Amanda the Great by Amanda El-Dweek for August 16, 2023

Are judges really paid that poorly? Think of all of the braising meats, Dan.

My mother got most of her cook wear from garage sales and flea markets, new cook wear can be expensive.

Dan, Le Creuset goes on sale twice a year, and if you sign up for the higher end culinary catalogs, you can buy when they run their sales. I have Le Creuset that’s 40 years old, and they’re still in great shape!

Is it all up to Dan to give his permission to buy this cookware?

life’s too short. Buy the Le Creuset cast iron cookware.

Check the resale and thrift shops the next time you head for Minneapolis or see if Amanda’s Mom can periodically check for you. I like to read the articles that crop up online about folks who score big at thrift stores. One person found a whole set of that cookware for something ridiculous like $20 or $30 once. Kind of like the reverse of Antiques Roadshow.

ALDI’s Crofton range are not as good as Le Creuset, but they’re not bad, and considerably cheaper.

Don’t forget to season it before you use it! They’re great to cook in!

I swear by my Lodge skillets and dutch oven . . .

That’s just so plain funny!!

Mandy knows just how to get to Dan’s bottom line.

Amanda knows how to work her sarcasm.

Are those potatoes on your Red River Valley T-shirt?

Oh. From Le Creuset’s web site:

Le Creuset’s nonstick coating contains chemicals from the PFAS family including PTFE, FEP, and PFA. These chemicals are listed as Priority Chemicals by the California Environmental Contaminant Biomonitoring Program (CECBP).

For more information on the CECBP, please visit >

You’ve learned well Grasshopper Amanda….now go get that fantastic thing before he changes his mind :-)

We have several cast iron skillets and pans I inherited from my grandmother. I think she got them from her mother or grandmother. And Le Creuset and Revere and Farber ware all more than 30 years old. They made good stuff back then. About ½ from thrift stores. And a partial set of Blue Cornflower baking dishes from Corning. Just perfect for a hot dish. Or an apple crisp, cobbler or crumble. The better stuff is more expensive, but worth it.

Cast iron isnt an thing you want to cheapen out on, Dan. An good cast iron lasts forever

Now you’re talking. As others have noted, finding it second hand is often the best bet. Or, ask family around birthday or Anniversary time (hint hint). C’mon Dan, you will be the beneficiary of the tasty results.

Solution: Buy the Le Creuset but never use it.

Staub is real good, too!

Ooooh, they have such pretty colors too!

Don’t even think about Staub. The main advantage of the ceramic coated cast iron is that you can wash it with soap. It never gets seasoned, though.

All the shading is wonderful today, too!

I can’t bring myself to spend the money. I just watch QVC and dream.

I am highly amused at how much this has been discussed. And impressed that even when there’s disagreement, it’s civil. (Hope I haven’t jinxed it! )

I took the plunge on my first Le Creuset pan about 6 months ago. Love it! Thought sometimes I just stare at it. Intimidated.