The coveted heavy-duty, Skittles-coloured enamelled pots, pans, and kettles evoke ambitious Sunday feasts and an iconic French timelessness. Produced in a tiny working-class town far from the lights of Paris since 1925, Le Creuset products have gone global, making their way to kitchens around the world, from Japan to the United States.

For more than 90 years, Le Creuset has used the same basic production process to forge its cast iron pots, pans, and cocottes (Dutch ovens) at the company’s foundry in Fresnoy-le-Grand, a town 180 kilometres northeast of Paris, an area in northern France located along a major trade route. The company was started by two Belgian men – one was an enamelling expert, the other, a metal caster.

A casserole dish, a Dutch oven, a cocotte – call it what you want, a big cast iron pot for cooking stews is an essential in your kitchen

For more than 90 years, Le Creuset has used the same basic production process to forge its cast iron pots, pans, and cocottes (Dutch ovens) at the company’s foundry in Fresnoy-le-Grand, a town 180 kilometres northeast of Paris, an area in northern France located along a major trade route. The company was started by two Belgian men – one was an enamelling expert, the other, a metal caster

The cast iron cocotte, also known as a French oven or an enamelled Dutch oven, was their first product. Its flame colour, a Le Creuset signature, is said to have been modelled after the vibrant orange hue of molten cast iron inside a crucible (“le creuset” in French).

The cocotte was a ground-breaking product at the time because it made the kitchen staple of cast iron cookware both more functional and beautiful. It was something that home cooks could rely on every time to perform at high levels, but also an aesthetically pleasing piece that looked good on stovetops and dining tables alike. Based on Le Creuset’s enduring success, it looks like our tastes haven’t changed much.

After World War II, as competitors flocked to steel and aluminium to make their cookware, Le Creuset doubled down on its enamelled cast iron efforts, expanding into a range of other pieces and experimenting with exciting new colours. Today, you can shop its iconic Dutch oven alongside specialty cookware like woks and Moroccan tagines, bakeware like casserole dishes, and dinnerware.

The molten iron used to form each pot, named Volcanique, was the inspiration for Le Creuset’s trademark orange colour. Creuset translates to cauldron or crucible, which is fitting as the iron here melts at about 1 535ºC.

In 2015, the facility doubled its production capacity to meet increased global demand. It can now turn out as many as 10 000 cast iron pieces a day. The entire project, from brief to site launch, was completed in 18 months. The new foundry included a DISA moulding machine with an output of 550 moulds per hour, a JML Industrie sand plant with 100 t/h capacity, induction ovens delivering 8 t/h and a transfer unit

The cast iron cookware is still produced in the original foundry in the small village of Fresnoy-le-Grand, France. Every single piece passes through more than 15 pairs of skilled craftsmen’s hands, often from several generations of the same family, hand-finishing and inspecting the piece before it is complete

Crafted only from the highest quality materials for superior performance and durability, the secret recipe of ingredients to make a Le Creuset Enamelled Cast Iron piece remains the same today as when first manufactured in 1925.

The cast iron cookware is still produced in the original foundry in the small village of Fresnoy-le-Grand, France. Every single piece passes through more than 15 pairs of skilled craftsmen’s hands, often from several generations of the same family, hand-finishing and inspecting the piece before it is complete. This ensures exceptional quality and that Le Creuset Cast Iron will deliver outstanding cooking performance time after time.

In 2015, the facility doubled its production capacity to meet increased global demand. It can now turn out as many as 10 000 cast iron pieces a day. The entire project, from brief to site launch, was completed in 18 months. The new foundry included a DISA moulding machine with an output of 550 moulds per hour, a JML Industrie sand plant with 100 t/h capacity, induction ovens delivering 8 t/h and a transfer unit.

The Dutch oven
The Dutch oven is the OG slow cooker and possibly one of the most versatile yet under-utilised pieces of cookware in the kitchen. If you don’t yet have a Dutch oven, they’re an excellent investment. They last forever and can be used for multiple cooking applications, though they are most commonly used for slow-cooking and braising.

The Dutch oven is the OG slow cooker and possibly one of the most versatile yet under-utilised pieces of cookware in the kitchen. If you don’t yet have a Dutch oven, they’re an excellent investment. They last forever and can be used for multiple cooking applications, though they are most commonly used for slow-cooking and braising

The cast iron cocotte, also known as a French oven or an enamelled Dutch oven, was their first product. Its flame colour, a Le Creuset signature, is said to have been modelled after the vibrant orange hue of molten cast iron inside a crucible (“le creuset” in French)

Before we dive into some of the best Dutch ovens you can buy, first a little history. The Dutch oven got its name thanks to the Dutch casting process of making anything out of cast iron. The cooking vessel, or oven, became any cast iron pot with a tight lid. As the technology spread across Europe and the different cuisines, in France, the company Le Creuset gave birth to slight alterations like the cassadou, doufeu and cocotte. These off-shoots of the classic Dutch oven had slight variations in their design based on the cooking technique and the dishes prepared.

Through the years, the Dutch oven has remained the same for the most part. The traditional design is a deep cast iron pot (but now comes in an array of materials), coated with a colourful enamel with two handles. If your New Year’s resolution is to cook more delicious braised meats, stews, or casseroles the old-fashioned way, then you’re going to want to purchase a Dutch oven.