le creuset love

Love love LOVE Le Creuset, and am the proud owner of two of their pots, and two frying pans. All bright orange (could there be a more cheerful colour for in the kitchen?), except for the smallest frying pan which is a vivid blue, and happens to make the best single fried egg ever. I can't afford Le Creuset at regular prices though, so have managed to find each piece in various thrift stores.

Ah, what people (unknowingly?) get rid of! The small pot I picked up for $5, and the big pot (excellent for my homemade soups!) was a hefty $20, but that's nowhere near what I'd have to pay for it new. Speaking of new, the little blue frying pan was exactly that, and I have to admit I pretty much gloated as I handed over my $2 and asked the clerk if she realized what she had just sold. Snort.

Just how much do I love Le Creuset? Well, I always get a thrill when I see the pots displayed on cooking shows (especially the orange ones), and I tend to ignore what's cooking in favour of getting a glimpse of the pots. How or why did my love affair begin? Probably because of nostalgia. Growing up my mom had an orange Dutch oven in which she cooked a lot of her meat dishes (and she's an excellent cook although she refuses to believe it), so I suppose I associate orange pots with memories of homemade cooking. I eventually inherited mom's old memory-laden pot, and still use it to make my own oven roast meals.