Monday, February 27, 2006

Vive Le Creuset!!! Vive Le Pots!!


I was bad...very bad this weekend. The Man and I abandoned the yappy dogs on Sunday afternoon and went off to the Premium Outlets in search of a Le Creuset Dutch oven. I've been lusting after one of these babies for years, years, I tell you. Le Creuset cookware always looks so cheerful and exudes an aura of capability. It says, "don't be afraid! You too can make fabulous Frenchified things like coq au vin or Chicken Provencal or beef daube perfectly. All you need is a $200 pot to do it in! We (the pots) would never let you fail!"

I know, I know, it's weird when your cookware starts talking to you...you don't even want to know what the food processor says.

Anyway, the Le Creuset outlet put together a fabulous package of pots for CHEAP! (comparatively speaking). I got a 15-piece create your own set plus a bottle of cast iron cleaner for a little over $700. Y'all, $700 for pots...pots! Cookware!! I thought I would just sink through the floor and die when they rang it up. I've driven cars that didn't cost $700!! I keep telling myself that I'll never have to buy pots again! I could even will them to some deserving friend's child, too...I'm taking bribes and offerings now.

So, here's the preciousssss potssss I gots:

10.25-inch skillet in Soleil (bright yellow)
2-qt heart casserol in White
4 1/2-quart round Dutch oven in Cherry
3 1/2-quart buffet casserole in Cherry
6 3/4-quart oval Dutch oven in Cactus (a dark green)
3 1/2-quart round Dutch oven in Azure (blue)
10.25-inch grill pan in Flame (the traditional LC orange) and it came with a panini press
2 3/4-quart pouring saucepan in Cherry

Why they count the lids as pieces, I'll never understand. I would have just counted this as 9 pieces including the panini press...roughly $77/pot or pan. Not too shabby for the LC, is it? And, since it's a business expense, I can count it off on the old taxes next year. Whoo hoo!!

I thought it would be cool to get in different colors as well...sort of mix things up a bit. The majority is the Cherry red, but the other colors are bold and interact well with the red.

This stuff is gorgeous, and I'm almost afraid to cook in it. It looks so pristine and perfect sitting on my living room floor, which is the perfect place for it to be admired by everyone who wanders through the door. The Man says I have to cook in it everyday for the rest of my fool life...I'll probably not get Christmas or Birthday presents for years to come. : ) And, what the hell am I going to do with the motley collection of pots and pans I currently have? I still like them...they're pretty good stainless...guess I'll just have to work on the space-time folding module for my kitchen cabinets

I've got a coq au vin recipe from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything that I'm going to try this afternoon...a few modifications will be made, since I forgot an ingredient (but not the wine!!! never forget the wine!). I'll let you know how it goes.

1 comment:

ninjapoodles said...

I am beyond jealous of your wealth of pots, and the great deal! I love my LC cookware with a fierceness...even have the unbelievably huge cast-iron wok. If ever I need a geadly weapon in a pinch...

And NO, a LID does not count!