CAST iron cookware is one of those things you either inherit or save up for, and Le Creuset has spent a century making sure it’s usually the latter.
Argos has the 2.4-litre Habitat oval casserole dish down to £23.99 from £36, in a warm orange similar to the one that made the French brand famous.
The casserole dish is a dead ringer for the premium French brandsCredit: Habitat
Habitat 2.4 Litre Cast Iron Oval Casserole Dish, Orange: £23.99 (was £36) at Argos
You get enamel-coated cast iron, oven-safe to 260C, and suitable for every hob type, including induction.
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In practice that means you can start cooking a dish on the hob, and move the whole thing into the oven without washing up a second pan.
At 2.4 litres, it’s a two- to three-person pot rather than a batch-cooking one, and the oval shape accommodates a rolled joint or a couple of chicken legs more comfortably than a round dish of the same volume.
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Delivery is £4.95 unless you collect in store, which is worth factoring in on a sub-£25 buy.
Le Creuset’s closest match in size is the 20cm Signature round, also 2.4 litres, available in Volcanic orange that has an RRP of £265.
From independent stockists, it sells for slightly cheaper at around £198, which puts the gap between £174 and £241, depending on where you’d have bought it.
The Le Creuset will set you back hundreds of pounds
Le Creuset’s cast iron is individually sand-cast in France, comes with a lifetime guarantee, and holds its second-hand value in a way that high-street cast iron doesn’t.
What the Habitat version gives you is the material and the heat retention, which is most of what people actually want cast iron for.
But one thing to be aware of is that some Argos shoppers have flagged issues with the lid knob that doesn’t come attached, which has resulted in some shoppers returning the dish as unusable in a different colourway.
However, if you’re an avid home cook and want the hob-to-table look without a £200 commitment, I’d buy this one and spend the difference on premium ingredients.
If you’re building cookware you intend to hand down, I’d save up.
More cast iron reduced at Argos
Habitat 4 Litre Cast Iron Shallow Casserole Dish, Orange: £29.99 (was £45) at Argos – buy here
Habitat 20cm Cast Iron Oven Dish, Orange: £14.66 (was £22) at Argos – buy here
Habitat Cast Iron Trivet, Navy: £1.60 (was £4.80) at Argos – buy here
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