From simplifying meal preparation to creating more tender final dishes, having the right cookware for a recipe can transform the cooking process entirely.. While the Dutch Oven (also referred to as the French Oven or Cocotte) is best for recipes containing a lot of liquid due to its taller sides, the Braiser, with its wider base and shallower sides, is best for browning and braising dishes until tender. The Braiser is designed to lock in heat and flavour into your meal, ensuring that it is cooked perfectly. The first step to braising, however, is to pick the braiser that best suits your cooking needs.
Le Creuset offers a range of braisers, each of which comes with its own unique set of advantages and specific uses. The range includes the Enamelled Cast Iron Braiser, the Stainless Steel Braiser and the Toughened Nonstick Pro Braiser. Ultimately, while these braisers may come equipped with many of the same features, each unique braiser can be used for different cooking techniques.
Here is a complete comparison of Le Creuset’s Braisers to help you decide which one to add to your collection.
What is Braising?
Braising is a cooking method that uses both wet and dry heat to cook your meal until tender. This method can be used to cook many different ingredients but is most commonly used to prepare tough cuts of meat and vegetables. Braising involves first searing the meat or vegetables at a higher temperature to ensure that they are thoroughly browned, and then simmering the ingredients at a lower temperature in a braising liquid. The braiser’s domed lid is designed to lock tightly onto the base, ensuring that heat and flavour stays inside the braiser.
Braising ensures food is exposed to a constant heat source, resulting in all of the ingredients being uniformly cooked. There will be no overcooked or undercooked parts of your meal thanks to the premium materials used to craft these braisers. You can also use your Braiser for recipes in the oven or on the stovetop, highlighting its versatility. Even if you are someone who is new to the world of cooking, this hands-off piece of cookware does most of the work for you, resulting in an easy and delicious meal no matter your level of expertise.
Choose a braiser to learn more:
Enamelled Cast Iron
Stainless Steel
Toughened Nonstick Pro
Enamelled Cast Iron Braiser
Our Enamelled Cast Iron Braiser is this perfect piece of cookware to provide you with tender and flavourful meals time and time again. This braiser is compatible with any cooktop, including induction, making for a convenient addition to your Le Creuset collection.
Built to last generations and crafted with a chip-resistant interior and exterior enamel, this braiser can be passed on from one generation to the next. Our line of enamelled cast iron cookware ensures superior heat retention and even distribution while braising, meaning that your meal will be cooked perfectly every time. The interior enamel features a light sand colour and a glossy finish, which allows you to cook food faster and monitor browning.
Our Enamelled Cast Iron Braiser is among the most durable pieces of cookware available, and can be used to expand your repertoire of cooking techniques and recipes. It features a shallow base and a domed lid, designed to lock in heat and moisture for even heat distribution. Its shallow depth allows dry and wet heat to be used simultaneously, ensuring that your food braises as opposed to stews.
Our Enamelled Cast Iron Braiser comes in two sizes, 3.5 L or 4.7 L, so depending on how many people you are typically cooking for, you can easily cater your cookware to your cooking needs. Our Braisers also come in a variety of colours, meaning that these long-lasting pieces of cookware can establish themselves as a beautiful kitchen staple for generations to come.
Alternatively, you can also opt for the Oblong Casserole. Equally crafted with enamelled cast iron, this piece of cookware is an excellent option for braising a single piece of meat or fish. Its oval shape offers a significant base to pack ingredients, while its sand-coloured interior helps easily monitor braising progress.
Stainless Steel Braiser
Le Creuset’s Stainless Steel Braiser is made to last and is yet another great addition to your Le Creuset collection. Much like the Enamelled Cast Iron Braiser, it can be used on any type of stovetop, while being oven safe as well.
Our Stainless Steel Braiser offers a wide cooking surface, making it the perfect piece of cookware for shallow-frying, searing, braising, and cooking down liquids. Its wide base simplifies the cooking experience when braising, offering a significant surface area to neatly pack ingredients at the base. If you are someone who does a lot of shallow-frying for recipes, our Stainless Steel Braiser is best for you.
The Stainless Steel Braiser is made from Le Creuset’s award-winning stainless steel, resulting in perfectly-braised meals. Crafted with a proprietary blend of professional-grade metals, this braiser can withstand higher temperatures and heats up faster. In fact, our Stainless Steel Braiser has a heat-responsive aluminium core which ensures that heat retention and heat distribution are equal throughout the entire cooking process.
You can use Le Creuset’s silicone, wooden, heat-resistant plastic or metal tools while cooking with the Stainless Steel Braiser. The rim on the stainless steel braiser is rolled, sealed and polished to ensure the utmost protection of the aluminium for generations to come.
Ultimately, our Stainless Steel Braiser is as versatile as it is durable, helping you tenderize tough cuts of meats and vegetables with minimum fuss. This braiser is only available in one size, the 4.8 L, which yields between three to four servings.
Toughened Nonstick Pro Braiser
Our Toughened Nonstick Pro Braiser offers a unique set of advantages compared to other braisers, delivering all the benefits of nonstick cooking with a PFOA-free surface. Much like its counterparts, this Braiser can also be used on any type of cooktop, including induction. It is recommended that you use Le Creuset silicone tools with this braiser, as metal tools could erode the nonstick coating with repeated use over time.
Our Toughened Nonstick Pro Braiser can be used for a number of purposes in the kitchen, including to sear meats or slow cook ingredients in aromatic liquids, resulting in tender and flavourful meals. However, this braiser particularly excels at preparing delicate ingredients. Its smooth, nonstick surface allows ingredients to slide right off, eliminating the need to prime the surface with oil prior to cooking.
The nonstick coating of this Braiser is chip-resistant and features a PFOA-free nonstick surface. The stainless steel used for its rivets is resistant to rusting and corrosion over time, meaning that you will not have to worry about the appearance or functionality of it diminishing with time. Backed by a limited lifetime warranty, the Toughened Nonstick Pro Braiser is crafted with the finest materials and is made to withstand regular use.
Our Toughened Nonstick Pro Braiser comes equipped with a wide base and shallow shape, giving you a generous cooking surface for all your ingredients while maintaining even heat distribution throughout. This Braiser also has a glass lid so that you are able to easily monitor the cooking process. Our Toughened Nonstick Pro Braiser comes in two sizes, 2.3 L and 3.6 L, accommodating for recipes of all sizes.
Comparing Le Creuset’s Braisers
Le Creuset’s wide selection of Braisers are designed to elevate traditional meal preparation and open up the cooking possibilities in the kitchen. The Enamelled Cast Iron Braiser embodies versatility and durability, and is perfectly suited for tenderizing even the toughest cuts of meat and vegetables. The Stainless Steel Braiser, by contrast, is able to withstand higher temperatures, resulting in a perfect sear on your meat before slow-cooking.
The Toughened Nonstick Braiser offers perhaps the most unique benefit due to its nonstick surface and is ideal for tackling those delicate recipes. This Braiser eliminates the need for the use of fatty oils and butter, delivering healthier braised dishes.
All of Le Creuset’s braisers are built to last generations, providing your family with hearty and delicious meals for years to come. Our selection of Braisers are sure to deliver perfectly tender meals every single time, elevating traditional meal preparation. For more inspiration, visit our blog for all the latest tips on getting the most out of your Le Creuset cookware.
