Le Creuset Everyday Pan Review: It’s Literally the Only Pan You Need
Updated: Dec. 06, 2023
This 'Goldilocks Pan' isn't too big or too small—it's a versatile vessel that's just right for roasting, sauteing, simmering, frying, searing and preparing one-pan meals.
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Ever since I became enchanted with Le Creuset earlier this year, upon purchasing a $50 Mystery Box at the brand’s Factory to Table sale, I’m constantly reaching for my newfound staple pieces, like the Dutch oven, braiser and skillets. I have fallen in love with their clear superiority over my other cookware and have been further adding to my collection with mostly used purchases. To me, finding a great deal is almost as delightful as finding the perfect pretty piece!
When the Le Creuset Everyday Pan hit the market in October 2023, I knew I had to get my hands on one and realized it would be nearly impossible to find a used version of a brand-new design. After witnessing one happy customer after the next rave about this pan’s versatility in various Le Creuset Facebook fan groups, I decided it was worth the full-price investment.
I’m pleased to report that not only did it live up to the hype, but it’s also lived up to the name. The Le Creuset Everyday Pan has taken over as my go-to pan for almost every dish I cook.
What is the Le Creuset Signature Everyday Pan?
Think of the newly released Signature Everyday Pan as a perfect cross between a braiser and a fry pan or skillet. Deeper than a traditional skillet, the Everyday Pan offers ample room to develop sauces and casseroles. Plus, its wide surface area minimizes the crowding of ingredients.
At 11 inches in diameter (in the interior; 15 inches wide with the handles) and 3 quarts in capacity, it’s the ideal size for so many recipes. It’s versatile for meals that feed two people or up to eight, depending on the dish.
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We Tried It
Everyday Pan
It's perfect for everything from pan roasting to one-pan meals and simmering sauces.
Everyday Pan Features
You may be used to seeing Le Creuset interiors in the lighter Sand color. But for the Everyday Pan, the brand chose a Black Satin Enamel interior that’s specially formulated to enhance cooking performance. It has a slightly coarser texture than the Sand, but it still has an enamel coating rather than raw cast iron. Expect it to develop a natural patina over time, making it virtually nonstick and easier to maintain and clean. (This should help with eggs in the future).
The enameled cast iron, which comes in your choice of more than 20 colors to match any kitchen aesthetic, is ready to use straight out of the box. The pan resists dulling, staining, chipping and cracking. It delivers excellent heat distribution and retention and is compatible with all cooktops and oven-safe up to 500 degrees. It’s even dishwasher-safe, though I haven’t tried that. Cleaning this pan by hand is easy and my family of two only runs the dishwasher twice a week.
How We Tested It
My Signature Everyday Pan arrived on October 21, 2023, and I’ve used it almost every day. The first thing I cooked in it was a few slices of ham and a couple of fried eggs. Unfortunately, I wasn’t off to a strong start. Those eggs stuck to the pan and left half the egg and a ton of residue behind. It’s likely I didn’t use enough butter in the pan and had the heat turned up too high, so I chalked it up to user error. Cleaning the pan took a little elbow grease with a no-scratch sponge and some liquid dish soap after letting it soak for a bit.
Searing Steaks
The next day, I seared a couple of steaks. My fiancé proclaimed them the tastiest, most perfectly seared and juiciest I’ve ever cooked—I had to agree. The sear on these filet mignons was fast and even and they truly tasted like restaurant-quality steaks. Plus, there was much less scalding-hot and messy splatter to contend with than when I use a more shallow skillet. There was no residue left behind and clean-up was a breeze.
From that point on, I continued using this pan daily, for a host of dishes. I used it to make taco meat, pork chops and stir-fries. I sautéd asparagus and green beans. On Thanksgiving, I cooked and served a savory sweet potato swirl that was the show-stopper of my feast. I even reheated leftovers!
Without a Lid
At one point, I realized that if it had a lid, I could use it for even more dishes—and began to wonder why it didn’t come with one. “Since it’s similar to a fry pan with many of the same uses, a lid isn’t entirely necessary,” explained Sara Whitaker, Le Creueset’s director of category marketing. “Additionally, it’s easier to store without a lid. In fact, we envision most people just leaving it out on the stovetop ready to use. Because it’s so useful, we do see people using it every day!”
She wasn’t wrong, I was already displaying it on my stove since putting it away seemed like a waste of effort. Plus, the beautiful Cerise color (my favorite!) made me happy every time I walked into the kitchen.
Still, I wanted a lid—and I wasn’t alone, as people in the Facebook groups had already discovered that the 11-inch Le Creuset glass lid with stainless steel knob was a perfect fit (or if you have a 28-centimeter lid from another LC pot, that’ll work too). When mine arrived, it was like unlocking another level of usefulness. I could now use the pan to simmer a four-person serving of meaty spaghetti sauce for dinner.
Pros
- The Signature style indicates oversized handles that provide a more secure grip
- No seasoning necessary with enameled cast iron
- Lightest weight cast iron by quart on the market
- Oven-safe up to 500 degrees
- Comes in 20+ beautiful colors
- Large surface area with a 3-quart capacity
- Comes with a lifetime warranty (just don’t use metal utensils in it!)
Cons
- Doesn’t come with a lid (though you don’t need a lid for most applications)
- Priced as an investment, but can easily replace your need to buy a handful of other pans
- The handles get hot since it’s cast iron, but these silicone handle grips work like a charm
FAQ
What is an Everyday Pan used for?
This pan works for almost everything you want to cook, assuming you aren’t batch-cooking a huge amount of food. It’s perfect for sautéing vegetables, searing meat, frying chicken, simmering sauces and roasting proteins. You can sear on the stovetop and then finish a dish in the oven. It’s also the ideal shape and size for one-pot dishes, like Enchilada Pasta, Beef and Pepper Skillet and Wasabi Beef Fajitas.
What are the best type of pans for everyday cooking?
Most home cooks lean heavily on skillets or pans for making everything from omelets and seared meats to stir-fries and pretty upside-down cakes—and for the last couple thousand years, cast iron has been king. Le Creuset’s enamel coating makes cast-iron cooking more approachable. There’s no need to follow a specific seasoning ritual or worry about how you clean it.
That said, there are plenty of raw cast-iron options that are more affordable, including Lodge skillets, though you will likely also need to purchase some of these must-have cast-iron accessories. If cast iron is too heavy for you to handle, check out some of these lighter nonstick frying pans, though their walls aren’t nearly as high as the Everyday Pan.
Product Comparison
Of course, the Le Creuset Signature Everyday Pan isn’t the only one-pot wonder on the market. The Always Pan 2.0 is a lighter-weight version that costs $30 less—it can do many of the same functions, but it can only withstand temperatures up to 450 degrees and only has a 2.6-quart capacity. Drew Barrymore’s Hero Pan is another one-pot cooking solution, which means your eggs shouldn’t stick. It’s about a third of the price—however, it’s not oven-safe.
Final Verdict
Now that I have my Everyday Pan, I find myself reaching for my Le Creuset braiser and skillets less often. If you’re new to the brand, this is the ideal entry-level piece to invest in. It’s incredibly versatile, costs quite a bit less than other pieces and gives you an excellent understanding of how Le Creuset pieces perform. Add a lid, and it can do even more!
If you already own a Le Creuset braiser and skillet or one of these other pretty pans, then you’ll have to decide how much you’d appreciate a single vessel that combines the best of both worlds—perhaps you’ll choose to rely on the Everyday Pan for daily use and only pull those other items out for specific recipes it can’t handle. And if you are short on storage space, this one pan may allow you to downsize your other pieces. (I promise, there are plenty of hungry buyers who will adore your gently used Le Creuset!)
Where to Buy the Le Creuset Everyday Pan
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We Tried It
Le Creuset Everyday Pan
This pan combines the benefits of a braiser with the ease of use of a fry or sauté pan.
The widest selection of Signature Everyday Pan colors is available on Le Creuset’s website, but you can also find them at Williams-Sonoma, Sur La Table, Amazon, Nordstrom and Macy’s.
