Smeg casserole dish

• Read our full guide to the best casserole dishes

How easy is the Smeg casserole dish to use?

The first thing we noticed about it was just how lightweight it is, even when full. The two lug handles, with the classic Smeg ridges on the design, on either side of the dish are solidly built and make carrying it from oven to table a breeze. Plus, there’s a solid distance between the pan and handles, offering enough space to comfortably remove the pan using thick oven mitts.

This pan comes with a glass lid with a small steam vent. Unlike other lids that tend to be curved, the Smeg lid is totally flat. The lid handle has the same ridged detailing as on the side handles.

With a 4.6L capacity, this casserole dish offers enough space to feed 4-6 people comfortably. It has just enough room to fit a small chicken in, but anything larger would call for the 7.7L dish.

After cooking, the casserole dish was a breeze to clean. Both the dish and lid are dishwasher safe, though in truth, nothing stuck to the pan, so there was no deep cleaning needed.

Results

We wanted to test this casserole dish out using a recipe that requires both hob and oven cooking. Cue our beef and vegetable casserole recipe.

We found the dish sturdy on the hob, and it remained in place even when stirring vigorously. Our only slight qualm was the black non-stick coating on the inside of the pan. While the beef and vegetable casserole recipe we used doesn’t call for any browning of meat, we felt that if we did have to brown darker ingredients, the black interior may limit our ability to monitor the development.

The casserole dish sits comfortably in the oven. We peeked at the progress midway through cooking and were impressed by the clarity of the lid. Often glass lids tend to steam up, making it difficult to see what’s going on inside, but the Smeg lid was totally clear, and we could see our casserole bubbling away, reducing nicely.

Once finished the casserole was perfect. The meat was tender, the vegetables were soft with a slight bite, and the sauce was glossy and well-reduced.

• Read our Smeg cookware range first look review

Conclusion

This is an undeniably fabulous looking range of casserole dishes available in a good variety of sizes, ideal for couples and larger families. The colours on offer are a great starting point, though we’d like to see Smeg increase the variety.

If you’re a fan of baking bread in your casserole dish, the lid of this Smeg model doesn’t offer the tight seal of its cast-iron counterparts. But, for casseroles, stews, ragu and sauces, this dish is a great option. It’s lightweight and oven safe to a high temperature, making it a versatile piece of kit.

• Available from Smeg 3.7L (£149), 4.6L (£169), 7.7L (£189)

Specifications

Capacity (litres): 3.7, 4.6, 7.7
Lid: yes, glass
Non-stick: PTFE
Materials: cold forged aluminium
Induction compatible: yes
Dishwasher safe: yes
Oven safe: yes, up to 250C

Casserole dish recipes
Chicken arrabiata stew & parmesan dumplings
Bean & halloumi stew
Creamy chicken stew
Spiced lamb meatball stew
One-pot sausage casserole with garlic breadcrumbs
Chipotle sweet potato & black bean stew with cheddar dumplings

This review was last updated in June 2021. If you have any questions, suggestions for future reviews or spot anything that has changed in price or availability, please get in touch at goodfoodwebsite@immediate.co.uk.