You\u2019ve probably seen it\u2014brightly-colored cookware<\/span> in fiery red<\/span> and orange, maybe in a friend\u2019s kitchen, in a department store<\/span>, or in your social media feed<\/span>. That\u2019s Le Creuset, the French company celebrating 100 years of colorful cooking<\/span>.<\/p>\n A century<\/span> ago, cookware was boring<\/span>. It only came in<\/a> shades of gray, brown, and black. But that changed in 1925, when two Belgian entrepreneurs founded<\/span> Le Creuset\u2014their names were Octave Aubecq and Claude Vanderspikken.<\/p>\n They worked with a French industrialist<\/span> who specialized in cast iron<\/span>. Cast iron is a very heavy metal<\/span> that had long<\/a> been used in cooking. It\u2019s a very flexible cooking material<\/span> because it retains<\/span> and distributes<\/span> heat evenly<\/span>. With a cast iron skillet<\/span>, you can sear<\/span> meat like steak<\/span>, chicken, and pork chops<\/span>. The sizzling-hot<\/span> cast iron makes the meat brown and crispy<\/span> on the outside, but soft and juicy on the inside. With a cover<\/span>, you can make cakes, pies, and bread in a skillet. And you can even fry eggs<\/span>, saut\u00e9 vegetables<\/span>, and bake pizza.<\/p>\n There were a few problems with the cast-iron cookware available in the early twentieth century. First, it was only available<\/span> in black, and it was hard to clean<\/span>. Cast iron also developed rust easily<\/span>, especially if<\/a> it was not seasoned<\/span> and maintained<\/span>. The physical designs were not exactly<\/a> user-friendly<\/span>; it was hard to pick up<\/span> and manage the hot metal.<\/p>\n The Belgian entrepreneurs\u2019 idea was to coat<\/span> the cast iron with a colorful enamel<\/span>. An enamel is a smooth, glass-like coating<\/span> that is fused<\/span> to the metal.<\/p>\n What was so special about the enamel coating? Well, it did a few important things. On the outside, it made a dark, heavy cast-iron pan look good: the enamel on the exterior could be any color. It didn\u2019t have to be black. The original color of Le Creuset cookware is still<\/a> the company\u2019s famous red-orange hue.<\/p>\n The other advantage to the enamel? It made the cookware easier to clean and maintain<\/span>. A thin layer<\/span> of enamel on the cooking surface protected<\/span> the cast-iron and made it easier to clean after the meal. The enamel was also rust-proof<\/span>, so a heavy cast iron pan could last<\/span> much longer. <\/p>\n Design mattered to the founders, too. They committed<\/span> to making the pieces easier to handle, with flexible handles<\/span> and tops that made cooking and serving easier. They called their company Le Creuset, which means \u201cthe crucible<\/span>\u201d in French. They produced<\/span> the original pieces in a foundry<\/span> in the northeast of France. <\/p>\n Soon, discerning<\/span> French cooks were hooked<\/span>.<\/p>\n Le Creuset\u2019s original product was a Dutch oven<\/span>. A Dutch oven is a large cast-iron pot with a cover. It\u2019s used for slow cooking<\/span>. It\u2019s great for stews<\/span>, soups, and other one-pot meals<\/span>. The advantage<\/span> of a Dutch oven is that heat circulates evenly<\/span> inside. You can put a Dutch oven over a fire or in a hearth<\/span>. You can also put hot coals<\/span> on the lids<\/span> of a Dutch oven to even out<\/span> the heat.<\/p>\n Other early products included a round, deep<\/span> pot used for stovetop cooking<\/span>; casserole dishes; saucepans<\/span>; and frying pans<\/span>. They all came in Le Creuset\u2019s signature<\/span> color, Volcanique\u2014a fiery blend of red and orange, with a gradient effect<\/span> that fades<\/span> from the top to the bottom.<\/p>\n After just a few years, Le Creuset cookware had become so popular in France that the company looked to expand<\/span>. They started exporting<\/span> to Belgium and the United Kingdom. And then<\/a>, in the 1950s, they entered the American market. <\/p>\n The timing<\/span> turned out<\/a> to be perfect. Home cooking was on the rise<\/span>, thanks to affordable home appliances<\/span>. The mid-twentieth century ideal<\/span> of a family living in a single house, with a mom at home cooking: this was perfect for Le Creuset. At the same time<\/a>, Americans were falling in love with French cooking\u2014slow-cooked meats, rich sauces<\/span>, stews, and baked goods<\/span>. This was considered a refined<\/span>, sophisticated<\/span> way to cook. And Le Creuset gave American cooks a durable<\/span> and beautiful way to cook sophisticated French recipes<\/span>.<\/p>\n Pretty soon<\/a>, Le Creuset pieces weren\u2019t just for cooking. They were also part of a kitchen\u2019s d\u00e9cor<\/span>. And a funny thing happened: people bought more Le Creuset pieces than they really needed, just to mix and match<\/span> the colors. <\/p>\n The company leaned into<\/a> the trend, producing pieces in bright colors, neutral colors, and pastels<\/span>, allowing customers to mix and match and create their own colorful kitchens. They expanded into salt and pepper shakers<\/span>, utensils<\/span>, storage jars<\/span>, fondue pots<\/span>, tea kettles<\/span>, and more.<\/p>\n For many couples, having Le Creuset cookware became something of a rite of passage<\/span>. If you had Le Creuset in your kitchen, you were finally a grown-up adult. You could make a dish from a Julia Child cookbook, just the way the famous French chef did herself<\/a>. Many couples put the fiery pots and skillets on their wedding registries<\/span>.<\/p>\n There was even more good luck<\/span> for the company. In the 1960s, large chain stores<\/span> were starting to spread<\/span> across the United States. And two of these chains used Le Creuset cookware as a major driver of sales<\/span>. They were Williams-Sonoma and Pottery Barn. Both those chains still sell Le Creuset cookware today, sixty years later.<\/p>\n In the mid-1980s<\/a>, an outside investor<\/span> bought out the company\u2019s founders. Le Creuset remains in private hands<\/span>, so sales, profits, and other business metrics<\/span> are not public. But the United States is its biggest market, followed by<\/span> Japan and Europe.<\/p>\n Le Creuset is as relevant now, 100 years after its founding, as it ever has been. These days<\/a>, Le Creuset has a loyal<\/span> following online. Their Instagram is filled with colorful pots, vintage ads<\/span>, and fans showing off<\/a> their creations. They drop<\/span> limited-edition pieces that sell out instantly<\/span>\u2014and then pop up<\/a> on eBay for a hefty premium<\/span>. <\/p>\n They\u2019ve even done special versions: Star Wars, Harry Potter, Hello Kitty. There\u2019s white cookware in Meghan Markle\u2019s new Netflix show. And yes, there are superfans\u2014some even dedicate<\/span> entire rooms to display their collections<\/span>.<\/p>\n But this is the exception<\/span>. Most people don\u2019t buy Le Creuset on a whim<\/span>\u2014let\u2019s be honest; they are expensive. People buy the pieces for their flexibility and durability. It\u2019s not uncommon to hear stories about couples who have had the same Le Creuset pieces in their kitchens for fifty or sixty years; some people even inherit<\/span> Le Creuset from parents who have passed away<\/a>.<\/p>\n Le Creuset still makes its signature cast iron pans in the original foundry in France, though most of its pieces are made in Portugal, Thailand, and China.<\/p>\n I got a few Le Creuset pieces as gifts, from my parents. One was not a Dutch oven exactly, but it was like a deep saucepan<\/span> with a cover that doubled as<\/a> a small frying pan. I also got some baking dishes<\/span>, which I used a lot.<\/p>\n But I never had a cast iron skillet or a Dutch oven. I\u2019m not a sophisticated enough<\/a> cook to make good use of them. I imagine some future version of myself, searing lamb chops<\/span> on a cast-iron skillet or baking an apple pie in a Dutch oven\u2014but that version of myself is far, far in the future!<\/p>\nAll joking aside<\/span>, I have cooked with a Dutch oven\u2014but it was camping<\/span>. As a kid on camping trips<\/span>, we would cook in a Dutch oven and it was great. You could build a fire and literally<\/a> just put the Dutch oven in the fire, put hot coals<\/span> on the top, and whatever was inside would be delicious when it was done. It took<\/a> a while. But it would be delicious.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Le Creuset was founded in 1925 by two Belgian entrepreneurs who revolutionized cast iron cookware with colorful enamel and thoughtful design. Over 100 years, the company evolved from a local French producer into a global kitchen brand, with fans collecting its distinctive pieces and even passing them down to their kids.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":27658,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false},"lesson_category":[626],"lesson_number":[2572],"terminology_tag":[],"content_tag":[],"topics":[2584,2585],"class_list":["post-27656","lessons","type-lessons","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","lesson_category-food","lesson_number-2572","topics-food","topics-house-home"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nJeff\u2019s take<\/h3>\n