Le Creuset (French pronunciation:[ləkʁøzɛ], meaning "the crucible") is a French-Belgian maker of cookware. They are best known for producing enameled cast-iron cookware.[1] The company first manufactured their products in the town of Fresnoy-le-Grand in France in 1925, which are similar in function to a Dutch oven but with T-shaped handles. The Le Creuset Dutch oven is on display in the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C. as a part of the recreation of the chef Julia Child's kitchen.[1] It has been widely reported to be her favorite cooking pot, though specialist sources hold that it was the Dutch oven of Le Creuset's less-remembered competitor Descoware that was her real favorite.[1] The company also makes many other types of cookware and bakeware, from fondue-sets to tagines.
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Le Creuset was founded in Fresnoy-le-Grand, Aisne, Picardy at the crossroads of transportation routes for iron, coke, and sand. Armand De Saegher (a Belgian casting specialist) and Octave Aubecq (a Belgian enamelling specialist) opened the foundry in 1925.[2][3] That same year, the first cocotte (or French oven) was produced, laying the foundation for what is now an extensive range of cookware and kitchen utensils. Flame (orange), was used for the first piece.
During World War II, Le Creuset began to focus on continually improving cast iron.
In the 1950s the designer Raymond Loewy introduced a futuristic type of cookware.
In 1957, Le Creuset purchased a competitor, Les Hauts Fourneaux de Cousances, and began producing items such as a grill and a fondue set.
The cookery writer Elizabeth David promoted Mediterranean cooking in the UK and was a Le Creuset promoter, particularly in her 1969 booklet 'Cooking with Le Creuset'. One of the colours of blue in the cookware range was created for her. [4]
The current Le Creuset logo was introduced in 1970 as a symbolic representation of metal casting and moulding.
Dutch ovens or "coquelles" designed by Raymond Loewy
In the 1970s Enzo Mari designed distinctive Dutch ovens and saucepans with domed lids and typical handles. In the 1980s JC Barrault's "Futura" line was launched.
The company was purchased by Paul van Zuydam in 1988.[5]
In 1995, Le Creuset began exploring new product categories: stainless steel, stoneware, silicone, enamel on steel, textiles and forged hard-anodized aluminium.
Le Creuset offers a variety of colours, from bright (e.g. cherry, a gradated red) to muted (e.g. dune, a gradated off-white).[6] Its discontinued colours include cobalt (gradated blue-violet), black onyx (solid black), kiwi (gradated light green),[6] as well as slate, granite, cactus, and citron.[7][8] In addition to their standard colors, Le Creuset partners with major kitchenware retail brands such as Williams-Sonoma and Sur La Table to offer unique "exclusive" colors which are only available for purchase through their respective stores.
Le Creuset sauce pans
Le Creuset kitchenware gained new fans amongst users of social media in 2020 as a high value designer brand.[9][10]
Production
To manufacture their cast-iron cookware, the Le Creuset foundry uses standard sand casting methods. After hand finishing, items are sprayed with at least two coats of enamel. The Le Creuset Signature range of cast iron cookware is coated in a minimum of three coats of enamel.[11] The enamel becomes resistant to damage during normal use. Currently, all Le Creuset cast-iron cookware is still manufactured in the company's foundry in Fresnoy-le-Grand. The process was featured on BBC Two's Inside the Factory.[12]
Le Creuset products that are not cast-iron may be made in other countries, such as China (accessories or silicone products), Thailand (kettles and ceramics), England (enamel cleaner), Portugal (stainless steel),[citation needed] and Eswatini (clay pots).[citation needed]
Image gallery
Vintage casseroles by Raymond Loewy
Individual casseroles
Shallow casserole in 'Cassis' colour
Fondue pot designed by Enzo Mari
Le Creuset shop display
Le Creuset tea kettle
From left: Le Creuset Dutch oven, saute pan, small wok, and rectangular baker
Little, Harriet Fitch (3 September 2022), "The home in 50 objects from around the world #44, Julia Child's soup pot: The 1960s celebrity chef introduced Americans to French cooking and quality cookware", Financial Times, Le Creuset is the long-reigning heavyweight champ of the wedding gift registry. This makes sense metaphorically: a cast-iron vessel with a lifetime guarantee must appeal to nervous couples on the cusp of forever. This 1973 cocotte, also known as a French oven, is functionally identical to the company's first prototype, forged in the French town of Fresnoy-le-Grand in 1925, although the T-shaped handles were the innovation of Italian industrial designer Enzo Mari. What really distinguishes it is its provenance. It was the favourite soup pot of chef Julia Child and is now on display at the National Museum of American History as part of an exhibition that recreates the revered chef's home kitchen. ... Although her allegiance to the brand is now legend, many specialist sources suggest she was more fond of the competitor brand Descoware.
This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Le_Creuset, and is written by contributors.
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