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Lock & Lock 12L Pantry Container $19.99 Cast Iron Cookware - Dutch Oven $24, French Pan $26.99, Frypan $17.99 @ ALDI Special Buy

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Store bulk rice, flour or grains in this large Rice Case which has a 12 litre capacity and features an angled flip open hatch opening for easy access. It comes complete with a cup for scooping contents and has a secure four tab locking system with a silicone seal plus clear sides for an easy view of content levels. Keep your pantry organised, enjoying the outstanding features of this versatile container.

The patented tab locking system has been extensively tested to deliver secure closure with snap-proof and break resistant strength. Should you use it to gently heat in the microwave be sure to release all four locking tabs re prevent a build- up of pressure and wash your Lock & Lock in the dishwasher as necessary. Collect the space-saving and stackable styles in this Lifetime Warranted range.

Key Features:

  • Airtight and spill proof storage solution
  • Stackable, space-saving
  • Locking tabs will not snap or break
  • Absolutely safe to use with food
  • Dimensions: 35 cm x 23 cm x 27 cm
  • Lifetime Warranty

Cast iron frypan/griddle $17.99

  • 26cm
  • Frypan has 3 layer enamel coating
  • 5 Year Warranty

Cast iron Dutch Oven 3.7L $24.99

  • 3 layer enamel coating
  • 3.7 Litre Capacity
  • 5 Year Warranty

Cast iron French Pan 3.2L $26.99

  • 3 layer enamel coating
  • 30cm Diameter
  • 5 Year Warranty

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closed Comments

  • +2

    Are enamel coatings good or bad for cast iron?

    • +7

      Neither - just different. In some cases you may prefer enamel coated, in some cases you may prefer bare (and seasoned) cast iron.

      (Personally I like bare cast iron frypan and enamel coated dutch oven and french pan/braiser, but that's just me)

      • So how would it affect seasoning and is enamel more scratch/chip proof than the usual nonstick coatings?
        What are the benefits of having enamel for your dutch oven?

      • Quick googling says the differences are:
        - Cast iron bad for acidic things, so use enamel coated in this case
        - Enamel can wear out / chip over time

        Do you have thoughts on how much they stick / are non-stick to your cooking (and any other differences you've noticed)?
        Also can you give examples of cases for using each one? I have cast iron skillets so far but have been eyeing enamel (pans and pots / dutch ovens) and wondering what the use cases are.

        • +1

          soups, stews, slow cooking, making big batches, etc.

          cast iron and enameled cast iron have some of the same benefits but they're used for quite different things.

          • @dirkgonnadirk: The dutch oven recipes look sooooo good.

            I guess question was more about differences between the same product but cast iron vs enamel.
            E.g. pros and cons of cast iron dutch oven vs enamel coated dutch oven (same with pots and pans too)

            • +4

              @Terencee: yeah, fair!

              enamelled are way more common. the main difference will be the ease of cleaning and maintenance. enameled you can just put in the sink and wash with soap, no need for seasoning, no risk of rust, etc.

              people will debate how much work is involved, but as someone who uses cast iron pans daily i would hate to have to mess around with a much bigger cast iron dutch oven.

            • +1

              @Terencee: Bare is better for high temperature stuff like searing because you don't have to worry about cracking your enamel, and is more non-stick when seasoned properly.

              Enameled is better for acidic things and braising, because you don't have to worry about destroying your seasoning, and because cleaning and maintenance is easier (don't have to worry about seasoning and rust).

              For me personally, frying/searing at high temp = bare cast iron (hence why I like bare cast iron frypan). Braising and slow cooking = enameled cast iron (hence why I like enameled ducth oven / braiser). But you can do pretty much anything in either really (eg. you CAN cook acidic things in bare cast iron once it's well seasoned), so it's largely preference.

              (My personal bias of liking colourful enameled dutch ovens, but preferring vintage bare cast iron frypans, also probably plays a part in my choice!)

            • +1

              @Terencee: I use enamel cast iron because I cook a lot of tomato based italian dishes, cassoulets, ragu, chili, etc, where slow cooking a sauce and sometimes transferring from dish to oven is important, but I don't tend to do a whole lot of high temp searing (i.e. steaks).

              Plus it's just looks. You can take your enamel cast iron direct from stove to table and it looks great and rustic.

              But at the same time, I'm guessing there's a lot of variance. The price difference between Le Creuset and this is massive, whereas any old cast iron pan is pretty much useable forever. Enamel cast iron I've found is meant to replace cheap aluminium dishes, not a cast iron pan.

            • @Terencee: Thanks for all the replies dirkgonnadirk, caprimulgus and freefall101!

              Very insightful use cases for the different types of equipment - I will review my cooking preferences and habits and make a decision based on the information you all have provided :)

              Sounds like it makes sense to have cast iron skillets and griddles and enamel pots and ovens.
              I have an L8SK3 from previous order and my seedling arms struggle with it sometimes. I can't imagine having to fight with a beast of a cast iron dutch oven trying to clean and maintain it.

      • We've had each of these (in the first photo) for some years now.
        Mostly use the griddle pan, its quick/easy to clean.
        The enamel frypan does not get used much, its more difficult to clean and got a bit scratched one time when I did.
        The dutch oven is Ok but don't tend to use it a lot - however for the price it's great (especially since it does not get used so much)

        • Did you use wood on your enamel pan? If not, that's why it's scratched.

          • @bargainparker: Very much our own fault, not blaming the surface, just find the non-coated ones much easier to care for.

  • +3

    Those Lock & Lock containers are pretty good.
    We got some a few years back

    • Was it cheaper before?

      • I don't remember sorry. Quality is excellent though

      • Actually it was but still probably the best price for large lock&lock

    • I got quite a lot of Lock & Lock ~10 years back. Still going strong. On a couple out of about a dozen of them the hinging on the plastic lock clips has gotten real loose and I'm careful with them so I don't snap them off. But everything else good.

    • +1

      They're $35 at kitchenwarehouse and $50 at howards storage. great deal. amazon reviews are great too https://www.amazon.com.au/LOCK-Storage-Container-405-77-oz-5… (50.7 american cups is 12 litres)

  • I can't find this on their website. Does anyone know when this is active?

    • 11 days…

      • +1

        Ooops! Thanks. I see it now :0

    • Catalogue comes out officially tomorrow, so that's the earliest the website will update.

  • +1

    Holy crap that dutch oven is cheap. IKEA has the same one for $60. Thanks OP.

    • I've been painstakingly trying to find a Kmart that had their $29 model in stock, and finally managed to secure one yesterday. Then this comes out $4 cheaper.. :P
      Ah well.

    • The kmart one at $29 is just fine and quite similar I'd say- just have to find one in stock.

  • +2

    With the recent bread revolution going on in the world those dutch ovens are sure to sell out fast

  • +1

    I have the Dutch oven, it's great. Although not large it's a good size for a round sourdough loaf.

    • Have it too, its great.

  • I saw a photo of the catalogue on Facebook a few days ago and nowhere else on the internet. Do we not have an aldi insider here?

  • What's the point of having cast iron if you're going to put enamel over it? (Genuine question)

    • Read other comments, the enamel stops the iron from leaching when cooking acidic foods (apparently) and they don't require seasoning

      • I don't think it's about iron leeching it's more that the seasoning built up on the cast iron is stripped when cooking acidic foods such as tomato sauce making it stick again.

    • I think it's really good at conducting and retaining heat

      • But I mean if you're putting in an oven, whether it's cast iron or not, it should retain heat whilst it's cooking either way right?

        • Dutch ovens aren't only for oven. It's also for stovetop cooking and when it retains heat it also means it's thick enough to distribute heat very evenly so the pan doesn't create hot spots

          • @Sometingwong: I see thanks, but in the oven it basically makes no difference? I'm just asking because I don't need another stove pot and if using a dutch oven well, in the oven, makes no difference then I will probably pass.

            • @[Deactivated]: It's great to make home made bread in too as some suggested in the comments. Also traditional pans have a non stick coating which means they have a maximum rated temp a lot lower than what ovens can get upto before stripping the toxic coating so keep that in mind. It's definitely used sparesly in our household but well worth the $25 investment. I got the aldi one. Somehow I feel a lot more at ease sticking this in the oven compared to any of my other pots.

              • @Sometingwong: Sounds good, thanks for your advice!

          • +1

            @Sometingwong: Cast iron doesn't distribute heat. It gets hot where the heat source is.

            • +1

              @[Deactivated]: You are right apologies for not being clear there. Yes there are hotspots but it has a high emissivity rating helping cook food above the pan and not just the spots directly in contact with the pan.

  • +1

    I wish they had bigger than 3.7L dutch ovens. Probably pushing it for a family meal for 4.

  • The French pan is amazing for making big batches of tomato sauce and jam in the oven. The even heat and large surface area for evaporation made it a snap.

  • +2

    Hey op, here's a link to the catalogue.
    https://www.lasoo.com.au/catalogue/aldi-catalogue-special-bu…

    and here's a link directly to the page containing listed products
    https://www.lasoo.com.au/catalogue/aldi-catalogue-special-bu…

  • +1

    For the people asking enamel vs. cast iron surface

    Enamel is a glass/glass like coating, which means that any enamelled surface doesn't need special cleaning or seasoning techniques. It can however be damaged or wear over time if abused, but in a less dangerous way than teflon or other non-sticks typically.

    Most dishes can be cooked in raw cast iron, except for tomato or acid heavy dishes (bolognaise, tomato sauce) for extended periods. This strips the natural oil seasoning and leaves food prone to sticking, burning or the pan rusting.

    For this reason I have a cast iron saucepan with a raw cooking surface, and an enamelled cast iron dutch oven (which makes it a french oven technically I think) which means I can slow cook tomato rich dishes in it.

    Don't be scared off by the "needs" of cast iron, I spend less time cleaning mine than I do my stainless cookware, which I use less now.

    For mid $20, they are nowhere near the chasseur/creuset cookware, but it's cast iron, you can't really go that wrong.

  • Hellooo,

    I've never been to an Aldi special buy before and was just wondering what time I should show up to a store to attempt to get a full set of the cast iron cookware? Are they usually something that sells out quickly?

    If anyone has suggestions on which store to go to in Brisbane, that would be very kind of you to mention too. I'm pretty anxious around crowds but I'm going to brave it as I need some induction friendly cookwear!

    • +1

      I've only been to one of these special buys once, about 2 years ago and it was chaos.
      I was after two down jackets, one with sleeves and one without and a fleece jacket.
      I arrived at the store, (one of the Melbourne Eastern suburbs stores) just before opening, and once inside it was a mad rush. I could only get 2 of the 3 items.
      Had to go to a second store 15 minutes down the road to get the last item which seemed to be less chaotic with more stock left (Both stores similar in size).
      So I'd suggest going when they first open, especially seeing as you're after multiple items just to be safe.

      • +2

        Thank you! I arrived just before 7:30am and was about 10th in line. By 8am the entire ramp was lined with shoppers and they let us in in groups. Luckily I was first group and I managed to get one of each item in red and a couple things in white for family who couldn't make it. The white stock at this store got cleaned out by about 8:20am with blue being the second most popular colour disappearing before 8:40am. I was after the red so that was okay by me.
        In the carpark a lady told me her husband was at another store and he'd said there still was plenty of stock there so go figure. Social distancing wasn't really happening.

    • +1

      I'm here now and it's nuts lol huge line but plenty of stock, smaller fry pans go quick

  • Was madness at my Aldi. So much for social distancing.. partner is very happy she got the Dutch oven, French pan and griddle. Only disappointing thing is the lid on the French pan is a bit wonky. Doesn’t sit flush like the Dutch oven one does. Would consider taking it aback and asking for an exchange but I imagine the chances of there being one there still are about 0 and even less likely in the red colour that she wanted.

  • Well it was total chaos at my local Aldi - lack of social distancing, people ramming others out of the way with trolleys, people climbing over each other and shelves.

    It reminded me of the zombie scene from World War Z where they climb and stack up the wall. Absolutely mental.

    • :O wow. I mean mine was a rush of people and no social distancing but nothing quite that bad.

      • My local aldi was pretty much like this too. A lack of social distancing but nothing mental. The 12L pantry containers are quality!

    • My local aldi was fine, I went around 9:30 plenty of stock and not much people.

  • +1

    I lied. Apparently the 12L pantry containers are not airtight. There's a tiny gap, at the back of the smaller lid, that you can slide a piece of paper through. It looks defective.

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