Welcome to DiscoverFrance.net Culinary Boutique

As an affiliate of Cooking.com, DiscoverFrance.net welcomes you to our Culinary Boutique! Here you will find a vast assortment of the finest cookware, bakeware, cutlery, kitchen utensils, small appliances, and much more — offering competitive online prices and the convenience of desktop shopping. In addition to a number of excellent products manufactured in the U.S. and elsewhere, we are very pleased to feature several brands which are authentically French. If you enjoy cooking, particularly in the gourmet traditions of France, we are sure you will appreciate the high quality of these selections.

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Le Creuset — French Cookware For Real Cooks

Cast iron cookware dates back to the early middle ages, and the craft has since been handed down through the generations from father to son. Although the Le Creuset foundry at Fresnoy-le-Grand in Northern France is now fully modernized with faster production facilities, each piece of Le Creuset Cast Iron Cookware is unique. Every item is still individually made, passing through craftsmen's hands for the final stages of finishing. In this way, as has always been the case, no two pieces are ever exactly the same.

Le Creuset cookware Cast iron is a very energy-efficient material and you will find, once hot, that you require only a low heat setting to maintain a good cooking performance. Indeed, for some recipes, once hot the pan can be removed from the heat source, leaving the food to cook in its own heat.

Each piece of Le Creuset receives two coats of enamel. The first is a ground coat which once fired at 840°C is clear and uncolored. This allows for better adhesion of the second coat, the colored enamel, to the cast iron. This special color coat is applied internally and externally. After the enamel is applied it is air dried before being vitrified at 800°C to produce a highly durable and shock resistant finish.

The vitreous enamel cooking surface is completely hygienic and impervious to acids and other chemicals. As well as for superior cooking functions, it is perfect therefore, to hold foods that are marinating or for storing foods (raw or cooked) in the refrigerator or freezer.

Le Creuset is consistently chosen by leading chefs, restaurateurs, and those who just enjoy cooking; all of whom appreciate its performance, cooking advantages and style.

Emile Henry — Glazed Ceramic Tableware and Bakeware

Thanks to its clay, rich in refractory properties, Burgundy has always been a fertile area for potters, passing on their savoir-faire from generation to generation. The rich soil and famous vineyards have also contributed to Burgundy's gastronomic reputation, producing many great chefs and regional specialities.

Starting in 1850, a potter named Jacques Henry operated a small workshop in Marcigny (southern Burgundy), manufacturing jugs, pots, casseroles, dishes, and serving plates. Emile Henry tableware The ceramic forms were created on two manual wheels, then fired in two kilns which were heated by wood. By 1882, his son Paul had taken over the business, employing 40 people and using such technological advancements as coal-fired kilns and mechanical, gas-fired wheels. Steam power helped to further modernize the production process in 1912.

When Emile Henry took over the company in 1922, strong competition from producers of metal cookware had resulted in many potteries closing down, yet Henry's Parisian customers remained faithful, and the company grew to 50 employees. Since that time, the company has focused its energies on culinary pottery, and the technology of gas firing has substantially cut production time — from a full week to only 4 hours. Today, the company employs 200 and exports its highly regarded wares to 50 countries. In the year 2000, the company was awarded the ISO 2002 international standard, guaranteeing the highest level of quality and professionalism in its manufacturing processes.

The family tradition has continued, through a doubling of its production capacity between 1989 and 1992, and the building of two new factory units in Marcigny. A stronger product has also been created, using a unique process called Ceradon®. We invite you to experience the French authenticity and excellence of the Emile Henry line of consumer and professional cookware.

Sabatier — Fully Forged Cutlery Made In France

The origins of the fine art of cutlery manufacturing in the Thiers region of Auvergne can be traced back to the 13th century. In the old days, while the River Durolle turned the massive grindstones, craftsmen would lie on planks over the icy water to hone their blades on the stone. Today, the 15th-century Maison des Coutelliers (Cutlery House) — a small museum and workshop — still offers demonstrations of five centuries of knife-making. Thiers is the undisputed capital of cutlery, scissors, shaving razors and daggers, supplying 70% of France's cutting needs.

Sabatier is the premier French brand of kitchen cutlery and has been the first choice of French chefs around the world since Monsieur Sabatier forged his first masterpieces in 1834. The Sabatier Grand Chef, Provence and Fuso lines are forged and bolstered high carbon stainless steel knives made to compete head to head with the best brands in the world. NSF Certified The Au Carbone line features the carbon steel (non stainless) blades that appeal to traditionalists who prefer the best performance and are willing to live with the corrosion that inevitably affects non-stainless blades in the kitchen.

We have chosen to feature Sabatier because there are no better kitchen knives made in the world: the French craftmanship that goes into the making of these knives produces a balance, fit and finish that is superior to the other top brands from Europe. Needless to say, we recommend them without compromise. Sabatier products are certified by NSF International. See what others have said about Sabatier.

The History of T-Fal

In the beginning, Colette Grégoire had a simple suggestion: if her scientist husband, Marc, could use Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) to prevent red-hot fiberglass from adhering to his ultra-advanced aluminum fishing rod, why couldn't it keep an omelet from sticking to an aluminum frying pan?

And so began a revolution in cookware. In 1955 Marc Grégoire went to work applying PTFE to aluminum pans with his newly patented process, while Mme. Grégoire sautéed eggs, crêpes and fish in the kitchen, using only a soupçon of oil to achieve spectacular — and delicious — results.

Non-stick cuisine was born in France, but it came of age in the United States. When T-Fal non-stick pans debuted at Macy's in New York City during the 1960 Christmas season, the response was nothing less than sensational. Within weeks, Macy's buyers were frantically telegraphing to France for more non-stick pans. In January 1961, U.S. orders rose to 4,500 a week, 7,500 a couple of months later, 20,000 shortly thereafter, and mounted to one million in a month in the summer of 1961.

Today, T-Fal is the number one brand of non-stick cookware worldwide. In addition to pots and pans, its line of products has grown to include small appliances, pressure cookers, bakeware, and irons.

The Original Non-Stick Cookware

Designed with the gourmet home chef in mind, T-Fal's Restaurant Gourmet and Culinaire Commercial Cookware are used and recommended by the chefs of Le Cordon Bleu, the renowned French cooking school. T-Fal combines the highest quality materials and construction you have come to expect in premium cookware.

Among the features you will appreciate in T-Fal's top-of-the-line cookware is PROMETAL®, the newest generation nonstick cooking surface, offering superior performance and easy cleaning (it's even recommended for use with metal utensils!). T-Fal's thick, heavy gauge aluminum core heats quickly and maintains consistent temperature throughout cooking, while its stainless steel bottom disk won't warp — providing added durability and even heat distribution by keeping the base totally flat on the stovetop.

T-Fal products carry a lifetime warranty, feature the Good Housekeeping® seal, and are certified by NSF International. This widely respected recognition is only given to those products which meet its high standards for quality and performance.