Is this Le Creuset diss merely clickbait?

October 11, 2025 by
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Writing for Grub Street, Tammie Teclamarian has declared that Le Creuset has gone from being useful to tacky and is, in a word, “cheugy”. First things first – a definition: Cheugy is an American neologism coined in 2013 as a pejorative description of lifestyle trends associated with the early 2010s. This aesthetic has been described as “the opposite of trendy” or “trying too hard”.

Basing her argument on a handful of influencer posts, Teclamarian posits that since there are people who buy LC just for clout, the entire brand is now tainted. She says that “Le Creuset’s buy-it-for-life status has softened” because collectors view their LC pieces as “little more than very heavy Labubus.” There probably are collectors out there who do not value their LC and only purchased it so others will acknowledge their superior taste. What I disagree with is that this kind of ostentatious display reduces the value of what remains a quality product.

Teclamarian notes that Le Creuset has expanded its product line in recent years to include limited edition colors and collaborations with various partners, the most recent being a series of “Wicked”-themed pans. Is this Le Creuset selling out, or is it merely a growth avenue for a company that produces a product that lasts for decades? Teclamarian seems to believe the former, saying that “any growth is coming at the expense of Le Creuset’s reputation.”

If LC’s enameled cookware chipped, rusted, and flaked within a year as do many of its low-priced competitors’ products, I might agree. However, there is no indication that LC is producing themed pans at the expense of a quality product. No one is throwing away a $400 Dutch oven because they no longer like the color, although they might give it to a friend or a thrift store (I wish someone was doing that around here).

Judging from the comments, no one is buying Teclamarian’s argument. Almost every commenter said that the only reason to call Le Creuset “cheugy” was to induce a flurry of angry clicks. Which worked, I suppose, because I clicked on it, although out of curiosity rather than anger. I wonder if Teclamarian herself really believes what she wrote or if it was just for the clicks (which would be the height of irony).

Too much is going on for me to care whether someone uses their Le Creuset or just buys it to impress followers. I will continue to use mine regularly, whether it’s “cheugy” or not. Oh – by the way, the company recently introduced a new line it is calling ‘Modern Heritage’ as it celebrates a century of great cooking.

Category: Antipasto

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14 Comments

  • Zephyrness  on  October 11, 2025

    The downside of making a product that lasts a lifetime is that it becomes hard to get returning customers. Le Creuset seems to have found a way around that. More power to them. I own one piece of Le Creuset (yep, found it at a resale shop). I simply can’t afford both high end cookware and high end food. So I will go on cooking my Rancho Gordo beans in a less expensive pot. But I may find another piece at resale some day.

  • Fyretigger  on  October 12, 2025

    I only own 1 piece of Le Creuset, an esoteric for most cast iron tagine, replacing a traditional one that epically failed, resulting in an hours long clean up operation. So anyway… not a super-fan, not a purchaser of the color de jour, not a status purchaser.

    That said, what I find “cheugy” is that piece of journalism. All of the claims against Le Creuset are self-proclaimed by the journalist without any real substantiation. Le Creuset has damaged its reputation? How so? Are sales off? Are influential cooks recommending other brands? No… none of that is presented as evidence. The evidence presented is that a couple of super-fans (folks the journalist seems to despise already) were disappointed in sales events (where one came away with ‘only’ $2000 worth of merchandise) and the journalist’s own disdain for folks who purchase them as status items.

    Actually, headlining an article with “cheugy” in 2025, seems a bit cheugy. It verges on something one would see in “The Onion.”

  • janecooksamiracle  on  October 12, 2025

    I have 5 LC ! when not in use all are behind closed kitchen cupboard doors. Not on display 😀

  • Indio32  on  October 12, 2025

    Sorry, but have to completely agree with the linked article above.
    Go back 10 years and here in London there were lots of retailers inc. independents selling LC now you can only find it in 2/3 highend stores and even then only as a concession. LC appear to have been forced to open there own ’boutiques’ to have any sort of visibility. Prices never cheap but a good considered purchase have become utterly horrific much more than could be explained by costs ie lifestyle pricing. Add the tsunami of LC branded (to justify the prices) stoneware whisper it made in Thailand but at made in france prices. Also I can’t remember the last time I saw a LC casserole in a cookbook image it’s all Staub. I don’t see other quality brands having these social media sales/marketing events.
    Comeback in 20 years and I think LC will be a completely different company ie it won’t be a well used cherished kitchen item for the masses more of a designer lifestyle piece that sits on a shelf never to be used because you needed a mortgage to buy it.

  • BDavi  on  October 12, 2025

    Wow, I love Le Creuset! They are awesome! I like the look but it’s not a display piece but a workhorse. That being said I’m sure many of the high end brands are having a hard time right now. Although I think that more people are trying to learn how to cook rather that eat out as much. It’ll be interesting to see what the future holds.

  • radhablack  on  October 12, 2025

    Thank you for this post so I don’t have to add a click to that clickbait. I have many LC pieces handed down from my mother; they have literally been feeding me my whole lifetime to date. They just got too heavy and large for her in her later years. They are indeed lifetime and even heirloom pieces, well-loved and used and also properly cared for ( I was taught at a young age no metal or heavy scrubbers in the pots whatsoever).

    My mom’s simple cooking always tasted very tasty coming out of the pots, which is what made me a believer. I think it is all about the care one takes when using a pot like that; you aren’t doing quick thoughtless cooking in them, so the output is bound to be better. Also maybe since there is no reactivity with metal to impart flavors.

    Trendiness doesn’t change any of this, although I don’t have newer pieces so I can’t say how quality compares.

  • PeriwinkleBrain  on  October 13, 2025

    A Le Creuset collection is no different than a cookbook collection. The brand has done collabs longer than I’ve been alive. TikTok, resellers, etc. discovering the brand does not dilute the brand or quality.

  • WallaceGrover  on  October 13, 2025

    The nice thing about these extremely superficial social media trends is how quickly they fade. In a couple years all of the “influencers” will be selling their LC or shoving them in the basement alongside their pressure cookers and air fryers. (not to say LC deserves being shoved aside, mine is an absolute workhorse)

  • averythingcooks  on  October 13, 2025

    I love the LC pieces I own (and use constantly & lovingly) but I have now decided for sure that I don’t plan to follow writers that use the word (if you can actually call it that 🙂 cheugy 🙂

    I also believe Kitchenaid has faced a similar problem (& criticism) re: constantly coming out with new colours for the stand mixer to entice new & repeat buyers. I love mine and I hope it lasts forever but I also know for sure that if it doesn’t, I won’t hesitate to replace it.

  • dbuhler  on  October 13, 2025

    Am I the only one who had to look up the pronunciation of that word?! I learned something new today because I have never heard it before.

    That aside, I think I would agree a little with the article and with Indio32. I have a friend who bought a limited edition LC dutch oven and it just sits on her range for looks, likely because she saw it on social media. Her whole house is like that actually, very beautiful and always on display, much like what you see on Instagram and the likes. She enjoys beautiful things and likes living that way, so no judgement from me, I’m just pointing out that there are people out there who buy these items for looks only. With that said, I am very skeptical of brands that, in my words, sell out to social media influencers just to push sales. Obviously, a sale is a sale for LC, but it feels like consumerism when a brand becomes something just to buy but never use. I dont own any LC pieces so perhaps I would feel different about the matter if I did, but I’ve never been able to afford any. Like Zephyrness, I can’t have both, so for know I choose better food cooked in a less expensive pot.

  • demomcook  on  October 13, 2025

    Forget the social media issue, the bigger problem is the price. I’ve watched prices go sky high in just the past few months. What is worse is the re-styling of the “new” heavier lids which makes the pots impossible to lift. I can’t imagine what they will be like full if you cannot lift empty them in the store. I love the pieces I have and they are well used and enjoyed, but I’m not sure if I will be adding anymore.

  • Rinshin  on  October 14, 2025

    I refuse to read any article by someone who uses the word “cheugy.” The irony of that choice speaks for itself.

  • FJT  on  October 17, 2025

    I bought my 5-piece le creuset set in an outlet mall in Pennsylvania about 16 years ago and I’ve never regretted the purchase. I’ve added a couple of pieces in the same colour in the intervening years. It works so well and will last me a lifetime of cooking, although I maybe pressure cook a bit more now rather than leaving things on the stove or in the oven for hours as it’s cheaper. Love my Le Creuset pans. N

  • mcvl  on  November 13, 2025

    I bought my first Le Creuset pot in the early 1970s at the Elizabeth David shop in London, and I use it still at least once a week. I’ve given new LC pots to my daughter, and I expect she’ll give one or two to her son. So much for no returning customers.

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