I tried Aldi’s new cast iron cookware range – it’s over £900 cheaper than Le Creuset but you can’t tell the difference
READY to say ‘Yes Chef!’, keen cooks will be queuing around the block as Aldi’s Cast Iron Cookware range is back in stores.
Available from Sunday 24th November (a few items are running late), those looking to cook up a storm, or give a a culinary Christmas gift can save themselves over £900 compared to leading brands, including Le Creuset and Staub.
What’s more, there are two new shades of green and orange, alongside the return of the sell-out blue.
And everything in the latest cast iron range is available for a purse-friendly £25 or less.
Aldi sent me a couple of items from the range to try at home…
First impressions
My God, they are gorgeous.
Each item from the range comes in luxurious black packaging that screams expensive, and opening them up feels like I’ve unlocked a magic box with the gorgeous orange ombre sparkling in front of my very eyes.
The quality is incredible, and I can’t stop stroking the smooth shiny orange enamel coating. They’re almost too beautiful to put into an oven at 250 degrees Celsius, and instead, should be on display in a glass cabinet for guests to marvel at.
But for this to be a fair review, I will put them to the test, and fry, roast, and bake an assortment of meals in them.
Cooking a chilli
Chilli con carne was on the menu for dinner, and Aldi say the Cast Iron range is suitable for an induction hob. But how would it fair with the ‘sticking test’?
A common problem with cast iron cookware is meat, or other ingredients sticking to the bottom.
The key is to heat the oil slowly with the pan, to the right temperature, and Aldi’s performed well when browning the mince.
An hour or so later, after the chilli had been simmering, it was time to serve and then wash up.
All of Aldi’s cookware has an enamel coating, which they say makes for easy cleaning and no stubborn stains.
The popular supermarket also recommends washing its cast iron cookware range by hand – soap suds at the ready…
Obviously the pans are new, and the meal wasn’t baked on by high temperatures and long hours in the oven, so it was an easy clean and the dish came out looking brand new.
Baking bread
My boyfriend likes to use Dutch Oven dishes to bake bread in the oven.
He first heats the dish to a whopping 220 degrees Celsius, before lowering the dough in and cooking covered for 40 minutes, and then removing the lid for the last 10.
The 18cm Casserole Dish is a brilliant size if you want to make a small loaf, or the 26cm would be perfect for a bumper loaf.
He noted Aldi’s dish was as good as other leading brands – and the bread was pretty tasty too!
Winner, winner, roasting dinner
Finally, it was pot roast time – slow-cooked beef that’s started on the hob before being transferred to the oven for a long cook.
The 26cm Cast Iron Casserole Dish was the perfect size for this, and it sat in the oven for six hours.
The clean-up required a little more elbow grease, but Aldi’s dish did the job nicely.
Aldi’s Cast Iron Cookware prices compared
| ALDI | STAUB | LE CREUSET |
| Aldi Cast Iron Dutch Oven 26cm, £24.99 | Staub 28 cm round Cast Iron Saute pan, £199 | Le Creuset Cast Iron Round Casserole Dish, 26cm, £339 |
| Saving: £174.01 (87%) | Saving: £314.01 (93%) | |
| Aldi Cast Iron Shallow Casserole Dish 31cm, £24.99 | Staub 26cm round Cast Iron Cocotte, £339 | Le Creuset Cast Iron Shallow Casserole Dish, 30cm, £305 |
| Saving: £314.01 (93%) | Saving: £280.01 (92%) | |
| Aldi Cast Iron Skillet, £12.99 | Staub 26cm Cast Iron Frying Pan with Pouring Spout, £159 | Le Creuset Cast Iron Round Skillet, £165 |
| Saving: £146.01 (92%) | Saving: £152.01 (92%) | |
| Aldi Ceramic Roaster, £9.99 | Staub 30cm x 20cm Rectangular Cast Iron Oven Dish, £139 | Le Creuset Cast Iron Roaster, £229 |
| Saving: £129.01 (93%) | Saving: £219.01 (96%) | |
| Total: £72.96 | Total: £836 | Total: £1,038 |
Verdict
Whilst I haven’t had the opportunity to try out a Staub Cast Iron dish, I’ve used many Le Creuset dishes over the years, and I also own several Pro Cook cast iron dishes too.
Aldi’s new range is as good as the leading brands, but for a fraction of the price – what’s not to like?
Yes, you don’t get the colour range you might with Le Creuset, but let’s face it, many of the shades from the iconic brand are limited editions, and who can really afford to splash out over a grand buying every item in one go?
Aldi’s range is also much smaller with only eight items – I’m not sure every household needs a crepe pan or petite casserole dish for one – so the essential eight will do just nicely.
With a three year warranty on all the items in the range, even if the Aldi dishes only last you those three years, for less than £25 an item, they are ideal.
They would also make brilliant Christmas presents – the only problem is, you have to try and get your hands on them first…
*Several items in the Cast Iron Cookware range are delayed being delivered to store – please check the Aldi website for updates.