The tasty cocotte, star of the kitchen

Anne Inquimbert | 4/13/24, 9:24 AM

With its attractive curves, this cast-iron pot is ideal for simmering beef bourguignon, pot-au-feu, blanquette, osso buco and other stews. Now decked out in its finest finery, this emblematic utensil with the charm of yesteryear is making a comeback in every kitchen.

Behind this slightly naughty name lies an enamelled cast-iron pot, round or oval, with two handles and a lid. Forever associated with grandmotherly recipes, this icon has been proudly displayed in kitchens since the early 20th century. It has many ancestors. As far back as Antiquity, the Gauls enjoyed dishes prepared in a bronze cauldron. In the Middle Ages, food was cooked in rack pots suspended in the fireplace or placed directly on the coals.

In the 18th century, with the advent of brass, the most common alloy for cooking vessels and utensils, the Dutch began to produce stewpots for cooking in the oven or over coals. Abraham Darby, an English industrialist, improved on this process and, in 1707, filed the first patent for the design of cast-iron cooking vessels. Dutch ovens - the famous dutch ovens - were thus the closest cousins of the French "cocasses" and "coquemars", ancestors of the "cocotte". As early as the 19th century, models in raw or enamelled cast iron with handles and lids were manufactured in France in foundries in the Ardennes and the north of the country. In 1925, Le Creuset caused a sensation with its iconic flamboyant orange. A hue obtained thanks to a new vitrified enameling technique offering greater resistance and permitting all manner of coloring eccentricities. Today, this model remains a must-have.

At the end of the 1970s, in Turckheim (Alsace), Francis Staub perfected the enamelled casserole by fitting the inside of its lid with picots, small bumps that ensure even and continuous steam distribution to the food. Cast iron spreads heat slowly and evenly, while the picots keep food slightly moist and prevent it from drying out, for softer preparations. An innovation hailed and approved by Lyonnais chef Paul Bocuse, who didn't hesitate to associate his image with that of the stork brand. Today, to keep up with the times, the cocotte has become "Instagrammable", adorning itself in a multitude of colors and shapes. Timeless, it remains a must-have for simmering comforting dishes to share with family and friends.

Say cocotte, what are you cooking for us?

Cast-iron, porcelain, aluminum or stainless steel, classic or colorful, there's a cocotte to suit every taste. Here's a small selection for cooking, braising, browning, roasting, frying or just searing.

1. Oceanic: a union of the beautiful and the useful, we can't resist this deep blue. "Blue la Mer", Staub, 28 cm, 369€ 2. Ultra-light: with 1.5 kg and 100% recycled metal, this coctte works wonders. "L'Incroyable Cocotte", 8 colors, Cookut, 24 cm, €129.90 3. Style: Inspired by Carrara stone, this enamelled cast-iron model combines functionality and design. "Marbre Blanc", Le Creuset, 24 cmn 395 € 4. Design: This cast-iron utensil, designed by chef Sergio Herman, is ideal for low-temperature cooking. "Surface", Serax, between 16.6 and 26cm, from €87.50 to €163 5. Festive: designed by Inga Sempé, this culinary porcelain reference moves elegantly from oven to table. "Bombance", Revol, 19 cm, €184

Minute, cocotte!

Because time is a precious commodity, Seb invented the Cocotte-Minute in 1953, a pressure cooker available first in aluminum, then in stainless steel, for rapid, high-pressure steaming. And for those in a hurry, in 2015 the Tupperware brand invented the first pressure cooker for microwaves, the Micro Minute, a polypropylene stewpot with lid and pressure valve that dispatches simmered dishes in 30 minutes instead of 2 hours.

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