Aldi Has a Le Creuset Lookalike for Just $25

Many of us cook more between Thanksgiving and New Year’s than any other time of year, and the cookware we use to do so can make a difference. Enameled cast iron cookware is some of the most useful out there, going from stovetop to oven, holding heat really well, and looking beautiful while it does all that, too.

Perhaps the beautiful-looking part is a bit of an incentive to make all that holiday cooking just that much more enjoyable. Just in time for the cooking marathon that is the holidays, Aldi has a gorgeous Le Creuset lookalike for just $24.99, and it’s a piece that you may not own from any brand: a cast iron braiser.

What Is a Braiser?

A braiser is a piece of cookware that is somewhere between a pot and a pan; It has a wide bottom, shallow, curved sides, and a lid. It sort of looks like a deep skillet without a long handle. Instead, it has two small handles on either side for picking it up, making it easy to transfer in and out of the oven as needed.

It has many uses, including braising meat, a method of browning the meat then cooking it low and slow in liquid. But don’t let its name fool you, you can do more than braise in this cookware. It can do almost anything a skillet on the stovetop can do. It can fry chicken and other seasonal treats like latkes. You can make a comforting casserole in it and go from stove to oven seamlessly. A braiser is incredibly versatile in the kitchen.

It can also be incredibly expensive if you choose the big name brands such as Le Creuset or Lodge. This is where Aldi comes in. Just like the Croften Dutch oven Aldi recently sold for just $30, its Crofton Cast Iron Braiser looks as beautiful as the expensive brands, but at a bargain price.

Aldi Introduces $25 Crofton Cast Iron Braiser

Crofton is Aldi’s brand of kitchenware, often found in the Aldi Finds section in the center aisle of the store. The new Crofton Cast Iron Braiser comes in two colors: creamy white or light gray-ish blue. It’s 11.85 inches in diameter and holds up to 3.7 quarts. It’s also oven-safe up to 482 degrees F. For comparison, Le Creuset’s braiser is oven safe up to 500 degrees F, slightly higher than the Aldi version. But the Le Creuset version will also run you about $370 for a comparable size of braiser, making the Aldi lookalike quite the steal.

As with all Aldi Finds, they sell out quickly and are rarely restocked, so if you’re interested in adding a useful piece to your cookware collection, drive to your nearest Aldi and head straight to the center aisle (also affectionately known by Aldi shoppers as the Aisle of Shame). No shame in our game!