The Best Terrine Mold for a Lifetime of Fine Terrine Making (Even if You Drop It)
When you first go shopping for a terrine, it’s easy to be overwhelmed by the options, especially because many terrine molds are a hefty investment. It’s better to buy once and spend a little more than waste money on a cheaper version that you’ll end up unhappy with.
On this page, I cover a lot of information about buying a terrine, but here’s the short version of my terrine mold recommendation: It’s worth buying one terrine that will last you a lifetime and you can do that for just over $200. My recommendation for a quality terrine that you’ll love is the Le Crueset Le Creuset Enamelled Cast-Iron Terrine (click here to see it on the Le Crueset site). This is the terrine I decided to splurge out on and I’m extremely happy with my choice.
As you might know from reading my articles, I often suggest workarounds for tools. That’s because you don’t need the fanciest tools around, especially if not having them dissuades you from taking on a kitchen project.
So it might seem strange that I’m suggesting spending north of $200 for a terrine mold. Well, I’m actually recommending this to save you money in the long run. This is a buy-it-for-life recommendation. It’s never gonna break! Unlike a ceramic or stoneware terrine, which may shatter when it accidentally hits the floor, the Le Crueset cast iron terrine is more likely to break your floor than get a scratch on it. Plus, you can hand it down to the next generation when you meet your maker at the charcuterie counter in the sky.
[If shelling out isn’t in your budget, go read tip 2 (Start with what you’ve got at home) in my article 11 Tips for Buying or Procuring Your First Terrine Mold. Then come back here when you’re ready to buy a terrine mold for life.]
Why I chose the Le Crueset Le Creuset Enameled Cast-Iron Terrine
For me, this terrine just makes the most sense when it comes to function, aestetics and value. I’ve appreciated enamelled cast iron even before I became interested in forcemeat and I love that Le Creuset’s cast iron products are still made in France, in the same foundry they’ve been made in since 1925.
The competition for cast iron terrine dishes isn’t too steep and the Le Crueset terrine is actually in the middle of the pack. When I did this research, I found cast iron options for $96 (Paderno) and some off-brand names that got bad reviews on Amazon. On the other side of the dollar spectrum is another French brand, Staub. (About $50 more expensive, though during multiple jaunts of research, I found this isn’t always the case. For example, one day, it was $277 and the next day, $321, on one major online retailer.) Le Chausseur is another option for a made-in-France terrine but hard to order from Canada, which puts it on the no-no list for me.
The Le Crueset cast iron terrine is also the cheffy choice because it’s been around so long. So, when you make a reciple from Brian Polcyn and Michael Ruhlman from their book, Pâté, Confit, Rillette: Recipes from the Craft of Charcuterie, you know it’s going to fit perfectly because that’s the terrine mold they use too. As they say, “We use the industry standard, Le Crueset’ 1 ½-quart/1.5-liter lidded terrine mold. Most of the pâté recipes in this book are scaled to fill this size terrine.”
But, for full disclosure, this terrine isn’t perfect and this one shortcoming almost put a Le Creuset’s stoneware version in my number one position. The Le Crueset enameled cast-iron terrine does not come with a terrine press. This seems like a terrible oversight since so many pâté instructions included weighing down your pâté en terrine overnight in the fridge. This means that chefs and home cooks around the world are DIY-ing a terrine press, which is a pain.
However, I have a handy aunt who made me a cutting board herself and I’ve decided she can also make me a terrine press for the Le Crueset. [She loves projects.]
Another thing is that you can feel safe buying the enamelled cast iron terrine online, straight from Le Crueset. I’ve been hoodwinked by a no-name store on a large online retail outlet before; they sent me the totally wrong products and didn’t refund me even after I mailed back the subpar product. I learned my lesson the hard way so I recommend buying this pricey item from a trusted source.
How to take care of your Le Crueset Le Creuset Enamelled Cast-Iron Terrine
Once you buy your Le Crueset enamelled cast iron terrine, you’ll want to treat it right so it can give you a lifetime of use.
Le Crueset says this about care, “If there are food residues, fill the pan with warm water and let soak for 15 to 20 minutes before washing. A brush can be useful for removing small food deposits, or for cleaning between the ribs on grills. Do not use scourers or abrasive cleaners on the cooking surface. Nylon or soft abrasive pads or brushes can be used to remove stubborn residues. To avoid damaging the enamel, do not use metallic pads or harsh abrasive cleaning agents.”
They also suggest using Le Creuset cookware cleaner to remove stains and always drying your enamelled cast iron cookware thoroughly before storing it.
There’s also unofficial advice about how to removed stains from enamelled cast iron cookware and, though this method isn’t Le Crueset approved, you may be interested in trying it out.
How To Remove Stains Enamel Dutch Oven Pots Pans
(This didn’t work for my KitchenAid enamelled cast iron dutch oven but perhaps I shouldn’t have neglected the stains for about 10 years.)
So there you have it, if you want a long term relationship with a terrine mold, you can’t go wrong with the Le Crueset enamelled cast iron terrine (click here to view on Le Creuset).
May your terrine always serve you well!
Click here to see my recommendations for the best books for forcemeat and French country cooking and click here to see the resource page for animal-foods based nutrition.
Important legal notice: This post contains affiliate links. I’m compensated for many of my product recommendations. Forcemeat Academy is a participant in the Amazon Associates affiliate program, as well as other affiliate programs. While I’m careful to only recommend the products I use and love, I want to be open and transparent about the relationship I have with companies I recommend.
