The Origin of Le Creuset Cast Iron Cookware

As many of you know, I am a true follower of the Le Creuset brand and its cast iron pans . They are an icon of French cuisine. Cast iron is a material that was already used in Roman times to make kitchen utensils; and still today, with all the materials we have at our disposal, there is no other material so versatile, with such good looks and with better heat retention.

Le Creuset has been manufacturing cast iron cookware since 1925. Two Belgian industrialists, Armand Desaegher (a foundry specialist) and Octave Aubecq (an enamelling specialist), met at the Brussels Fair. They decided to create a foundry for various kitchen utensils. In 1925, Le Creuset was born and settled in Fresnoy-le-Grand, in the north of France. It was a strategic position for the company, where the transport routes for the raw materials needed to manufacture cast iron: iron, sand and coal intersected. That same year the first cocotte was born.

During these years, Le Creuset has incorporated numerous innovations and technical advances. It also experienced a successful process of internationalization hand in hand with the popularization of French cuisine throughout the world. Despite this evolution, Le Creuset continues to use delicate craft techniques and the same lengthy forging and casting processes for its cookware.

To make a Le Creuset cast iron cocotte , frying pan , grill or any other piece, sand molds are first created to give it the proper shape. The molds are fixed and molten iron is poured inside at 1000º, coming from a large cauldron (called 'creuset' in French). Once the iron cools, the mold is removed and the sand is recycled to make another mold, so we can say that no two pieces are exactly alike.

Before glazing begins, the piece is cleaned, checked and smoothed in a manual process to ensure a uniform surface for glazing. Each piece receives two layers of enamel at 840º. The first consists of a colorless enamel (the one we see on the upper edge of a cocotte) to improve the adherence of the second layer. Then it receives a second coat with the final color both inside and out. This second layer is vitrified producing the typical resistant ceramic finish so typical of Le Creuset cocottes .

Using a Le Creuset cast iron cookware, such as a cocotte or frying pan, is a pleasure and a culinary experience. It evokes the most traditional cuisine, offers us excellent cooking results and gives us the confidence of having been manufactured with respect for tradition, rigor and complying with the strictest regulations on food safety, so they are totally safe for health. and suitable for all kinds of food. A sample of the quality and good work of Le Creuset is the lifetime guarantee that it offers for all its cast iron pieces.

For all these reasons, Le Creuset is the reference manufacturer for the majority of chefs and cooking enthusiasts in the world. It is a brand that has been passed down from generation to generation (like good recipes!), which is why many of us have family meals around a Le Creuset cocotte among our first culinary memories. Even some lucky ones have inherited this utensil, as if it were a true treasure that has remained intact for generations.