Le Creuset Casserole

Every cook and/or chef has a favorite brand of pots, pans, dishes, etc.  My favorite in most pots, pans and various stoneware is the Le Creuset casserole. I like it because I had a choice of colors to choose from in order to make my kitchen light and bright while cooking. Although, I love to cook and my kitchen is my favorite room in the house, there are times when it needs a little brightening up. Le Creuset is a brand that will do just that.

The Le Creuset casserole is made in stoneware as well as cast iron with an enamel overlay and it’s available in a variety of great colors. My preference in the casserole is red and yellow. I have a mini casserole in red and the larger casserole in yellow. I have not yet bought the dishes but that is the next Le Creuset item on my list. There are so many items made by this company that it is almost impossible to decide which item to buy next. After you have had the Le Creuset casserole you never want to use any other brand of casserole.

My Le Creuset casserole is the plain round one but if you are interested in a little artistry on your stove look at the casseroles that are made by this  brand that look like bell peppers, tomatoes, garlic and more. I will try one of those after my dishes purchase. These little artistries will not make the food taste better but they can make the cook feel a little more light hearted. At least that is the way I think it will make me feel.  As I said, I love to cook but it’s nice to have a little diversion from the ordinary round pots and pans. It also makes serving in such a casserole nicer than plopping a round casserole pot on the table. The latter reminds me of a soup kitchen where a little artistry in a pot or pan makes serving the food in the pot is was cooked in a little more special. It took me a long time to bring myself to cook and serve the food in the same pot because there was never anything attractive enough to suit me. The Le Creuset casserole did the trick I now like to cook and serve in the same pot.

Like everything one buys there is often a drawback. I found that my Le Creuset casserole lid did not fit right and had to return it to the company. They were very nice about the exchange and the service was quick. The only other drawback with the Le Creuset casserole is the price. The price for all of the Le Creuset products including the casserole is high.  But again, If you want quality you have to pay the price and the Le Creuset brand shouts high quality. No matter the ill fitting lid and price I love my Le Creuset casserole.

In answer to the question of who is Le Creuset, it is a brand of enameled cookware that is manufactured in Fresnoy-le-grand, in Northern France and often called the French Oven. In 1925 two Belgian industrialists made the first enameled pots and the birth of the Le Creuset casserole was revealed to the cooking world.  The casserole was immediately a success and remains their most popular pot, as well as their signature pot. As for who is Le Creuset, there is no Mr Le Creuset it is the name of a brand of cookware.

Rather than asking who is Le Creuset one should ask what is LeCreuset and the answer from most users of the products would be an enthusiastic “…the best cook ware on the market today….” Not often do we see a brand from the twenties still as popular today as it was in its heyday.

Le Creuset cookware comes in many vibrant colors. The La Cresuset casserole was the first to debut, in 1934, in a bright orange color which became the signature color and was called Flame. It remains their signature color today. It was discovered that the colors at the red end contained cadmium which can be toxic. In 1990 the company quickly changed the formula for the red colored pots to bind the color to the enamel to avoid toxicity. The cream color in the interior of the pot is safe.

It is recommended that the Le Creuset French Oven, or casserole, not be used for deep frying foods as the oils often become hot enough to ruin the pot.  The best thing about Le Creuset pots and pans is that they can be used on any cooking surface be it gas, electric, or induction ovens. You can use them in the oven for baking and store your foods, left over or freshly cooked, safely in the refrigerator. The standard Le Creuset French Oven remains staunch but there are a lot of new designs of different and interesting shapes.

Le Creuset Casseroles and other Le Creuset pots and pans are manufactured in France and known everywhere as French Ovens. They are cookware enameled over cast iron and come in a variety of beautiful colors making a kitchen look happy and the cook looks happy to be there. As an introduction to Le Creuset Casseroles let me say that they came to life into the cookware market in the year l925. If something as inanimate as a cook-pot can be born than this beautiful cookware was born in Fresnoy Le Grand, France. The Le Creusett company’s first item was the round casserole which became so popular it became their signatur product and remains so to this day.

In 1934 Le Creuset introduced color into its signature pot. The color was flame  which was orange and in 1956 the color yellow was introduced.  Both colors were successful and remain so. After the Second World War Le Creuset began exporting its cookware to different parts of the world including the United States.

Our introduction to Le Creuset Casseroles goes on with the process of its manufacture  which continues in Fresnoy Le Grand. The cassaroles and other Le Creuset products are still sand casted and sprayed with enamel. The enamel is then baked until it is hard and resistent to cracking, peeling and other general and practical use  The final product goes through fifteen different people to be sure that the product is perfect and suited for exportation.

We continue our introduction to Le Creuset casseroles by saying that they can be used for all slow cooking for foods like stews and chili. However, the company warns against using the cassaroles for deep frying as the oil can become so hot that it could damage the enamel on the pot. It can be used on a gas or electric stove top or in an oven no higher than 450 degrees Fahrenheit.  The route it can take is from freezer to oven to table and back to the freezer with left overs. The casseroles boasts diversification and ultimate beauty.