Great presentation pieces for yesterdays leftovers. I freeze main courses (such as stew and goulash) in the dishes. Once frozen, remove from the dishes and freezer wrap. When next you serve, pop the frozen "leftovers" back in the cassolets and reheat in the oven. No one will guess you haven't been chopping, peeling and dicing all day!

This casserole dish has some minor inconveniences. It's made of some sort of pottery so it cools down very slowly and it's easy to let something sit for 15 minutes and come back and burn your hand. I also learned through this dish that square casserole dishes are easier to cut brownies out of than round or oval ones. It does however cook things just fine and is not too large for what I need it for.

One of the best things about using the right tool for the job is that it makes you look like you know what you're doing. The Le Creuset oval dish is like that. Instead of reaching for some two-dollar faux Pyrex dish to cook your mac and cheese in, grab the Le Creuset. That way, you can set it, all crusty and golden, on the dinner table and announce to your family that you're serving them a gratin and they'd darn well better appreciate all your hard work. Who knows? It might provoke you to fiddle with the recipe while you're at it.

On the technical side, this is one good, heavy piece of stoneware, well designed for a long, long life. It's got good solid handles so you're not scrabbling for a grip or constantly dipping your pot holder into the food. It's oven-safe to 500 degrees, microwave safe, freezer safe...probably not totally kid safe so I don't recommend its use as a shield in the neighborhood wars. Anyone who has seen my reviews of other Le Creuset kitchenware will know that I have a real fondness for the cherry red color, but there are some other good choices for the more sedate cook.

It's lovely, I'm keeping it. However, I thought it was going to be made of metal -- I bought it specifically to replace a 30+ year-old Le Creuset dish, similar in shape, but heavy iron based. I am a bit concerned this one may not make it for 30 years, since it can't be as durable, but it is what I needed -- and this one is microwave-safe!

Le Creuset classic. Excellent for scalloped potatoes or any scalloped vegetable dish. Classic blue colour. Nice handles and holds a healthy amount of whatever you are preparing.