Do you know who invented the removable pan handle?
Now a fixture in our kitchens, the removable handle was invented years ago by a French company. Here's the story..
It's practical and saves a lot of space. Who hasn't been pleased to be able to stack pots and pans without their handles getting in the way? The removable handle is a major space-saver. Now sold by many brands, it was created in 1986 by a well-known French company.
Heading for the Doubs. That's where, in 1983, workers from the former Japy factory, a major 19th-century French industrial enterprise that went bankrupt in 1979, created a Scop, a workers' cooperative, with the determination not to see their company disappear. They called it Cristel.
at the time, employees were still making kitchen utensils. But their factory was too old: it was an industrial wasteland that didn't allow them to continue their mass production, "without added value", explains Damien Dodane, today Cristel's General Manager. "With this production, they couldn't reinvest in production tools or imagine a future for this company."
Top-of-the-range salvation
Paul Dodane, who took over the Scop with his wife Bernadette in 1987, encouraged the employees to come up with a different product, "something the others didn't have", says his son, Damien Dodane. The cooperative began producing higher-quality utensils and decorated accessories. In 1985, the first collection named "Diamant" attracted attention, "but my father said that wasn't good enough, that we had to bring something fundamentally different to the market."
So he came up with an idea: remove the handle, the accessory to the saucepan and sauté pan, so that the utensil becomes a serving dish that retains heat during serving. The concept of a removable handle, called "cooking-service", was born.
From kitchen to table: a modern concept
"The aim was that, by removing the handle from the body of the sauté pan or saucepan, the product would remain attractive and presentable on the table," explains Damien Dodane. "Detachable handles existed, but a mechanical part remained on the body of the pan. The product was therefore not presentable for serving."
Today, this Cristel creation is still the brand's identity worldwide. The company also sells fixed handles, popular with chefs for their practicality. "But some also see an advantage in detaching the handles: they can start cooking on a griddle and then finish it in the oven."
In the 1990s, this invention quickly met with success in Japan. Cristel's General Manager explains: "Over there, kitchens are small and space is a luxury. It's very interesting to be able to store a complete set of saucepans in a cupboard. It's the third biggest market after France and the United States."
Today, xxx removable handles are sold each year by the brand. Now available in wood, stainless steel and thermoset. Seeing this product used by numerous brands, "is proof that we've imported something really interesting to the market!" smiles Damien Dodane.
