I've found that having a stainless steel sink is ideal for cast-iron cookware, because it's less likely to chip the cookware's enamel, than in a cast-iron or composite sink. It's just going to scratch the heck out of the stainless sink, which I'm OK with.
Regarding the online recommendations of Le Creuset over Staub, this is my theory about that: Staub's market share in the U.S. has rapidly grown, since the German-based company Zwilling J.A. Henckels purchased Staub (a small company from France's Alsace region) in 2008, and hired a U.S. marketing firm, to directly compete with Le Creuset. Since 1974, Staub has evolved from their earlier utilitarian-looking cocottes to highly-sophisticated cooking vessels. Whereas, privately-owned and larger Le Creuset has successfully continued their French country style, since 1925. Because Le Creuset has been around much longer than Staub, thereby having a greater U.S. presence, logically there are many more reviews/ratings/blogging on Le Creuset than Staub. Along with this and not surprisingly, I’ve noticed a bias towards Le Creuset... they’ve earned their reputation.
In reading online and talking with people familiar with Staub and Le Creuset (including manufacturer reps), I learned that both companies are inspired by each other's concepts (and copy each other's product line), while also trying to have their distinctive design attributes. Thus, I think of Le Creuset as the "Mercedes-Benz" and Staub the "BMW" of cast-iron cookware, albeit we're talking French cuisine as opposed to German technology.
Do I think Staub is better than Le Creuset? For overall cooking, yes. For maintenance, no. Aesthetically, I prefer Staub's more sleeker urbane style than Le Creuset's "artsy-country" look. Everyone loves their Le Creuset, but I’m glad I took the road less traveled with Staub.
27 Comments
Le Creuset have a vitreous enamel interior, Staub have a porous more hardwearing enamel interior = longer lasting as well as after use develops a non-stick patina that really elevates flavours with cooking - much in the same way that raw cast iron does
Staub has the basting spikes within their lids that essentially collects moisture when cooking and continually drops it onto whats cooking below - makes a notable difference with lamb roasts as i've tested
Staub in my opinion has a far nicer finish than Le Creuset. Le Creuset i feel puts all the money in their marketing / flagship stores these day and is especially evident by the fact that ALL of their cookware that isn't cast iron is actually made elsewhere i.e China for their non-stick cookware and Thailand for their stoneware, all while fooling customers in thinking it's all made in France which it isn't.
Ask any professional chef, Staub is actually used in more commercial settings than Le Creuset globally
While I started with Le Creuset, this article https://cookwareinsider.com/staub-vs-le-creuset/ that details the comparisons between Staub vs Le Creuset I found to be extra helpful and is what lead me to discover Staub which is now my favourite French cookware brand.
Anyone else here have the two brands and done their own comparison?
I agree that LC is slightly lighter than Staub on most of the products they share in common.
And I’m very pleased with the LC products I have.
Appreciate your feedback and hope you give Staub a try in your personal enamel cast-iron collection!
I spend a lot of time in Paris, Scandinavia, Southeast Asia and other parts of Asia on long, extended vacations and come home with new pieces of cookware from both European and Asian brands and which are basically unavailable here in the U.S.
I love trying out different types of cookware. But, as far as my regular, workhorse pieces of cookware in the very big sea of cookware pieces that I own and have owned since the 1970s, the ones that stand out are my Staubs (18-plus pieces), my gorgeous Vermicular cookware (Japanese-similar to Staub), and my wonderful and solid Serafino Zani-Karen model (Italian) stainless steel cookware that I've had since the early 1990s and thank goodness was introduced to us here in Los Angeles way back then.
As for Staub, I have a lot of styles of their cookware, but in different sizes. I love all of my Staub pieces, but some of my favorite pieces are the small black fish plate (fabulous), Moroccan tajines (2 sizes), tiny graphite gray 3-quart sauce pan, cocottes, black mini braiser, and my two 16cm rice pots. I use those pieces regularly and the fish plate is great as I use it not only for cooking fish, but also to bake marinated asparagus, small potatoes, and other vegetables. Plus, it fits perfectly inside of my Wolf countertop oven which I use nearly daily. And, some of my other Staub pieces also fit into my Wolf countertop oven perfectly. As for my regular stove/oven, I cook on a 5-burner gas stove as I will only own gas stoves.
Now, as far as cookware, I personally still stand by Staub over Le Creuset and have acquired a few more pieces of Staub, smaller pieces, since writing my first comment about it and I also love the new pieces.
Staub’s enamel interior is far superior to Le Creuset’s beige colored delicate enamel.
To all those people who say, “I can’t see what I’m doing when I’m using Staub because the interior is black.” What a bunch of nuts. I’ve never heard anyone say that who cooks with cast iron. And I’ve never heard that from someone who cooks with a Le Creuset skillet - which has a black interior. Unless you’re using Visions cookware from the 1980s, how are you seeing what’s going on with the surface of the meat that you’re browning when you’re using a Le Creuset French oven? Are you looking through an exterior layer of enamel, a middle layer of cast iron and an interior layer of enamel?
“Oh, but I can’t see the fond when I’m deglazing the pan.” More irrational reasoning. Again, cooks have deglazed cast iron skillets for decades without a problem. And by the way, you can FEEL the fond with the utensil you’re using to deglaze the pan and if you work the surface in a methodical way you will get all the fond you need for flavor extraction.
Le Creuset has created A trend with its corporate marketing machine... pretty colors and product placements on TV kitchen renovation shows. If you really like to cook you will purchase performance over color. Go with Staub.
You can reduce the scratching in your stainless sink by getting a rack for the bottom, like this one, with small rubbery feet (easily replaced when they wear out after a few years). https://www.faucetdirect.com/kohler-k-3192-single-bowl-stainless-steel-sink-rack-for-select-undertone-series-sinks/p223340?CAWELAID=120135430002044813&source=gg-gba-pla_223340!c1062622021!a54955669434!dc!ng&cvosrc=pla.google.223340&cvo_cid=1062622021&cvo_crid251738414285&=&cvo_adgroup=54955669434&cvo_uniqueid=223340&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIjKfxlqCr2QIVnLrACh2ITguHEAYYBSABEgL_n_D_BwE
We purchased one, for precisely the reason you mention, when we replaced our sink 9 years ago. It works like a charm. ;o)