verification . please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources . unsourced material may be challenged and removed . april 2011 learn how and when to remove this template message le creuset type sas industry cookware founded 1925 founder armand desaegher octave aubecq headquarters fresnoy le grand france owner paul van zuydam website lecreuset.com from left le creuset french oven saute pan small wok and rectangular baker le creuset french pronunciation l k ze meaning the crucible is a premium french cookware manufacturer best known for its colorfully enameled cast iron cookware french ovens also known as casseroles or dutch ovens . the company also makes many other types of cookware from sauce pans to tagines . contents 1 history 2 production 3 references 4 external links history edit le creuset was founded in the french town of fresnoy le grand aisne picardy a strategic location at the crossroads of transportation routes for iron coke and sand . armand desaegher a casting specialist and octave aubecq an enameling specialist opened their foundry in 1925 . 1 2 that same year the first cocotte or french oven was produced laying the foundation for what is now an extensive range of cookware and kitchen utensils . the le creuset signature color flame orange was born in this first piece . with their new ability to pigment the enamel glaze desaegher and aubecq modeled their first color after the intense orange hue of molten cast iron inside a cauldron creuset in french . during world war ii le creuset began to focus on continually improving their cast iron . in 1939 in 1957 le creuset purchased a competitor les hauts fourneaux de cousances and began producing items such as a grill model and a fondue set . in 1995 le creuset began exploring new product categories stainless steel stoneware silicone enamel on steel textiles and forged hard anodized aluminum . the current le creuset logo was introduced in 1970 and was designed to be a symbolic representation of metal casting and molding . the company was purchased by current owner paul van zuydam in 1987 . le creuset offers a variety of colors from bright e.g. cherry a red gradient to muted e.g. dune a graduated off white . 3 its discontinued colors include cobalt solid blue black onyx black kiwi solid green 3 as well as slate granite cactus and citron . 4 5 production edit le creuset tea kettle to manufacture their cast iron cookware the le creuset foundry uses standard sand casting methods . after hand finishing items are sprayed with at least two coats of enamel . the enamel becomes resistant to damage during normal use . currently all le creuset cast iron cookware is still manufactured in the company s foundry in fresnoy le grand where workers employ a 12 step finishing process implemented by 15 different pairs of hands to ensure that there are no flaws or imperfections in the final product . however le creuset products that are not cast iron may be made in other countries such as china accessories or silicone products thailand kettles and ceramics england enamel cleaner and portugal stainless steel . citation needed . le creuset cookware is warranted by le creuset to be free from defects in material and workmanship at the time of its purchase . for this lifetime limited warranty to apply you must follow the care and use instructions provided with the utensil . this warranty covers normal household use only . 6 references edit best known french cookware brands le creuset cookware . www.thecookwarereview.com . retrieved 22 may 2016 . guardian david levene for the 7 september 2015 . le creuset celebrates 90 years in pictures . the guardian . retrieved 22 may 2016 . a b true colors . cookware.lecreuset.com . retrieved 2014 04 18 . kitchen classic conundrum what color is your le creuset . epicurious.com . retrieved 2014 04 18 . where can i find discontinued colors of le creuset cookware chowhound . chowhound.chow.com . 2010 11 26 . retrieved 2014 04 18 . http www.qvc.com footers cd pdf k42842 faqs.pdf external links edit official website retrieved from https en.wikipedia.org w index.php title le creuset & oldid 739261961 categories companies established in 1925kitchenware brandsmanufacturing companies of francevitreous enamelhidden categories articles needing additional references from april 2011all articles needing additional referencesall articles with unsourced statementsarticles with unsourced statements from june 2015 navigation menu personal tools not logged intalkcontributionscreate accountlog in namespaces article talk variants views read edit view history more search navigation main pagecontentsfeatured contentcurrent eventsrandom articledonate to wikipediawikipedia store interaction helpabout wikipediacommunity portalrecent changescontact page tools what links hererelated changesupload filespecial pagespermanent linkpage informationwikidata itemcite this page print export create a bookdownload as pdfprintable version 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