WE TESTED THE VIRAL LE CREUSET HACK AND THE RESULTS WERE SHOCKING

Le Creuset’s Dutch oven is one of the most versatile vessels in our kitchen. You can use it to bake loaves of bread, cook big batches of soups and stews, and throw together entire meals in just one pot. And beyond the practical perks, they also come in a massive range of colors and styles (have you seen their pumpkin cocottes?). The craftsmanship and functionality alone are worth the hefty price tag.

But if you’re not convinced that you should make the investment, this viral TikTok may just sway you. Le Creuset shared a recipe by Justin Chapple on their TikTok that completely blew our minds.

That’s right. They baked the pot pie crust directly on the lid. Pot pie is one of our favorite cozy dinners, but even we can admit that the layer of pastry that directly touches the filling isn’t exactly appetizing. It often ends up soggy, doughy, and flabby—A.K.A. exactly what we don’t want.

The lid of the Dutch oven in this recipe does triple-duty here: It traps the steam of the pot pie filling, it acts as a makeshift cookie cutter for the crust, and it makes for the perfect sized baking sheet.

Naturally, TikTok users flooded the comment section to share their thoughts.

“The way my jaw dropped,” said one user. Another commenter chimed in, “I’ve been using my Dutch oven ALL WRONG”

Honestly, the video already further cemented our love for Le Creuset. But to see if this hack actually works, we decided to try it for ourselves.

Chapple’s pot pie looks delicious (and if you want to try it for yourself, you can find the recipe here), but we’re here to test the lid hack specifically. So we picked up a pack of puff pastry and got rolling.

The lid made for a foolproof guide when it came to cutting the pastry dough to size. And, like you should with all pastry dough, we used a fork to dock the entire surface. This helps the pastry rise more evenly.

To boost the browning factor, we also brushed some heavy cream on top. And some flaky salt never hurts. Then we placed it on a round piece of parchment paper, moved the entire thing to the underside of the Le Creuset lid, and popped it in a 400° oven for 30 minutes.

The results? Oh baby.

Take a look at how puffed and golden the pastry got. Having a dry, stable surface and plenty of airflow really helped give this crust some major lift. The bottom also got some major browning. The size of the pastry itself did shrink slightly, but we’ll take that trade-off in exchange for golden brown perfection.

It’s safe to say we’re incorporating this hack into our regular cooking rotation. But why stop at pot pie? We also love this idea to make focaccia, flatbreads, or even a batch of phyllo scrunch bread.

What do you think about this genius hack? Let us know in the comments!

2023-06-09T20:02:57Z dg43tfdfdgfd