One of the best pieces I've bought. I don't even need to buy a skillet as I use this for everything instead. This is the cheapest price I've seen.

Le Creuset has a reputation for creating high-end, high-quality products, and the buffet casserole certainly helps maintain that reputation. I purchased one as an early Christmas present for myself, and have been using it every day (sometimes several times a day) since I got it. So far, I've used it to scramble eggs, caramelize onions, bake a chicken, roast garlic, brown meats, make pancakes - you name it.

My favorite way to use it is in the oven. The lid fits so well there's almost no loss of moisture, which means I no longer need to use oven baking bags or foil in order to retain moisture in food being baked.

True to their advertising, cleanup is a breeze. There is no such thing as "burned on food" - A few minutes soaking in warm soapy water is all that's needed to make even the most stubborn food release from the dish.

I was so impressed with the performance and versatility of the buffet casserole that I bought several more, which I gave as Christmas presents.

For a small kitchen or a single or small family, this is one of those handy pieces you tend to keep on the stove right next to the tea kettle. Functions as a medium-large skillet, low stewpot, round roasting pan, and small-medium casserole. Heat a tortilla, fry sausage & potatoes, scramble eggs, grill a cheese sandwich, do a ham slice with pineapple, bake macaroni & cheese or green bean casserole, make chicken & rice or pork chops & kraut or pot roast & veggies, saute onions or mushrooms, fry salmon patties or crab cakes, scallop potatoes or cauliflower or oysters, stew tomatoes or apple slices, stir up Rice-a-Roni or a frozen stir-fry mix, roast a chicken or batch of veggies, bake cornbread or gingerbread or an upside-down cake! This brand absolutely cannot be beat for gently cooking anything on low to med heat (for high heat use Scanpan). A few minutes soaking and ANYTHING washes off in a snap. Limited on space? This baby replaces the need for LOTS of other pots & pans, and does so in grand style!

This wonderful pan is a cross between a dutch oven and a heavy skillet. It's perfect for slow, wet, braising of tough cuts of meat like brisket, or for baking a couple of skinless chicken quarters without them drying out. Rice dishes like paella and jambalaya turn out beautifully - the even heat makes carmelizing onions and browning sausage a pleasure, the heavy lid does wonders for the rice, and the pan is pretty enough to bring the whole thing right to the table once you're done.

As an added bonus, this pan can share lids with the 5.5 quart (26cm) leCreuset dutch oven. Since this pan has a dome lid, and the dutch oven has a flat one, using this lid will give you a little extra space for a roast or chicken when using the deeper pot. The two pots together live on my stovetop - one or the other gets used almost every day.

My favorite buffet casserole recipe: soak about 2 lbs of beef flanken-cut ribs, or 3 lbs of short riblets, in heavy salt water for a few hours, or overnight. Rinse and dry well. Brown the ribs in the buffet casserole until the meat starts to "tighten up" (you may need to do this in two batches), then remove the ribs from the casserole, pour off any fat, and let the ribs cool a bit (some juice will run out). Rub the ribs all over with a mixture of garlic powder (1/8th cup), cocoa powder or hot cocoa mix (1/8 cup), dry mustard (1 tablespoon), ginger powder (1/2 tablespoon), and cayenne pepper powder (1 shake). Return the ribs to the casserole (bone down), cover, and cook on very low heat on the stovetop, or in the oven on 325, for about 45 minutes for the flanken, or 1.5 hours for the riblets - the meat should be falling off the bone. Salt to taste and enjoy. (This recipe cures PMS :-))

I bought this casserole wanting to make duck confit in it, and it has worked great. It's a heavy, beautiful dish, that's perfect for slow cooking. Vegetables, duck, and pork chops will all work great in this dish. The dish has a plastic handle, which is approved to work in ovens up to 400 degrees fahrenheit, so this dish is just as easy to use on the stove top as in the oven. I only wish I had bought the bigger one.