These are "mini-me" sized covered casseroles. A French person might call one a mini Doufeu, as it has the central indentation on the lid on which one could put mini ice cubes. The small interior measures 4 3/4" by up to 3 1/4" wide, and a shallow 1 3/4" in depth.
They are enamel over cast iron, similar to Le Creuset in appearance, however don't expect to put more than, say 7-8 ounces of food in one, to keep the food from bubbling over and creating a real mess.
How/when to use them? They are a functional novelty item, a large ramekin in capacity, so I'll use them perhaps for serving a small portion of soup that will keep its heat for a while, rather than actually cooking from scratch in one. They are too narrow and tiny to use for browning items before a stew, so do any "serious" cooking in a larger container, then transfer to this for serving, to be realistic. It's a good size for a side of vegetables, as 7-8 oz of food is not a full meal for many teens or adults! Do not put enameled cast iron in the dishwasher, and do dry it quickly after use, to decrease rusting.
Drawback 1: The mini casseroles have a cheap phenolic (plastic) handle on the top cover/lid, which the manual says are "oven safe" ONLY up to 350 F temperature. This makes no sense, when recipes may call for 350-400 degree temperatures! A 350 degree handle is just as hot to the touch, be it made of cheap plastic or sturdy cast iron. Le Creuset's products are certified to 450 degrees, not Rachaels's mere 350 degrees.
Drawback 2: People are noting cracking of the enamel on the larger casseroles, not a good sign of quality control. Perhaps Le Creuset learned a few tricks in ~100 years of making enameled cast iron. (See reviews on "Rachael Ray 3-1/2-Quart Cast-Iron Covered Round Casserole, Blue", and talk with people who handle returns at your dept. store.)
Quite a few bakers know that oven temps may vary from 50-75 degrees from what is "set", at times! While using plastic handles saves a small expense for Rachael, it may limit oven temp setting to 300-325 for some, to have a safety margin, avoid the handle's meltdown. It just gives one more thing to worry about while cooking-to not let the plastic handle melt into a puddle of Halloween-orange goo.
Rachael, these are so cute! With the next batch, please give matching cast iron lid handles instead of cheap plastic handles, and make it easy on your customers!
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Rachael Ray 12-Ounce Cast-Iron Covered Oval Casseroles, Set of 2, OrangeProduct Description: These oval shaped mini casseroles are the perfect size for single-serving one-dish meals or baked side dishes for a small family.
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We bought the Avalon chair & table set and two additional chairs. They are beautiful and very strong--adults sit on them with no problem. They are a little big for the smallest children (age 2 and under), but sit even 8 and 9 year olds comfortably. My children use this table for crafts; for dinner parties; etc. The only problem is that the table surface can be easily marked--we have a green marker line across the top and a crayon line up one leg. I'd think that the table could have a more wipe-clean surface. Food stains wipe up easily--but I think that some crayons and markers (and not just permanent ones) can stain the surface.
