Potluck: our writer looking decidedly un-sausage-like, but thrilled with her findings. Photograph: Sophie Wyburd/The Guardian View image in fullscreen Potluck: our writer looking decidedly un-sausage-like, but thrilled with her findings. Photograph: Sophie Wyburd/The Guardian Guardian journalism is independent. We earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. Learn more .
With autumnal comfort food in mind, it’s time to find the perfect pot for pies, gratins and roasting. Our chef put nine casserole dishes, from Le Creuset to John Lewis, to the test
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Prefer the Guardian on Google W e are now firmly in slow-cooking season. Each weekend, you’ll likely find me tinkering over a pot in the kitchen, glass of wine in hand, tunes on, before retiring to the sofa to watch a film while the scent of beef shin ragu wafts through the house. A good casserole dish is essential to bring this vision into reality.
Many of my favourite meals emerge from them – from stews and lasagnes to gratins and pasta sauces. The quality of your casserole dish plays a vital role in how pleasurable the process of cooking such things is, so I’ve put some to the test.
As with many others, I’ve long been a Le Creuset loyalist, an allegiance so strong that I’ve never owned another casserole dish. Can these tests challenge my faithfulness?
Best casserole dish overall Le Creuset 26cm cast-iron casserole dish
Best budget casserole dish Habitat 5.3l cast-iron casserole dish
Best casserole dish for slow roasting Staub 28cm round cast-iron cocotte
Best lightweight casserole dish Our Place 6l ceramic nonstick perfect pot
Why you should trust me I’ve cooked professionally for a decade, in restaurants and, in more recent years, as a recipe developer. I am all about comforting, relaxed home cooking. My cookbook, Tucking In , is packed with recipes for lasagnes, pies and pastas. I am not known for proteinmaxxing or nutritious salads; I’m a cook who loves sausages, butter and potatoes, and my style lends itself to cooking with casserole dishes. So I do, multiple times a week, professionally and for my own enjoyment.
I have cooked hundreds, probably close to thousands, of meals in casserole dishes. So while I wouldn’t proclaim to be an expert in much, I would say that making a cosy dinner in a casserole dish is as close as I’d get.
View image in fullscreen Absolute banger: Sophie’s test recipe, sausages with squash and beans. Photograph: Sophie Wyburd/The Guardian This test has seen me cook many sausage stews (my sausages with squash and beans from Feast, to be specific) in nine different pots. I may have turned into a sausage by the time you read this, but it will be worth it for you to know which pans are worth your salt, dear reader.
I studied many things. How evenly did the pans conduct heat? How well did the coating hold up over multiple cooks? How well did they retain heat? Would you have to take out a small loan to buy one? How pretty does it look on your hob?
Because they can be pricey, you want a casserole dish to last years. I haven’t been able to road test these over multiple years, alas, but after a couple of cooks, I got a good sense of which ones should stand the test of time.
View image in fullscreen Stirring stuff: writer Sophie in the kitchen testing our lineup of cookware. Photograph: Sophie Wyburd/The Guardian Best casserole dish overall: Le Creuset 26cm cast-iron casserole dish Le Creuset 26…