I came across this at Wal-Mart today: The Paula Deen Cast Iron Covered Oval Casserole. It's a 5 quart cast iron pot, basically, called a "covered oval casserole" to make it sound fancy. It was $45.This pot-- oh wait, "covered oval casserole"-- was not enameled, but most of Paula Deen's cast iron line is enameled, including the "hoecake pan", a fancy expensive griddle.
There was an issue last year where some Paula Deen cast iron cookware was recalled due to it shattering at high heat, but that's been resolved.
I've never used it, so I can't make a judgement call on its quality, but it was thin, and I'd prefer to stick to a brand I trust. Besides, this pot is ugly.
One thing I noticed: The underside of the lid is smooth. The Lodge lids have "self basting" spikes, which is a feature I like.
In any case, if you like the looks of this pot, I'm sure you'll find many uses for it.
I also noticed that Rachael Ray has her own cast iron cookware line, consisting of enameled "covered casseroles" (pots) in various shapes, sizes and colors. It's expensive.
"Ideal for a multitude of uses from oven to table!" I've never used it, so I can't judge it's quality, but Amazon customers post poor reviews.
I don't disagree that either line is useful; I just think you're paying extra for the celebrity labels.
I totally agree with your post! I recently came across both Paula Deen's and Rachael Ray's cast iron in a Closeout Store! That in itself should tell you how popular it is "not". It's eye-catching, but once I handled it, it's so obvious it's thin and not nearly as heavy duty as Lodge. This cookware was cheap at this closeout story (under $40) but I wouldn't spend $10 on it. I wouldn't trust, with how fragile it seemed, that the issues they claim to have been worked out really were. It was just so puny!
ReplyDelete